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The Best Kid-Friendly Meal (That is Also Nutritious!)

by Stephanie

The Best Kid-Friendly Meal (That is Also Nutritious!)
easy kids dinners

Meals can be tough when you’re dealing with picky selective eaters. As I mentioned in this post, I’ve been dealing with a selective eater for years and it’s taken everything in me not to throw food against wall in frustration.

But even as adults we’re always learning right? There will likely be many times that our kids don’t like the food we serve. It’s my mission however to always have nutritious food on the table so that when they do reach for it they’re training their tastebuds to like good quality ingredients.

The best kid-friendly meal I’ve had the most success with (beside pizza and pasta of course) is tacos or fajitas. There’s nothing easier (for the parent) than chopping a bunch of veggies, grating some good quality cheese and sautéing some peppers to stuff into a tortilla.

And guess what? Kids love it too.

Mind you they might not choose the veggies from the get-go. Mine certainly didn’t. Most days the kids would have a yogurt and cheese fajita. But as long as we keep the veggies in plain view, the kids are able see them and they know it’s available to them if they want it.

A couple of years later, Leo now adds peppers, avocado and lettuce to the yogurt and cheese and Mila loves black beans.

Having meals like this helps the kids develop their tastes and figure out what they love and don’t love.

Ok now onto the recipe!



The Best Kid-Friendly Meal (That is Also Nutritious!)

  • 4-6 large sprouted or brown rice tortillas or 12 smaller soft corn tortillas (for tacos). I like Ezekiel Sprouted Whole Grain Tortillas.

If you’re making fajitas:

  • 3 sweet bell peppers of various colours, sliced
  • Half of a yellow onion, sliced
  • 2-3 portobello mushrooms, or 1 organic chicken breast, sliced
  • 1 clove of garlic, minced
  • 1 carrot, julienned
  • 1 tablespoon of chilli powder
  • 1 teaspoon of cumin
  • 1 lime, juiced
  • 1 teaspoon of sea salt
  • 1 tablespoon of avocado oil

Method:

  • Pre-heat oven to 200°.
  • Heat a wok or large sauté pan and add oil.
  • If using chicken, add it to the pan and make sure it’s mostly cooked through (no pink visible). Skip this step if you’re not using chicken!
  • Once the chicken is cooked, add onions, portobello mushrooms and peppers. Cook for 5 minutes or until soft.
  • Add garlic and stir.
  • Add lime juice and stir. Remove from heat.
  • Wrap tortillas in parchment and warm in the oven on 200. Warm for 5 minutes or so–you don’t want them to harden.
  • Keep them in the parchment until ready to serve.

If you’re making tacos:

  • 2 cups of black beans (or one BPA-free can)
  • 1 teaspoon of cumin
  • 3 teaspoons of chilli powder
  • 1 tsp of sea salt
  • Half of a lime, juiced
  • 1 tablespoon of avocado oil

Method:

  • Heat oil over medium to low heat.
  • Add the black beans and spices. Stir.
  • Gently cook until warmed up, about five minutes.

Meanwhile heat the tortillas:

  • Grab a medium pan (I use a 10 inch cast iron pan) and a wide shallow bowl of water.
  • Increase heat of the pan to medium-high.
  • Heat each corn tortilla by dipping the tortilla into the water making it a bit wet, but not sopping, then gently add it to the dry, hot pan.
  • When you start to see it bubble slightly (1-2 mins), use a metal spatula to flip it to gently brown the other side.
  • Once they’re done, store them wrapped in a tea towel (the moisture from the heat will help to keep them warm and soft.)

Accompaniments (for both options):

  • 1 head of romaine lettuce, sliced or 2 cups of spinach or kale, chopped
  • 2 carrots julienned
  • 1 avocado, sliced thinly
  • 1 zucchini, spiralled or julienned
  • Thinly sliced sweet peppers (for the tacos)
  • 1 cup of cilantro
  • 1-2 cups of good quality plain yogurt. I like Rolling Meadow Grass-Fed Yogurt
  • 1 cup of good quality organic raw cheddar. I like Fromagerie L’Ancêtre
  • Salsa

That’s it really! Honestly, sometimes I make tacos with whatever I have left in the fridge on a Friday. For example, I added the zucchini noodles because I had them leftover from a salad that week. Sky is the limit with what you serve. The kids will have fun trying new things and they love putting food into a shell.

Try it sometime and let me know what you think!

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Follow me on Instagram • @lealoulemonade

On Mother’s Day weekend, we hosted my family for On Mother’s Day weekend, we hosted my family for brunch. I bought a few quiches to eat for brunch mixed with bacon, croissants, and fruit.⁠
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No need to make everything from scratch friends!⁠
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According to the quiche reheat instructions, the internal temperature was to be 165° so after I baked it for about 18 minutes I checked the temp with my digital meat thermometre.⁠
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My mom’s husband looked over at me and said to her: “Look honey, she uses a thermometre too!” My mom laughed and said that her husband uses one for everything and uses a timer for all of his cooking.⁠
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When we were growing up my mom simply smelled and looked at the food to tell if it was done. ⁠
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“Mom, how do you know the turkey’s done?"⁠
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“Oh, I just know.”⁠
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My mom would smell it first in the kitchen and then she would peek at the food in the oven and decide it was done by how it looked.⁠
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It’s interesting how those experiences help us to establish what we do in our own kitchens when we start to cook for ourselves.⁠
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I use a thermometre and timer for many things, but I still use the smell and look method to help me decide if it’s done.⁠
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A balance of both of these approaches while cooking is important.⁠
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If you’re new to cooking, you might simply use a timer for a recipe, but once the timer is done, it might not be cooked all the way through. ⁠
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A more experienced cook would observe that the dish is not quite browned enough and that it needs more time in the oven.⁠
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Every oven has a different temperature, so it’s important to balance that with the time. This is why I find using a thermometre really helpful. It can also prevent overcooking and drying out the food.⁠
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Chicken is notoriously overcooked because people are afraid to undercook it. ⁠
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A thermometre will tell you exactly when the chicken is finished at 165°. It stays somewhat moist and juicy at that temperature.⁠
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If you wait until it’s browned on the outside, it might be too dry to eat. Alternatively, just using a timer could result in either a dry or under-cooked chicken breast.⁠
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I made this nifty graphic you can keep handy the next time you’re cooking. Use it to cook moist meat, not dry!⁠
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xo
Happy Friday 13th!⁠ ⁠ Do you find eating salad Happy Friday 13th!⁠
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Do you find eating salads scary??? 😱⁠
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According to my highly unscientific research, there are two types of people who don’t like to eat salad:⁠
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1️⃣Those who think eating salad is boring.⁠
2️⃣Those who think that salad isn’t filling enough to be a full meal.⁠
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Ok, one more… those who don’t like eating vegetables!⁠
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If you fall into one of the first two categories, I’m here to tell you that maybe… just maybe… you’ve been making salads wrong.⁠
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I know... People don’t like to be told that what they’ve been doing is wrong (I don’t like to be told that either) but I can guarantee you that salads can be fun and filling and it’s all in how we put them together.⁠
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On the blog, I have all the tips on how to make the perfect salad just for you: ⁠
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>>https://lealoucooks.com/howtobuildasalad/⁠
>>or get the link in my profile here: @lealoucooks
I love the idea of looking into the cupboard and c I love the idea of looking into the cupboard and creating something from what seems like nothing.⁠
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I do this to use up the food I have before bringing more food into the house.⁠
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I'm not sure about you, but when I don't use up the food I have, it gets pushed to the back of the fridge and then lands right into the compost bin. ⁠
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This is one of the ways groceries can get expensive.⁠
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So before you make your next grocery list, look in the cupboards and fridge first. What do you have in there that can be used up?⁠
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Then search for a recipe that uses those ingredients.⁠
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Shop your kitchen first, then make a list.⁠
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If you have food in your house you're not sure what to do with, comment below and I'll think of what to make with it!⁠
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#mealplanning #mealplanningtips #mealhelp #dinnertime #supper #eatleftovers #fridgefood #recipes #savemoney #foodwaste⁠
This weekend is a bit of a doozy - a fun doozy!!⁠
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💛My street is hosting a giant street sale (if you're in Etobicoke you can DM me for the address).⁠
💛It's my anniversary (14 years!)⁠
💛AND it's Mother's Day (on the same day as my anniversary! Sorry hunny).⁠
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I'm hosting my sisters and mom for a brunch and I asked them what their most favourite brunch meal is to eat... I'll make the menu a combination of everything for them!⁠
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My sister asked me the question back and I, of course, thought of eggs.🥚⁠
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(Why are all of my posts about eggs??)⁠
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This photo is of a breakfast I had last week and it was so good!⁠
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💛Sourdough GF bread from @thebreadessentials⁠
💛Topped with hummus⁠
💛Topped with a yellow heirloom tomato (fun!)⁠
💛Topped with eggs (duh)⁠
💛Topped with jalapeno sheep cheese from @blythfarmcheese⁠
💛Topped with Broccoli sprouts from @livingearthtoronto⁠
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That brekky was a favourite hands-down.⁠
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Eat what you love friends! 🌱⁠

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About Stephanie

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Hey! I'm Stephanie. I'm a Writer, Culinary Nutrition Expert and Cooking Instructor helping families cook nourishing meals. Read more about me {here}.

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