✓ Unique dishes for children: the recipes

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Unique dishes for children: the recipes

I unique dishes they save time and allow you to combine different foods in a single course. Also, by mixing the flavors, intrigue children and make certain ingredients more easily consumed. The important thing, which all parents must keep in mind, is that they always be balanced. We let ourselves be guided in the discovery of unique dishes for children by Francesca Ghelfi, nutritionist biologist.

Unique dishes for children: recipes 3-6 years

What unique dishes can we offer to children between 3 and 6 years old?

"The single dish, as well as every complete meal, must always be made up of three groups main foods, in any age group, in the following proportions:

half from a cereals (bread, pasta, rice, barley, spelled) + one one protein source different in rotation (meat, fish, eggs, cheeses, legumes);
half da vegetables.

Depending on the age, the portions, not the proportions. Younger children should not be offered a plate, but to identify the right size it is good to rely on the child's response rather than on generic indications. A very healthy dish that children of this age group love is adiced boiled potato salad, hard-boiled eggs and green beans, seasoned with extra virgin olive oil, aromatic herbs and, if desired, some spices (yes, even small children can consume them without problems). You can mix the vegetables or offer them separated, forming three cloves inside the dish: in this way the child will have fun discovering the different flavors ".

Read also: Healthy diet for the whole family

Unique dishes for children: recipes 6-12 years

What are the recommendations for children between 6 and 12 years old?

"A dish that children and teenagers usually like a lot is there farinata of ceci,: it is also excellent cold, in its "summer" version, to be eaten with your hands between two slices of bread like a sandwich. In the mixture of the farinata we can add some grated carrots or some other vegetables of your choice, to make it a complete meal. Or, accompany it with some raw vegetable stick.

Another classic, if we want to opt for a meat-based dish, is the chicken. I suggest two recipes:

baked chicken legs with lemon, aromatic herbs and mixed vegetables, accompanied by a cereal;
homemade nuggets: they are easily created by cutting a chicken breast into cubes and breading them in yellow flour of polenta and in hazelnut flour to make them crunchy; a passage in the turmeric gives it a nice yellow color. These are also cooked in the oven, without added fats, together with stick carrots.

Unique dishes for children: vegetarian recipes

Returning to the unique vegetarian dishes, what can we prepare?

"I recommend that you focus very often on legumes even if we are not vegetarians, considering that in the canteen, at school, it is easy to offer meat: so it is better not to overdo it at home and offer different foods. farinata, which are excellent single vegetarian dishes, I recommend preparing Meatballs e hamburger vegetable, delicious and fun:

chickpea and carrot meatballs: just cook the ingredients, blend them, add a little oil, breadcrumbs, aromatic herbs and spices of your choice, form the balls and put them in the oven;
bean and eggplant burger: also in this case, if the ingredients are pre-cooked, the same procedure can be followed.

"These are two examples of combinations, but of course we can indulge, taking advantage of what is in the fridge: the idea is to always combine a vegetable it's a vegetablesso, with a rice with vegetables or a simple slice of bread to accompany it, the meal will be complete. Thinking about the three components, it's easy transform also an first in a single dish. The example par excellence is the pasta with tomato sauce: if I add some lentils, here I also have the protein source ".

Unique dishes for children with no appetite

How can we entice children with no appetite to eat by letting us help them with unique dishes?

"The secret is to involve the little ones in the preparation. For example, to prepare the vegetable meatballs, we could ask them to blend the vegetables, observing its transformation. It is never a good idea to try to deceive them by "hiding" the vegetables: better instead make them participate. During the preparation they could to taste some new tastes: we learn to appreciate the small steps forward, without expecting a child with little appetite to start consuming a plate of pasta from one day to the next. In this regard, better avoid large portions, that they will never be able to complete: let's start with small amounts, varying colors and compositions, and let's also involve them inplating".

Beware of snacks. "Finally, pay attention to the snacks: a fruit and a yogurt are fine, a ham sandwich is not: his appetite could be compromised and the result is that the child will not eat anything for dinner".

Unique dishes for children: summer recipes

What other recipes of unique dishes can we prepare in the summer?

"One of the favorite dishes of the summer is the couscous. A food versatile which lends itself as an ideal base for various unique dishes, and which children as well as adults like. I propose two versions and an "extra":

couscous with crumbled feta cheese and vegetables (for example aubergines and peppers) cooked and cut into cubes;
couscous in courgette: take the round courgettes, boil them quickly, empty the filling with which the couscous is seasoned, together with a little ricotta, and then fill the courgette;
as an alternative to couscous, thepearl barley boiled and then sautéed with aubergines, spring onion, cherry tomatoes, extra virgin olive oil, oregano and canned chickpeas ".

The interviewee

Francesca Ghelfi she is a nutritionist biologist. She is mainly involved in feeding for infancy and weaning. You are responsible for the Buono al Cubo project of the De Marchi Onlus Foundation, for the dissemination of scientific culture in the nutritional field.

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