A Parents’ Guide to Heart-Healthy, Kid-Friendly Cooking

A healthy heart is a happy heart, right? And while exercise and regular activity can do a whole lot of good in this department, it’s not enough. In order to truly keep your family healthy — and happy — you need to add heart-smart eating to the menu, too. And what better way to get everyone on the healthy train than by whipping up a few wholesome, kid-friendly recipes together?

[RELATED: “The Care.com Guide to Children’s Exercise“]

But before you get cooking, we’ve got a few tips and tricks to help keep you and your child on a nutritious track in the kitchen.

What Does Healthy Eating Have to Do With Heart Health?

“With busy, on-the-go lifestyles, many Americans have lost touch with their kitchens and thrown in the towel on eating healthy, which is key to prevention of heart disease and stroke,” Dr. Rachel Johnson, chairperson of the American Heart Association Nutrition Committee and Bickford Professor of Nutrition at the University of Vermont, told the American Heart Association.

Researchers have found that eating habits develop in the womb, but it’s never too late to help your child establish health-conscious habits when it comes to what they put in their bodies.

“Healthy habits start at home,” Johnson told the American Heart Association. “We want to help people establish a healthier way of life so they can be around to enjoy their families. Parents and grandparents can pass down a healthy legacy to their children and grandchildren – and we can help the next generation of Americans lead better, longer and healthier lives.”

Tips for Helping Your Kids Make Healthier Choices

When it comes to meal prep, the Association recommends that parents cook meals that include a variety of different foods from the food pyramid, including lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy products, skinless poultry and fish, nuts, legumes, and non-tropical vegetable oils. (Same goes for the times when your babysitter or nanny cooks for the kids — if that’s something that they’ve agreed to do.)

And while you’re busy filling your plate with wholesome goodness, remember to pass on the sugary drinks and opt for a glass of water with each meal instead so your little one will, too.

Recently, we reported on a research study that discovered that 63 percent of kids consume one sugary drink a day – and according to the American Heart Association, this is way too high. The site reports children should drink no more than six teaspoons of added sugar a day, yet many everyday drinks contain a heavy dose of added sugar.

Visit the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics to learn more about how much water your child should drink every day, based on her weight and age.

Example of a Heart-Healthy Meal Plan for the Whole Family

We’ve compiled a one-day menu of heart-healthy recipes, courtesy of the American Heart Association, to inspire and encourage children to make nutritious choices all year long.

As you review the recipes below, make sure to include your little one in the grocery list-making process and take them to the store for a truly hands-on learning experience.

So grab the apron and get cooking! Bon appétit!

Breakfast: Blueberry Mango Smoothies

Ingredients

• ¾ cup plain, fat-free Greek yogurt

• ¾ cup fat-free milk

• ¾ cup frozen, unsweetened blueberries

• ¾ cup mango chunks

• 1 tablespoon honey

• Splash vanilla extract

Directions

1. Add all ingredients to a blender.

2. Process until the mixture is completely smooth.

3. If the smoothie is too thick, add additional milk.

4. Pour and serve immediately.

Lunch: Baked Pita with Cheese, Tomatoes and Cucumbers

Ingredients

• Four 6-inch whole-wheat round pita breads (cut in half)

• 4 oz. fat-free, shredded mozzarella cheese (about 1 cup)

• 1 clove garlic (minced)

• ½ tsp. dried basil

• 2 medium tomatoes sliced into quarter-inch rounds (salt-free)

• 1 large cucumber cut into quarter-inch pieces (peeled)

• 1 green onion (chopped)

Directions

1. Preheat oven (regular or toaster) to 350 degrees.

2. Cut the pita breads in half and set aside.

3. Shred the cheese and mix well with the garlic.

4. Sprinkle the dried basil over the shredded cheese.

5. Divide cheese evenly between the 8 pita halves, 2 tablespoons per pita bread.

6. Place pita breads with cheese on a flat pan, cookie sheet, or aluminum foil and put in the oven for 5 minutes until the cheese melts. You may wish to make these in batches to keep the cheese melted and the bread from getting hard.

7. Remove from heat carefully, put on plates and serve with sliced tomatoes, cucumbers, and green onions.

Tips From the American Heart Association

• Your children can help set out the ingredients, and depending on their age, help shred the cheese, cut the tomatoes, cucumbers, and green onions and assemble the pita pockets with the vegetables.

• You can also add sprouts, chopped lettuce or other favorite veggies to these pita and cheese pockets.

• You can make these with corn tortillas for a quesadilla or on sliced whole- grain bread, for a melted cheese sandwich.

Snack: Hummus

Ingredients

• 30 oz. canned, low-sodium garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained, rinsed

• ½ cup lemon juice

• 2 tsp. minced garlic (from jar)

• 1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

• ½ tsp. paprika

• ½ tsp. dried parsley

Directions

1. Place all ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.

2. Serve with veggie slices or sticks as a dip.

Dinner: Beef Sliders With Lettuce, Tomato, and Cucumber

Ingredients

• 1 ¼ lb extra-lean, ground beef

• 1 large egg

• 1 medium onion, finely chopped

• ½ tsp. ground black pepper

• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped

• 3 small tomatoes sliced into ¼ inch rounds

• 1 medium cucumber peeled and sliced into ¼ inch rounds

• 1 head romaine (or other lettuce) separated into leaves

• Cooking spray

• 12 whole-wheat slider buns

Directions

1. In a large bowl mix ground meat, egg, onion, black pepper and garlic.

2. Form patties about two inches across and set on a plate.

3. Coat a heavy skillet with cooking spray and heat to medium heat. Add the sliders and cook 2-3 minutes per side.

4. When sliders are ready, remove from heat and serve on a bun with lettuce, a slice of tomato and a slice of cucumber.

Tips From the American Heart Association

• Your children can help set out the ingredients, and depending on their age, help wash the lettuce, cut the tomatoes and cucumbers and assemble the sliders with the vegetables.

• You can use extra lean/lean ground turkey instead of beef. You can serve with raw veggie sticks instead of fries.

Dessert: Homemade Frozen Yogurt Pops With Peaches

Ingredients

• 16 ounce packaged, plain, no-sugar-added, frozen, sliced, thawed peaches (divided, no sauce added)

• 1 cup fat-free, plain yogurt

• 1 Tbsp. honey

Directions

1. In the bowl of a food processor, add 1 ½ cups thawed peaches from the bag, yogurt and honey. Process about 1 minute until mixture turns into a puree. (Alternatively, add ingredients into a bowl and puree with an immersion blender.)

2. Transfer puree to a bowl or large liquid measuring cup with spout for easy pouring. Chop remaining peaches into bite-sized pieces and add into the bowl, along with any lingering peach liquid from the bag.

3. Divide mixture among pop molds, filling each one almost to the top. Please in the freezer overnight.

4. To remove mold, hold under warm water until pops can be easily pulled free.

Tips From the American Heart Association

• Don’t have frozen pop molds or sticks? Trying pouring the mixture into an ice tray, covering with plastic wrap and poking toothpicks through the plastic into the center of each cube. Once they are frozen, pull off the plastic wrap and eat a bite-sized treat.

• Don’t have a food processor or immersion blender? No problem. Just replace the bag of frozen fruit with one (15 ounce) can sliced fruit in juice, stirring it with the one cup of yogurt and one tablespoon of honey before pouring into the molds.

Disclaimer: Care.com reports on a variety of health topics to broaden reader knowledge and awareness.The information published above is for informational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose or treat any medical condition. Readers should consult their physician before making any changes to their lifestyle or diet.