Editors - Parents magazine quick & easy kid-friendly meals: 100+ recipes your whole familywill love

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Designed by Waterbury Publications, Inc., Des Moines, Iowa

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:

Parents quick and easy kid-friendly meals / Parents Magazine

p. cm.

Includes index.

ISBN 978-1-118-17360-2 (pbk.); ISBN 978-1-118-26057-9 (ebook); ISBN 978-1-118-26059-3 (ebook); ISBN 978-1-118-26063-0 (ebook)

1. Quick and easy cooking. 2. Children--Nutrition. 3. Cookbooks. I. Parents Magazine Enterprises.

TX833.5.P38 2012

641.555--dc23

Parents Quick & Easy Kid-Friendly Meals

Editor-in-Chief: Dana Points

Executive Editor: Chandra Turner

Creative Director: Andrea Amadio

Managing Editor: Kathleen Krems

Associate Managing Editor: Michaela Garibaldi

Contributing Food and Nutrition Editor: Karen Cicero

Test Kitchen Project Manager: Colleen Weeden

John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Publisher: Natalie Chapman

Associate Publisher: Jessica Goodman

Senior Editor: Linda Ingroia

Production Director: Diana Cisek

Production Editor: Marina Padakis Lowry

Manufacturing Manager: Tom Hyland

Waterbury Publications, Inc.

Editors: Lisa Kingsley, Tricia Bergman, Mary Williams

Design Director: Ken Carlson

Associate Design Directors: Doug Samuelson, Bruce Yang

Production Assistant: Mindy Samuelson

Cover photos:

Front: Top, from left: Josh Titus, Cheryl Zibisky, Miki Duisterhof; Middle: Rita Maas; Bottom, from left: Lucy Schaeffer, Frances Janisch, David Prince; Spine: Alison Miksch; Back: Top, from left: Frances Janisch, Alison Miksch, Paula Hible; Bottom, from left: Rita Maas, Alison Miksch, Monica Buck

Welcome to Our Kitchen!

What parent doesnt feel pressured these days to deliver three square meals made fresh and with love? Yet between work and household chores and feeling the need to watch my familys waistlines, our nutrient intake, and our pennies, I sometimes start to dread figuring out dinner and I am guessing that if youve picked up this book, you do too.

Thats where these recipes come in 125 of them, all kitchen-tested and measuring up to the high standards of Parents where food is concerned. Whether youre a kitchen newbie looking for guidance now that youre feeding a toddler, or a seasoned cook simply seeking fresh ideas, youll find plenty of inspiration in these pages. We strive to help readers raise healthy, adventurous eaters by giving moms (and more than a few dads) all the tips and tools you need to prepare fast, wallet-friendly meals that appeal to the entire family. Our goal is for your whole gang to enjoy the same mealyou shouldnt need to prepare a separate kiddie dinner. All our recipes include nutritional information, in case youre watching your calories or your calcium, for example, and our balanced, everything-in-moderation approach means you can make room for treats, as well as our memorable desserts.

Speaking of treats, dont miss out on the extra food features on our website. Visit parents.com/food and sign up for our weekly newsletter, and youll get a fresh infusion of food ideas delivered to your inbox just when youre hungry for inspiration.

Now turn to any page in this book and try making something new for your family today!

Dana Points
Editor-in-Chief

7 Healthy Eating Habits for Families

If feeding your family has you seriously stressed, youll love this list the editors at Parents cooked up. Nutrition experts helped us sort through all the confusing food news, and boiled down whats most important to keep in mind when planning meals for your childand yourself. Just follow these simple steps to healthy, less-hectic meals.

Go for Whole Grains. At least half of your kids grain servings should be the unrefined typelike whole wheat, oats, and brown ricebecause they pack more vitamin E, fiber, and magnesium than their more processed counterparts. So if your kid balks about having his turkey and cheese sandwich on anything else than his favorite white bread, dont fight that battle. Just make sure he has whole grains at other meals, like oatmeal for breakfast and whole-grain tortilla chips at snack time.

Pick Your Protein. Your child needs protein to growit helps build and repair every tissue in the body. But a little goes a long way. Simply include one protein-rich food three times a daysay, an egg at breakfast, a couple tablespoons of hummus for a snack, and a small piece of chicken at dinnerand thats plenty.

Find the Right Fat. All kinds of fats will help your kid grow, transport vitamins through the body, and provide vitamin E. But unsaturated fat is much better for your kids heart than the saturated type. Serve your child low-fat dairy foods and lean meat (to get the foods benefits without saturated fat) and work unsaturated fat into your familys diet by cooking with olive or canola oil instead of butter, and having nuts, avocados, or olives a couple times a week. (Just make sure the nuts are ground and nut butters are thinly spread for kids under age 4.)