Helping Kids Appreciate A Healthy Meal - written by Christine Steendahl

Many may remember when classroom bulletin boards displayed the food pyramid. The pyramid - there was only one. One size fit all. Everyone was encouraged to follow the same nutritional guidelines. Everyone was needed to merely look at the pyramid to figure out how many servings were needed each day.

Most would agree that it is a good thing that obsolete food pyramid has gone by the wayside! It may have taken a while, but the notion that not all people need the same food intake finally caught on. Nor are children expected to follow the same nutritional guidelines as the adults.

If you're hoping we'll show you the "kid's guidelines" there simply isn't a predetermined guideline. The amount of food from each food group that each person should eat to maintain a healthy lifestyle is dependent on their age, sex and physical activity level. One size doesn't fit all. You can go to http://mypyramid.gov/ to type in some variables to get an idea of how much from each food category to eat each day.

Keep in mind balance is the name of the game. Make sure your little ones are consuming fruits and vegetables, dairy, meats and beans and grains each day. Then round it off with water, fresh air and exercise. To help you get started, below you will find a couple of healthful meals for kids.

This turkey avocado sandwich wrap uses child-approved ingredients for a healthy lunch or snack.

INGREDIENTS:
- Whole wheat tortillas
- 1 avocado mashed
- Sliced deli turkey
- Shredded carrots
- Shredded lettuce
- Shredded Monterey jack cheese

PREPARATION:
Assemble wraps in the following order: Spread mashed avocado on tortilla; Sprinkle shredded carrots and lettuce on avocado; Lay on slices of deli turkey; Sprinkle with shredded cheese.

In addition, you won't get any looks of disappointment if you inform the kids you're making chicken nuggets for dinner. This kid favorite is yummy in the low-fat, oven-baked version. For easy clean-up and maximum crispiness, lay a sheet of foil on a cookie sheet; and, then place a wire rack over the foil.

INGREDIENTS:
- skinless, boneless chicken breasts cut in 1-2 inch squares
- non-fat or low-fat buttermilk
- flour for dredging
- finely chopped corn flakes for dredging
- salt and pepper to taste

PREPARATION:
Preheat oven to 375. Provide three large bowls for dredging chicken - 1 with flour seasoned with salt and pepper, 1 with buttermilk, and 1 with crushed corn flakes. Prepare baking pan by laying a sheet of foil on top of a cookie sheet; and then place a wire rack over the foil. Season chicken with salt and cut into 1-2 inch pieces.

Drag chicken pieces in flour. Shake off extra flour and coat with buttermilk. Next, liberally coat chicken with corn flakes, and place on rack of your baking pan. Bake nuggets for 15 minutes. These keep well for the next day's lunch box so make plenty!

The next time you reach into the pantry or freezer to grab something simple to prepare for dinner, take a good scrutinizing look at the ingredients. The idea is not to serve food that is "not too bad" but rather food that is healthful. Keep in mind that not all of your little ones may require the same servings of food.