Life is busy, especially for families, says Rachel Doll, family nurse practitioner at Mercy Health. It is much easier to grab something quick and easy like fast food versus making dinner. 

In addition to introducing healthier options to your kids, begin by doing some kind of movement together just 10 – 15 minutes a day such as taking a quick walk, walking up and down your steps or turning on music and dancing.

Here are some quick/easy recipes that kids can help make and will enjoy, too!

 

BBQ Chicken Wrap

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 whole wheat tortilla
  • ½ cooked chicken breast sliced
  • ¼ Roma tomato, sliced
  • ¼ green pepper, diced
  • 1 handful spinach
  • 1 teaspoon lime juice
  • 1 tablespoon barbecue sauce

Directions: Toss sliced chicken breast with barbecue sauce. Lay spinach, green pepper and tomato on top of tortilla. Squeeze lime juice over mixture and add chicken. Roll up and slice in half to serve.

Banana Roll Up

Ingredients:

  • 1 whole wheat tortilla
  • 1 banana
  • 1 tablespoon peanut butter

Directions: Spread peanut butter over tortilla. Slice up banana and place in center of tortilla. Roll up and cut into slices.

Homemade Calzones

Ingredients:

  • ½ whole wheat tortilla
  • 1-2 tablespoons pizza or spaghetti sauce
  • ¼ cup mozzarella
  • ½ cup vegetables of your choice

Directions: Place tortilla in a pain, sprayed with cooking spray, over medium heat on the stove top. Fill half the tortilla with the ingredients and fold. Cook until chest starts to melt and flip over to cook the other side. Cut into four triangles and serve.

Source: Rachel Doll,  family nurse practitioner at Mercy Health

Kid Products for Healthy Habits

Brush Buddies

Electric-powered and Manual Toothbrushes; price varies; brushbuddies.com
Brushing just got easier! Kung Fu Panda and Thomas and Friends editions are some kid faves amongst these powerful brushes. 

Yipes

Face and Hand Wipes; $8 for one pack of 12; yipes.com
Teach kids to develop independent, healthy habits; compostable, 94 percent biodegradable, 99 percent plant-derived ingredients and 98 percent water, hypoallergenic and dermatologist-tested; perfect for backpacks, lunchboxes after sports practice, you name it!                   

Grabease

Grabease Recyclable Snack Pouches; $6 for three; creativeqt.com
Reusable, recyclable pouch for healthy on-the-go snacking. 

Morepeas

Essential Snack Cup; $24; morepeas.com
Dining bowl, steamer and suction base all in one! For school lunches, fill cup with healthy snacks, and then add the lid for no spills. Remove lid for snack time, put it on the bottom of the cup, and voila – you have a suction base; microwavable safe; made from non-toxic, BPA-free silicone. 

The Dearest Grey

Silicone Bento Box; $25; thedearestgrey.co
Back-to-school lunch prep just got easier with these unbreakable, reusable, 100 percent food-grade silicone lunch boxes; easy cleaning and microwave and freezer safe.