Tasty + Nutrient-Dense Meals
Sometimes, it may seem that when trying to incorporate more nutrient-dense foods into our meals, we have to sacrifice things like flavor and taste—but we’re here to tell you that that is 100% false. Adding seasonings and sauces to any dish can help enhance flavor and create a delicious meal!
Here are a few meal options that provide tasty flavors and are packed with nutrients. This list includes breakfast, lunch, and dinner and lots of vegetarian and vegan options alongside some meat and fish dishes. In addition to telling you what makes each recipe nutrient-dense and delicious, we also let you know some great ways to include your child in the cooking process of each recipe.
Courtesy of TasteFood
What makes this nutrient-dense?
Protein packed! With 3 sources of protein (chicken, chickpeas, and greek yogurt) this meal is a great source of protein.
Great for your gut! Greek yogurt is one of the best sources of probiotics, which are the good bacteria for your gut.
What makes this tasty?
A delicious mix of spices. Smoked and sweet paprika, cumin, and crushed red pepper give the dish a great smoky flavor with a little bit of heat, and a nice bit of freshness from the cilantro.
How kids can help cook:
Kids may enjoy rubbing the olive oil-spice mixture all over the chicken. Since it’s raw chicken, you can have your child wear gloves. Make sure they wash their hands afterwards either way!
After you measure all the spices and yogurt, kids can help mix them together.
Instead of chopping, kids can use their hands to pull the cilantro leaves into smaller pieces.
Steak Stir Fry by Taste of Home
Courtesy of Taste of Home
What makes this nutrient-dense?
Iron dense! Red meat is one of the best natural sources of iron, so this meal is a great iron booster!
Protects your body! Ginger is loaded with antioxidants, which are compounds that prevent stress and damage to your DNA.
What makes this tasty?
A classic Asian-inspired sauce. With the flavors of ginger, soy, and garlic, this sauce provides a traditional, delicious Asian flavor.
How kids can help cook:
Kids can help mix the beef with the garlic and ginger. Same as with the raw chicken, they can wear gloves since it is raw meat, and have them wash their hands afterwards!
Kids can help to measure out any spices and ingredients to be added to the sauce.
Recipe tips:
Replace beef bouillon and water with 1 cup of beef stock.
Substitute or add pretty much any veggie you want!
Ratatouille by Tasty
Courtesy of Tasty
What makes this nutrient-dense?
Veg variety! With a combination of tomatoes, eggplant, yellow squash, zucchini, bell peppers, and onion this dinner has so many servings of a ton of different vegetables!
Herbs galore! Herbs are rich in phytochemicals, which are plant chemicals with various healthful benefits. They can help to fight chronic inflammation, reduce damage to your body’s cells, and aid in prevention of chronic disease.
What makes this tasty?
Herbs galore (again)! Not only are herbs rich in those phytochemicals, they also provide an abundance of flavor to any dish. The combination of basil, parsley, and thyme gives the dish a fresh and warming flavor profile at the same time.
How kids can help cook:
Before chopping the herbs, kids can help remove the herbs from their stems.
Kids may enjoy helping in the process of arranging the sliced vegetables in the pan before baking, and can choose to lay them in any pattern they wish!
Southwest Quinoa Salad by Fit Mitten Kitchen
Courtesy of Fit Mitten Kitchen
What makes this nutrient-dense?
Plant-based protein! With protein sources coming from quinoa and black beans, this meal is 100% vegan and still packed with protein.
Healthy fats! Avocados and beans both contain omega-3 fatty acids, one of the “good fats,” which are essential to the diet since the human body cannot produce them.
What makes this tasty?
Dressing! This cilantro lime chili dressing has spice, tang, and the cooling component from cilantro to give a flavorful bite to this salad
How kids can help cook:
If mixing the dressing by hand, have your child place all the ingredients in a jar, fit with a lid and they can shake to combine!
They can pull the cilantro leaves with their hands for the salad and dressing instead of chopping them.
Blueberry Banana Bread by The Baking Fairy
Courtesy of The Baking Fairy
What makes this nutrient-dense?
Double fruit! With the addition of blueberries to this recipe, each slice of bread is a great source of antioxidants. Plus, the potassium from the banana makes this recipe super nutrient-dense!
What makes this tasty?
Sweet and tangy! The perfect combo between the sweet flavors of banana and chocolate chips, the spice of the cinnamon, and some acid from blueberries makes every bite of this recipe flavorful.
How kids can help cook:
Kids may enjoy mashing the bananas for this recipe. It can be done with hands, a masher, or a fork.
Kids can help measure and mix all ingredients together.
Spaghetti Squash Parmesan by How Sweet Eats
Courtesy of How Sweet Eats
What makes this nutrient-dense?
Veggie noodles! Spaghetti squash is a great, nutrient-dense alternative or addition to a traditional plate of pasta, filled with vitamin B6, calcium, vitamin C, fiber, and potassium! Spaghetti squash can be eaten alone or paired with some pasta for carbohydrates.
Lycopene! Lycopene is a powerful antioxidant that also gives red fruit its color, which is very abundant in tomatoes.
What makes this tasty?
Classic tomato sauce! Tomato sauce is filled with herbs and spices to give that traditional taste everyone knows and loves, and the spaghetti squash soaks up the flavor well.
How kids can help cook:
Once spaghetti squash is cooked, kids can help to scrape the squash with a fork to get the spaghetti-like strands to separate. Make sure the squash has cooled properly first.
Buffalo or BBQ Chicken Stuffed Sweet Potatoes by 40 Aprons
Courtesy of 40 Aprons
What makes this nutrient-dense?
Double fiber! Sweet potatoes contain both soluble and insoluble fibers, both which are very beneficial to your gut health.
Lean protein! Chicken breasts are a readily-available, simple-to-cook, lean source of protein, meaning high protein content and low fat content.
What makes this tasty?
Heat! Buffalo sauce can pack a punch, especially if you’re a fan of spice. If you or your child do not like spicy foods, barbecue sauce is a great alternative to this, which still pairs well with the sweet potato and other ingredients.
How kids can help cook:
Once cooked, kids can help shred the chicken with two forks.
One cooked, have your child mash some of the sweet potato before filling.
Recipe tip:
You easily substitute buffalo sauce recipe for your favorite store-bought kind or store-bought barbecue sauce.
Pesto Salmon Bake by A Couple Cooks
Courtesy of A Couple Cooks
What makes this nutrient-dense?
Omega-3s! Salmon is a great source of essential fatty acid Omega-3 (a good fat), which is essential to the diet as the human body cannot make them.
B Vitamins! Salmon is one of the most abundant sources of Vitamin B12, and is also rich in other B vitamins, like niacin, thiamin, and folic acid.
What makes this tasty?
Pesto! A flavorful sauce made of basil, garlic, olive oil, pine nuts, and cheese, these ingredients make a tasty sauce that will make you love this meal.
How kids can help cook:
Kids can spread the pesto onto the salmon after it comes out of the oven.
Kids can help pick the basil leaves from the stems to prep for making the pesto sauce.
Recipe tip:
You can substitute the homemade pesto with store-bought for an even easier meal.
PB & J Breakfast Smoothie by Kitchen Treaty
Courtesy of Kitchen Treaty
What makes this nutrient-dense?
Double fruit! Banana and strawberries in this recipe give you two servings of fruit in just one smoothie!
A complete meal or snack! With carbohydrates from the fruit and fat and protein from the peanut butter and almond milk this smoothie will satisfy your hunger and keep you full.
What makes this tasty?
Classic flavors of a PB & J! A childhood favorite sandwich-turned-smoothie makes this a tasty drink.
How kids can help cook:
Kids can help add all ingredients to the blender and press buttons on the blender as well.