Beyond cereal and pb & j
March 24, 2018 9:06 AM Subscribe
What healthy foods do your teens eat?
I’d like better ideas for things my young teens can eat, both for school lunches (which they pack themselves), and when they’re home alone after school. Currently they eat things like cereal, bagels, peanut butter sandwiches, bananas, granola bars. I’d like better variety and nutrition for them! Open to: general ideas, specific products/recipes, and tips for getting them to WANT to eat better things more often.
I’d like better ideas for things my young teens can eat, both for school lunches (which they pack themselves), and when they’re home alone after school. Currently they eat things like cereal, bagels, peanut butter sandwiches, bananas, granola bars. I’d like better variety and nutrition for them! Open to: general ideas, specific products/recipes, and tips for getting them to WANT to eat better things more often.
My teenagers pack a sandwich like turkey and cheese, orange, apple, yogurt tube, and a bottle of water every day for lunch. You can find organic yogurt tubes. I freeze them and pack in the morning so they remain cold.
My kids are crazy for leftovers after school. Especially my 17-year-old - he will bring leftovers for lunch. Any dinner we had they night before will do. They especially like burrito bowls and taco skillets. You can incorporate a variety of vegetables-- red bell pepper, white onion (or sliced green onions) grated carrot, tomatoes or fresh salsa, corn, black beans, avocado, brown or white rice, protein of choice.
Other relatively healthy things they eat after school -- apples with almond or peanut butter, 100 calorie pack nuts, soup.
I stopped buying granola bars. Only because they will eat several a day instead of one.
posted by loveandhappiness at 9:34 AM on March 24, 2018
My kids are crazy for leftovers after school. Especially my 17-year-old - he will bring leftovers for lunch. Any dinner we had they night before will do. They especially like burrito bowls and taco skillets. You can incorporate a variety of vegetables-- red bell pepper, white onion (or sliced green onions) grated carrot, tomatoes or fresh salsa, corn, black beans, avocado, brown or white rice, protein of choice.
Other relatively healthy things they eat after school -- apples with almond or peanut butter, 100 calorie pack nuts, soup.
I stopped buying granola bars. Only because they will eat several a day instead of one.
posted by loveandhappiness at 9:34 AM on March 24, 2018
Hummus was a favorite when my kids were teens (still is, now that they're grown)—and a relatively easy way to get more vegetables in their diets.
posted by she's not there at 9:52 AM on March 24, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by she's not there at 9:52 AM on March 24, 2018 [3 favorites]
Sounds like they could use something green. Smoothies? Fun to make if you have a powerful blender because you don’t really need to chop and measure, just throw in frozen fruit, handful of prewashed spinach, yogurt, whatever.
Bagged chopped salads are much better these days.
posted by kapers at 9:52 AM on March 24, 2018 [1 favorite]
Bagged chopped salads are much better these days.
posted by kapers at 9:52 AM on March 24, 2018 [1 favorite]
tips for getting them to WANT to eat better things more often
People tend to like what they're used to eating, so don't keep junk food "treats" in the house.
(Also, granola bars aren't necessarily a healthy alternative to Snickers.)
posted by she's not there at 10:48 AM on March 24, 2018 [2 favorites]
People tend to like what they're used to eating, so don't keep junk food "treats" in the house.
(Also, granola bars aren't necessarily a healthy alternative to Snickers.)
posted by she's not there at 10:48 AM on March 24, 2018 [2 favorites]
My teenager's favorite food is sushi. Mostly prepackaged California roll, but sometimes she makes her own.
She's also generally happy to eat sandwiches with sliced roast beef or turkey, cheese, lettuce and tomato.
She'll eat oatmeal or plain yogurt with berries mixed in.
I don't know if growing your own food is at all practical for you, but my kids get a lot more excited about stuff we've just picked from the garden than stuff from the grocery store. Carrots, tomatoes, berries, snap peas, greens - they're all pretty easy to grow if you have the space and the time, and way better than grocery store produce. When I was a teenager, I got really excited about planting a vegetable garden for the first time with my mom, and I was pretty willing to try stuff from the garden even though I wasn't a big fan of vegetables in general. If you can't grow your own, you could try taking the family shopping at a farmer's market or going to a "pick your own" place for fruit.
posted by Redstart at 11:01 AM on March 24, 2018 [1 favorite]
She's also generally happy to eat sandwiches with sliced roast beef or turkey, cheese, lettuce and tomato.
She'll eat oatmeal or plain yogurt with berries mixed in.
I don't know if growing your own food is at all practical for you, but my kids get a lot more excited about stuff we've just picked from the garden than stuff from the grocery store. Carrots, tomatoes, berries, snap peas, greens - they're all pretty easy to grow if you have the space and the time, and way better than grocery store produce. When I was a teenager, I got really excited about planting a vegetable garden for the first time with my mom, and I was pretty willing to try stuff from the garden even though I wasn't a big fan of vegetables in general. If you can't grow your own, you could try taking the family shopping at a farmer's market or going to a "pick your own" place for fruit.
posted by Redstart at 11:01 AM on March 24, 2018 [1 favorite]
There's a development. At 19, my teen makes her own hummus, noodle salads, fried rice and smoothies. Her favorite sandwich is wholegrain bread, ham and salad with condiments, but she will make sandwiches of anything in the fridge, including vegan options with grilled aubergine in the place of ham. She really wants me to make fancy "bowls" for her, with some grain and vegs and a dressing, but hey, I'm not going to get up at five AM to cook, so it only happens when we have relevant leftovers.
Today, she eats oats and milk for breakfast.
When she was 14, she mostly had very simple pasta-salad-type stuff in her lunch bag, and then sandwiches after school. And fruits. She didn't mind having the same pasta salad every day: short pasta + olive oil + lemon juice + balsamic vinegar + tomatoes, cucumber, scallions and olives (seasoned to taste). There'd be a fruit in her bag as well. When she came home, there's be whole grain bread, organic mayo, and a selection of fillings, like ham, salami, tomato, lettuce, grilled vegs, peanut butter and apples. We only had cereals and white bread during holidays. I'd cook porridge for breakfast.
TBH, I still make her lunch bag 50% of the time. Because my sister-in-law told me that when she was a kid, she felt that lunch was like love in a bag. When I was a kid I hated my lunch, so I never thought of it that way, but I know both of my kids did. So love to my sister-in-law.
posted by mumimor at 11:08 AM on March 24, 2018 [1 favorite]
Today, she eats oats and milk for breakfast.
When she was 14, she mostly had very simple pasta-salad-type stuff in her lunch bag, and then sandwiches after school. And fruits. She didn't mind having the same pasta salad every day: short pasta + olive oil + lemon juice + balsamic vinegar + tomatoes, cucumber, scallions and olives (seasoned to taste). There'd be a fruit in her bag as well. When she came home, there's be whole grain bread, organic mayo, and a selection of fillings, like ham, salami, tomato, lettuce, grilled vegs, peanut butter and apples. We only had cereals and white bread during holidays. I'd cook porridge for breakfast.
TBH, I still make her lunch bag 50% of the time. Because my sister-in-law told me that when she was a kid, she felt that lunch was like love in a bag. When I was a kid I hated my lunch, so I never thought of it that way, but I know both of my kids did. So love to my sister-in-law.
posted by mumimor at 11:08 AM on March 24, 2018 [1 favorite]
Sounds like they take the path of least resistance with their food. If that's the case you need to take their current options troublesome while making other options easier. Make your own cereal with oats, nuts and dried fruit so at least you can add more nutrition and stop buying whatever they eat currently. Make an easy to find space in the fridge with replacement snacks. Keep easy fruit on hand. Mandarin oranges and apples are fairly inexpensive, hearty, and easy to grab from the counter.
posted by crunchy potato at 11:52 AM on March 24, 2018
posted by crunchy potato at 11:52 AM on March 24, 2018
Smoothies can be made in advance, frozen and pulled out in the morning to defrost for an after school snack.
posted by DarlingBri at 12:27 PM on March 24, 2018
posted by DarlingBri at 12:27 PM on March 24, 2018
After school or for lunches my very picky teen likes ...
1. Avocado toast, often with a smear of goat cheese underneath. She puts salt, pepper and a squeeze of lemon (if we have one) on the heaping smashed avocado. It's best on a hearty whole grain bread.
2. Ramen -- I consider it healthy enough if it's a vector for chopped veggies she wouldn't otherwise eat
3. Sushi --
4. Imagine or Pacific brand soups -- especially low sodium varieties -- are so easy for the kid to warm up and enjoy, and they are mostly vegetables and water.
5. Nut This crackers with Baby Bel cheeses are a bagged luch favorite and probably not that horrible if you have to cave on processed food.
posted by velveeta underground at 12:44 PM on March 24, 2018
1. Avocado toast, often with a smear of goat cheese underneath. She puts salt, pepper and a squeeze of lemon (if we have one) on the heaping smashed avocado. It's best on a hearty whole grain bread.
2. Ramen -- I consider it healthy enough if it's a vector for chopped veggies she wouldn't otherwise eat
3. Sushi --
4. Imagine or Pacific brand soups -- especially low sodium varieties -- are so easy for the kid to warm up and enjoy, and they are mostly vegetables and water.
5. Nut This crackers with Baby Bel cheeses are a bagged luch favorite and probably not that horrible if you have to cave on processed food.
posted by velveeta underground at 12:44 PM on March 24, 2018
You might make use of a slow cooker for afternoon snack. Set it in the morning with a beef stew or pulled pork or some such so that it's done and has filled the house with yummy smells by the time they get home.
A friend of mine keeps whole frozen Costco pizzas in her freezer; her kids pull out a slice or two at a time for snacks. That may not be where you want to be on the healthy spectrum though.
posted by vignettist at 3:07 PM on March 24, 2018
A friend of mine keeps whole frozen Costco pizzas in her freezer; her kids pull out a slice or two at a time for snacks. That may not be where you want to be on the healthy spectrum though.
posted by vignettist at 3:07 PM on March 24, 2018
I found with my teens, I needed to model good eating habits. And, only have good food in the house. I am sorry (not sorry) to say that when they got their license, they still were not motivated enough on a weekday to go get food other than what was in the house.
Eat what you want them to eat. Make that all that is in the house from which to choose. Ignore the complaining for the first week. Success ensues.
posted by AugustWest at 4:43 PM on March 24, 2018 [2 favorites]
Eat what you want them to eat. Make that all that is in the house from which to choose. Ignore the complaining for the first week. Success ensues.
posted by AugustWest at 4:43 PM on March 24, 2018 [2 favorites]
I kept carrots, celery, cut up cabbage, peppers, cucumbers, broccoli in the fridge, and some sort of creamy dressing. My son was always hungry, and if there were veggies and something to dip them in, he'd eat all of them. If you make pots of chili, they'll probably love it. Just make healthy food as or more convenient than not-so healthy.
posted by theora55 at 8:56 PM on March 24, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by theora55 at 8:56 PM on March 24, 2018 [1 favorite]
My kid is a fruitivore, and will eat almost any fruit that exists--as long as it's something they can pick up and immediately start eating. An entire bunch of washed grapes, sure. An unpeeled mandarin, absolutely not. When we end up with a lot of fruit, I'll bite the bullet and prep it all, and have a tupperware full of peeled mandarins, a bowl of washed grapes, etc, and it all disappears in like two days. Same for things like cucumbers--an unwashed cucumber will be ignored until it rots, but if I wash it and cut it into 2" chunks, it's suddenly gone.
So I guess my big tip is that for young teens, especially, any prep work at all is sufficient to send them in the other direction. Anything you can do to turn healthy food into something they can pick up and put directly into their mouths will help your cause. Also, I wouldn't assume that not having their usuals around will mean that they start seeking out healthier options--for my kid, even at fifteen, this just means that they just won't eat. Obviously kids will vary on this, but it's something to watch out for, in my opinion.
posted by mishafletch at 1:53 AM on March 25, 2018 [1 favorite]
So I guess my big tip is that for young teens, especially, any prep work at all is sufficient to send them in the other direction. Anything you can do to turn healthy food into something they can pick up and put directly into their mouths will help your cause. Also, I wouldn't assume that not having their usuals around will mean that they start seeking out healthier options--for my kid, even at fifteen, this just means that they just won't eat. Obviously kids will vary on this, but it's something to watch out for, in my opinion.
posted by mishafletch at 1:53 AM on March 25, 2018 [1 favorite]
Current favourites here are baked potatoes in the microwave and fancy grilled cheese in the sandwich press. They like to have a squeezy bottle of pizza sauce to make their sandwiches pizza. I'm not sure this is super healthy but one of them doesn't eat lunch at school at all.
posted by slightlybewildered at 2:37 PM on March 25, 2018
posted by slightlybewildered at 2:37 PM on March 25, 2018
Tortillas with a big smear of hummus and a handful of rainbow slaw, then loosely rolled, are fast and simple and crunchy and pretty good for you.
posted by AnOrigamiLife at 12:21 AM on March 26, 2018
posted by AnOrigamiLife at 12:21 AM on March 26, 2018
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posted by mochapickle at 9:33 AM on March 24, 2018 [4 favorites]