While you might think that all of the amazing health benefits of spinach are enough to win anybody over, sometimes kids just don’t seem to like it. Good nutrition is important for people of all ages, but it’s especially important for growing children. Therein lies the predicament. Sometimes healthy foods don’t taste as good as the sugary foods that are bad or you, but that’s nothing a little time in the kitchen can’t fix. Here are some kid-friendly spinach recipes that kids will love!
BST Pizza, shown above, is an easy alternative to carry-out. When you’re at the grocery store, pick up pizza sauce, shredded mozzarella cheese, a flatbread or refrigerated pizza crust, bacon bits, cherry tomatoes, and of course some fresh spinach.
When it’s time to fix dinner, set the kids to spreading sauce and cheese on the pizza crust while you make a chiffonade of spinach. That means you roll up a handful of spinach leave and cut across them with a sharp knife to make thin strips of spinach. Slice the tomatoes, too. Sprinkle bacon, spinach, and tomato on the pizza and bake according to directions.
Spinach dip is a classic. Thaw a box of frozen chopped spinach and drain it thoroughly. Blend 8 ounces each of sour cream and cream cheese, and stir in the spinach. Dip carrot sticks and broccoli spears, or spread it on crackers or crusty bread.
Cheese and Spinach Pastries make a great lunchbox treat, a fun go-with for soup, and also a delicious appetizer for grown up parties. Kids enjoy helping to make these.
Pastry:
- 4 oz cream cheese
- 4 oz butter
- 1 c. flour
- 1 egg
Cream the butter and cream cheese together, add the egg, and stir in the flour. Chill the pastry while you make the filling.
Filling:
- 2 c. fresh spinach leaves
- 1/4 c. almonds
- 1/4 c. shredded Parmesan cheese
- (optional: a pinch of red or black pepper)
Roll out the pastry into a rectangle. Spread the spinach filling over the pastry, roll up like a jelly roll, and slice into 1/2″ slices. Places the slices on a cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes, and let cool slightly before serving.
It’s good to start healthy eating habits at a young age. Children often aren’t concerned about nutrition; they just want something that tastes good. Introducing spinach in tasty guises makes it easier to introduce spinach salads and casseroles later. Teaching your kids to love the taste of vegetables can help establish good eating habits that will stay with them their whole lives.