Kids' Fave Meals Made Healthy

www.DrWeigh.com

Let's make-over some of our kids' favorite meals. Delicious meals don't have to be unhealthy.

Hamburger: Instead of using regular beef, use 93% or 95% fat-free ground meat (also called extra-lean meat). You can also try all white meat ground turkey (although I don't find it as tasty). Put the burger on a light hamburger bun.

Hot Dog: My family loves the 97% fat-free Hebrew National hot dogs. Try two hot dogs on one light hot dog bun. Yummy!

Grilled Cheese: At home, use two slices of reduced-calorie whole wheat bread with two slices of fat-free cheese or one slice of 2% cheese. Then, put it in the toaster or put it in a panini maker or on the George Forman Grill. At a restaurant, order the grilled cheese on whole wheat bread with just one slice of cheese, no butter, no oil, no mayo.

French Fries: Two options here. The easy route is the frozen baked fries found in the freezer section of most supermarkets. Just put them on a cookie sheet and bake them without any butter or oil. Your other option is to take a potato or a sweet potato and slice it thinly. Then bake it on a cookie sheet that has been sprayed with Pam.

Pizza: Pizza is not as unhealthy as many people believe. If your child can stick to just one slice, pizza can be a great meal. The problem begins when kids start eating two or three slices in one sitting. To make pizza more filling, load on the veggie toppings. Some pizza places even offer whole wheat crust which adds needed fiber. You can also order the pizza with half the amount of cheese to save calories and grams of fat. At home, use a thin crust whole wheat Boboli pizza crust and top it with reduced-fat or fat-free cheese and tomato sauce.

Quesadilla: A staple in my home on nights when we just don't have time to cook. We take a flour tortilla and top it with pre-cooked Perdue chicken strips and shredded, fat-free cheddar/Mexican blend cheeses. Just microwave for 30 seconds and enjoy! Top with salsa, if desired.