Make cooking a family affair with these healthy, kid-friendly recipes.

Need inspiration on fun, kid-friendly recipes that are also healthy and delicious? We’ve got you covered!

Here are 6 kid-friendly recipes to try out, all of which are easy enough that your children can help with under supervision.

1. Mix fruit and protein in a fun twist with banana sushi.

Banana sushi is an easy healthy snack that’s quick to make but also really fun for kids. All you need are some ripe bananas, softened cream cheese, and your family’s favorite toppings. Some ideas include almond slices, sprinkles, shredded coconut, cinnamon sugar, or your kids’ favorite cereal.

Using a hand mixer, whip the softened cream cheese until it’s light and fluffy. Roll the peeled banana into the cream cheese, covering it on all sides. From there you can roll the banana in the toppings. Once coated, simply cut the banana into safe bite-sized pieces and serve.

2. Try pizza kebabs during your next family movie night.

Pizza night is loved by parents and kids alike, but a traditional pizza pie is pretty simple. Why not make things more interesting and hands-on with pizza kebabs instead?

This simple recipe requires store-bought pizza dough, shredded mozzarella, olive oil, and your favorite pizza toppings. You can use basil leaves, pepperoni, grilled chicken, chopped bell pepper, and cherry tomatoes. Don’t forget your dips—we recommended pizza sauce or marinara for dipping to really complete the pizza flavor profile.

For step-by-step instructions, check out this easy pizza kebab recipe.

3. Skip the morning pastries for donut apple slices.

Donuts are a classic breakfast food, and as much as we love them, we have to admit they’re definitely not the most tooth-friendly recipe. A healthy snack alternative that’s still going to be a lot of fun for kids is donut apple slices.

All you need are fresh apples, melting chocolate, almond butter, and toppings. Granny Smith apples are great because their natural tartness really goes well with the sweeter toppings. Similar to the banana sushi recipe, the toppings you choose are totally up to your family. Colorful sprinkles are a must to complete that donut effect.

This recipe explains how to put together your donut apple slices. For added fun, you can also color your white melting chocolate pink or swap the almond butter for whipped cream cheese colored whatever shade you’d like.

4. Refuel with protein-packed apple granola stackers.

For a more filling treat or even a breakfast item for youngsters, apple granola stackers are a fun recipe to try. While the donut apple slices are a tasty sweet snack, these apple granola stackers have protein and whole grains.

You’ll need Granny Smith apples, red sweet apples, crunchy or smooth peanut butter, and a healthy granola mix. You can also make some cinnamon sugar to sprinkle on top if you’d like. The process of putting it all together is one apple slice, peanut butter, granola, and a sprinkle of cinnamon sugar, followed by another apple slice and so on.

Here is the popular apple granola stackers recipe.

5. Sneak in some extra veggies with healthy spaghetti.

Spaghetti is the go-to meal idea for busy parents. It’s quick to make and you’d be hard-pressed to find a kid that doesn’t love slurping up noodles. Spaghetti isn’t generally thought of as a healthy recipe, but here’s how you can include more vegetables.

Swap out your normal spaghetti noodles for veggie spaghetti—you can find these options from major brands in grocery stores. These noodles are still just like a traditional spaghetti noodle, but they include as much as 50% vegetable content. Zoodles (zucchini noodles) is another option, but kids who aren’t huge fans of vegetables may balk at this idea. An alternative would be to include some zoodles mixed in with your more traditional vegetable spaghetti noodles.

You can also include pureed zucchini or squash in your tomato sauce recipe. Swapping ground beef or pork meatballs for vegetable or turkey meatballs is also a hit!

6. Sandwich pinwheels will be a lunchtime favorite.

Sandwich pinwheels are colorful, delicious, and extremely versatile. In case you’re unfamiliar with pinwheels, they consist of a large tortilla spread with cream cheese and layers of sandwich ingredients rolled into and cut into small pieces. Toothpicks are used to keep each piece together.

Just like a normal sandwich, pinwheels can be made with whatever ingredients your kids love the most. Some great kid-friendly recipes to try include ham and cheese pinwheels, Mexican pinwheels, turkey pinwheels, and ham and scallion pinwheels. These pizza pinwheels feature crescent rolls and look delicious!

We’d love to hear about your family’s latest cooking adventure at your child’s next appointment.

While you’re enjoying all of these new kid-friendly recipes, don’t forget to check the calendar and see if they’re due for a check-up with a pediatric dentist. You can call our Waldorf or Prince Frederick office to book a visit or fill out this quick online form.