Healthy eating, especially on a tight budget, can be a challenge. Coming up with low-cost, healthy meals that your kids will like, even more so.
Today we are going to take a look at a couple of recipe ideas that will give your kids the yummy things they want to eat, all the while being easy on your wallet.
Fish Sticks
These are not the high calorie, processed and frozen expensive fish sticks that come in a box. These Tilapia fillet strips are great tasting and can be prepared just as fast as the frozen-box variety. Courtesy of www.eatingwell.com
Ingredients
- Canola oil cooking spray
- 1 cup whole-wheat dry breadcrumbs, (see Shopping Tip) or 1/2 cup plain dry breadcrumbs
- 1 cup whole-grain cereal flakes
- 1 teaspoon lemon pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 large egg whites, beaten
- 1 pound tilapia fillets, cut into 1/2-by-3-inch strips
Preparation
- Preheat oven to 450°F. Set a wire rack on a baking sheet; coat with cooking spray.
- Place breadcrumbs, cereal flakes, lemon pepper, garlic powder, paprika and salt in a food processor or blender and process until finely ground. Transfer to a shallow dish.
- Place flour in a second shallow dish and egg whites in a third shallow dish. Dredge each strip of fish in the flour, dip it in the egg and then coat all sides with the breadcrumb mixture. Place on the prepared rack. Coat both sides of the breaded fish with cooking spray.
- Bake until the fish is cooked through and the breading is golden brown and crisp, about 10 minutes.
As eatingwell.com suggests, “You can make these homemade fish sticks in about the same amount of time it takes to bake a box of the frozen kind. Make it a meal: Serve with lemon wedges, coleslaw, roasted new potatoes and a dollop of tartar sauce.”
Good-for-you Tacos
Healthy Mexican food can be a challenge to prepare but this recipe does a pretty good job a preserving great Taco taste while cutting out some of the not-so-good-for-you ingredients.
Ingredients
Homemade Taco Shells
- 12 6-inch corn tortillas
- Canola oil cooking spray
- 3/4 teaspoon chili powder, divided
- 1/4 teaspoon salt, divided
Taco Meat
- 8 ounces 93%-lean ground beef
- 8 ounces 99%-lean ground turkey breast
- 1/2 cup chopped onion
- 1 10-ounce can diced tomatoes with green chiles, preferably Rotel brand (see Tip), or 1 1/4 cups petite-diced tomatoes
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon ground chipotle chile or 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
Toppings
- 3 cups shredded romaine lettuce
- 3/4 cup shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese
- 3/4 cup diced tomatoes
- 3/4 cup prepared salsa
- 1/4 cup diced red onion
Preparation
- To prepare taco shells: Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Working with 6 tortillas at a time, wrap in a barely damp cloth or paper towel and microwave on High until steamed, about 30 seconds. Lay the tortillas on a clean work surface and coat both sides with cooking spray; sprinkle a little chili powder and salt on one side. Carefully drape each tortilla over two bars of the oven rack. Bake until crispy, 7 to 10 minutes. Repeat with the remaining 6 tortillas.
- To prepare taco meat: Place beef, turkey and onion in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Cook, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until cooked through, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a colander to drain off fat. Wipe out the pan. Return the meat to the pan and add tomatoes, cumin, ground chipotle (or chili powder) and oregano. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid has evaporated, 3 to 6 minutes.
- To assemble tacos: Fill each shell with a generous 3 tablespoons taco meat, 1/4 cup lettuce, 1 tablespoon each cheese, tomato and salsa and 1 teaspoon onion.
These great tasting tacos have 24g of protein and only 5g of fat!
It doesn’t have to cost a fortune to prepare healthy meals for your kids that they will actually like!
If you find yourself struggling with debt or would like to find out about becoming debt free, call Debthelper at 800-920-2262, or visit @ www.debthelper.com.
