How To Create A Healthy Menu For Kids [For Restaurants]

Do you want to create a menu with healthy food for kids?

Offering healthy food is a vital step to satisfy your customers effectively.

In addition, you can take advantage of the following benefits:

A broader menu that can satisfy kids and also parents concerned about the nutrition of their kids.
You will retain entire families who will prefer your restaurant because it offers good healthy options.
You can also increase the number of customers you attract to your restaurant.

All this and more just by creating a healthy menu for kids. Let's get started!

Importance of having healthy kids' food on your menu

With each passing year, people are becoming more aware of the importance of nutrition.

This fact is driven by the high obesity rates and childhood obesity in different countries.

However, thanks to this new awareness, you can take advantage of the new wave of diners looking for healthy options for their families.

How? Directly meeting the new need of your customers - which is to have access to a healthy menu for kids.

This is important because:

It makes your restaurant a major influence against local childhood obesity rates. This creates a much healthier society in the long run!
The previous point also helps to improve the image of your restaurant.
Create development opportunities for your restaurant. You will be able to satisfy more diners, retain entire families, and optimize your profits in the process.
It's very easy to do! Creating a kids' menu is particularly easy because the simpler it is, the better the result.

Finally, creating a healthy menu for kids gives you an edge over the competition - if the competition isn't, of course.

Even if so, you can always look to improve or expand your menu options to keep your restaurant competitive by being a family-friendly place.

How to create a healthy menu for kids?

As we mentioned above, creating a healthy menu for kids is pretty straightforward.

To create healthy dishes for kids, you must take into account the following 3 points:

Mainly, they should be delicious.
You need to create a unique, beautiful, and delicious plate!
They should be made up of a balanced combination of protein, carbohydrates, and healthy fats.

Below, I'll delve deeper into each of these aspects.

Taste - the dishes must be delicious

Satisfying kids' palates is more complicated than is commonly thought - especially if we consider that they should be healthy dishes.

To achieve this, you must create simple but delicious combinations of ingredients.

Ingredients like:

Olive oil.
Fresh and dehydrated vegetables; tomato, eggplant, bananas, and more are good options.
Chicken breast, lean meats, tuna, salmon, and more.
Spices in little quantity; oregano, cumin, salt, and sugar will be your main allies.

You can create great, simple, healthy, and delicious recipes by taking traditional Italian cuisine as a reference.

Presentation - the dishes should look appetizing and beautiful

This is a difficult aspect to achieve if you do not consider the opinion of kidswhile preparing your menu.

If you take their opinion into account, you will have access to hundreds of creative ideas created by kids, for kids.

To do this, simply take the first aspect into account, and start testing them until you get a few definite ideas.

Also, take into account the classic kids' dishes that weren't healthy in any way, and give them a 360 ° turn.

For example:

You cannot use hot dogs. But who said you can't create your own hot dogs with lean protein or vegetables? So, you can create a healthy hot dog!

You shouldn't use anything fried or breaded. But you can create pseudo fries in the oven! You can also use dehydrated vegetables to create a faux breading layer, which will look and taste delicious.

This is one of the best ways to fill your menu with a great variety without leaving the "healthy" behind.

Balanced Meals - Every Dish Should Be Nutricious

If there's one real thing in what fast food marketing has been telling you for years, it's that kids need good nutrition.

That is why each dish should contain:

Lean protein. This removes the pork by default! Focus on white and red meats, fish, eggs, and grains like lentils, chickpeas, beans, and more.
Healthy carbohydrate sources, such as complex carbohydrates, which became famous in fitness trends.
Healthy, unsaturated fats (no frying). Avocado, all kinds of nuts *, olive oil and other healthy oils, eggs, low-fat cheeses, and skim milk.

*Note: Something important to keep in mind is that nuts create and increase the risk of causing allergies to your customers. Add a very large warning to the menu or avoid them to minimize the risks.

Examples of healthy food dishes for kids

Now, I will give you 3 useful examples that will help you organize your ideas regarding the menu.

If you want, you can temporarily add them to your restaurant's kids' menu while you create more options considering the aspects mentioned above.

1. Breaded Chicken Fingers

This recipe is a classic that we've recreated to give you a quick yet healthy option for kids.

The ingredients are:

Chicken: you can use it in three ways. Chicken tenders (by far the best option), ground chicken breast, or chicken breast in strips.
2 eggs
150g of whole wheat flour.
Spices: we recommend oregano, pepper, salt, paprika, and a pinch of sugar.
A tablespoon of mustard.
250g of coarse dehydrated vegetable powder. You can also use 250g of breadcrumbs.

Preparation:

Take the breadcrumbs and distribute them evenly on a tray.

Bake at 150 ° C until they're golden, which usually takes about 10 minutes. (If you are using dehydrated vegetable powder, this step is not necessary)

Then, prepare the mixture for breading.

Mix the eggs with the whole wheat flour, mustard, and spices to create the mixture where you'll dip each tender.

Remember to keep your salt and sugar levels low.

When the breadcrumbs are ready, remove them, and let them rest until lukewarm.

Meanwhile, get the breading station ready, and as soon as the breadcrumbs are lukewarm, start breading each of the tenders.

Place them on a tray with olive oil distributed on the bottom.

At the end of each tender, put them in the oven for about 20 minutes at 180 ° C.

Present the chicken fingers with some homemade tomato sauce.

2. Banana Oatmeal Pancakes with Homemade Jam

Banana Oatmeal Pancake is the true breakfast of champions. You can also add it to your healthy menu as a family option.

The ingredients for the pancakes are:

200g of oatmeal
A generous tablespoon of olive oil
1 large banana
2 whole eggs
50ml of skim milk
One teaspoon of baking powder
Salt

Preparation of the pancakes:

This mixture is somewhat complicated; however, the more effort you put into it, the better it will taste.

First of all, blend the milk with the oatmeal and the banana. Reserve this mixture in a large bowl.

Then, separate the egg whites and yolks into two different bowls.

With a mixer, beat the egg white until it rises. You can add a pinch of salt to create more friction and make it easier. Also, add the baking powder.

Repeat the same step with the egg yolk, but also add the tablespoon of olive oil, and begin to beat as if you were making mayonnaise.

Mix the whites, yolks, and oatmeal carefully and in an enveloping way.

And that's it; this mix is ready for the skillet!

To finish them, simply add a little olive oil to an iron-cast skillet, and continue the process as if they were ordinary pancakes.

Jam Ingredients:

Fruit! For a portion of jam, you will need about 350g of fruit. We recommend using low-fructose fruits, such as strawberries and berries.
Two tablespoons of white chia seeds (black chia seeds work too, but they are more visible).
Honey. For the strawberry jam, about 3 tablespoons of honey are enough.

Preparation of the jam:

First, blend the strawberries with a little water, and place them in a pan over medium heat.

When they start to boil, start stirring the strawberries with a wooden spoon to make sure they don't stick to the bottom.

When it has reduced a bit, remove the pan from the heat.

Add the honey and mix with the wooden spoon. If it takes a bit, feel free to add

more until you reach your desired sweetness.

Finally, add the chia seeds while the jam is hot, and mix with the wooden spoon until everything is incorporated.

Let it cool, then pack it in a suitable size jar, and set it aside until cold and ready to eat.

3. Toast, guacamole, and scrambled eggs

Sounds simple? It’s not!

This recipe is very effective in satisfying the hunger of the little ones and is also delicious for adults.

Ingredients for the guacamole:

1 large avocado
1 tomato
½ onion
Cilantro
The juice of 1 lemon
Olive oil (optional)
Salt

Guacamole Preparation:

This is a pretty basic guacamole recipe.

Simply peel the avocado and mash it with a fork.

Dice the tomato and the onion in the smallest cubes you can with a very sharp knife.

Add the tomato, onion, and finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves.

And add the juice of a freshly cut lemon, the salt, and the olive oil.

Incorporate everything, and voila!

For the scrambled eggs:

2 whole eggs. You can also use the white of 3 eggs.
25 ml of whole milk.
1 tablespoon of olive oil or butter (not margarine).
Salt to taste

Preparation of the eggs:

Mix the two eggs, the whole milk, and a pinch of salt.

Heat up a pan and add the olive oil or butter. Distribute the fat thoroughly through the pan.

Add the eggs and cook for about 15 seconds over medium heat.

Then stir the eggs with a wooden spoon and wait another 15 seconds.

Repeat the process two times more and then remove the pan from the heat.

Serve immediately with toast and guacamole!

You ask yourself: What is the difficult part of this dish?

Presenting the dish attractively enough for a child!

But that’s a task you’ll have to figure out on your own.

Healthy drinks should also be part of a healthy children's menu

Did you know that the drinks we consume are actually a big source of calories?

The worst part is that most people don't count these calories.

Therefore, we also recommend that you do not offer just the common options: carbonated drinks with incredible amounts of sugar.

What are the best healthy drink options for kids?

Here I recommend three of them:

Natural juices: freshly squeezed orange juice, lemonade, and other citrus juices sweetened with honey are excellent alternatives.
Smoothies: Vegetable and fruit smoothies are a good source of antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. Also, they are a way to get children to consume vegetables even without them knowing it.
Shakes: shakes can also be a healthy option, especially if you find recipes low in calories but full of flavor.

Healthy drinks and the right dishes are all you need to create a healthy children's menu.

The only dessert would be missing! But honestly, I don't know if society is ready to accept healthy desserts as viable… Just kidding, but I'll leave that for another article.

Creating a healthy menu for children is a huge advantage for your restaurant!

Creating a healthy menu is more than an option - it is an advantage you must take to put yourself ahead of your competition.

Without a doubt, with a healthy menu for children, you can improve your numbers, reach new diners looking for healthy options, and much more.

Don't forget to read our article on how to calculate the cost of food to incorporate these recipes into your menu.

Do you think this is a great challenge for your restaurant? Accept and overcome it before the competition does it for you!