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Breakfast- pureed banana with cheerios and glass of milk. Bananas and milk provide a hefty amount of potassium and calcium to help with bone and muscle growth. Cereals like cheerios contain grains that are beneficial to a toddler's nutrition, such as wheat and barley.

snack: apple slices. Apples provide fiber, which is good for proper digestion, and an average of 90 calories per apple

Lunch: mini peanut butter sandwiches with apple sauce and water. peanut butter contains protein and is high in unsaturated fat.

Dinner: steamed, cut broccoli and chicken cut into bite sized pieces.

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Macaroni and cheese is always a winner with children. It is the ultimate comfort food for kids and adults alike. The brilliant thing about this recipe is that this is a much healthier macaroni and cheese because it is packed with vegetables. I know from the picture I bet you are doubting me. But trust me there is more vegetables in this recipe than there is cheese sauce.

The Secret to Healthy Macaroni Cheese with Hidden Vegetables

There are large quantities of 3 vegetables cleverly hidden in this macaroni cheese recipe.

Onion, yes never forget onion is a vegetable, and if you dice/slice it finely and cook it gently it goes lovely and sweet, do not burn your onion it adds a bitter flavour

Cauliflower, Cauliflower puree completely disappears into the cheese sauce

Courgette, well I call it courgette, you may call it zucchini. I know you are looking at the photo and thinking but there is no green. Well for the very picky eater one way to start with courgette is too peel it, as the white just disappears into the sauce. You do not need to peel the courgette if your kiddo is happy to eat green vegetables then don't peel it. But if you are worried about vegetable intake and your fussy eater hasn't made it to the point where they are happy to eat green, then try peeling it.

Some people have reservations about sneaking vegetables. I believe there is a place and enough space for both options. Sneaking and not sneaking. My kids have meals where the vegetables are loud and proud and meals where the vegetables are more subtle. Feel free to read my thoughts on whether to sneak or not to sneak vegetables.

Mac n Cheese is obviously such a kid-friendly dish and one you can add veggies too, if you are looking for other kid-friendly meals and snacks that have a veggie boost be sure to check these out too

Healthy Macaroni Cheese

Ingredients

1 1/2 Cup uncooked pasta (macaroni, penne, spirals etc)

400g cauliflower (approx. half a small cauliflower)

2 medium courgette

2 Tbsp (30g) butter or your preferred oil

2 Tbsp plain flour

1 medium onion finely diced

2 rashers of streaky bacon finely diced

1 Cup milk

1 Cup grated cheese

Instructions

1. Cook the pasta as per the packet directions, drain and set aside

2. Roughly chop the cauliflower, peel the courgette/zucchini, roughy chop and steam with the cauliflower until tender

3. While the cauliflower is cooking start on the roux sauce (white sauce).

4. Heat butter/oil in a saucepan

5. Add onion and bacon and sauté until onion softened and translucent

6. Add the flour and cook for around 2mins whilst stirring

7. Gradually add the milk (I find if you preheat the milk first, which you can do in the microwave, you will get a smoother sauce and the sauce will thicken much more quickly)

8. Bring the sauce to the boil then remove from heat. At this point you should have quite a thick but smooth sauce

9. Stir in 3/4 Cup of the grated cheese

10. Once the cauliflower and courgette is tender, drain, then puree. I usually use a whizz stick/stick blender. You will end up with around 2 cups of vegetable puree,

11. Stir the vegetable puree into your cheese your sauce

12. Combine your sauce with the pasta

13. Then pour the pasta and sauce mixture into a greased oven proof dish. You can top with the remaining grated cheese

14. Bake for around 20mins at 180 degrees celsius

15. Serve

Notes

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Healthy Macaroni and Cheese LOADED with Hidden Veggies

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Macaroni and cheese is always a winner with children. It is the ultimate comfort food for kids and adults alike. The brilliant thing about this recipe is that this is a much healthier macaroni and cheese because it is packed with vegetables. I know from the picture I bet you are doubting me.

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Indulge in this classic Ratatouille, a vibrant and flavorful dish that’ll transport you straight to the heart of France. Packed with fresh veggies and herbs, it’s a healthy and delicious way to enjoy the best of summer produce.

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Breakfast- Oatmeal (make sure it cools before serving). Oats are a type of grain, which means they provide fiber and protein beneficial for growth and development.

snack: cut strawberries. Strawberries are a good source of vitamin A and are juicy and sweet for kids.

Lunch homemade mac and cheese with green beans. healthy mac and cheese mixed with veggies is a win win for both toddlers and parents because the parents will get their child to eat veggies and toddlers can enjoy their mac and cheese.

Dinner: cooked spinach and turkey. Turkey is a meat that provides a lot of protein and spinach contains fiber.

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Breakfast: cup of yogurt with diced peaches on top. yogurt contains calcium for bone growth and peaches are juicy and contain carbohydrates.

snack: crackers (goldfish, ritz, etc)

Lunch: mini turkey and cheese sandwiches. cheese provides good fats like unsaturated fats and calcium.

Dinner: spaghetti w/o meatballs (possible choking hazard). pasta noodles can be made with wheat, rice, etc and are good sources of protein.

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Breakfast: oatmeal with diced strawberries and peaches

snack: sun dried raisins cut into small pieces

Lunch: mini turkey and cheese sandwiches with diced avocado

Dinner: chicken, mashed potatoes and smushed peas.

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Breakfast: sliced oranges with water. oranges are a good source of vitamin c and are juicy and sweet.

snack: small cup of yogurt. Yogurt contains calcium and fat good for growth and development.

Lunch: chicken fingers with steamed broccoli and cauliflower.

Dinner: baked ratatouille with eggplant, zucchini, tomatoes, yellow squash and tomato sauce.

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Breakfast: bite sized toast with light butter on top. toast contains whole grains like wheat and also contains fiber which cleanses the intestines and gets rid of waste

snack: crackers and low fat cream cheese

Lunch: mini peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

Dinner: lightly buttered noodles with parmesan cheese.

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Breakfast: mini bagel with fat free cream cheese. bagels contain wheat and other whole grains for development.

snack: cheese and crackers

Lunch: diced avocado and turkey sandwich. avocado contains monounsaturated fats or "good" fats.

Dinner: cheesy chicken stick with cooked carrots and celery. carrots contain keratin which is good for eyesight.