I swear my teenager eats all day. Kevin will down a giant dinner, then not an hour later is back in the kitchen rummaging through the cupboards, looking for snacks. The boy is growing like mad, and it seems like no matter what I do, he’s still hungry.
The calorie needs of teenagers differ depending on how active they are but let’s face it, their bodies need a huge amount of energy. The challenge is to fill those needs but to keep it healthy so that they aren’t filling themselves up on junk food, which is tempting once they have more independence and money.
I have found that the trick is to have lots of healthy, filling, nutrient rich food that is easy to put together. Sure, teens know how to cook-and some often do, but I also know that mine is inherently a little lazy. Also as a busy mom, I don’t want to have to spend all my time in the kitchen, either.
Below are some of my family favorites to get you started:
Burritos: cheap, easily customizable, and quick to make, I often make 10 – 15 at a time and stash them in the freezer. You can then defrost one before baking in the oven for a quick and easy dinner. Top them with salsa and serve with a salad or raw veggies, and they make a quick, yet filling and nutritious snack. Pick up large packs of tortillas at Costco where they are much cheaper, and look for cans of kidney beans on sale, as well as ground beef. If you have these things in your pantry, the burritoes can be whipped up in no time. You can even make them vegetarian, if you wish! Maija's chicken taquitos are another twist on this favourite.
Pasta sauce: my teenager especially loves a meaty, thick, pasta sauce. Defrost it in the microwave, heat it up a little, boil some pasta, and voila! Dinner. Or lunch. Pack it in a thermos to take to school. The bonus here is that if you chop ‘em really, really small, you often can fit in a lot of veggies and the kids won’t notice. I've been known to pick up a flat of canned tomatoes when they are on sale, and make pasta sauces when I have a fridge full of veggies that need to be used up. You can make one that needs a long, slow simmer (such as this amazing lamb pasta sauce) while you're home on a weekend, or one that's faster and needs only a few minutes.
Hummus and crackers or raw veggies: if your kid is lactose intolerant like mine, hummus is a gold mine and wonderful substitution for cheese. There are so many great flavors out there that you can pick up a tub or even make your own, if you wish. I pack it in a lunch box or encourage Kevin to snack on it with whole grain crackers and some raw veggies such as sugar snap peas, cherry tomatoes, and carrot sticks. To save time in the morning I often make up small containers or baggies of raw veggies ready to go when I'm chopping veggies for dinner. Then I stash a bunch so they are easy to grab.
Guacamole and tortilla crisps: teens may almost be adults, but they sure love anything dunkable and fun to eat. Avocados are so good for you, and if you dress them up with some home made tortilla crisps your kids will be sure to gobble it up. Guacamole is also wonderful spread on a toasted bagel, in a wrap, or served with crackers.
Pizza buns: Better than the ready made frozen snacks you’ll find in the freezer section, having snacks like these waiting in the freezer are perfect for late night fridge raids. I also make sure to have English muffins, canned pizza sauce, and cheese on hand so that mini pizzas can be whipped up fresh at a moment’s notice. To make them healthier, try buying whole wheat English muffins and lower fat cheese, then encourage them to use up the veggies in the fridge, too. Check out Maija's 5 Minute Pizzas, even.
Baked beans: Not from a can, but whipped up in the crock pot. Beans are chock full of nutrients, as well as cheap and filling to boot. Making them in a slow cooker frees up your kitchen, and if you freeze them in single size servings, all your teen has to do is take one out and microwave it. If you have time you can make the dried beans ahead of time and have them waiting in the freezer to just pull out, thaw, and use. Baked beans are also a great dish to use up leftover bacon, sausage, or even ground meats.
Smoothies: When I worked in a high school Foods class, I noticed that these were super popular among all the kids. Maybe it was being able to throw things in the blender and get it to whirr, or that they felt like they were creating milkshakes. Either way, when there were leftover bits of yogurt and fruit around, kids would go crazy for smoothies. This is a great way to get your kids to consume more dairy products and get a little fruit into them as well. Try throwing in a handful of rolled oats and chopped nuts to give it some texture and make it more filling. Sweeten with a little honey or maple syrup, and let them experiment with the fruit.
For light snacks, keep lots of easy to eat but still healthy things around; fruit, veggies and dips, cheeses, nuts, and low fat crackers. There are plenty of real food options that you can have available rather than processed versions. The key is tasty, fast, and easy to put together.
All you should have to really worry about is getting them to clean up after themselves.
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