With so many delicious kid-friendly recipes to include from our resident nutritionist, we thought a little midway break to whip up a snack was in order.

Here are our last top 10 foods for healthy kids with quick and simple recipes you can add to your weekly meals.

Olive Oil

The Mediterranean cultures have the right idea by using olive oil in almost every meal and dish. It is an excellent source of monounsaturated fat and the antioxidant vitamin E, essential for immune and skin health. Drizzle generously over salads and steamed veggies, as it helps the body absorb the other nutrients in the meal.

Seaweed

Famous as a rich source of iodine (which is needed to make thyroid hormones), seaweed is also high in iron, calcium, magnesium, antioxidant vitamins, omega-3’s and so much more. But as most kids enjoy the salty, “umami” flavour of this Japanese plant, it doesn’t have to be reserved for sushi alone. Try adding squares of it to miso soup, or do what I do and turn it into a winning seaweed pesto dip.

Seaweed Pesto Recipe

Blend

50g fresh wakame seaweed, soaked in tepid water for 10-20 minutes
50g pine nuts, roasted
1 garlic clove
¼ cup olive oil
½ lemon, juiced

Tahini

I grew up eating rye bread sandwiches topped with miso and tahini every day of my primary school years, and I might’ve complained about it then, but I am so grateful now. This sesame seed paste is a complete protein incredibly high in calcium, B vitamins, vitamin E and more. These days I use the unhulled variety mixed with lemon juice and tamari as a dressing for steamed vegetables, or I put it in healthy bliss balls for the kids.

Tahini Bliss Ball Recipe

Blend

2 cups dates
½ cup cacao powder
½ cup tahini
Roll into balls and coat in shredded coconut.

Walnuts

I must admit, I never really liked walnuts due to their bitterness – until I realised what an amazingly nutritious wonder food they are! High in copper, manganese, essential fatty acids and B vitamins, I recently discovered two sure-fire ways to get them into both my children and me – through cookies and savoury walnut patties, which go down a treat every single time.

Walnut Patties Recipe

Blend

1 cup walnuts
1 cup rolled oats
¼ cup breadcrumbs
2 eggs
½ cup mylk (plant-based, e.g. almond or coconut)
½ onion
2 cloves garlic
½ tsp salt
3 tbs nutritional yeast
3 tsp flour

Scoop one tbs of mixture onto a hot frypan and repeat, then cook patties until brown on both sides.

Cottage Cheese or Quark

This versatile food is twice the protein of Greek yoghurt and has the gut-friendly probiotics found in yoghurt. Fermented with a bacterial starter culture, quark has been dubbed a superfood. I grew up eating it atop vegetables with roast oil and paprika mixed in or combined with avocado to make a tasty spread for the humble Ryvita. An alternative way to get your kids to eat it is to use it in a healthy cheesecake recipe.