Meals for snappy brains (on tight schedules)
Summer often brings with it a renewed commitment to healthy eating and, not so coincidentally, oppressive heat that makes us want to shed much of our clothing.
While I’m not traipsing up and down beaches in my bikini anymore (instead I’m crouched in the sand, helping my kid dig a moat), I am still interested in what I do and don’t eat—granted, my primary motivation for healthy eating has changed somewhat since becoming a mom.
Sure, you won’t hear me complaining if the fitness gods bless me with abs tomorrow, but nowadays I care less about achieving a svelte figure and more about maintaining a snappy brain.
And it’s not just about the health of my own brain: I want to give my daughter the foods that will get her synapses firing, too.
Achieving such a goal isn’t always easy, however—as most parents can attest. Healthy cooking can be expensive and time-consuming, and we often have picky eaters to contend with in our lovely children.
Ordering a pizza or tearing open a box of mac-and-cheese can feel downright cathartic when you’re tired from a long day of work and your child is whining, “Spinach is YUCK!”
(I will pause for a moment here: please know you will not get judgment from me. I’m certainly no nutritionist, but if pizza and/or box mac-and-cheese keeps the peace and gives you a moment to breathe, I say go for it.)
But if we want to try healthier alternatives, how exactly do we get our kids to eat the 5 foods Harvard Medical School has linked to better brainpower and all-around health? And how do we whip up these meals relatively quickly so we’re not tied to the stove all evening?
I’ve rounded up some great recipes from parent food bloggers who understand how challenging it can be to cook healthy meals for kids when you have limited time.
And to make things simpler, I’ve organized them into the 5 categories of foods that Harvard wants us to eat—which, hey, if these foods are good enough for Harvard brains, they’re good enough for mine.
I hope these recipes give your family crackerjack brains, satisfied tummies, and a dinner table free of complaints! (And, as always, I hope the time you save cooking can be reallotted to your writing—or to ziplining, freestyle dancing, whatever.)
Green, leafy veggies
One-pot broccoli mac & cheese (25 mins)
I much prefer this to box macaroni-and-cheese, and it takes only about 10 minutes longer to cook.
Green apple smoothie (15 mins)
Pair this with a grilled cheese on multigrain bread, or an almond-butter bagel.
Sweet potato fritters with lentils and kale (30 mins)
This vegan finger food is not only ideal for tiny hands, it’s a great pick for eating-while-writing!
Cheesy baked kale bites (28 mins)
I mean, they’re basically healthy hushpuppies.
Kale for kids (and grown-ups, too!) (18 mins)
A spoonful of sugar (or, in this case, mirin) helps the bitter kale go down.
Spinach banana muffins (30 mins)
Gluten-free, dairy-free, and freezer-friendly. Turns out veggies look pretty cute hidden in baked goods.
Fatty fish
Photo by Abstral Official on Unsplash
Creamy salmon tagliatelle (20 mins)
My kid already loves pasta and peas—hopefully these ingredients will be gateways to the salmon!
Easy fish tacos (21 mins)
Our Texas-born family views taco nights with religious zeal. These fish ones are easy and quick to make, and Texan-taste-bud-approved (although my Cali friends might raise an eyebrow at a Texan’s seal of approval when it comes to fish tacos).
Tandoori fish bites (15 mins)
Curry in a hurry (couldn’t help myself)!
Fish cakes with oven-baked chips (25 mins)
Potatoes, oil, a frying pan… whatever, Harvard says salmon is great for us.
Berries
Photo by Annemarie Grudën on Unsplash
Easy, kid-friendly berry smoothie (5 mins)
The zucchini adds vitamins and a creamy texture, and the recipe takes on a whole new level of fun when marketed to your kids as healthy ice cream!
Make-ahead fruit & yogurt breakfast parfaits (10 mins)
Frozen fruit and only 4 other ingredients make these a quick breakfast to prepare on Sunday nights—and a healthy, delicious, and stress-free option to gobble up on weekday mornings.
Banana berry snack bites (5 mins)
Another irresistible finger food for kids and writers! They’re an easy way to get your kids involved in the kitchen, too.
Fro-Yo bites (10 mins)
My daughter would eat ice cream, popsicles, and berries all day if I let her. Thankfully, these summer treats combine the yumminess of all three and are low in sugar, high in probiotics, and loaded with antioxidants.
Tea & coffee
Photo by Jess Bailey on Unsplash
Disclaimer: these recipes contain caffeine, a key ingredient to boost brain function. I include them as treats meant not for your kids, writer-parents, but for you. (You’re welcome.)
Pour-over coffee (10–15 mins)
My husband and I use our Chemex each morning, and the precise instructions in this recipe are a great refresher on how to pour the perfect cup.
Strawberry basil iced tea (15 mins of prep, 4 hrs to chill)
This one needs 4 hours in the fridge, but the flavor combo is worth the wait. Plus, you can use basil grown at home—and if you’re an A+ gardener, maybe even your own strawberries!
Matcha green tea smoothie (10 mins)
Gluten-free, vegan, cold, creamy, and a shot of caffeine with your fruits and veggies.
Iced green tea with mint and honey (12 mins)
Try this one with local honey and mint from your herb garden. (I use less honey than the recipe calls for, but I’m also not a fan of sweet tea—blasphemy for a southern-born girl, I know.)
Cold-brew coffee (5 mins of prep, 12 hrs to chill)
As much as I like my coffee hot, summer’s heat waves have my tongue wagging for a cold brew—which, if you love the taste of coffee, you know is always better than hot coffee poured over ice.
Walnuts
Photo by Avinash Kumar on Unsplash
Walnut pancakes (10 mins)
As long as your kid isn’t allergic to nuts, of course, this is a healthy way for them (and you) to indulge in pancakes for breakfast.
Walnut and Panko crispy cod filets (30 mins)
Walnuts AND fish in one meal?! You’ll basically be sitting at the dinner table with a future Einstein.
Chocolate chip cookies with walnuts (1 hr)
This is the only recipe I included that requires significant time in the kitchen (it usually takes my 3-year-old and I an hour to mix the ingredients and bake), but these are the best chocolate chip cookies I’ve ever made, and adding walnuts gives your brain a sweet boost!
Plus, the recipe always yields much more dough than it indicates, so there’s extra to freeze and pull out later when you want freshly baked cookies in a snap.
And come on, we can’t be 100% healthy all the time…
Bonus points if you can satisfy any of the ingredients from these recipes with produce from your garden!
And speaking of gardening, back in April I wrote about a newfound obsession of mine: composting. (We chose vermicomposting, a.k.a. composting with worms.)
I’m happy to report that my daughter and I are feeding our worms every week, and so far they’re wriggling with pleasure in their nutrient-rich bin!
The jury is still out on whether or not we’ll have viable compost for next spring, but for the time being, we’re enjoying chopping up our fruit and veggie scraps, mixing them with newspaper, and tossing them like confetti over the worm party in our basement.
Do you have quick, healthy recipes writer-parents should know about? Post them in the comments below!