Piece o' Cupcake: Simple, healthy breakfasts for young kids

You know your child should start the day with a healthy breakfast, but you also need ideas for meals that are quick and easy to prepare, and that your child will accept. In CNN.com's CNN Health section for Diet & Fitness ("What's a healthy breakfast for a picky 6-year-old?"), Dr. Melina Jampolis offers up 5 ideas for simple and nutritious breakfasts that you can easily prepare during the rush to get ready for school, and that your child will love. Dr. Jampolis explains that skipping breakfast regularly can increase your child's risk for "childhood obesity, diminished health and nutrition status and compromised school performance." A good breakfast should include a whole grain combined with a lean protein or healthy fat, as do Dr. Jampolis' suggestions, like low-fat yogurt with fruit & nuts or a grilled cheese sandwich (on whole grain bread) with a side of fruit.

You know your child should start the day with a healthy breakfast, but you also need ideas for meals that are quick and easy to prepare, and that your child will accept. In CNN.com's CNN Health section for Diet & Fitness ("What's a healthy breakfast for a picky 6-year-old?"), Dr. Melina Jampolis offers up 5 ideas for simple and nutritious breakfasts that you can easily prepare during the rush to get ready for school, and that your child will love. Dr. Jampolis explains that skipping breakfast regularly can increase your child's risk for "childhood obesity, diminished health and nutrition status and compromised school performance." A good breakfast should include a whole grain combined with a lean protein or healthy fat, as do Dr. Jampolis' suggestions, like low-fat yogurt with fruit & nuts or a grilled cheese sandwich (on whole grain bread) with a side of fruit.

Piece o' Cupcake: Whole Family Fitness

Just as adults need regular exercise, children need daily physical activity too. For the most part, exercise for children is about play: getting out and running around and playing sports and games; however, finding creative ways to have the whole family get moving together fulfills physical activity needs for both parents and children, and provides valuable bonding time for the whole family. One idea is for the whole family to get involved in the same sport or activity, such as karate or swimming, by taking classes either together or individually (you can still bond over the new moves you're all learning). It doesn't have to be so formal though. Here, Parents magazine provides tips on "10 Ways to Exercise as a Family," including going for pre- or post-dinner walks and having a dance party in your own living room.

Just as adults need regular exercise, children need daily physical activity too. For the most part, exercise for children is about play: getting out and running around and playing sports and games; however, finding creative ways to have the whole family get moving together fulfills physical activity needs for both parents and children, and provides valuable bonding time for the whole family. One idea is for the whole family to get involved in the same sport or activity, such as karate or swimming, by taking classes either together or individually (you can still bond over the new moves you're all learning). It doesn't have to be so formal though. Here, Parents magazine provides tips on "10 Ways to Exercise as a Family," including going for pre- or post-dinner walks and having a dance party in your own living room.

Piece o' Cupcake!: Healthy homemade pizza

Your child loves pizza. So do you; who doesn't? But you also want to feed your child healthy foods that he'll enjoy. Why not make a healthy homemade pizza? It is truly a fast, easy meal that the whole family will love. Many grocery stores these days carry fresh, or frozen, whole wheat pizza dough. Next time your child is begging for pizza, why not roll out some pre-made whole wheat dough and top it with lots of good-for-you ingredients that you know your child will happily accept: part-skim mozzarella, parmigiana cheese, sautéed broccoli, caramelized onions, roasted peppers, thin slices of zucchini or eggplant, shredded chicken, etc. Assembling the pizza is even something your child can help with. The pizza dough package will usually give baking instructions and often recipe ideas as well.

For the sauce, a simple tomato or pesto sauce works well. Here's a recipe from Martha Stewart's Everyday Food for "Easy Chunky Tomato Sauce." The best part about this sauce is that it keeps in the freezer for up to 2 months, so you can make a big batch in advance and freeze it in meal-sized portions to pull out when needed.

Your child loves pizza. So do you; who doesn't? But you also want to feed your child healthy foods that he'll enjoy. Why not make a healthy homemade pizza? It is truly a fast, easy meal that the whole family will love. Many grocery stores these days carry fresh, or frozen, whole wheat pizza dough. Next time your child is begging for pizza, why not roll out some pre-made whole wheat dough and top it with lots of good-for-you ingredients that you know your child will happily accept: part-skim mozzarella, parmigiana cheese, sautéed broccoli, caramelized onions, roasted peppers, thin slices of zucchini or eggplant, shredded chicken, etc. Assembling the pizza is even something your child can help with. The pizza dough package will usually give baking instructions and often recipe ideas as well.

For the sauce, a simple tomato or pesto sauce works well. Here's a recipe from Martha Stewart's Everyday Food for "Easy Chunky Tomato Sauce." The best part about this sauce is that it keeps in the freezer for up to 2 months, so you can make a big batch in advance and freeze it in meal-sized portions to pull out when needed.

Introducing: Piece o' Cupcake!

Tomorrow I will publish the first post of the new Piece o' Cupcake! series. Just like Do One Thing and Did You Know?, Piece o' Cupcake! is a recurring series that focuses on a particular theme, in this case, making healthy living convenient and fun for your children and your family as a whole. Meet me back here tomorrow for the launch of this series!

One quick note: This series was the brain-child and suggestion of a family member, my sister, who has three little "cupcakes" of her own. Thank you!

Tomorrow I will publish the first post of the new Piece o' Cupcake! series. Just like Do One Thing and Did You Know?, Piece o' Cupcake! is a recurring series that focuses on a particular theme, in this case, making healthy living convenient and fun for your children and your family as a whole. Meet me back here tomorrow for the launch of this series!

One quick note: This series was the brain-child and suggestion of a family member, my sister, who has three little "cupcakes" of her own. Thank you!