Breakfast is the main meal of the day. Everyone who is interested in proper nutrition knows this. Of course, this applies not only to adults, but also to children. They spend a huge amount of energy per day - they move a lot, play actively and, of course, non-stop exploring the amazing world around them. That is why breakfast for a child of 3 years should be not only tasty, but also balanced, and if possible also varied. Let's see what can be cooked.
The main thing is moderation
In general, it is not worth restricting a child in food. As already mentioned, they spend a lot of energy per day - much more than most adults, given the difference in size. Therefore, calories should receive a sufficient amount. But still, you should not always rejoice in excessive appetite. Take care of the ratio of height and weight so that the child does not turn into a real bun. This will reduce its activity, and subsequently lead to many different diseases.
Try to feed him not 3 times a day to the dump, but 5 times, but reducing the portion by about 2 times. If this is not possible, then leave the number of meals the same, but reduce the portion. And when he gets hungry - give a light snack like an apple.
In general, at this age the child can already eat everything that is useful to an adult. It is advisable that he try both chocolate, and oranges, and many other products that can cause allergies in some people. It is desirable to start such experiments even before the year, gradually giving various goodies and monitoring the body’s reaction - will it begin to react negatively to certain products.
Well, of course, you should not pamper your child with excessively sweet, as well as soda and chips. Yes, children adore them and quickly "sit down" on them. That's just harm them such food will do much more than adults. Remember this. And do not forget that true love is sometimes harsh - the child must forever learn that the parental “no” is higher than his “want”. After all, this is done for his own good.
Porridge is the basis of everything
Of course, making a delicious breakfast for a 3-year-old child, one should not forget about cereals. Still, more than one generation of people grew up on them before various flakes appeared, the use of which is very doubtful.
Yes, some adults still dislike the semolina porridge with huge lumps, which was served in kindergartens. However, this is only the result of improper cooking. In addition, in a small saucepan, designed for 3-5 servings, it is much easier to cook good porridge than in a huge pot, designed for dozens of servings.
Porridge is a combination of proteins and fats (butter, milk) with complex (cereals) and fast carbohydrates (sugar). Thanks to this, it is absorbed quite quickly, but at the same time it gives an energy charge for many hours.
It is important that porridge can be very different: rice, semolina, buckwheat, millet, oatmeal. Experiment - for sure among the cereals there is one that will appeal to all members of your family.
Alas, some parents have to cook breakfast for a 3-year-old child without milk. Well, in this case, porridge still takes a leading position - only instead of milk you have to use water. The taste because of that will slightly deteriorate, but the benefits will remain undoubted.
Preparing is very simple and easy. To prepare, for example, oatmeal (the well-known "Hercules") you will need:
- 0.5 cups of oatmeal.
- 2 cups of milk (or water).
- 2 tablespoons of oil.
- Salt, sugar - to taste.
Milk or water is brought to a boil over low heat, after which oatmeal is poured here. Stir constantly, cook for about 15 minutes. By this time, the porridge will have thickened - it remains only to add oil, salt and sugar, mix again and remove from heat. For taste, you can decorate porridge in plates with strawberries or pieces of melon, banana.
Favorite omelets
Talking about delicious children's dishes for breakfast, one can not help but mention about omelets. Probably, everyone loves them, without exception - both children and adults.
The base itself is very simple - about 2 eggs about a quarter cup of milk. This is really a good combination, because eggs are rich in proteins, which are especially important for a young, growing body. And milk is not only protein and fats, but also calcium, thanks to which the child’s bones will be strong, and the growth rate will increase.
You can fry the omelette in a pan in butter or vegetable oil. But more useful would be a steamed breakfast.
A simple children's omelet can be varied. The easiest way is to serve it with fried sausage (the main thing is high-quality, and ideally home-made, so as not to poison the child with soy and various dyes since childhood). If there is no high-quality sausage made from real meat, you can always serve boiled chicken breast to the omelet. Well, some parents prefer to enrich breakfast with vitamins by preparing an omelet with tomatoes, zucchini, herbs, cauliflower. To do this, vegetables are boiled or steamed, fried a little in a pan and poured with a mixture of milk and eggs. Some, such as tomatoes or cucumbers, can be served fresh.
Pamper the crumbs with cheesecakes
Many parents advocate a curd breakfast. And indeed, cottage cheese is even healthier than milk. The concentration of proteins, phosphorus and calcium is much higher, because the water is completely removed, and nutrients are preserved.
Some even with nostalgia recall syrniki, as in kindergarten. Why not make such a breakfast at home? To do this, you will need:
- 250 grams of cottage cheese (better than home than store, if possible).
- 2 tablespoons of flour.
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoons of sugar.
The egg is mixed with sugar, and the flour with cottage cheese. Then everything is combined in a large bowl, mixed thoroughly. Small cheesecakes are formed from the resulting mass, which are fried in oil. It is advisable to warm it well so that a hard crust immediately forms on the curd, which does not allow it to absorb too much oil.
Cheesecakes can be served with condensed milk, jam, sour cream or fresh berries.
Who doesn’t like fritters?
Many parents, racking their brains over what to cook for breakfast for a child of 3 years old, find the perfect solution - pancakes. This is a simple, tasty, and with proper preparation, also a healthy dish.
It is best to cook them on kefir or yogurt - then they turn out especially magnificent. But you can use ordinary milk. To make your favorite treat, take:
- 200 ml of kefir.
- 200 ml of flour.
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoons of sugar.
- 0.5 teaspoon of salt.
- 0.5 teaspoon of soda.
- 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil.
All ingredients must be thoroughly mixed so that there are no lumps of flour that can spoil the taste of the finished dish. Now thoroughly heat the vegetable oil in a pan. And pour the dough with a spoon. Frying on one side (literally half a minute), turn the pancakes onto the other and fry until cooked.
High cooking temperatures are very important. If the oil is hot, but not hot, then frying the fritters will absorb its excess. It is hard to call such a dish useful, especially for a child - a blow to the liver will be very strong.
Properly fried fritters should be rather dry - even a bit like pancakes (American pancakes). The dryness is easily compensated by serving refreshments with sour cream, jam, jam or condensed milk.
A little pudding never hurts
If you are interested in unusual, slightly exotic breakfast recipes for a 3-year-old child, you can try making pudding. He can boast of excellent taste, quite satisfying, and due to the unusualness, many children gladly regale him.
It's nice that the preparation is not too complicated, takes a little time, and rare, expensive products are not needed. It is very important that you can give such a dish not only in 3 years, but also in a year. A hearty and tasty treat will surely have to crumbs to taste. True, it will have to be prepared in advance - early in the morning or in the evening, so that it can cool down. Yes, pudding is served cold, so it’s best for a hot summer morning.
To prepare, take:
- 500 ml of milk.
- 2 tablespoons of sugar.
- 0.5 teaspoon vanilla sugar.
- 2 tablespoons of starch.
- 1 egg
Milk must first be divided. In 400 ml dilute sugar - simple and vanilla. Put on a small fire and bring to a boil. In the meantime, dilute the starch in 100 ml. Separate the yolk from the protein. Pour the yolk into the milk. Mix well. When the milk and sugar boil on the stove, pour the second part with the yolk and starch there and, stirring, let it boil. Pour the finished mixture into suitable forms and put in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours, or better - at night.
You can also make chocolate pudding - to do this, add 2 tablespoons of cocoa at the end of cooking. Cooled pudding can be decorated with nuts, apple slices or coconut.
Delight loved ones with a real souffle
Another dish quite exotic for our country, which can please a child as early as 10-11 months, not to mention the three-year-old peanut
In general, there are a huge number of soufflés - from fruits, with milk, cottage cheese, even potatoes and fish. But for starters, it’s better to master the classic recipe - it will surely fall in love with both adults and children.
Prepare the following ingredients:
- 400 ml of milk.
- 200 ml of semolina.
- 2 eggs.
- 2 tablespoons of sugar.
- 2 tablespoons of butter.
When everything you need is at hand - you can start cooking.
Milk should be brought to a boil and pour semolina into it with a thin stream. Stir to prevent lumps from forming. When you get a kind of liquid semolina porridge, remove the pan from the heat. Break the eggs and separate the whites from the yolks. Add the yolks, sugar and butter to the porridge, then carefully beat the whites and also pour into the rest of the mass, mixing well. It is better to prepare the form in advance - grease it with melted butter. Now pour the future souffle into shape and steam.
The dish is surprisingly tasty - you can diversify it in different ways. Souffle can be sweet and meaty - try different recipes to choose the one that your loved ones will like best.
Which drink to prefer?
Speaking about breakfasts, we must not forget that this meal should be accompanied by some kind of drink. The choice here is quite large. One child likes apple juice, and another likes cocoa. Let's see which option is better.
In general, at the age of three, children can be given almost any drinks — cocoa, tea, milk, juices, fruit drinks, and fruit drinks. The only exception is coffee - it is not very useful for an adult, and the child can cause irreparable harm.
Of course, milk can be called a universal option. On the one hand, it is tasty, and most children love it. On the other hand, it contains fats, proteins, calcium and many other valuable trace elements that allow the child to grow strong, healthy, smart. The only contraindication is intolerance to individual elements. However, it is quite rare, so problems probably will not arise.
Most families drink tea in the morning. Alas, budget, yes, in principle, and expensive tea today is not always a real tea. Most often these are dried leaves with fragrances and dyes. Therefore, some practical people find a way out - for one teaspoon of purchased tea (for color) add various herbs collected independently - from chamomile to thyme. You can also add dried hawthorn or wild rose. It turns out a drink enriched with vitamins, useful to adults and children.
You can also offer purchased juice from apples, pineapples, oranges, peaches. Just carefully study the composition so that it contains as little as possible preservatives, dyes, flavorings.
An ideal choice would be fruit drink or compote. Prepared from real berries, it definitely contains many useful substances. And the children like him. Fruit drink is especially useful - berries are mixed with a little sugar and beat thoroughly - in a blender or by hand. Then the resulting porridge is diluted with water, mixed, decanted, and the finished fruit juice is served on the table. Excellent immunity support in winter, especially if you mix different berries when preparing fruit drinks - for example, gooseberries, raspberries and blueberries.
Which meat is better to use?
Of course, you can’t leave a child without meat. Whatever the supporters of vegetarianism and veganism say, the child must eat meat - this provides the body with all the necessary substances.
Some people think that boiled chicken breast is the best option. Indeed, low-calorie, easily digestible meat will be a good choice. In addition, it is relatively inexpensive. And in crushed form, you can give a one-year-old child.
But we must not forget about red meat, preferably beef. It is best to use minced meat. Steamed cutlets or meatballs will be a great addition to any diet. It is red meat that improves liver function, increases hemoglobin production. Therefore, it is very important to include it in a child’s diet, especially if the level of iron in the blood is lower than desired. This will improve memory and generally have a positive effect on health.
Conclusion
On this our article comes to an end. Now you know more about the proper nutrition of a three-year-old child, but at the same time you read about a few simple dishes that you might not have tried before. So you have a great opportunity to please your loved ones, demonstrating outstanding culinary abilities and at the same time taking care of their health.