5 Healthy Travel Dinners the Kids will Love

Cooking healthy meals that your kids will love can feel like an impossible task during a regular week, let alone when you’re on the road! Needless to say; keeping your kids fueled on a basis of nutritious meals is a lot more difficult when you’re travelling long distances and staying away from the kitchen at home for an extended period of time.

While we’ve already got a blog post that lists some healthy snack ideas for when you’re travelling with kids, this post is going to look at the healthier options you can effortlessly whip-up for lunch or dinner. So, let’s look at some delicious and nutritious meal ideas you can prepare in a flash, that are sure to have the kids coming back for seconds.

Cheesy Baked Beef Meatballs

It’s hard to find a kid who doesn’t love meatballs. Their fun shape makes it easy to get the kids involved in rolling up the mince, and this gives them an added level of investment in the meal – making them more likely to love it!

You might have noticed in the title of this recipe that these cheesy beef meatballs are baked rather than fried. Baking the meatballs traps more of the juicy moisture and flavour, making the meatballs even more delicious.

Of course, it wouldn’t be very healthy just to serve the kids meat and cheese, which is why this dish is best paired with some diced zucchini and a side of broccoli or carrot. This dish is a great healthy take on an iconic kids’ dish and won’t disappoint!

Sweet Potato Crumb Chicken Tenders

Chicken tenders are another food known for its popularity with kids and is a favourite at many school canteens. These sweet potato crumb chicken tenders are a healthier twist on the traditional breadcrumb style and are actually improved in flavour because of it!

They take less than 30 minutes to cook and are best served with a side of sweet chilli sauce and your choice of vegetables. Your kids are going to devour these so quickly, you will wish you had made more.

Baked Tuna & Zucchini Slices

For some reason children seem to really like it when their food is served in the form of neat geometric shapes like balls or squares. The more ‘snacky’ a food appears, the more open a lot of kids are to give it a go - perhaps because it mimics the shape and texture of a lot of deep fried nuggets and pastries.

Tuna is an excellent source of nutrients like omega-3 fatty acids, Vitamin D and, of course, high quality protein. You might already know that tuna is a staple in a lot of fitness diets, meaning it’s great for powering your kids through all of your exciting travel activities.

The zucchini is well-disguised in amongst the tuna and flaky crumb, so you’re unlikely to get any “eeeww” reactions from kids who are fussy with their greens. This is a perfect lunchtime meal that’s great for long hikes or other activities where the kids will require energy.

Curried Beef & Vegetable Sausage Rolls

You don’t need to be reminded that sausage rolls are an easy win with most kids. This recipe makes them healthier by adding much needed vegetables to the mix. Like the last recipe, this one is a great way to sneak some extra greens into your kids’ meals.

With a generous helping of capsicum, carrot and tomato, you’ll be giving the kids a great mix of nutrition. Naturally, this meal is great for gathering around the campfire or even just a hotel room TV.

Green Eggs & Ham Crumpets

If we need to explain the significance of green eggs and ham for kids, there are some important questions about your childhood that need to be addressed. This dish is naturally best paired after a reading of the Doctor Seuss classic, delighting the kids with the novelty of ‘green’ eggs.

The illusion here is to use a mixture of avocado and chives with the eggs, adding a bunch of bright greens to the plate. This dish is one your kids won’t forget and it’s nice to go around saying “I actually made green eggs and ham for the kids!”

There’s no shortage of fantastic recipes for healthy kids’ meals out there, so you have plenty of other options if none of the above dishes does the trick. Remember; just because you’re travelling with your kids, doesn’t mean you can’t make time for healthy cooking!