Seafood can make for a healthy addition to diets, particularly for children. It improves body and brain function, and studies conducted by “Pediatrics” and the “American Journal of Clinical Nutrition” have linked seafood to reduced risks of heart disease and allergic conditions like asthma.
In fact, the United States Department of Agriculture suggests making seafood part of healthy diets and its 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend putting it on menus at least twice a week.
While there are common complaints, such as “my kids won’t like it” or “I don’t know how to prepare it,” these tips can help make it quick, easy and affordable to add nutritious seafood to your family’s menu.
- Start with shrimp. Shrimp is one of the most popular types of seafood in the United States. Try shrimp warm or cold as a snack, appetizer or main course. It’s versatile and can be sauteed, broiled, boiled, grilled or baked.
- Make it fun. Consider putting healthy fish like wild cod, salmon or pollock into fun foods like tacos or burgers.
- Buy frozen. Fish is now flash frozen at sea to lock in freshness. Frozen seafood meals add convenience and help cut down on waste because what you don’t use can go back in the freezer.
- Cook with your kids. If your kids don’t think they like seafood, have them help with dinner. Cooking with kids can help develop healthier long-term habits and a more adventurous palate. It also helps improve motor functions and confidence. In fact, a study published in “Pediatrics” shows getting children involved in meal preparation may increase their enjoyment of healthy foods.
- Pick the right products. To create a family-friendly menu, consider an option like Aqua Star’s Cutting Board meal kits, a selection of 10 recipes that include everything a family needs to prepare a tasty, healthy meal. Selections include tacos, flatbreads and comfort favorites. With pre-portioned ingredients for quick preparation and cleanup, they make it easy for parents and kids to create their own restaurant-quality meals.
- Eat at home. Eating out often can drive unhealthy eating habits and strain family budgets. Seafood is easy and convenient to make, whether you use a simple recipe like these Chipotle Shrimp Street Tacos or choose a convenient meal kit, and can help you spend more time together at the dinner table.
Find more tips and recipes to add seafood to your family’s table at aquastar.com.
Chipotle Shrimp Street Tacos
Total time: 20 minutes
Servings: 2
- 1 Aqua Star Chipotle Shrimp Street Tacos Meal Kit, including:
- creamy ancho chili sauce
- Aqua Star Shrimp
- chipotle seasoning
- spinach
- corn
- roasted tomato
- white corn tortillas
- 2 teaspoons cooking oil, divided
- Submerge unopened sauce packet in a bowl of water to thaw.
- In a large skillet, heat 1 teaspoon oil; add shrimp and cook 6-8 minutes. Drain excess fluid and add chipotle seasoning.
- In a medium skillet, heat remaining oil; add spinach, corn and roasted tomato. Cook 4-5 minutes until water is evaporated; set aside.
- In the microwave, warm tortillas in the moist paper towel 30 seconds.
- To build tacos, fill two tortillas with shrimp and vegetables then top with sauce.
Photo courtesy of Getty Images (family eating)
SOURCE:
Aqua Star, Family Features