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What's Going On In There? How the Brain and Mind Develop in the First Five Years of Life 
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Best Brain Food for Children - Brainy Recipes (Part II)By Andrew Loh Like breakfast, healthy and nutritious lunch and dinner are critical for children. The food that your children eat as lunch should be light, energetic and nutritious because they may not find the time or inclination to empty their lunchboxes. Most children are notorious for their poor eating habits. You may not be able to monitor your children if they eat well in their classroom. Therefore, the most important thing here is to ensure that they eat something that interests their palate habits. Lunch Ideas Let the lunch be light and carry enough nutrients those are necessary for optimum children's brain development. Never ever, stuff their lunch box with needless recipes. Rather, take care to pack something that tasty and attractive. Recipe#1 Prepare a simple, homemade trail mix that contains dried cherries, dry nuts, golden California raisins, raw pecans and whole grain cereals. Remember that this high-energy mix takes care of children's immense energy needs. Restrict the serving to about a quarter cup. Recipe #2 Most parents pack a candy bar or chocolate bar in the lunch boxes. You can change that habit to include something that helps children develop their brain to its maximum best. Dry nuts and fruits are energy rich and provide plenty of micronutrients those possess an ability to enlarge the nerve pathways and their connections. Mix smaller sized dry roasted peanuts, almonds and cashew nuts in a quarter measure of crispy and fresh wheat cereal. Add a generous sprinkle of California raisins and dried apple rings. To make it more tasty and delicious, you can add a few spoonfuls of chocolate-coated sunflower seeds or grated chocolate bars. Recipe #3 Children adore eating pizzas. Pizzas are universally liked food by children. However, they usually contain many undesirable dietary ingredients those are potentially dangerous for children's health. However, you can still prepare pizzas by avoiding dangerous cheese and other fatty substances. Here is a simple lunch recipe for nutritious pizza lunch. The ingredients needed are one unit of small-sized whole-wheat pita, 2 small spoons of Mediterranean olive oil, one small slice of low energy, Mozzarella cheese, 3 small slices of tomato, a mix of assorted vegetables like red and green peppers, spinach and broccoli. You may need to add salt, garlic paste and pepper to taste. Drizzle olive oil over small fire and add garlic paste, salt, and pepper power to the wheat pita. Now, arrange the tomato slices and vegetable portion in a visibly pleasing manner like a funny face or animal pattern and bake for about 8 minutes until the entire portion turns brown and hot. Recipe #4 Lunch packs need not be elaborate and heavy. They could be instant, light yet nutritious. A simple mix of hummus dips and multi-colored pepper sticks along with a small cup of cup of yogurt with fruits could be a nice idea. Recipe #5 Beef meat is very energetic and it can take care of the daily energy needs of growing children. Beef wraps are quite delicious and in combination with whole-wheat tortillas, they could be the most sumptuous meal for a busy classroom. Dinner Ideas Dinner time is the common family time, when all members of the family sit together to have their dinner. Dinner time is also the occasion, when you can cook various recipes, by including highly nutritious and healthy food items like fish, chicken, meat, prawns, varieties of fruits and vegetables and an array of desserts to drown the main course. Here are some simple recipes for your children's dinner. Recipe #1 You can create various soups by using different vegetables and cereals. One of the most commonly used ingredients is the baby corn units or broccoli. It is very easy to prepare a bowl of hot soup. To make a simple and hot bowl of broccoli soup, you just need to cook onion slices, garlic paste with butter on a light fire for about 4 minutes. Once the mix turns brownish in color, add a spoon or two of flour into two tablespoons of butter and mix well by using a spoon. Add required vegetables like boiled green peas and cooked spinach leaves into the prepared flour. Later, add required quantities of pepper, thyme, salt, cooking oil and a little bit of sugar and mix well. Once the entire mass reaches a broth form, add about 3 cups of finely chopped broccoli into the mixture, simmer it for about 5 minutes and serve hot so that children can taste the fine aroma of the soup. Recipe #2 Grilled fish like trout or salmon is perhaps the most nutritious meal that you can serve your children. Salmon is a cold-water fish and it is very rich in Omega-3 fatty acids. Grilled salmon is very delicious and it provides the goodness of fish oil that is rich in Vitamin A and beta Carotenes. Make sure that you serve the grilled salmon along with sliced pear or avocado fruits. You can even create whole-wheat wraps with slices of pear and avocado. Recipe #3 Create a spaghetti dinner by using small meatballs by using lean meat. Meatball soups are easy to prepare. Make sure that you supplement the meatball soup by providing plenty of green and cooked vegetables to provide the much-needed micronutrients. Exciting vegetable side recipes are possible. One example is the recipe that contains hummus and black bean dip along with freshly cut vegetables; this wonderful side recipe can work well for all members of the family. You have many options and choices for your lunch and dinner recipes. However, ensure that you use the most appropriate ingredients that can enhance brain development and mental functions. Dry nuts, fruits, green vegetables, and fish, chicken, lean meat, seafood, berries, whole grain cereals, oatmeal, beans, Omega-3 rich oils and low fat vegetable oils can act as excellent brain boosting ingredients. 
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