One of the greatest gifts you can give to your children is healthy meals. Not only will they make mealtimes fun and enjoyable, but they will also give them the nutrition and vitamins that their brains and bodies need. As a busy parent, you'll want to be able to produce healthy and enjoyable food quickly, and having the right ingredients and items in place is the key to this. With this in mind, we've created a handy guide to the four things that every parent should have in their kitchen.


1. Fresh Fruit and Vegetables
Young children especially can be fussy about what they eat, and if you're not careful, then it could lead to them not getting the right quantities of vitamins and minerals they need to achieve optimal health. Experts say that we should all eat between five to seven portions of fresh fruit and vegetables every day. Having tasty items of fruit such as oranges on display in your kitchen can encourage your children to turn to them instead of a less healthy snack. Similarly, you can encourage them to eat more vegetables by dicing them into smaller pieces and hiding them within ingredients such as mashed potato or pasta sauces.

2. Wooden Cutting Board
A high-quality wooden cutting board not only looks great, but it's essential for every family kitchen. As stated above, you can use one to easily chop vegetables so that they can be made to look less intimidating to fussy eaters, or so that they can be secreted away within a meal. Wooden boards are also incredibly easy to clean after use, which makes them a hygienic food preparation area – this is of course especially important when you're making a meal for children. Plastic boards are also available, but wood boards have a much more stylish appearance, and they're also much more environmentally friendly at a time when we're all encouraged to reduce our use of plastics.

3. Microwave Oven
Let's face it, being a mom or dad is a rewarding task, but it's a busy and sometimes chaotic one too, so we can all benefit from time-saving devices. Microwave ovens are the ultimate kitchen time-saving device, and yet that doesn't mean that they can't be used to produce high-quality meals that are healthy too. We don't recommend using convenience meals from the supermarket that can be microwaved in a matter of minutes, but it is a good idea to cook large batches of your own food, freeze the surplus portions, and then microwave them at a later date to produce quick meals that are hot and healthy.

4. Crockpot
It may sound strange going from a speedy cooker to a slow cooker, but in fact, a microwave oven and a crockpot both provide the same benefit: they allow you more time to spend on the things you need or want to be doing, such as spending quality time with your kids. Crockpots are brilliant for cooking stews in; simply load up the meat and vegetables, push the start button and leave it to work its magic while you get on with your day. When it comes to mealtime, you'll be ready to dish up a steaming stew that tastes as good as it smells. Crockpots can be incredibly versatile, and they're also brilliant for making rice pudding.

With a crockpot, a microwave oven, a beautiful wooden cutting board and a plentiful supply of fruit and vegetables in your kitchen, you're ready to create varied, fun and delicious meals every day of the week. When your food is freshly made and tastes great, your children won't even notice how healthy it is for them, which is good news all around.