Okay, I'll admit it. I treated my second child differently than the first. When number one was beginning solids, I did everything right: organic cereal and home-made baby food frozen in little ice cube trays. Ahhh...the doting mother (and I was even working full-time, too!) And then the second child. Well. Number two wanted solids a heck of a lot sooner than number one. It took me off guard. I did not have my "baby-food-maker" game on. I cracked...I fed her jarred, processed baby food. There. I said it! I was a better mommy for number one than I was for number two! Oh, the guilt! The paralyzing guilt!

All right, silliness aside, don't all moms (even the most earth-motherly types) sometimes get sidelined into serving highly processed foods to our kids for the sake of convenience? Sure we do. And I'm also sure that most of us are able to see the big picture and forgive ourselves the odd transgression, but still regret doing it.

But what if there was a way to make meals for our children that masqueraded as these kid-favourite processed foods, but were actually good for them (well, if not entirely good, then certainly not nearly as bad!)? There is! And I can tell you how. Below are three recipes I developed and/or adapted for my kids as substitutes for some typical childhood standbys. In all three cases they use ingredients you most likely have on hand anyway, and take not too much longer to prepare than their mass-market counterparts.

So take a look, give them a try, and be sure to share your own "substitutes" (as well as your feedback) below in comments!

Gotta Be KD?

2 cups elbow macaroni (or any other small-ish pasta; whole wheat preferred!)
2 cups milk
1 cup water

Place pasta, milk and water in medium saucepan and bring to boil over med-hi heat. Be sure to watch it as it comes to the boil as anything with milk will boil over very quickly and makes a very smelly mess in your element. Once pot is boiling, reduce heat and allow to simmer for 10 minutes, or until pasta is softened (to your taste: I prefer al dente but some kids prefer it softer) and most of the liquid is absorbed. Add cheese and stir over low-med heat until melted and blended. Serve.

This is a real kid-pleaser in my house. It's still macaroni & cheese, which is never going to top the list for healthiest meal, but it's a heck of a lot better than the boxed variety. You see, there's no added sugar or salt (fave ingredients in the boxed stuff) and who knows what's in that "cheese flavour" packet, anyway? Remember, you control what goes into this dish. If you want lower fat, then cut back a bit on the cheese and use skim milk.

YOP to me Mama...

1 cup plain, unsweetened yogurt
1/2 cup fresh fruit (berries, bananas, mangoes & peaches work well)
1 tbsp. honey

Place all ingredients in blender and blend until very smooth. If your kids like a more "smoothie" consistency, you can throw in 2 ice cubes before blending. Add more honey to sweeten to taste, if necessary.

I got so sick of trying to find yogurt that wasn't low-fat (and therefore artificially sweetened) or else way too full of sugar that I basically stopped trying. My family got used to regular old plain yogurt with a teaspoon of "extra fruit" spread mixed in. Then I bought my kids a mass-produced yogurt drink as a treat. They drank all six in the package in one sitting. After I calculated the grams of sugar they had just consumed, I vowed never to buy them again! So after some playing around with different formulas, I came up with this favourite recipe. My oldest likes it with bananas and a splash of vanilla extract, and my youngest loves it with frozen berries.

"Instant" Pancake Mix

1 1/2 cups slow-cooking oats
2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup skim milk powder
1/3 cup bran or wheat germ
3 tbsp. flax seed meal (i.e. ground flax seeds)
2 1/2 tbsp. baking powder

Process oats thoroughly in food processor, until fine, floury consistency is reached (you can also buy oat flour if you prefer). Add remaining dry ingredients. Pulse 2 or 3 times to mix. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 months (longer if stored in the freezer).

To prepare pancakes:

1/2 cup milk
1 egg, beaten
3/4 cup "instant" pancake mix (as above)
1 tbsp. oil (optional)

With a whisk, beat the eggs & milk together. Whisk in pancake mix and vanilla or cinnamon just until blended (don't overmix or your pancakes won't rise as much) and let sit for 1-2 minutes. Prepare pancakes on a griddle as you normally would. Serve and enjoy!

My children don't even know there are any other kinds of pancake in the world other than these lovely, golden-brown, multigrain, high fibre, protein-boosted delights! Served with a light syrup or a light dusting of icing sugar, or - even better - fruit compote, this is a hearty breakfast that is a much better start for their day than any processed pancakes you can make out of a box. The mix will make loads of batches of pancakes! And if convenience is really king for you, make a double batch and freeze the extras - they heat up beautifully with 20 seconds in the microwave and then one shot in the toaster just to crisp the edges.