Parents are always on the lookout for new ways to boost the nutritional content of the foods our children consume, but often don’t have time to prepare elaborate meals and snacks. Fortunately, there are many “quick fixes” that will make your family’s meals healthier.

Quick Fix #1: Sprinkle, Sprinkle

Wheat germ and ground flaxseeds are nutritional powerhouses that stay fresh in your fridge for months, and can be easily incorporated into kid-friendly dishes. Store one or both in a salt or parmesan shaker and you’ll be able to sprinkle an extra dose of the essential vitamins and nutrients they provide into anything from meatloaf to cookie batter to Saturday morning pancakes.

Quick Fix #2: Keep the Secret

What your kids don’t know can actually make them healthier, especially if you’re hiding a fruit or vegetable they would not otherwise consume. Next time you serve burritos, mix a small amount of ripe, well-mashed avocado into refried beans, top the mixture with a generous helping of cheese and roll it all up in a flour tortilla. Your family will be so busy devouring a delicious meal that they’ll never discover your “secret” ingredient.

A word of caution: be sure to hide ingredients that won’t be easily detected.

Quick Fix #3: Go Half and Half

We all know that whole grain bread is more nutritious than the processed white variety, but many kids don’t care for its “heartier” flavor. So buy a loaf of white bread and a loaf of whole grain, and then make sandwiches using one slice of each. Your family will enjoy the familiar flavor of the white but gradually grow accustomed to the taste of the whole grain.

Quick Fix #4: Eat This, Not That

Serve a handful of almonds as a snack instead of potato chips. Boost the nutrition in cakes and brownies by substituting canned pumpkin or other pureed fruits for some of the oil. Dietician Debbi Heffern recommends replacing some of the sugar in baked goods with a healthier alternative. “For many baked products,” she says, “you can cut the sugar in half and replace it with powdered milk.”

For Part 2 of how to make meals and snacks healthier, pick up a copy of next month’s magazine!