It's 4:00 pm and you have no clue what to feed your family tonight. To make matters more complicated you wonder if there's a way to make something healthful. Sound familiar? As parents, we are naturally concerned with the amount and type of nourishment our child is getting. In fact, mothers often feel responsible for every bite of food their child takes.

Feeding our children healthy foods is a huge responsibility, but it's not impossible. Meals provide your rapidly growing child with the necessary nutrients and energy to develop a healthy body. As parents, we can help our children develop good eating habits that will last throughout their lives.

With a little creative planning and perseverance, you can set your family on the road to good health with meals that are as healthy as they are delicious - all while whipping up that dinner in a snap.

Variety of Foods and Colors:
Making a balanced meal is actually pretty simple. Most balanced meals include a mix of foods (each providing a different color). To make things more interesting (and challenging), your child needs a variety of foods from within each group to ensure balanced meals. A healthy mind and body needs variety - fruits, vegetables, grains, lean meat, low fat dairy, and nutritious oils every day. Fats from fish, nuts and vegetable oils are recommended. Here's how to add variety to the plate. Imagine that you are dividing the plate into four squares: one square for meat, one square for fruits, one for vegetables, the one for grains . (Leave a space outside the plate for dairy.) You can substitute meat for beans, grains for potatoes, milk for yogurt, etc.

If you need more help picking foods from all the food groups, see mypyramid.gov for more details.

Getting Creative Fast:
The key to quick, satisfying, nutritious meals is to plan ahead. A meal plan for the week is a great tool when it comes to healthful eating. It will help you think before desperation sets in. Developing weekly meal plans and sticking to a shopping list will help keep you on track. Prep the ingredients the night before so you can tackle dinner immediately upon arrival.

Moderation is key:
Your child's stomach is small and needs age appropriate portions at meals and snacks. Don't force your child to eat, but let them stop eating when they're full and teach them to say "no thanks" once they have reached their limit.

Telling kids to eat nutritious foods is one thing, but showing them is the best teacher! The family table also promotes family bonding - a time to talk, listen, and create family memories.

• Eat together. Children like to eat with the rest of the family.
• Designate a family dinner night.
• Keep the television off when eating. Young children are easily distracted.
• Eat around the table, not side by side at the counter, standing or in the car.
• Keep mealtime conversations positive.
• Serve age appropriate servings. Let children ask for seconds.
• Introduce new foods with favorite foods.
• Provide your child with some freedom to choose his or her own food.
• Variety is key to good nutrition. Offer foods with a variety of colors and textures.
• Eat slowly and take time to savor every bite.
• Relax. Don't bribe or reward with food.
• Make a shopping list with your children. Shopping is a good time to reinforce what your kids are learning in school.
• Allow kids to help with meal preparation. Children are more likely to eat foods they help to prepare.
• Don't force a child to eat. Provide them with the freedom to eat in his or her own way.