Fit Food Tip #5

Hello again!

So, YOU’RE on the eating healthy bandwagon, but how in the world do you get those kids to eat anything besides chicken nuggets and fries? 

Whole wheat is probably one of the easiest changes to make.  It does take a little getting used to, but every kid loves bread and pasta – they might put up a little struggle over the switch, but this is usually a pretty easy place to start.  Once it’s covered in sauce or pb&j, they probably won’t complain TOO much. J

Fruit is another fairly easy thing to get kids eating since it’s SWEET! J This is nature’s dessert, so why not treat it as such?  Instead of filling the pantry with cookies and Little Debbie snacks, keep a bunch of apples, bananas, grapes, raisins, and pears…(the list goes on) on hand.  Serve up some baked apples sprinkled in cinnamon for dessert or smoothies for an afternoon snack. (use yogurt, not ice cream) You can google a thousand easy smoothie recipes! J  side note: You are going to think I’m kidding you on this one, but I swear, I’m not – you have to try it to believe it – seriously – you can’t even taste the spinach, at all!!

Yummy Smoothie with Spinach

1-2 ripe bananas (or ones that you have frozen)
a handful of spinach leaves (I buy the already-washed organic baby spinach that comes in a package)
about 1/2 cup frozen blueberries (frozen ones are cheaper, plus this is what makes the smoothie cold and icy without having to add ice)
any other fruit you if you want to add, fresh or frozen (note that raspberries will make little seeds in the smoothie — my girls don’t like them)
half of a small yogurt, or more if you like
a dash of liquid, either milk (dairy or non-dairy) or any kind of juice

Blend all ingredients. If the smoothie is too runny, add more banana and/or frozen stuff or ice. If you are having trouble getting it to blend, you need to add more liquid — just a little at a time.

Now, I will say, the first time I made this, I didn’t blend enough and I really felt like I was eating mulched grass out of the front yard. Ha! The taste was good, but not texture…so I tried again, and just left the blender on for extra time and it became smooth, just like anything you could get at a smoothie shop…it is bright green, but maybe if you call it a booger shake or slime smoothie or something, those kids will eat it up!  (also, you could try bananas, strawberries, and a scoop of nesquik for a chocolate-fruit-spinach version)

Vegetables for some reason are the hardest to sneak in there, as we all know.  Here’s a few recipes that might get your family on the healthy track, though: 

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Baked-Sweet-Potato-Sticks-2/Detail.aspx

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Awesome-Broccoli-Marinara/Detail.aspx - over pasta maybe? Oh yum! (I use frozen chopped broccoli - I’ve found the smaller the pieces, the more apt they are to eat it)

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Cinnamon-Sweet-Potato-Chips/Detail.aspx - a little butter and sugar, but not really that much for 2 potatoes…and way better than Cheetos for lunch!

Also, I’ve found you can slip a lot of veggies into pancakes!  Sweet potatoes or pumpkin (Veggie? Gourd? Not sure what category that is!) go amazingly well, especially with a little cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice.  I think I could probably do a whole e-mail on pancakes, really!

One last side note…I was looking for kid-friendly veggie recipes, and I came across “Deep Fried Spinach!”  Seriously!?!  Talk about vitamin C in the mop water! (remember that a few e-mails ago?)  Please, please, please, don’t turn to tons of oil, grease, sugar, heavy creams, etc. to get your kids on the veggie train – there’s a TON of other healthy options that I bet your kids will go for, even if it takes a few tries of different recipes.  Hang in there, they will thank you for it, even if they’re 32 before they do! J  That, and it’s a lot easier for YOU to eat healthy if you’re not sitting there with your plate of steamed veggies while everyone else has hot dogs and fries!

-Melissa