Food, eating, and getting the proper nutrition can be tricky for all of us, especially those picky eaters. There are so many foods that we find to be delicious, but they contain sugar, dyes, preservatives, and are lacking the vitamins that our bodies require. Here are my favorite ways to make sure even the pickiest eaters get the nutrients their bodies need.
Veggies
Veggies are essential for growth, development, nutrition, and overall health. They are not always kids’ favorite food group to eat but present them in a fun way.
- Serve them in colorful bowl
- Try something to dip them in like a dressing or hummus
- Make them into a funny face
Fruits
Fruits, like veggies, also provide a lot of fiber, vitamins, and antioxidants for your growing kid. There are so many things that you can do with fruits to “sneak” them into your child’s routine if you have to.
- Use cookie cutters to make them into fun shapes
- Blend and freeze for popsicles or ice cream
- Pair with a nut/nut-free butter
- Make them into smoothies
One of my son’s favorites smoothies was a “Hulk smoothie,” which was just strawberries, blueberries, yogurt and spinach to make it green. He couldn’t taste the spinach, but loved that it was green.
Charcuterie board
Charcuterie boards are a staple in my house. We do them a lot in our home. I just take fruit and veggies, and sometimes crackers or chips along with different types of hummuses to do with our dinners. We don’t always have the time to make a long meal, so this is an easy, but healthy way to get the variety of nutrients. This is also an easy thing to do for a snack or in the car, especially when you put it in a container with little compartments. You can add some cheese for calcium!
Pizza
When my son was younger, he went through a phase where he didn’t like vegetables. We would put peppers, tomatoes, spinach, and zucchini into the food processor to make them into sauce. That sauce would be used to make a pizza or pasta sauce and he never knew that there were a lot of veggies in it. Another thing we like to do with pizza is a pizza station, where I lay the ingredients out and have him help me make his own. He likes to eat the toppings before they are even on the pizza. Make the toppings into a face for some extra creativity. Experiment with different herbs and spices to try new flavor combinations.
Dessert
There are so many easy, kid-friendly, allergen friendly, and healthy receipts available online.
- Try concocting a new dessert or ice cream with banana or avocado. I have made peanut butter and banana ice cream, and it was just those two ingredients. You literally cut the banana into slices, freeze it, then add peanut butter and the frozen banana to the food processor…it was so easy and yummy. You can also use another nut butter or strawberries for other combos.
- Another recipe that we love in our house is cookies. My husband makes them with bananas, oats, and chocolate chips. They have a dense consistency, but they make a quick breakfast or a yummy snack.
Be creative and outsmart those picky kids. Make eating a fun experience and allow the kids to help prep the meal or snack. A new sectioned or themed plate can freshen things up in the routine, too.
3 Bite Rule
Another favorite in our home was the book “Pete the Cat, and the 3 Bite Rule,” which is about trying something three times before you could decide if you liked it or not. I hope that you enjoyed these 5 tips and go “taste the rainbow.”
