Strategies to Get Kids to Eat More Vegetables + Spinach Smoothie Recipe (That Your Kids Will Like!)

Did you know that the CDC said that 93% of kids do not get enough vegetables on a daily basis?

Why is it that kids are always against eating vegetables?  What is it about them (the veggies not the kids, LOL)?  Kids seem to be able to spot vegetables at a drop of a dime and they meticulously navigate throughout their plate to eat everything BUT those vegetables. 

I honestly thought that by making my own baby food for the kids that I would avoid this exact scenario, but magically when they turned 3ish they became picky eaters! Imagine that! My kids only eat broccoli (this sounds great, but try eating broccoli day in and day out for every week).

I've tested several strategies to get the kids to eat more vegetables and was successful with most of them.  I am going to share them with all of you with the hopes that you can use them to make some headway in this department : ) (see below)

These strategies work in my house I hope that they will work for you and your little ones!

In addition to the strategies I wanted to provide information regarding the recommended intake for kids by age from the CDC, please see below:

   

Source: www.cdc.gov

                                         

Now for the recipe.  The easiest way to get them to eat their veggies is rule #5 above - HIDE THEM! I have hidden the vegetables in lasagna, tomato sauce, potatoes, stir fries and countless other dishes (check back soon for some of these recipes and others will definitely be featured in my upcoming cookbook).  

With that said, the easiest (no fuss) recipe for this is a smoothie.  Below please find my 4 ingredient smoothie recipe.

4 Ingredient Spinach Smoothie

Serving Size: 2-3 servings

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients: 

10 Frozen Strawberries

1 Banana (cut into pieces and frozen)

1 cup of orange juice

1 cup of spinach

Optional:

Chia Seeds

½ cup of yogurt (no sugar added)

Instructions:

1.Combine all of the ingredients in a blender

2.Pulse to desired consistency (add water as needed to ensure desired consistency)

Cooking with Kids :: Fruit & Waffle Kebabs

Today I had the honor of performing cooking class for the preschoolers my kids school.  It was tons of fun and I was amazed that 50 preschoolers ages 2-6 were actually able to fully partake in this activity.  We started the activity by reading an animated book about food to set the mood that we love at my house and it was a hit with the kids.  We then transitioned to the tables for assembly of our own kebabs with a focus on healthy eating.

Our kabobs incorporated fruits and healthy spreads alongside waffles.  We learned how to make patterns and counted our fruit and the kids even got to practice fine motor skills by cutting!  Below is a kid-approved recipe for Fruit and Waffle Kebabs - try them tonite!

Note:  Any fruit will do! If you do not have strawberries or bananas please feel free to sub your favorite fruits!

FRUIT & WAFFLE KEBABS

Serving Size: 2 skewers                    

Servings Per Recipe: 4

Ingredients:

4 cups (prepared) of your favorite pancake batter mix

½ lb. Strawberries

4 Bananas

¼ cup Chocolate Spread, jelly, or your favorite spread

Cooking Spray

Instructions:

1.Heat waffle maker.

2.Combine all ingredients per the instructions of your favorite pancake batter mix.

3.Once waffle maker is to desired temperature, spray  waffle maker with cooking spray and pour ½  cup of batter on waffle maker.

4.Make 4 waffles.

5.Let waffles cool and then cut each waffle into 12 pieces.

6.Coat waffles with your favorite spread.

7.Assemble kebabs using a skewer until full ensuring an equal mix of waffles strawberries and bananas.

Cooking with Kids :: Pizza Bagels

Has your tiny chef been looking itching to cook with you? My 5 year old loves to cook and I am always searching for a dish to make with him.  Though he often assists me with cooking in the kitchen he really wanted to cook his own meal from start to finish.  Pizza bagels were a favorite that I used to make in camp and I thought that they would be perfect for him to make from start to finish.  They came out just as good this time as they did when I was a kid and he loved them!  Below please find the quick and easy recipe.

Prep Time - 5 minutes (prepping is essential for the kids - set everything out in cups and dishes for them to access)
Cook Time: 12 minutes
Yield: 4 servings (though kids usually eat just one half of a whole bagel)

Ingredients:
4 bagels (cut in half)
9 ounces of Your Favorite Tomato Marinara Sauce
1 cup of Mozzarella Cheese (we used part skim)
1/2 t of Garlic Powder
1/2 t of Italian Seasonings
Fresh Basil and Crushed Red Pepper Flakes (optional for adults [pictured above])
Cooking Spray

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees
2. Line a cooking sheet with aluminum foil and lightly coat with cooking spray
3. Arrange bagel halves on cookie sheet (ensuring that the inside of the bagels is exposed towards the ceiling)
4. Scoop approximately 1-2 tablespoons of marinara sauce on each bagel and spread so that entire bagel is covered
5. Cover each bagel with mozzarella cheese (be careful not to put too much cheese on the bagels)
6. Sprinkle each bagel with garlic powder and Italian Seasonings
7. Place bagels in oven (uncovered) and cook for approximately 12 minutes (or longer if you like the cheese to slightly yellow like me )
8. Allow bagels to cool and then enjoy!

Feel free make these your own and to add toppings that your family enjoys.

Turkey Sandwich with Granny Smith Apples, Honey Mustard and Havarti Cheese

Looking for something to do with all of the leftover turkey meat from Thanksgiving? 

Check out the recipe below, it was a definite kid pleaser.  

Ingredients:

2 slices of bread (your choice I used tuscan panini bread)

1/2 teaspoon of whole grain dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoon of mayonnaise 

Honey (to drizzle on sandwich bread)

2-4 oz turkey meat

1 slice havarti cheese

2-3 thinly cut granny smith apple slices 

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees

2. Spread mayonnaise on one of the bread slices

3. Spread the dijon mustard on the other bread slice

4. Drizzle honey on the bread slice with the dijon mustard

5. Lay apple slices on the bread slice with the dijon mustard and honey 

6. Layer turkey meat on top of the apple slices

7. Place a slice of havarti cheese on top of the turkey

8. Place the other slice of bread (mayonnaise side down) on top of the turkey

9. Repeat for additional sandwiches as necessary 

10. Place sandwich(s) on cookie sheet and place in oven until cheese melts and bread is slightly toasted

11. Cut in half and serve

Dinner Tonight :: Sundried Tomato Turkey Meatloaf with Basil & Feta

Sundried Tomato Turkey Meatloaf with Basil and Feta

Last night I came home from work and needed to make something quick.  I had some ground turkey meat (hormone and antibiotic free) and some other items on hand from various dinners last week.  I put them all together with about 20 minutes prep time and popped this meatloaf in the oven for an hour (which gave me 45 minutes to play with my kids before I had to put the side dishes on -- egg noodles and peas).  This meatloaf was delicious and I am definitely adding it to my dinner rotation.  Check it out below!

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 60 minutes

Yield: About 6-7 portions

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lbs of ground turkey

8 basil leaves (chopped)

4 garlic cloves (minced)

2 eggs

1 cup of boiling water

1 1/2 cups of italian bread crumbs

3/4 cup of chopped yellow onions

3/4 cup of chopped green peppers

1/2 cup of sundried tomatoes

4 ounces of feta cheese

1/2 cup of ketchup

sea  salt (to taste)

fresh cracked pepper (to taste)

Instructions:

1. Bring water to a boil
2. Place the sundried tomatoes in a bowl with boiling water and soak for 15 minutes
3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
4. Spray a glass baking dish with non-stick cooking spray and set aside
5. While the sundried tomatoes are soaking, chop the yellow onions, green peppers and basil and mince the cloves of garlic 
6. Place the turkey meat, yellow onions, green peppers, basil, and garlic in a large mixing bowl
7. Drain the sundried tomatoes and place them in the mixing bowl with the turkey meat mixture
8. Beat 2 eggs in a separate bowl and add to the turkey meat mixture 
9. Add the bread crumbs, feta cheese and salt and pepper (to taste)
10. Mix until all ingredients are well distributed through the turkey meat 
11. Place turkey mixture into the glass baking dish and form into a loaf
12. Spread the ketchup on top of the meatloaf 
13. Bake for 60 minutes
14. Cook for 10-15 minutes and serve in slices

Baby Food Recipe :: Chicken/Turkey Purée

Chicken and turkey are great "first meats" to offer to babies 8+ months. Both poultry products are high in protein and iron and are also easily digestible. 

The lean white meat often found in the breast is high in protein while the dark meat found in legs and thighs offer higher amounts of iron but also have more fat. Either way, whether you choose white or dark meat your baby is sure to be satisfied with this basic chicken recipe.

Note: this recipe can be used for either chicken or turkey.

Ingredients:
Chicken or turkey (your choice of cut)

1 tsp Olive oil

1/4 cup of liquid ( low-sodium vegetable stock, low-sodium chicken broth, or water) for every cup of chopped cooker chicken

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees Farenheit 
• Lightly oil baking dish with olive oil
• Rinse chicken in cold water and dry
• Place chicken in baking dish (if using skinless chicken lightly coat the chicken in olive oil)
• Place aluminum foil over baking dish and place dish in oven
• Bake until the juices run clear (this should equate to roughly 20 minutes per pound)
• Remove chicken from oven and cool
• Dice chicken into small cubes (see picture at the bottom of the post) 
• Place chicken cubes in blender / food processor 1/2 cup at a time and purée while alternating liquid and chicken until desired consistency is reached

Note: If your baby has already been introduced to seasoning please feel free to add those seasonings to the chicken just before baking. Remember, NO SALT.

Storage:
Store in an air tight container for up to 3 days or place chicken purée in ice cube trays. Once the chicken is frozen transfer the frozen chicken cubes into a freezer safe bag and store for up to 3 months. 

Each cube = roughly 1 ounce. As your child is introduced to new fruits and vegetables mix the thawed chicken cube in for a complete meal. Some suggestions include: apples, peas, rice cereal, avocados, and sweet potatoes. 

Baby Food Recipe :: Baby Guacamole (BONUS - Recipe for Adult Guacamole Too!!!!)

Baby Guacamole

Yum! Guacamole is a go to favorite in our house for babies, kids and adults alike. Fresh guacamole can be made in under 10 minutes.  There are two recipes below one for babies 8+ months and one for adults.

Baby Guacamole

Ingredients:
1 ripe avocado
1/4 lime (remove seeds)
1 tablespoon of minced onion
1/8 teaspoon of minced garlic

Instructions:

• Cut avocado into halves and remove pit
• Scoop flesh from peel, place in bowl and mash with fork 
• Add minced onion and garlic and stir
• Squeeze lime juice over guacamole, mix and serve

For babies 10+ months add diced tomatoes (cubes should be about half the size of a pea to avoid choking)

Note: For a smoother puree use a food processor 

Storage:
Store in an air tight container for up to 3 days; do not freeze

Adult Guacamole

Ingredients:
2 ripe avocados
1 lime
1/2 cup small onion - minced or 1 small scallion
2 cloves of garlic - minced
1 jalapeño pepper - minced (optional)
Cilantro
Salt
Pepper

Instructions:

• Cut avocados into halves and remove pits
• Scoop flesh from peel, place in bowl and mash with fork 
• Add minced onion, jalapeño  and garlic and stir
• Add cilantro and salt and pepper to taste and stir
• Squeeze lime juice over guacamole, mix and serve

Storage:
Store in an air tight container for up to 3 days; do not freeze