Dragon Fruit Bowl
Many mommies & daddies ask me how we get our Toddler to eat Fruits & Veggies!
Well let me tell ya… our lil toddler is the pickiest eater I have ever met! If we can get our lil munchkin to eat his fruits and veggies… So can you!
8 Tips to Help Kids Eat Fruits & Veggies!
1) Involve Kids in Growing & Preparing Food:
- Involve your child in Gardening Fruits & Veggies.
- If possible, teach kids to cut and/or peel food.
- Let kids pour the water & measure liquids, etc…
- Be creative and find various ways kids can be physically involved in food prep.
2) Go Grocery Shopping with Your Kids!
- Allow your kids to pick which fruits & veggies they would like to eat and/or try.
- Choices are empowering!
- Choices minimize power struggles.
- Kids love making their own food decisions.
3) Use Colors, Shapes, Sizes & Fun Names!
- Kids love fun & vibrant colors!
- Cut in bite sized pieces that are fun to eat & dip.
- Name the dish fun names like Princess Aurora Peaches/Super Man Power Food!
4) Create Fun & Tasty Dips!
- Kids love dipping their fruits & veggies!
- Vegan Ranch, Almond Butter, Peanut Butter.
- Vegan Cheese Dip (Cashew Cheese).
- Hummus, Tahini, Bean Dip.
- Use any sauce you know they love.
- Above pic is Blended veggies & cashew cheese.
Rambutan Man
Dragon Fruit Lady
5) Play with Your Food!
- Create Fun Shapes & Silly Faces.
- Allow kids to pick recipes from a book/online.
- Buy them a Children’s Recipe Book.
- Find an online Cooking App that is fun for kids.
6) Find Books that Relate to Picky Eaters!
- Green Eggs & Ham!
- Just Two More Bites!
- D.W. The Picky Eater!
Veggies, Fruit & Raspberry Vinaigrette
7) Get Creative with Food Textures!
- Shakes: Add fruits & veggies to coconut, almond, hazelnut milk.
- Salad: Zucchini Zoodle Salad, chopped salads.
- Vegetable Pancakes: Mix veggies in pancakes.
- Muffins: Zucchini, Banana, Carrot, Vegetables.
- Juice Blends: Mixed Greens, Apples, Berries, OJ.
- Mix Veggies into Pasta dishes or Raw Dishes.
8) Be a Great Role model!
- Have healthy choices in your fridge.
- Are you eating junk food then telling your kids to eat healthy food?
- Have every choice in your refrigerator and pantry be a healthy choice!
Loves Fruits & Veggies
- Make Healthy Food a fun experience!
- Eat all colors of the rainbow so kids get all Phytonutrients!
- Ounce for ounce & calorie for calorie- BROCCOLI & KALE HAVE MORE PROTEIN THAN PORTERHOUSE STEAK!
- Create low sugar meals to keep meals healthy!
Here is a Recipe for Spinach Lasagna!
Ingredients:
Gluten Free (Oven Ready) Lasagna Noodles
25 oz. Vegan Vanilla Yogurt (I use coconut yogurt)
16 oz. Black or Pinto Beans (cooked)
3 Cups of Fresh Spinach
2 – 3 Cups of Daiya Cheese (minimum)
1 tsp. Ground Cumin
30 oz. Tomato Sauce
Vegan Parmesan Cheese
Spinach Lasagna
Instructions for Spinach Lasagna!
- Mash beans open in bottom of 9 X 13 Dish.
- Sprinkle Ground Cumin over the Beans.
- Pour some Tomato Sauce over the Beans.
- Place Lasagna Noodles on top of the Sauce.
- Smear Vanilla Yogurt over the Noodles.
- Create a layer of Spinach on top of the Yogurt.
- Layer the Vegan Cheese over the Spinach.
- Keep recreating layers until you reach the top.
- *Each noodle needs sauce to cook properly!
- Bake at 350 degrees for about an hour.
ADDITIONAL TIPS:
- First get your kids to eat the lasagna with spinach & mixed greens.
- Next time you make lasagna, add mushrooms, black olives, red veggies.
- Use a lot of cheese, make it nice & gooey!
- Our toddler has been eating this lasagna since he was 1 yr old, its Yummy Yummy Baby!
- Have Fun with food & your kids will have fun eating it! 🙂
Stay tuned for fun juice & shake recipes that are totally kid friendly!
Stay Healthy & Happy ~ Dr. Dee
Yummy Yummy Baby! 