This post is sponsored by KRAFT and SheKnows Media.
I’ve got four crazy kids. They’re all strong willed and opinionated and meal time, needless to say, can be a bit chaotic. Getting them to eat smarter has been such a challenge! Honestly, some days we’re lucky if they eat anything at all! But we’re trying. And we’ll keep working on expanding their palettes and helping them make better choices when it comes to food.
Today I wanted to share 5 ways to get your kids to eat smarter. These are little tricks we’ve been doing over the past few years that have really helped our kids. Do they work all the time? No. Kids are kids and sometimes stale french fries off the floor of the van is all they want to eat for the day!! But these tricks work a lot of the time and so in parenthood we go ahead and call that a win!
1. Sneak vegetables in unexpected meals. My kids live for KRAFT Mac and Cheese!! It’s just one of those meals I can always rely on, it’s easy to make and my kids will actually eat it! I was super excited to find KRAFT is now making a smarter box with cauliflower added to the pasta! It’s got 1/4 cup serving of veggies!! You make it like normal and I promise, your kids won’t be able to tell a difference!
2. Get your kids cooking! I’ve learned that when my kids help me make a meal, they’re more likely to eat it. Get your kids involved when you’re making your tacos, let them press the button when you blend up your salsa and talk to them about all the colors and ingredients that’s in it! We have these zucchini muffins that we make all the time and my kids love them!!! It’s an easy recipe that they can help with and they love getting involved and helping out!
3. Make a snack drawer in your fridge. We started this one when we moved into our home last year because our fridge has an extra drawer below the main compartment. Any drawer though or dedicated space in your fridge will work! At the beginning of the week I’ll wash and cut up fruit, make little baggies of carrots and celery, wash apples and make sure we’re stocked up on string cheese and greek yogurt + other random fridge snacks the kids like. That way when they all come barreling home from school, hungry and tired, it’s just as easy for them to fill up on healthy snacks as it is for them to pour themselves a bowl of sugar cereal. It’s the same thing with me too, I’ll eat healthy food if it’s already been prepped! If it’s not, and I’ve gotta prep it when I’m hungry, I’ll go for the bag of chips every time!
4. Dip! I often get my kids to eat things like carrots and celery when there is a special dip involved. My kids are obsessed with dipping! We really like whipped peanut butter, greek yogurt or hummus. My kids love dipping so if we can disguise the veggies behind a little dip, we’ll do it!
5. Sneak high fat foods into fruit smoothies. My kids LOVE fruit smoothies! One of the most random ingredients we add to every single smoothie is avocados. They actually make the smoothie super creamy and are easily disguised behind the fruit. Chia seeds and flax seeds are easy add-ins too! And if I use dark berries I can also get away with a little bit of spinach and the kids never know the difference.
And that’s it! Those are some of the ways we trick our kids into eating just a little bit smarter. What are some of your kids’ favorite meals? Do you have any rules around lunch or dinner time that help them keep their appetite? Let me know in the comments below!
Thanks KRAFT Mac and Cheese for collaborating with me on this post.
