Thursday, August 13, 2009

3 tips for a kids healthy nutritious breakfast and lunch


1. Making a morning smoothie or packing one from the night before is a great way to get some nutritious vegetables into your child's diet. You can practically sneak anything into it and since it will be blended up, unrecognizable, pulverized! The possibilities are endless as to whats in it, so give it a try. Start with something your kids are sure to like like Fruit/berries and slowly add ingredients as they get used to it

Try to blend or add to it once finished
Liquid (water/juice/nut milk)
+ Fruit (banana/apple/pear)
+ Fresh/Frozen Berries(blueberries, strawberries)
+ Veggies(celery, broccoli, peas)
+ Greens(spinach, kale, arugula).
+ Beans/Legumes(any bean - start with a small amount)
+ Seeds (blend some in or grind some raw seeds and sprinkle on top)

Make it from whatever you have available at home, and don't follow a recipe. Just try to experiment. You can use frozen fruit/berries or ice to make it colder. Putting in raisins, dates, and other dried fruit soaked in juice or water overnight will add sweetness to it. Color and texture is also important to consider: adding ingredients such as cooked beet(red), blueberries(blue) green(spinach or kale) orange is tricky so stick with carrots /oranges and fruit. white(banana, coconut). You can also add breakfast muesli or oatmeal on top with ground up seeds.

2. Always pack healthy food options even if you think they "won't eat that". My kids surprise me all the time and eat what they refuse to even try at home. So pack it for them anyway and you will also be surprised. Their hunger and a different environment will also play a role in different attitude towards the same foods, so don't play it safe by only packing foods that you know they like.

3. Making food ahead of time and freezing it for a quick meal prep helps when we don't have time and need to rush out. Soups, smoothies, corn, peas, all are good options. Just take out the soup the night before to defrost or defrost in the microwave in the morning.

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