It’s 5:00 pm and your kids are screaming again. You open the refrigerator only to learn you have no idea what you’ll make. This was my life on repeat and that’s why I want to ease your burden by giving you simple kid-friendly meal ideas your entire family will love.
Sometimes, feeding my kids reminds me of that old saying, “you can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make them drink.” Some days it’s a challenge to get your kids to eat a single thing, let alone complain about it. Right?
But the truth is, eating healthy as a family can be easier than you think. As a mom myself, who believes the actual ‘witching’ hour in every home is between the hours of afterschool until supper, I’m always on the hunt for smart and easy food ideas my kids will love.
But how do you actually get them to eat it? This week on the podcast, I’m interviewing kitchen expert and mom who is on a mission to get kids more hands-on in the kitchen. Kiran Dodeja Smith runs the site Easy Real Food, and she is on a mission to help you find the love of real food for your family, and mealtime will no longer be a daily dread for you.
In fact, she created one of the most genius courses online today called Camp Kitchen – Getting our kids back in {or just in} the kitchen. Teaching kids the kitchen basic and building confidence in the kitchen. If you’re looking for something fun for your kiddos and you to do together, this is a great idea!
On today’s podcast, I ask her how she transitioned her family to whole foods, complications she encountered, and how we can get kids more interested and active in the health world. Listen to the podcast to get more information on raising healthy eaters – and stick around to get my top favorite kid-friendly recipes.
the one essential thing
I stressed this point a bunch in this post; the most important thing we can do to raise healthy eaters is to be one our self. To love good food and trust yourself enough to eat it. Which is the essential aspect of how our children will grow up to enjoy food.
But outside of that, there are a few other suggestions I can make, via the research and what we know to raise healthy eaters. I posted an entire article about it here: How to Raise Healthy Eaters. All of the leading research states that we shouldn’t make food a big deal. It is simply a tool to be enjoyed as we nourish our body and nothing more.
Don’t get too hung up on it – because to a kid, food is just-food. It’s not a mask to our emotions. It’s not the answer to our problems or the mechanism in which makes or breaks us – even if we believe so. Keep mealtime positive with a pleasant and happy environment and leave food talk off the table – no pun intended. Oh and remember, they don’t have to eat a superfood at every meal and the meals certainly won’t always be ‘balanced.’ Don’t fret – we’re looking for wholeness instead.
favorite foods
The only way mealtime is successful in this house is if it’s quick, easy, and kid-friendly. That’s how I create recipes, and I thought I’d share a few all-time favorites from my kids to yours.
Breakfast:
- 5-Ingredient Blender Protein Pancakes
- 5-Minute Protein-Packed Oatmeal
- No-Bake Granola Bars
- Banana Cake with Chia Seeds
- Hard-Boiled Eggs or Fried Eggs
- Kids Cliff Bars
Lunch:
- Snack Plates
- Tomato Soup + Grilled Cheese
- Salami Salads
- BLT sandwich
- Avocado Toast
- Cucumber sandwiches {sliced cucumbers, deli meat, sliced and cheese}
Supper:
- Taco Bowls
- Secret-Ingredient Taco Soup
- Buffalo Chicken Lettuce Wraps
- Six-Ingredient Easy Spaghetti
- Healthy Crispy Chicken Caesar Lettuce Wraps
- Quick Italian Chicken Salad
- Grilled Gluten-Free Pizza
- Meatloaf
Snacks:
- 10-Minute Peanut Butter Energy Bites
- Monkey Tails
- Fudgcicles
- Guacamole and Chips
- Cinnamon Maple Sweet Chex Mix
- Apples + Pretzels + Nut Butter
- Popcorn
let kids be kids
I could give you all the ideas in the world – but honestly, kids do best with what is normal to them. They first have to warm up to a safe environment to let their guard down and try new food. Don’t force it, start slow and let them know, they don’t have to eat it.
While I believe you {the parents} pick the food choices, the kids can determine how much they eat if any. It’s not our job to control the amount, it’s their bodies, and they will eat if they are hungry.
Feeding kids is tricky business but stop the food fight and everything changes. I promise you will get there, with the right mindset about food yourself and letting go of what you can’t control.
One step at a time – let kids be kids. There tastes will change a thousand different times before they turn 18. There is a lot for them to learn – be supportive, let them be creative and be encouraging. The food fight just isn’t worth it.
resources
Make sure you go check out all that Kiran Dodeja Smith offers over on her webpage. Don’t forget to sign up for Camp Kitchen, interacting with your kids and teaching them basic kitchen skills they’ll love.
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