How to Hide Nutrients in Your Kids Food
1.Breakfast
Don’t do veggie bread it is better to eat the whole veggie than it is it eat dehydrated veggies in bread.
Better options for breakfast:
Smoothies
– You can put anything in (green veggies, berries, yogurt, etc)
– Make sure there is good protein and fat in them avocado, hemp seeds or a protein powder from Genuine Health
Tip: Use dark berries so kids won’t know there’s greens in it
o Mini quiches
-Use yellow peppers that will blend in and you won’t know they are there!
Recipe for Mini Quiches
Ingredients:
• 8 eggs
• 1/3 cup of goat, almond, soy(or any other alternative you prefer) milk
• 1/2 (or more) of yellow peppers
• 1/3 cup of grated cheese(parmesan, cheddar, feta, any cheese works great in this recipe)-salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tsp of paprika, salt and pepper
• 2 tsp coconut oil
Directions:
Whisk eggs, peppers, milk and cheese and seasoning in a bowl. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease mini muffin tin with coconut oil or use parchment paper liners. Pour the egg mixture into the tins, top with a little more cheese and sprinkle paprika on top and salt and pepper as well. Place on middle rack in oven for 20-25 min. These freeze well too!
2.Meals:
-Don’t do Kraft Dinner with Cauliflower try a Butternut squash mac and cheese (Recipe below)
-Grate or Puree vegetables and put them in everything such as carrots, zucchini, cabbage, squash and then put in pasta sauce, muffins, soups, stews, etc
o Bento boxes- to make lunches and snacks fun for little fingers!
Try this Healthy Mac and Cheese
INGREDIENTS
-2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni – whole wheat, low glycemic, gluten free… choose a better option that works well for you and your family
-1 tablespoon butter or coconut oil
-1 small yellow onion
-1 small butternut squash (4-5 cups cubed)
-5 cups chicken or vegetable broth
-¾ cup coconut milk
-1 teaspoon salt
-⅔ cup shredded cheese -or a dairy free cheese like daiya
salt and pepper to taste
INSTRUCTIONS
Cook the macaroni according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium low heat. Cut the onion into thin rings and add to the butter in the pan, sauteing over low heat until fragrant and golden, about 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, remove the skin and the seeds from the squash. Cut the flesh into small cubes. In a separate pot, bring the broth to a boil and add the squash. Cook for 5-7 minutes or until fork tender. Drain, reserving ½ cup broth, and transfer squash to the blender. Add the onions, coconut milk, salt, and reserved broth and puree until completely smooth and creamy. This should yield about 4 cups sauce.
Pour the pureed sauce over the cooked noodles and add the shredded cheese. Stir to melt the cheese; add water or milk to adjust consistency as needed. Serve with salt, and pepper to taste.
3.Snacks:
Homemade Granola Bars
-1 cup chopped dates with 1 cup water
-3/4 of oats
-1/4 of nuts
-1/4 of cranberries ( unsweetened)
-1/3 cup of hemp seeds
Directions:
Stew the dates until mushy in a pot and then add the rest of the ingredients.
Spoon out into a pan and spread out. Refrigerate until firm and enjoy!
4. Drinks!
-Juice- It’s not any more nutritious than pop with the processing it goes through to get into the package you purchase.
-Healthier alternatives (freshly squeezed juice or juicing) Kids green supplement from Genuine Health has a fun purple colour!
We drink juices from Urban Juice Press http://urbanjuicepress.ca
5. Remember: You are doing an awesome job already with your kids! Just try these ideas out slowly.
-Although hiding veggies is good- it is also a good to get your kids to willingly eat some and to learn about them
-Lead by example- you have to eat veggies in front of them as well!
-Get your kids involved in cooking- yes, it takes way more time but they will be willing to eat what they make!
Catch the segment here: http://ottawa.ctvnews.ca/video?clipId=578359&binId=1.1164511&playlistPageNum=1
