This Will Get Your Kids Eating Healthy
Kids are notoriously picky eaters. But I have an “auntie” strategy that really will get your kids interested in working in the kitchen while empowering them to explore new foods (that are secretly super healthy!)
The key is to give kids something that’s just for them. And, as I tell adults, adding spices to your food powers up any plate. So, first have your kids make their own spice blends in their own special bottle and a label they create themselves. There are lots of recipes for common and international spice blends that can be sprinkled on fries, soups, hummus, and more! Explore sweet as well as savory blends.
Kids also do well with a weekly condiment-making day. Add "Condiment Mondays" (or any other day that works) to the schedule. This gives them something to dip their food into, slather on a sammie, drizzle on a salad, or stir into a soup.
First, take them shopping for ingredients that they’ll learn to prepare. You’re going to guide them to make a pesto, hummus & a salad dressing that they can ready to use for the week ahead and maybe even share with you. Lots of medicine can go into those items and still taste good. Going to the store and having them see & smell out their ingredients changes their connection to the food colors, flavors, and options available.
A Recipe Challenge is fun, too. If there is more than one youngster, challenge the kids to see who comes up with the tastiest recipe. Winner gets a prize! Spend time imagining how an ingredient might taste and see if the actual flavor matches expectation.
The Pesto Template
Pick 2:
basil, cilantro, fennel root, arugula, collard greens
Pick 1:
lemon juice, lime, grapefruit, orange juice, pomello, tangerine
Pick 1:
cashews, pumpkin seeds, tahini, hemp seed, almonds
Blend a handful of the veg, then the juice and nuts by the tablespoon. Then add enough olive oil until you reach the desired consistency. Let the kids decide the texture!
Finally, add electrolyte salt to taste.
The Salad Dressing
Pick an oil, a vinegar, a citrus and spices
Blend one part oil to one part vinegar and add spices and citrus little by little to taste. If you want something creamy, blend in nuts, seeds, coconut milk, or nutritional yeast.
Finally, add electrolyte salt to taste.
The Hummus Template
Pick 1 type of bean:
— Garbanzo, white, black (will turn grey), or kidney
Pick spices
— Can be fresh herbs &/or spice powders
Pick one citrus juice:
— Lemon juice, lime, grapefruit, orange juice, pomello, tangerine, whether you want the hummus to be thinner.
Pick one oil:
Coconut, tahini, or olive oil
Start with a single can of the chosen bean. Add spices by the teaspoon and oil by the quarter cup. Add the citrus juice by the tablespoon. Blend to desired texture, then add electrolyte salt to taste.
Each of these recipes is loaded with lots of medicine and are easy to make with a blender. It’s important to eat what is made, so the kids will learn to tweak it a bit and then try again or change the recipe next week. Put as much of the decision-making into the hands of the kids as you can. The more they own the process, the more interested they’ll be in the result and the more they’ll learn!
These recipes are flexible and difficult to mess up. So, relax, breathe, and get as goofy as you can. The most important ingredient, of course, is fun.