What to cook when you’re feeding picky eaters

I remember when I first started my clean eating journey over ten years ago it was hard enough to make some necessary changes in my and my husband’s life when it came to our nutrition and healthy habits let alone even thinking about what and how we would feed our kids healthy food without a ton of resistance. I’ll admit maybe I had a slight edge in the fact that I had already changed a lot of my habits around food before having my daughter. I was already swapping  healthy{ier} ingredients into some of our go to recipes. And the kind of food I would keep in the house had changed so much from the food that I grew up eating.

However, since I like cooking and like to pretend I’m a foodie on the Food Network there were of course things I would make or try to get my kids to eat and they weren’t having any of that. For the record, regardless of whether or not your kids came out of the womb munching on kale or other superfoods or not, you CAN always change their habits. If we can do it as adults, then so can our kids. The hardest part honestly is probably just sticking to your guns and not giving in or giving up when your kid refuses to eat what you have made.

One of the things that has really  helped is creating an arsenal of kid friendly dinner ideas that are easy enough that your kids can get involved with too. I know that life is crazy with kids– whether it is play dates or after school activities it seems like our schedules are jam packed. So easy and quick recipes are always welcome!

Besides, when you involve your kids in the  meal planning, grocery shopping, and cooking you are teaching them how to eat, rather than just feeding them. You know it’s that whole analogy of teaching a man to fish vs just giving him a fish. Because whether you’re ready to see your kids leave the nest or not, they will one day, and I know that you want to see them fully capable and able to take care of themselves. Does it sometimes take more time having them in the kitchen? You bet. Does it sometimes get a little messier? Yes! But it can also be such a great time to bond with your kids.

Some of my family’s go tos are: tacos, spaghetti, breakfast foods, or hamburgers. The good news is that these can all be tweaked to be healthier for them and for you. And if you are wanting to watch your weight a little simply focusing on your portion sizes and cleaning the recipes up just a bit can go a long way in your efforts.

Not quite sure what kinds of swaps or upgrades you can make to make these healthier without adding difficulty…I’ve got you! Here are a few of my ideas:

Tacos:

• swap high fat ground beef for leaner beef, venison, elk, or ground turkey/chicken
• make your own taco seasoning with cumin, ground chili powder, salt, pepper, dehydrated garlic
• opt for black beans over refried beans
• make it a taco salad with a few tortilla chips on top to get more veggies in

Spaghetti:

• whole grain noodles over white noodles
• boost the veggie content with greens, canned tomatoes, shredded carrots, bell peppers, mushrooms
• sub noodles for spaghetti squash

Breakfasts:

• incorporate protein, veggies, and fruit if you can
• sub chicken sausage over pork sausage
• can use a blend of egg whites and whole eggs (the yolk is where the bulk of the nutrients are)

Hamburgers:

• go for ground turkey or chicken or lean ground beef
• skip the bun
• serve with home made fries instead of chips

 

Since I’ve made it a personal mission to not get stuck in a rut, making the same things week after week, I’ve started using Pinterest more (and actually making the things I’ve pinned). Last night we made this and it was a winner! It really is just a spin on a quiche, and is super versatile.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups Kodiak Cake Protein Mix (we get ours at Costco)

4 T butter cut into the Kodiak Cake mix

1/2 cup ice water added slowly

2 eggs per person (we used 8 total)

Cooked and chopped bacon (could sub chicken sausage or Canadian Bacon)

Any veggies you have on hand (onions, bell peppers, broccoli, garlic)

Cheese of choice shredded

To make it:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Add the Kodiak cake mix to a bowl and cut the butter in until it makes small crumbs, then slowly add in the water. Mix until dough forms and then lay it out between two pieces of wax or parchment paper. Then roll it out to make a crust. Pinch the ends to make a well/crust to prevent eggs from running off. Place it on a cookie sheet (on parchment paper for easy clean up). Then crack the eggs on the dough, top with bacon and veggies and the shredded cheese. Cook for 10-12 minutes until dough and egg whites are done. Then cut it up dividing it among different plates and serve.

*This can be used for breakfast or like us for dinner. I hope you enjoy this as much as we did, it will certainly make its way into the rotation. And of course as always if you have any questions or requests for things you want to see more of drop me an email at findyourthrive@gmail.com or leave it in the comments!

Cheers to creating healthy habits for you AND your sweet family!

XO Alisha