I had just been to my fifth holiday party of the season and I was now headed to a birthday party. To boot, both my children and my husband have December birthdays. I was trying to count that amount of cake, candy and peppermint bark that we all have consumed since Thanksgiving. The number felt to overwhelmingly high to count.
I began thinking of all the sugar consumed during the holiday season (it’s A LOT, right?!).
But, what about the kids that aren’t eating healthy in the months in between? The daily picky eaters who have parents that strive to give them the proper foods each day, but feel like they are constantly engaging in the classic KID FOOD BATTLE (does that remind anyone of the dinner scene in Christmas Story where Ralphie’s little brother wont eat?!).
I get this question often - How can I help my picky eater!
Followed by this statement - I am so sick and tired of my child not eating healthy!
I want to give you the inside scoop on how to help your child make healthier food choices.
Tool #1: If you have a picky eater, encourage your child to go shopping with you and choose foods that look tasty. Then, invite your child to help you make dinner. For younger children, this can be ripping up the lettuce for salad and using a child-safe knife to cut the avocado. For older children, tie on the apron and let them have fun helping you cook!
This level of engagement will get your child excited and more curious about meals.
Your child may not be ready to eat everything right away, but they will definitely be gaining exposure around different smells, textures and (sometimes) tastes. And, your child will be more likely to try new foods down the road!
Tool #2 - Don’t shy away from serving new foods at dinner time. Parents of picky eaters can become so nervous about their child only eating certain things that they stop offering new foods. It can take time for a child to warm up to a food they haven’t tried, so keep offering consistently!!!
Now, I know how daunting this can be for parents that are struggling with serving healthy foods at home. So, guess what y’all?!
I brought in the fabulous Certified Holistic Nutritionist, NC., NE. Ashleigh O’Donnell, to give us her insider healthy eating tips.
Read the full interview below!
1. With all the pies, cakes and cookies, what are some sweets you can offer kids that are less sugar heavy? Do you have a favorite recipe?
My go to’s are my favorite gluten free (GF) & dairy free chocolate chip pumpkin muffins, GF/dairy free almond butter and chocolate chip oatmeal cookies.
They are made with either maple syrup, coconut sugar & sometimes even mashed up banana. Such a wonderful way to enjoy a sweet treat for the kiddos but without all of the junk for their little growing immune systems and blood sugar spikes.
You can get inspired with this recipe for pumpkin muffins here and a recipe for oatmeal chocolate chip cookies here!
2. What is one of your favorite holiday meals that is kid friendly and nutritious?
In our home on the holidays (and really about any day of the week), we love a platter of roasted or air fried cauliflower and brussels sprouts. Yum!!!
I toss them in a bowl, with fresh lemon juice, pink sea salt & pepper, avocado oil & nutritional yeast (to give them that cheesy texture & taste) and air fry for about 12 minutes.
My kids LOVE them. Once in a while (like for a Thanksgiving dish or Christmas dish), I will throw in some local bacon or pancetta.
So good!
3. Mornings can be tough for kids and winter mornings, when it is chilly outside, can feel even more slow moving. What are three winter breakfast suggestions you have?
Recipe #1: One of our all time favs, is egg drop sprouted organic GF oatmeal - I’ll add hemp seeds, chopped walnut or a mixture of sunflower, pumpkin & watermelon seeds, raisins, cinnamon, Myokos vegan butter, mashed banana and pure maple syrup.
Recipe #2: Another classic in our home is scrambled organic pasture raised eggs with spinach, on a Siete GF brown rice tortilla or an organic corn tortilla, with fresh cilantro, a small dob of organic sour cream and red salsa (mild) for the kiddos HOT for me!
Recipe #3: We also love home made waffles in our heart waffle iron. Made with 💯 love in Pamela’s GF mix. We add protein powder, cinnamon, mashed banana and then the syrup in a sauce pan with fresh or frozen blueberries and simmer- then put over the waffles with Myokos cashew butter.
4. What are some go-to snacks you have when traveling to see family for the holidays. What should we all have in our bags or our cars?
I always have a good protein bar for my kids in every pocket, purse, and glove box.
Our favorite - are the Go Macro bars which are vegan, GF, low sugar, & delicious. My kids love them and they provide great boost of energy to them.
Also we have a variety of trail mix, we love the simple mills GF almond crackers, and I try to have fresh fruit and veggies sticks laying around as well.
Don’t forget, lots of water!!!
5. Can you tell us 5 of the best nutritional valuable foods that most kids like also?
1 - Cauliflower: This powerhouse food is packed with protein, vitamin C, vitamin B’s and so many other micronutrients.
We eat these always in season and a lot of it! They are really great air fried or roasted, like I mentioned above.
2 - Kiwis 🥝: When in season, kiwis are packed with vitamin C and a ton of omegas 3 fatty acids in the seeds and they are delicious too.
3 - Carrots, Bell Peppers, Squash (any orange veggie): These orange foods are wonderful for all around healthy immune systems as they are packed with vitamin C and so great for our eye sight.
4 - Chia Seeds: We love making multiple kinds of chia puddings (great for desserts or breakfasts) packed with fiber, omegas, lots of vitamins and minerals (naturally).
5 - Dark Leafy Greens: Okay, you may be thinking, “How in the heck am I going to get my children to eat these?”. Well, it’s not always easy, but it is doable.
When in season, add them to soups. That’s what we do - ok but they don’t always eat the actual leafy greens out of the soup - but they do eat most of the soup so therefore they are still getting the chlorophyll and some of the fiber from thosedelicious plants (I love them all)!
Our kids will eat what we eat if we allow them.
You can learn more about Ashleigh O’Donnel’s work by checking out her Instagram account @mamanutritionista
With Love,
Laura
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