Healthy Eating at Home

Welcome!

Snacks for mama?

• Kiki C. Hi Sarah! Homemade hummus is a great on the go snack that can be easily paired with pepper sticks, your favorite whole wheat cracker or cucumber slices. This is very kid friendly too! Homemade granola made with simple ingredients like oats, maple syrup and cinnamon are very versatile and can be eaten with yogurt, milk or just by itself! Smoothies made with a variety of frozen and fresh fruits and veggies, like kale, combined with chia seeds, ginger root, and yogurt are time savers and can be a great way to boost daily veggie intake.

Fish

• Kiki C. Susan! Hope all is well! When it comes to fish, I would suggest making fish cakes, nuggets or burgers. Sometimes changing the shape of the food helps out a bit! Creating a fun dipping sauce out of yogurt and fresh herbs can also make the eating process fun for them, and more likely to eat the fish itself! I hope this helps!

Lunches for preschooler

• Kiki C. Hi Lauren! School lunches can always be a little tricky! I would suggest making some falafel fritters which have a lot of protein and are real tasty! Lasagnas packed with veggies are also great. Try out a homemade chicken or tofu nugget that you could have your child help make with you! Studies show that getting them involved with the cooking process helps with hard-to-eat items. You can surprise our little one with a "dessert" such as homemade muffins made with fruits like mashed banana and apple. Hope this helps!

Variety of healthy foods for meals

• Kiki C. Mishell! As far as meals go, I love tucking in veggies where ever I can! You could create some great whole wheat pasta dishes with a variety of seasonal veggies baked right--adding a little red sauce or cheese is a great addition! You could also make veggie burgers from sweet potatoes and kale and make them into fun shapes for your little one. Those are easy to freeze! For snacks, I find that kids gravitate towards crunchy snacks like homemade granola which I have a recipe for on my site: www.thegetawayplate.com. You can make those into bars for on the go!

• Mishell Thanks, Kiki.

Meal prep ideas?

• Kiki C. Mackenzie! Meal prep is such a life saver! I love to roast a ton of veggies to go with any sort of side ( rice or quinoa, etc). Hearty veggies like broccoli, fingerling potatoes and red onions work really well together. I also create some sort of casserole like a cauliflower pasta bake or eggplant parm that's very kid friendly. For breakfast or snacks, I like to make a batch or two of homemade muffins with fruits and veggies like an apple cinnamon muffin or coconut carrot bread. These are very quick to prep, but all take 30 min or so each to cook! Hope these ideas help!

Meals for toddlers

• Kiki C. Thanks for this, Stella! I would recommend making "one pot wonders", where the meal is cooked in one dish! For example, I love making homemade potatoes au gratin or veggie lasagnas. You can toss in sort of protein, including chicken and seasonal veggies to ensure that your little ones are getting a balanced meal. You can even offer your children the option to pick their side that accompanies the main dish to encourage them to eat the main dish! Hope this helps!

Allergy friendly options

• Kiki C. Nina! Thanks for reaching out! For a vegan breakfast option, I would make Morning Glory Muffins! All you need are a few ripe bananas, an apple, your favorite egg substitute and a few other ingredients! They're great for on-the-go or during breakfast time at home. These can be made in a double batch and frozen for the future. Best thing is that you can put in whatever fruits and veggies you'd like, like sweet potatoes or coconut!

Breakfast in the morning

• Kiki C. Hi Paula! I would set aside some time the night before to pack your morning breakfast for both yourself and your child. You can even let your child in on the fun, if they're of age. I would also encourage you to meal prep one meal per week, whether it's breakfast, lunch or dinner, in order to save you time and stress throughout the week. Since breakfast seems like it needs a little restructuring, take some time on the weekend to bake a breakfast cake or muffins or prepare a double batch of oatmeal for the entire week. This will definitely make you feel like you have more time on your hands!