March is National Nutrition Month!
Sometimes we miss the boat on the resolutions in January and need a new jumping off point. Sometimes we're doing great, and we've turned a new leaf, and March is a great time to show off your new cooking skills, or your new favorite recipes. And sometimes it's difficult to get your kids to eat anything at all, let alone a bunch of broccoli. One day they're eating like mini-ponies, and the next their previously favorite chicken nuggets are an affront to their taste buds.
We've got a few tricks up our sleeves (or in our store, really) to get kids to eat healthy and have fun while doing it!
Yogurt melts are really popular lately, but did you know they're pretty easy to make on your own - and healthy, too. And we've got a really easy way to do it.
The recipe is really simple: some plain Greek yogurt, some of your child's favorite fruit (about 2:1, or 2:0.5) and blend. Spoon into our freezer trays (big or small work, depending on how big you'd like them) and cover, and then stack up in the freezer. It's easy, healthy, and has a lot less sugar and additives.
And if you don't want to puree, you can just throw some fruit in the middle and freeze. (Orange juice and strawberries are a great option!)
These things stack up in the freezer so easily that you'll end up freezing milk, baby food, and making your own popsicles, and all of it's going to be healthy and easy.
And what's even better? Taking it on the go. Pop them in our EZ Lock containers and go, and you'll have plain old yogurt, baby food, or even breast milk buy the time you need a snack.
Okay. We hear you. It's not always feasible to food prep with all homemade food. We have soccer practice and mommy and me classes and work and dance class. In that case, we can still get kids involved.
DID YOU KNOW: Kids who cook with you are more likely to eat healthier? Really. There's been studies. (Read them here. They're pretty interesting.) We know. Kids make it take way longer. They turn on mixers at the worst times. They tip over bowls. They spill juice. So maybe this isn't an every single night option, but really, it can be fun and engaging. That article there suggests cooking classes can be helpful too (lots of Park Districts have intro ones for kids!) and can teach them helpful skills.
You can always start slow. Maybe just some steamed veggies or quick muffins, which can both be done in our adorable chicken steamers. And for meals, our bus plates and chicken plates are perfect. They're adorable, which makes them engaging, they're divided, so food stays separate and you can "teach the rainbow," and the chicken is a suction plate. And it's a serious suction. (Check the video on the page.)
