Eating Healthy!

This morning at our MOPS meeting, we had Phyllis Young from Grandview Hospital come talk to us about making healthy meals for our whole families. She also had some helpful tips for how to handle picky eaters and ways to sneak in extra nutrients to regular foods so kids can't even tell the difference! Here are a few reminders for those of you that heard the talk, and for those of you that didn't, here's a quick recap of what we learned today:

~think outside the box - kids may like "dinner" foods for breakfast or vice versa

~have lots of variety and let kids try things you may not think they will like because you may be surprised

~tofu is an excellent source of calcium and protein if you have a non-milk lover

~avocado, mango, and kiwis are great foods to have your children try

~flaxseed is a good source of omega-3's and you can grind it up and put it in almost anything

~pureed squash, pumpkin, cauliflower can be added to many foods without kids noticing (pancakes, meatballs, muffins)

~add powdered milk to add protein and calcium

~substitute some or all whole wheat flour to recipes for added nutritional value

~wheat germ is also great to add to most recipes

~good snacks for kids include trail mix with dried fruit & nuts or apples & peanut butter

~"healthy" desserts include dipping graham crackers or fruit in pudding

~sprinkle some colored sugar on bananas (or really anything!) and kids will eat it right up!

~make mealtimes a social event with the whole family as often as possible

~try not to beg, bribe or get into power struggles with your children over food

~remember that children are little and only need very small portions

Towards the end of the meeting, we all started sharing some healthy recipes and ways we have gotten our kids to eat things like veggies. Here are 2 simple, nutrious recipes that were mentioned today (that are also very easy to change amounts of ingredients to fit your family's needs):

Glazed Carrots

1 sm. bag carrots

2 Tbs. brown sugar

2 Tbs. butter

1 tsp. cinnamon or 1 Tbs. mustard

Boil carrots until tender; drain. Add sugar, butter and cinnamin OR mustard (or neither). Enjoy! You can also use orange juice instead of butter for an even healthier option! (Sarah K. & Lisa L.)

"Surprise" Mac & Cheese

1 box any kind of noodles

~2 Tbs. butter

~2 Tbs. flour

~8 oz. sharp cheese - cubed or grated

2 sm. yellow summer squash - sliced, boiled and pureed.

~1/2 c. milk

Boil noodles; drain. In seperate pan, melt butter and add flour to make a paste. Add pureed squash and cheese to flour paste and add enough milk to make a sauce. Add noodles and enjoy! (Deb Z.)