nutrition tips for kids
I wanted to pass along great ideas from two GreenSmoothieGirl.com readers who wrote me, on how they’ve been successful at getting their kids to eat raw vegetables and fruits:
Use a muffin/cupcake pan and put raw almond butter in one hole, raw hummus in one hole, and fresh guacamole in one hole. Put cut-up fruits, nuts, and veggies in the rest. On the far side, you could put some yogurt blended with berries, next to several holes filled with apple and orange slices. In several holes, you could put carrots, asparagus (trees!), red bell pepper, and macadamias and walnuts. The last few holes you could fill with dried apricots or raisins, or a piece of dragon fruit or kiwi slices.
Tonya said, “Both my kids were excited and went to town tasting all the little fruits and veggies and dipping them into different sauces. It was so colorful and chopped up toddler size. They loved it. I was amazed to see that they were going for the asparagus and the red bell pepper first!”
Another mom wrote me and said she told her son that his first green smoothie was called SuperSonic Power Ranger Blaster Juice. (I was thinking you could label the glass with this title, make up a story about its superhero powers, really go with it.) Her son drank it right up and wanted more the next day!
Nutrition can be fun. Whole plant foods are pretty and appetizing, especially when you’re creative like these two moms are. This is really the opposite approach to making it a chore and ranting, “Eat your veggies or you get no dessert!”
Posted in: Green Smoothies, Relationships, Whole Food
When I am cutting fruits an veggies for smoothies or salads I put a sample of everything on a plate in the shape of a face for my girls. For example cucumbers with the seeds cut out make great eyes. It keeps them busy and they get a variety to choose from since I can’t guess what they will like from day to day. They also love tea parties and even picnics on the living room floor with a variety plate.