FAMILY MEAL PLANNING: PART FOUR NUTRITION IN DISGUISE

When it comes to ensuring our children are eating good quality, nutrient dense and healthy food items... a little creativity can go a long way!

Often just the mention of certain food items (broccoli, zucchini, asparagus) can leave the kids turning up their noses and running from the table.

Try incorporating a few of the following ideas when planning your meals, you'll be happy knowing you've added some added nutritional value and the kids won't be running from the table!

· Mix whole-grain noodles into regular spaghetti or macaroni and cheese dishes.

· Pass cooked vegetables in a food processor and add to hamburger patties, meatballs or meatloaf

· Finely grate zucchini or carrots and add to pancake batter

· Add a variety of finely chopped vegetables to canned or packaged soups

· Add freshly juiced carrot juice to canned vegetable or tamato juice

· Add grated zucchini to squares or muffin mixes

· Puree vegetables and add to chilli or spaghetti sauces

· Add grated carrots to tuna or chicken salad

· Hide vegetables in casseroles and main dishes

· Mix low fat sour cream into a favourite salad dressing

· Serve raw vegetables with a favourite healthy dip

· Mix regular peanut butter with freshly ground peanuts

· Use whole grain bread for grilled cheese sandwiches, the toasting will

hide the color and the kids will be "none the wiser"

· Go from white bread to 60% whole wheat bread for one month, then

introduce whole-grain bread. You can make a sandwhich using one slice

of each (60% whole wheat and a whole grain) place the lighter one on the

top, facing up.

· Most children will eat a meal that they have helped to prepare so be sure

to give the kids some "prep" time in the kitchen.

· Let the kids make cookies with you. Use whole wheat flour and carob

chips and they won't even notice the difference; especially if they are

the ones preparing them.

· Add some whole grain, homemade cookies into a bag of prepackaged

cookies and eventually replace the unhealthy selections with the

​ homemade healthier selections.

· Use cookie cutters to make fun sandwiches with whole grain bread

Click here for PART ONE here for PART TWO and here for PART THREE of this FIVE PART SERIES

Sending A Wish Your Way For A Well BALANCED Day

​Jenny