jwebber33's Journal, 26 Apr 08

You can go to the Camplbell's web site and also the Kraft website.. they usually have some pretty good ideas for healthy foods for kids.. and you can always modify the ingredients by adding low fat or no fat products. What are their ages?  

8, 5, and 4... Thanks for the advice!! I was looking for *simple* meals...  

Those websites actually have some pretty easy meals. They usually only have five ingredients or less. Remember, when you're eating healthier it usually means a little more prep. But it's always worth it! I get my niece to eat veggies by putting cheese on them, something you could skip for yourself, but have for them. 

Paige E has the right idea- keep the dish simple and when possible, add cheese! Encourage them to try different things (3 bites of new foods/dishes was a rule)in order to develop a taste for them. For example, my kids didn't like brocolli, but a little cheese on it for them (increasingly less cheese) made it palitable. You don't need the cheese- less calories:) Low cal dips for veggies, veggie pizzas, added or ground up veggies in main dishes and lastly, fruits and veggies arranged or made to look like faces, animals etc make it 'fun' to eat them. I made strawberry 'malts' with 1 cup skim milk (soy will work), 1 cup frozen strawberries, 1 T. unsweetened jello crystals = a malt with no fat, no sugar and thick and delicious! Make it fun- have them help prepare the food so both of you can brag! It will get them to 'invest' in trying new things. And lastly, be patient- keep trying- my kids who were 'picky' now have well-rounded diets- it may be something they just outgrow. 

Wow thanks for all the advice ladies!! I LOVE cheese, maybe my parents did that to me as a kid too LOL... I will try all of these tips for sure! 

If your kids like hotdogs and fries etc..I would start off by continuing those foods but modifying their cooking techniques. For example you can buy oven fries instead of the ones you have to fry. For hamburgers, thats actually a great source of protein so its ok , just don't use oil, let them cook in their own fat. When you make yours, just dont add the mayonnaise and ketchup. Just modify what they normally eat before beginning any drastic changes and gradually they will get used to it. Introduce foods to them via McDonalds and Wendys for example. McDonalds offers Apples with a dipping sauce. Wendys has Baked potatoes that my kids love. If you do a little research on Ebay or Amazon, there are great books on foods that kids will love. My daughter has the book "my first cookbook" by Dorking-Kingsley. It shows how to make personal pizzas, funny hotdogs etc...I think your ones are young enough to be impressed and want to try them out. Dont be daunted, I am a mom to teenagers and a toddler and STILL trying to figure out what to give them thats healthy and tasty too!