Raising Your Kids To Eat Almost Everything!

As a mom, I get so worried when I see my one-year-old ALREADY refusing to eat certain foods. I know all of us want to make sure we raise our children to be the healthiest and of course that is done by insuring they are receiving all of the nutrition they need on a daily basis, even if they don’t love it all. So how can we raise our kids to eat almost everything and enjoy it?! Today I feel so honored to have guest writer, Linda Hazen, author of an incredible cookbook, a great mother of three, and an expert on this subject! Without further ado… here she is:

Photo by Ms. Photographer

Kids can be picky eaters, but do they need to be? Hi, I’m Linda, wife to Joe of 26 years, mother of three, daughter of my hero, home economist, now soul owner of Six Ingredients or Less Cookbooks and thrilled to be guest blogger here on Today’s the Best Day.  I grew up in a ‘foodie’ home before ‘foodie’ was even a term. My mom’s hobby and joy was cooking. When she found herself a single mom in the late 70’s she wisely turned to her passion to provide her income and she developed the popular cookbook series Six Ingredients or Less. A few years, after I graduated college, her business was busy enough that we both worked it full time for many years (in between me having babies).

So, she and I were both stay at home working moms, mother and daughter. With my three children growing up at our feet, helping in the kitchen and loving Test Recipe Days! Here’s what I learned about raising kids who will eat almost anything.

1. Feed your kids what you eat – no fish sticks or hot dogs while you are having “adult food.”

2. This means when they are young, purchase a grinder and grind what you eat. Babies don’t need bland food (Sriracha sauce is probably the exception.)

3. Avoid junk food and processed food as much as possible. It’s addicting and we all loose our taste for real food when fake food is in front of us.

4. Make sure your kids are hungry at meal time. Not starving, melt-down hungry, but hungry.

5. Provide a variety of foods so that your kids are used to new things, rather than it being a novelty.

6. Feed your children nutritious foods that you don’t like. I don’t particularly care for fish, but I fed it to my kids so they would have a taste for it. (Wish I had done this with sauerkraut, fermented veggies and green smoothies.)

7. Make your own baby food. This may sound daunting, but it’s not. I’ve always economized my time and energy. When I cook (even now) I often make double. It doesn’t take much longer, and then I have a meal in the freezer. Babies don’t eat much, so it’s simple to make two recipes, grind one, place in ice cubes trays, freeze then store in zip-lock bags. Feed your babies what you are having for dinner, and use the frozen cubes (reheated) for lunches. For example; if you are having chicken, potatoes and green beans for dinner you’d grind the chicken and potatoes together. Maybe add a little milk to thin. Serve the beans (cooked according to ability to chew) separate for an additional flavor. 

Summing Up: The key to getting your kids to eat a variety of foods is to give them a variety of foods……..from the beginning. No kid’s meals and adult meals – primarily you eat the same food. Just remember that kids need plenty of healthy fats.

Nutrition/Time Tip: When I make spaghetti sauce it is loaded with veggies and seriously no one knows!  I get out the food processor and puree mushrooms, onion, garlic and a pound of carrots, a bunch of spinach and a beet or two. I simmer all the veggies in some butter or light olive oil, add it to my marinara sauce and let it cook for hours. Seriously, no one even knows it has carrots, spinach and beets in it. And I make a lot of it. Let it cool and freeze in meal sized containers. Big time saver – super nutritious.

My regret: Allowing boxed cereal in the house. It’s expensive and void of nutrition. As my children reached the oatmeal stage, I wish I would have kept them on rolled oats and rolled barley. It’s very inexpensive, nutritious and you can change up the flavors by adding various ingredients.

Of course, being a cookbook author and recipe blogger I wanted to pass along one of my favorite recipes when my kids were young. It’s a recipe for Ground Turkey Meatballs. These make great snacks as well as the protein portion of a meal. The ground turkey (or chicken) is softer and easier to chew than beef. Make a bunch and freeze them and if you want, serve them with different (low sugar) dipping sauces (again exposing your kids to new flavors). And guess what? If you are trying to shed a few extra pounds, these meatballs are low carb and a great snack or meal for you too!

Ground Turkey Meatballs
    1 pound ground turkey or chicken
    1/4 cup soft bread crumbs (use bread of your choice)
    2 eggs
    2 tablespoons finely chopped (or shredded) onion
    1/2 teaspoon prepared horseradish
    1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Combine ingredients, mixing lightly.
2. Shape into walnut-size meatballs. Place in a sprayed shallow baking pan and bake 18-20 minutes or until cooked through.
TIP: If your kids object to the onion, try shredding first, then sauteing until soft before adding to mixture. Of course, you can change up the recipe each time by adding different seasonings, even cheeses.

Please check out my site sixingredientsorless.com for more great ideas and recipes that save you time and money. As a special offer to Danielle’s readers I’d like to extend a 50% discount off your entire purchase (but no purchase is necessary). Simply use coupon code R-119 at check out.

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Danielle is the owner of Today's the Best Day. She strives to provide creative and uplifting content in order to enrich the parenting experience for women everywhere. Danielle hopes to help you and your family to make every day the best day!

June 26, 2014 by Danielle Davis | 6 Comments