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Five Tips to Get Our Kids to Eat More Nourishing Food

by Stephanie

Five Tips to Get Our Kids to Eat More Nourishing Food

Kids need to have access to nourishing food just like adults do and sometimes that means we have to work a bit harder to get that nutritious food into their bodies.

More than ever, we have access to pre-packaged snacks and food that aren’t always serving our bodies in a positive way.

I get it, we’re busy. We have to get out the door early to bring the kids to before-school care so that we can get to work on time.

But many of the snacks that we offer our kids aren’t giving our kids the nutrients they need to maintain energy during the day.

It’s important to create a foundation now so that when they’re teens and adults they have some knowledge to make healthier choices with their food.

With everything that is going on in the world, more than ever it’s important to eat as many whole and real foods as our budgets allow to keep our immunity strong.

Nutritious Food = Energy!

Here are five things we can do to get provide our kids with more nourishing food:

1. Make More Smoothies.

Almost anything can go into a smoothie and if you make it nut-free you can send them to school.

Add health-building fats like avocado, nut or seed butter, or coconut oil along with ground flax, mixed greens, and berries. Vegetables like zucchini, cauliflower, and spinach won’t alter the taste of smoothies so try them out!

If your kids go to after-school care, get a little thermos that is specifically meant for an after-school smoothie. Have them drink it when they get picked up and then they won’t be ravenous when you pick them up.

Smoothies are also great if you have to leave really early in the morning and you just don’t have time for breakfast. Make a big batch for your whole family the night before so they’re ready to grab and go in the morning.

2. Give Them a Nutrient-Packed Breakfast.

We need to give our kids a great start to the day (P.S. Adults need this too!)

If you have time to give your kids breakfast, offer eggs, high-fat yogurt (forget about the fruit-bottom—too much sugar), smoothies, oatmeal (not the flavoured kind), a high-quality toast with nut or seed butter, avocado, and nuts. These things will give them energy for the day and won’t cause them to crash as soon as they get to school.

3. Make Your Own Granola Bars.

Granola bars are super easy to make, and again, if you make them nut-free, you can send them to school with the kids. Add ingredients like chocolate chips, coconut flakes, sunflower seed butter, banana and pumpkin seeds for a nutrient-packed punch.



4. Cut Down on Sugary Foods.

You’ve likely heard it before, but too much sugar isn’t health-building for anyone.

In fact, sugar can suppress our immune system which leaves us vulnerable in the winter months to those dreaded colds, flu, and viruses.

Sugar is everywhere and our kids are really getting used to having it.

It’s in our bear paws, our granola bars, juice, sour key candies—you name it, it likely has some form of refined sugar. Also watch out for those gummy vitamins! They can have added sugars for sweetness and can get stuck in kids’ teeth causing cavities.

I encourage all parents to slowly wean kids off of refined sugar. Swap out refined sugars with natural ones like maple syrup, coconut sugar, and raw honey.

Be mindful that these are still forms of sugar, but they have added nutrients and they are helpful when we’re trying to get your kids to cut down on the white stuff.

The next time you’re down the kids’ snack aisle, check the label to see how much sugar is in each serving.

**Anything over 6 grams of sugar per serving is too much sugar.**

I would argue that we should keep it under 5 grams per serving or less if possible.

This goes for those breakfast cereals too!

5. Add Veggies to the Dinner Table.

If you find that your kids don’t like veggies (or even if they do of course!) add cut-up veggies to the table and don’t make a big deal about it.

I like to serve cut veggies with hummus and my kids will munch on them along with their dinner.

I’m all for ‘sneaking’ veggies into certain recipes, but kids also need to know what real food looks like. Sneak the spinach into the pasta sauce, but put veggies on the table. You can even start a conversation about the veggies to see how many they can name.

Bonus Tip: Make Food a Regular Conversation Topic.

Have conversations about food and where food comes from to get your kids thinking about it and they will become more aware of the food around them.

If they’ve been used to getting bear paws for lunch, start offering a homemade chocolate chip cookie and talk about the ingredients in both.

Ask questions about what ingredients they think are health-building vs. not-so-health building. 

  • What food makes us strong?
  • Bring them to the farmers’ market and talk to the people growing the food.
  • Pick one new fruit or vegetable each month and research where it came from.
  • How does it taste? Would you eat it again? What did you like or what did you not like about it?

P.S.: Follow me on Instagram to get weekly tips and tricks!

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Filed Under: Lifestyle Tagged With: real food kids

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***EDIT: These are RAMPS! Oops. But you can still ***EDIT: These are RAMPS! Oops. But you can still read about all the benefits of garlic and green garlic below. Also, you can use ramps in the recipe I gave you!***

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This week I got my first batch of green garlic in the veggie box!⁠
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Green garlic, or spring garlic, is a younger version of the garlic we know well and use in our cooking. It’s milder and can be used in many recipes. You can eat the white and green parts.⁠
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It has a white base like a green onion although it’s a bit bigger and its green stems are more flat than rounded. ⁠
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The younger version of this garlic has the same amazing health benefits as its older version making it an excellent addition to your recipes.⁠
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Not to mention it’s local and can basically be grown anywhere which is fantastic news for our environment.⁠
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Health Benefits of Garlic:⁠
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⚡️Helps to reduce cardiovascular disease and high blood pressure⁠
Garlic’s sulfur-containing compounds can be beneficial to the upper digestive tract.⁠
⚡️We need to eat garlic in our meals at least 2-3 times a week in order to see these health benefits.⁠
⚡️Use it raw and cooked. Raw garlic retains its health benefits more so than when it is cooked.⁠
⚡️Dried garlic doesn’t have the same effect as raw or cooked. Tastes good though!⁠
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⚡️A Quick Recipe: Quinoa (or rice or millet) with Green Garlic⚡️⁠
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Slice the ends off of the green garlic and thinly slice the entire vegetable including the green parts.⁠
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Put a tablespoon of olive oil into a pan and sauté the green garlic for 1-2 minutes. Add quinoa (about 1-2 cups) and stir. Add a bit of salt and pepper and voila! You have a flavourful side dish. ⁠
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#recipe #springrecipes #simplerecipes
My brother-in-law Steve spent a large portion of o My brother-in-law Steve spent a large portion of our Christmas dinner sharpening my knives. I was so grateful, but also hesitant that I would cut myself.⁠
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When I started cooking with my newly-sharpened knives, I was in awe.⁠
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Sharp knives make all the difference when it comes to enjoying cooking. It's also safer if you can believe it.⁠
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With a sharp knife, you're less likely to push down harder on the knife trying to get it through an onion, for example.⁠
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It just slices through with little pressure. ⁠
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Dull knives leave room for error and slicing fingers (listen, I've cut a few fingers over the years...).⁠
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If you're having trouble enjoying cooking at home, I encourage you to either get a new knife (it doesn't have to be expensive), or get someone to sharpen your knives for you (call a Steve in your area!).⁠
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Take care of them with a little holder and treat them kindly. Having a sharp knife will bring you one step closer to love cooking at home.⁠
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xo⁠
Steph⁠
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#kitchenskills #cookingtips #easycooking #enjoycooking #inthekitchen
Keep Meals Simple Friends! I’ve said this befor Keep Meals Simple Friends!

I’ve said this before: keep your meals simple. 

Pick meals that take fewer than 20 minutes or less to cook so you’re not scrambling during the week to make dinner and keep the elaborate meals for the weekend.

Another idea is to choose a couple of veggies to roast on Sunday that you can use for various meals during the week. 

Roasted sweet potatoes are great with chicken thighs, but also taste fantastic in a frittata or taco. 

Cook once, eat twice (or three times).

Meal planning doesn’t have to be complicated. Keep it simple and nourishing and it get easier over time.

I’m accepting new clients at @onehealthservices! DM me if you’re looking for meal planning and prep help. 

#mealprephelp #mealplanhelp #springrefresh #
Mondays are our busy nights. I have tennis (so fun Mondays are our busy nights. I have tennis (so fun!) and my son has soccer. ⁠
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That's why I make sure to make Mondays an easier night for dinner. ⁠
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Enter salads and bowls!⁠
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Last Monday, I made a salad bowl with arugula, leftover rice, olives, tomatoes, chicken, and feta, and wowee it was yummers!⁠
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By prepping ingredients, the kids can take what they want and leave what they don't want (eh-hem, tomatoes) and we have a meal full of elements that will keep us satisfied and nourished.⁠
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Need meal prep and meal plan help?⁠
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I'm currently accepting new clients @onehealthservices! DM me or visit the link in my profile here @lealoucooks to chat about custom meal plans.⁠
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#mealprep #mealplanning #health #naturopath #virtualappointments #realfood #wholefood #foodmatters #holistichealth #culinarynutrition

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About Stephanie

Photo of a white woman with brown hair

Hey! I'm Stephanie. I'm a Writer, Culinary Nutrition Expert and Cooking Instructor helping families cook nourishing meals. Read more about me {here}.

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