You Can Help Your Kids Make Healthy Food Choices—Here’s How

Posted on Apr 30, 2019 Topic :
Posted by : Georgia Varozza

Long life to you! Good health to you and your household! And good health to all that is yours!

1 Samuel 25:6

Being a mom is a demanding and sometimes thankless job, but the truth is we wouldn’t have it any other way. Taking care of our families seems to be present in our DNA and one tangible way we show our care is having a desire to prepare healthy, nutritious meals that our kids love. But if your home is anything like mine, that’s easier said than done.

I’ll be honest with you: The fact is, my kids, and now my grandkids, like processed, high-sugar foods. If given the choice, they’ll gladly eat a bowl of sugar-coated cereal for breakfast and turn their nose up at a homemade veggie omelet. Cookies for afternoon snack? Yes, please.

So what’s a mom to do? I think that two keys for getting your family on board toward healthier eating are education and compromise.

Over the years, my sons and I had discussions about food and the reason why we chose the foods we did. My hope was that by directing their thinking in a positive direction, they would begin making healthier choices for themselves. I also had to learn how to find a middle ground between my dream meals and food they would actually eat. I had successes and failures, but I never gave up. My boys still love to tease me about the awful tasting, bile green soup I attempted one memorable day.

Are you like me? You want to feed your kids spectacularly healthy meals, but the little darlings are less than enamored by your efforts. Here are two recipes from my latest cookbook to give you a nudge in the right direction.

Strawberry Graham Cracker Treats

(Prep time 10 minutes; yield 1 serving)

1 graham cracker

2 tsp. whipped cream cheese, divided

4 strawberries, cored and halved lengthwise

Separate the graham cracker along the perforations, making 4 rectangles. Spread ½ teaspoon of the cream cheese on each piece. Top with the sliced strawberries and serve.

Zucchini Pizza Bites

(Prep time 25 minutes; yield approx. 40 pizza bites)

3 zucchinis, sliced crosswise ¼ inch thick

Olive oil for brushing

¼ cup pizza sauce

1 tsp. each dried basil and oregano, mixed together, or 2 tsp. Italian garlic and herbs spice mix

⅓ cup mozzarella cheese, shredded

¼ cup mini pepperoni slices

Preheat the oven to 400°.

Place the zucchini slices on a baking sheet that has been lined with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper; brush the slices with oil. Bake for 5 minutes; remove from the oven, but don’t turn off heat.

Dab a small amount of pizza sauce on each zucchini slice, top with the spices, cheese, and pepperoni, and return to the hot oven to continue baking for 8 to 10 more minutes. Serve hot.

Note: My gang loves these dipped in ranch dressing.

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Go for it, Mama. Be creative. Feeding those we love good food is one of the best things we can do!