At our last support group night, the topic of Holiday Healthy Eating for Kids took front stage. We talked about how many of our children are picky eaters or even on a strict diet. There are many ways in which we can make their holiday eating fun and healthy at the same time. From "picky eater" tips to taste testing yummy green smoothies, here are some fabulous ideas discussed at our last Families of Super Kids night.
Ten Tips to Keep Kids' Holiday Eating in Check
1. Create a kids' drawer of ready to eat fruits and veggies in your fridge
2. Think natural
3. Watch what your child drinks
4. Make a fun chart to keep track of what your child eats
5. Make your kid the chef
6. Keep the routine of regular meal times
7. Let your picky eaters see variety on their plates, even if they don't eat everything
8. Let a party be a party
9. Incorporate exercise and physical activity into your daily routine
10. Show love and acceptance toward your child despite his or her weight
Websites for Healthy Eating:
- Click on Patient Resources
- Click on Weight Management, bottom left
Healthy Snacks
- Fruits and Veggies – always more accessible when they are already cut and packaged in the fridge.
- Fruit Kabobs with yogurt dip
- Nuts
- Roasted, lightly salted pumpkin seeds
- Popcorn – Light microwave or air popped with a little butter and light salt
- High grain crackers
- Smoothies
- Yogurt
- Cheese
- Baked products with applesauce substituted for fat
- Substitutes for candy – dates, raisins, dried mangos, any dried fruit and nut trailmix
- Baked zucchini chips
- Baked tortilla chips and bean dips
- Lady Bug Apple: cut in half, core, stick on raisins with peanut butter, use pretzel sticks for antennae
- Turkey Masterpiece: Circle apple slice for body, baked chip for beak, apple slice cresent shape for head, raisin eyes, peanut butter filled celery and carrots for feathers
Cranberry Wheat Bread: freeze individual slices in sandwich bags for snacks or bring a loaf to a holiday party!
- 1 ¼ C water
- 1/3 C honey
- 2 TB softened butter
- 2 C Flour
- 1 ¼ C whole wheat flour
- 1 ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp nutmeg
- ¼ tsp cloves
- 2 tsp active dry yeast
- 1 C dried cranberries
- Bake in bread maker or at 350 degrees for 45-60 min.
Eating Whole Foods and Green Smoothies - by Bethany Knighton
1 We try for 60 – 80% raw foods. We try to eat mostly greens, vegetables, and fruits, with a variety of beans, legumes, nuts, seeds, healthy fats, and cultured dairy.
2. We don’t eat processed foods, with a few exceptions. We do eat those things at family gatherings and parties with friends.
I believe that chemicals and preservatives in our foods are a major cause of illness and health problems. We are trying to prevent this by the way we eat.
Eating this way has been a big boost to our immune systems. We hardly ever get sick, and when we do, it is just a mild cold. We also have more energy for our everyday activities!
§ Green Smoothies
1. How many of you ate raw swiss chard today? Or your children? How about kale? Collard greens?
2. Why green smoothies?
A. They’re quick and easy to make – 10 minutes in the kitchen, tops
B. They have up to 15 servings of raw greens and fruits in just one quart
C. No salad dressing is required (most salad dressings in store contain toxic chemicals and preservatives, highly refined oils)
D. Addresses the #1 and #2 deficits in the American diet: Enzymes and Fiber
§ Whole Wheat Flours
1. Show example of red wheat vs. white wheat
A. Whole wheat kernel consists of the bran, the germ, the endosperm. The bran is the part of the kernel that contains lignans, antioxidants, and minerals—in addition to most of the fiber in the grain. The germ is packed with vitamins. In white flour, all that is left is the endosperm, usually bleached, with little nutritional value.
It’s easy to replace white flours with whole wheat flours
Any cake or cookie recipe can use a white whole wheat flour to replace regular white flour, with little taste alteration. Over time, you will come to prefer the taste of whole wheat.
§ Sweeteners
A. We all know sugar is bad for us. It’s an addictive substance that breaks down our immune system. What do we replace it with?
B. Natural sweeteners – because they are unrefined (and therefore contain minerals, vitamins, and other nutrients) they don’t go directly into our bloodstream and wreak havoc the way refined sugars do.
1. Coconut Sugar – low on the glycemic index, rich in macronutrients, vitamins, and amino acids
2. Dates – High in magnesium, calcium, and fiber, possibly one of the most natural sweeteners. Soak and blend with a little water to make a paste for baked goods.
3. Honey – raw honey is naturally antibacterial, keeps forever. Higher on gi index though, so use more sparingly.
4. Molasses – High in iron and b vitamins, and great for oatmeals, gingerbreads, and granolas.
5. Stevia – A completely natural, herbal sweetener, 100 x sweeter than sugar. No calories or impact on blood sugar. Doesn’t bake well, but use in any other recipes.
Harvest Pumpkin Muffin
1 (16 oz) can pumpkin
4 eggs
¾ C. consisting of ½ coconut oil, ½ applesauce
2 t. vanilla
2 C.whole wheat flour
1 ¾ dates, blended with ¾ cup water to make a pastej
1 T. pumpkin pie spice
2 t. ground cinnamon
2 t. baking powder
½ t. salt
Chocolate chips to taste, or make a healthier version of your favorite chocolate frosting, using a natural sweetener
Mix wet ingredients. Mix dry ingredients and add to wet. Fill muffin tin and bake at 375 degrees for 18-20 minutes.
Chocolate Chip Cookie
1 ¾ C. dates, ¾ cup water: blend into a paste
½ c. coconut oil
½ c. butter
1 cup applesauce
4 eggs
2 t. vanilla
Cream together. Add:
5 c. flour
1 t. sea salt
2 t. soda
4 cups chocolate chips
2 c. nuts, optional
Bake at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes.
Robyn’s Green Smoothie Template Recipe
Makes 8 cups of 100% raw smoothie.
Put 2 1/2 cups filtered water in the BlendTec Total Blender.
Optionally, add:
½ tsp. stevia (herbal sweetener) or ¼ cup raw, organic agave nectar (low glycemic index)
¼ whole lemon, including peel (anti-skin cancer, high in flavanoids)
2-3 Tbsp. fresh, refrigerated flax oil (omega-3 rich oil)
Gradually add greens until, briefly pureed, the mixture comes up the 5-cup line (or less if you are “converting”):
¾ to 1 lb. raw, washed greens, added up to 5 ½ cup line:
spinach, chard, kale, collards
Puree greens mixture for 90 seconds until very smooth.
Gradually add fruit until the container is very full, blend 90 seconds or until smooth:
1-2 bananas
1-2 cups frozen mixed berries
any other fruit to taste: pears, peaches, apples, oranges, apricots, cantaloupe, mango, pineapple
*I recommend going to Robyn’s site, greensmoothiegirl.com, for more information about green smoothies and a whole foods diet.
