Feeding Fussy Eaters

Photo by The Whimsical Wife

This blog post goes out to all of the parents or caregivers of picky eaters, and ones who are raising children in a processed fast food nation. I think that covers just about every parent.

If your child is stuck in a pasta, nugget, boiled rice or potato mash commercial time warp, here are three no-nag ways to ward off an oncoming meal-time battle and have them eating out of your hands.

There’ll be no more shaking of heads and sealing of lips, look forward to saucer eyes and open mouths as kids hoover up these healthy meals like there’s no tomorrow. You can find more recipes in my Supercharged Food for Kids recipe book here.

But first, five tips to help you to encourage your children to eat well...

1. Don’t be afraid to say no and express your love with healthy foods.  A way of nurturing kids is not to give them nuked processed foods full of sugar and bad fats. Show them you care by feeding them foods that will help them grow and develop.  They’ll also be able to understand and experience the taste of real food and set up their taste buds for life.
2. Follow the 80/20 rule.  Don’t feed them squeaky clean food all of the time and let them indulge in treats in moderation.  They will develop a healthy relationship with food that way and not be the playground health nerd.
3. Keep a healthy pantry, if you don’t have Tim Tams in the house it’s easier to offer an alternative and say try this ‘zoo poo” rather than yes we have a packet of Tim Tams but we’re not letting you anywhere near it.  Pester power will be in full swing if they can see it’s in the pantry and know it’s only a pincer grip away.
4. Don’t force the issue.  If kids don’t want to eat something then let it go and have a healthy backup plan that you know they'll enjoy and can fall back on. Explain how certain foods will make them have strong bones and healthy bodies and why it will benefit them.
5. Create kid friendly versions of your meals; for example if you’re making a delicious pumpkin soup, use the base mash for your little one and then turn it into a soup for you by adding herbs, coconut milk or stock. Talk to your child about the flavours and textures of the food you’re eating and if you can, sit down and eat meals together.

I'd love you to introduce these recipes into your child’s life and let me know what you think in the comments section below.

Supercharged Breakfast Bar

My breakfast bar is packed with good fats, zinc, dietary fibre and B vitamins and these bars make a quick brekkie, lunch box favourite or after school snack.

Makes 10 bars

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cup almond flour or (flax seed meal for nut free)
• 1/4 teaspoon Celtic Sea Salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 cup coconut flakes (unsweetened)
• 1 1/4 cup mixed nuts or (seeds such as pumpkin and sunflower for nut free)
• 2 TBS dried blueberries
• 1/4 cup melted butter
• 1/4 cup rice malt syrup
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Method

• Set oven temperature to 175 degrees Celsius
• Line a baking dish with baking paper
• Combine all dry ingredients, almond flour, salt, bicarb soda, coconut flakes, nuts/seeds and blueberries
• In a large bowl, place melted butter, rice malt syrup and vanilla extract
• Mix the dry ingredients into wet
• Press the mixture firmly into the baking dish to prevent crumbling
• Bake for 15 to 20 minutes
• Chill to harden up before serving

Gluten Free Pita Pocket

Makes 4 pitas

Ingredients

• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup of water
• 1 TBS almond or rice milk
• 1 TBS olive oil
• 1 TBS coconut flour
• 1 TBS flaxseed meal
• 1/4 cup blanched almond meal
• 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
• Pinch Celtic Sea Salt
• 1 TBS mixed herbs chopped fine (optional)

Method

• Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius
• Place baking paper on a baking tray
• In a bowl whisk egg and add water, milk and olive oil
• Add dry ingredients and stir well
• Pour mixture onto baking paper in 2 medium sized circles about 12 cms across and spread
• evenly with a palette knife
• Bake for 20 minutes until golden and crispy around the edge
• Let cool and with a sharp knife slice along the centre so that a pocket is created
• Stuff with favourite fillings

 Zoo poo

 Cacao powder is loaded with antioxidants and although sometimes bitter in taste, it can be made sweeter with the addition of a natural sweetener.

Makes 8

Ingredients

• 4 TBS coconut butter
• 1/8 tsp. stevia powder
• 1 TBS cacao powder
• 4 TBS almond or rice milk
• 1/2 cup coconut flakes, unsweetened

Method

• Melt the coconut butter in a bowl over boiling water
• Add stevia and cacao and stir until combined
• Add milk and stir until thickened
• Place mixture in the fridge for half an hour to harden
• Remove from fridge and take one TBS at a time and roll into ball
• Roll in coconut flakes and place on a tray
• Refrigerate until ready to eat

You can bu my Supercharged Food for Kids Recipe Book here.