Helping our Kids to Eat...

Whether it's helping our kids to eat or helping them to eat more healthy choices here are a few tricks I have learned.

• Shapes- Use a large cookie cutter to cut a sandwich into a shape. I have tried several times to get my son to eat a piece of cheese toast. At most he has taken two bites. Today I cut the toast into the shape of a star using a cookie cutter and he asked for seconds. Also display the food in a fun way, such as a face. Then instead of eating carrots you can ask them to eat the hair or the eyes instead of peas. The funner it is, the easier it is to get them to eat.
• Separate it- If I am having chicken tacos I don't load everything into the tortilla. I will make a cheese quesadilla and put the chicken on the side to eat separately. Keep the meal simple. Works great with salad bars. I make a little pile of the different veggies that they can dip rather than mixing it into a salad.
• Juice Bars- A new found item! My kids love popsicles. I made juice bars making a treat into something healthy. You can make it simple and use an ice cube tray and toothpicks. I am not a morning person so my kids eat cereal or frozen waffles or pancakes. To help get in a serving of fruit they can have a juice bar or two to get in a serving of fruit in the morning.