It was time. We were relying on the mac-n-cheese lunches just a tad too much. Not the Annie’s natural bunnies mac-n-cheese, that wouldn’t be so bad. No, it was the bright orange good old fashioned Kraft, the kind kids love just a little too much. Not that we won’t have it from time to time, but several times a week? Not anymore! I’m excited about the quick turn around from Jude asking for it every day to already having tried and liked 3 new things on his small but growing list of food likes. He (re)discovered hard boiled eggs, loves walnuts and cashews, (raw, unsalted) and we came up with a new twist on wraps- the peanut butter and jelly wrap on whole wheat tortillas- perfect for little hands to hold and feed themselves and very healthy when made with organic or natural peanut butter and low to no sugar jam. I have been hoping that taking part in our gardening will inspire some more adventurous eating as well, and he will at least try a bite of everything I offer, especially if it comes with dip.

A few thoughts on getting kids to try new things and eat what is offered to them…

*Sit down to meals together- let them see you eating the food you’d like them to try and talk about how yummy it is, how God made it for our bodies to help us grow, etc. Ideally they should see both parents modeling good eating habits!

*Don’t overreact to dislikes, and keep offering the same new foods (without forcing them to eat more than a taste)- often it takes a lot of tries to get used to something new. Keep it positive and light hearted at meals, praise good eating, don’t offer something else if they are being really picky. If they are hungry enough they will eat the healthy stuff!:)

*Offer vegetables or other new foods with dips- kids love dips and will often eat more of something healthy if they have a dip to go along with it.

*Let them help you in the food prep as much as possible, sometimes if they’ve helped make it they are much more likely to try it!

*Make it fun- use muffin tins, segmented plates, etc. to offer small bite size foods to little ones that are varied in color and texture.

*Make a list of 15 to 20 quick and easy kid friendly meal ideas for days that the box of cheesy Krafty-ness calls out ‘but I’m so easy and the kids love me!’:) What? Yours doesn’t do that? Shocking. Anyhow… print out that list and tape it to the inside of a cabinet you see often.

As I was about to finish this little blog post Mr. Fouche just came down with a big pot of mac-n-cheese, too funny! I told him what I was writing about and he replied, ‘I’ll never kick that habit!’ I know honey and it’s alright, as long as you hide it well and smile while eating a carrot in front of Jude!:)

A few online resources for recipes and more tips for getting kids to eat healthy:

*My favorite healthy lunch inspiration- bento box style lunches

*Lots of good meal ideas at Healthy recipes

*Fun recipes even if you’re not a vegan

*Lunch ideas~ Vegan Lunch Box