Grocery Ideas- I Need to Mix It Up

I know how you feel - some I like to use are ... sweet potato french fries (healthy, but fun to eat an dip), can buy or make them; artichokes - steam or boil - kids love to dip them in butter and eat them; hummus - amazing how many kids like them, and some whole grain chips (for a side or snack); smoothies are a great snack as kids think they are a "treat" and you control what you put in them... you can even hide some veggies in there! I also "hide" veggies in meatloaf - zucchini chopped up as well as spinach... they don't notice it! I'll be watching this too for more ideas!

My kids only get to snack on fruit and veggies. They love strawberries, apples, grapes, red peppers, cucumbers, carrots, bananas and olives.
As for meals that are kid friendly well, you won't know until you try. So a few suggestions that are a hit in my family, homemade chicken noodle soup, white bean chicken chili, quesadillas with left over beef or chicken. Or how about butternut squash soup, orzo roasted veggie pasta with feta cheese. There are so many good and healthy things you can make and incoorporate your children into helping you make it. Just try some new foods and offer it.

For sides, super stuffed potatoes, couscous. Check out any of the cookbooks from America's Test Kitchen, some of the things we love from it are - meatballs and noodles, Orange Chicken, Teriyaki Chicken, Saltimbocca (sp?)...there are just so many, and they all have turned out great.

For snacks - Fresh fruit, dried fruit (blueberries are the biggest hit), fruit leather, kid cliff bars (yes, prepackaged, but on the healthier side)

Most kids love melted cheese. A side dish that I have fixed is to get the mixed veg., chopped brocc. and coliflour mix all together add chopped onion salt and pepper to taste and one can of cream of cheese soup no liquid for add flavor I add a small amount of liquid smoke and top with parm. cheese. Put this in a cass. dish and bake till hot all the way through goes great with almost any meat.

I often make a side salad, even though my kids don't like them. I like greek salad, spinach salad with oranges and grapefruit, radicchio with apples and walnuts and many other combination. My boys don't really like most of the veggies, except peas, corn, broccoli and spinach and they also eat cherry tomatoes and celery sticks. When the adults have salads and they don't want to try I give them some cherry tomatoes and celery sticks.
Also, I have started home making soups for dinner. The soup gives me a chance to use up any leftovers and not so fresh veggies from the fridge. I usually serve soup with a side salad and fresh french bread but you could add a sausage, if you like meat.
For snack I often let them have a sandwich, usually turkey on whole wheat. Sometimes a make them fruit smoothies for snack. I combine one cup of ice, 2 cups of milk, 2 bananas, some vanilla flavor and if necessary some sugar and blend everything in the blender. The boys love it and think they get dessert. I'm happy, because it is a very healthy treat.

Can't go wrong with fresh fruits and veggies. Anything on a toothpick or skewer. Or after they cut up their food, let them eat it with a toothpick. Change what you serve the food on. Put a paper plate on a frisbee. Put a blanket on the grass and eat outside. The same foods presented differently can help.

Also, my kids loved eating the mixed frozen vegetables frozen. I just put them in one of those little bowls and let them use their fingers.

Dips are good. Make a yogurt dip for fruit. (Lots of recipes online.) For veggies, use plain yogurt instead of sour cream. (Again, lots of recipes online.)

As far as snacks, I've been offering only fruit. I'm trying to get up to the recommended fruits/vegi's a day, so I'm offering banana, apple, applesauce, orange for snack.

I'll be watching your post!

I make a fruit salad with peaches, nectarine and strawberries almost daily. My daughter LOVES it.

Side dishes we like............garlic roasted potatoes, salad, pasta

None of us are dessert eaters so the fruit is a side dish as well.

Hi M.,
Do you have a cookbook that you like? Doesn't have to be gourmet or anything...even a crockpot cookbook.
Try O. recipe that you haven't tried...add those ingredients to your shopping list so you can try that O. thing that week. Maybe you'll never make it again--but it might be a keeper and then you can make it from time to time.
As for snacks, my son loves junk and candy, but I make sure he also gets fruit and veggies. Most kids will eat cut up veggies if they can dip it into something! Also you could try crackers and cheese cubes and pepperoni, string cheese, yogurt, & smoothies.

M.,

Side dish instead of potato or rice, try orzo. You can serve it hot or cold as a side dish or salad. I like it served warm with a little olive oil a touch of butter and fresh parsley w/ the main dish meat, poltry or fish.

If you want to serve it cold you would put the same things as a pasta salad. I like to put pitted black olives, finely chopped purple onion, and a little shredded hardboiled egg, salt, pepper and dressed with a little mayo or vinaigrette.

Orzo is really tasty!

Blessings....