14 sneaky ways to make kids’ meals even healthier

We are well into the new year…2014, we still can’t believe it! And with each new year, we adults make all types of resolutions that surround being healthier.

More gym time, more ‘green’ juices…less eating out, less excuses.

This got us thinking about our kids and what we can do…what we already are doing to make their meals a bit healthier and without them even knowing a lot of the time.  We’re sneaking in creative ways to add in that extra punch of goodness so that meals are that much better for them.

At least as their parents we can resolve to make them as healthy as they can be.  And we’ll try our hardest to keep those New Year’s resolutions going too!

So try some of these and let us know how they’re working out for meal time with your little ones.

– Chai Mommas

1. When making Indian roti or flatbread, add soy protein, ground oats and flax seed to get more protein and fiber in.  You can sprinkle ground flax seed into everything…from pancakes, cereal and doughs for breads and pizza to easily add protein in a healthy, unnoticeable way.
2. Mix in probiotic powder to yogurt to help your little one’s digestive tract and system.
3. For pancakes, try the honey wheat Krustez brand which kids love. But half the recipe with pancake mix and half with oatmeal or steel-cut oats. Another sugar-free brand we love is Namaste Foods Gluten Free Waffle & Pancake Mix which is super smooth because of the rice flour and tastes great!
4. For a quick healthy meal, buy organic frozen veggies, puree and throw them in pasta sauce.  A little secret, since corn is sweet make sure to add some into your veggie puree…your kids will love it.
5. To get kids to eat salad, let them add in dried cranberries in and tell them it’s a treat.  You may even get them to eat a whole bowl this way!
6. Add some kale in when making homemade apple juice.  You’d be surprised…they may not know the difference!! If your kids love kale chips, be sure to try this one out!! One of our little ones does and calls them ‘yummy’ so kale-apple juice is now called ‘yummy juice’.
7. Mix cottage cheese into pasta for an extra creamy but protein packed dish.
8. You know how much fat and grease intake there is from a plain cheese pizza? A lot!  So make pizza at home and dice up  vegetables such as onions, spinach, roasted eggplant, mushrooms, bell peppers, and tomatoes very small as the toppings.  Call it  “Rainbow Pizza” and tell them that “you must have vegetables to grow and be strong”.
9. Use the creamy version of Nuttzo which is a multi nut omega 3 spread instead of just plain peanut butter in sandwiches.
10. Spread cashew or another seed butter (in place of plain butter) on sprouted bread (instead of regular bread).
11. Add in peeled and shredded zucchini in baked goods. Try this in zucchini fudge cake, zucchini bread, zucchini coconut cookies… it all tastes wonderful. It’s a great way to add a veggie to something baked.  To keep it sugar-free, sweeten with dates or raw agave instead  of refined sugars.
12. Purée butternut squash to make a delicious, nutritious “cheese sauce” for mac and “cheese”.  This recipe by Recipe Rehab still adds in cheese, but you can make it with greek yogurt blended with butternut squash as the “cheese” sauce.  Add in  some spices and your kids will eat it all up!
13. Substitute coconut water for juice. There are so many natural sweet fruits juice to give your children instead of processed juices…this pitya smoothie recipe is a hit with Puja’s little girl.  But when making a smoothie is too time consuming , just offer coconut water as a quick super hydrating, super refreshing drink.
14. Add flavorless but amazingly nutritious chia seeds to fruit smoothies.