How to Get Kids to Eat Healthy| 5 Nutrition Sneaking Hacks
Are you wondering how to get kids to eat healthy? It is a BATTLE! If your kids are like mine it is near IMPOSSIBLE to get them to stop what they are doing and eat. Much less to get them to eat anything healthy! My toddler only wants certain things and MOST of them are sweets! She even asked where the CANDY was on the food chart at the pediatrician! I was at a loss as to how to work in substantial nutrition for my kids until…
I decided that I had to pick my battles and I surrendered to what they want. Instead of forcing them to eat what I want them to eat, I figured out ways to incorporate healthy ingredients into foods they already want to eat!
How to Get Kids to Eat Healthy:
These are my top five go-to swaps/sneaks that I use to sneak nutrition in for my kids everyday!
1. Add a jar of Gerber carrot baby food to a box of Kraft macaroni and cheese.
If you’re like me, you try your hardest not to give your kids too much processed food. I am not a huge fan of boxed macaroni and cheese but my daughter loves it! Sometimes, as a mom, we have to choose our battles. Fed is best so if she will eat it I usually let her have it.
However, while making my daughter some macaroni and cheese one day, I started thinking. What is the same color as powdered cheese that I could add to this for nutritional value? I thought about carrots. However, I knew that if I simply added cooked carrots to it (no matter how small) she would find them and pick them out.
That is when I thought of baby food!
I decided to add a jar of carrot baby food that I had on hand!
All you need to do is simply follow the recipe on the Kraft Macaroni and Cheese box and when you get to the step that has you adding the powdered cheese, butter and milk simply add the jar of Gerber as well. It’s really that easy! Not only did y daughter gobble it up, my husband didn’t even notice it was in there!
2. Freeze V8 Fusion juice in a popsicle mold.
V8 Fusion contains multiple servings of fruits and vegetables. Simply freeze the juice to make your own popsicles and your kids will LOVE their new “treats”.
If you don’t yet have a popsicle mold, I would highly suggest getting one! I make popsicles out of everything! They are particularly great for when your littles are sick and you need to get fluid in them. Click here for my favorite popsicle mold!
3. Use flaxseed instead of eggs while baking.
If you don’t yet know this trick, it is one of the best in the book!
The instructions that are on every package of flaxseed tell you to mix one tablespoon of flaxseed with three tablespoons of water and let sit for five minutes. That mixture equals one egg!
Adding this healthy fiber into their beloved pastries doesn’t make your brownies perfectly nutritious, but it does give us parents a little piece of satisfaction that at least it wasn’t ALL bad!
Throughout the winter, my toddler and I bake almost every day! I use this swap in just about everything that we do and each recipe always turns out perfect!
Related Post:
Crazy for These Oatmeal Crazin “Cookies”4. Banana Pancakes!
This is a TWO ingredient, guilt-free pancake! Simply mash one banana in a bowl. In a separate bowl whisk two eggs. Mix. Then cook on a pan/griddle like you would any other pancake and serve!
I have yet to try the flaxseed substitute for this recipe, so if you try it please let me know how it goes!
5. Mix together a HEALTHY fun-fetti dip!
Simply mix Vanilla Greek Yogurt with rainbow sprinkles and serve with animal cookies, fruit, graham crackers, etc… for dipping!
If you like these ideas and want more, you should check out the rest of my recipes, like my gluten-free, egg-free, butter-free Bonkers Brownies!
TheGerberStore.com : Check out our exclusive stage-based bundles, designed to be just right for your growing little one!
Childhood nutrition is so important, yet can be so difficult to accomplish! I hope that these nutrition sneaking hacks help you to figure out how to get kids to eat healthy!
37 Comments
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swathiiyer
These are great tips, thanks for sharing I need to sneak in more fruits and veggies in their food.
Mama Maggie's Kitchen
This is awesome! Many parents will surely love to know about these Nutrition Sneaking Hacks! Thanks for sharing.
Janeane M. Davis, J. D.
It is great to find ways to sneak nutrition in to snacks for kids. I like being able to keep them healthy and happy at the same time.
Sandy N Vyjay
Getting children to eat nutritious food is challenging when there is so much junk food around, these are some really healthy and nutritious suggestions. Flax seed is something that is really good.
Tomi Clark
I’m a huge fan of sneaking veggies into our fruit smoothies. Hey, you have to get creative to keep them healthy
Rose Ann Sales
I love the flaxseed idea. I will also try this for myself.
Anosa Malanga
The carrot gerber int he mac and cheese is very new to me! I think I will try to give it a go. For the pancake, Banana normally is my side or topper. Never thought of blending it to be the pancake it is. Thanks for the idea.
Chef Dennis
I am really loving these healthy snack ideas! I’m sure many parents will love this list. Thanks for sharing.
Gervin Khan
These are great snacks ideas for kids, easy, delicious and healthy. I will definitely add to my lists, thank you!
Anasha
I will definitely be trying some of this hacks with my little guy!
Audrey
These are such good ideas!
Claudia
I LOVE these hacks! It can be so hard to get the kids to eat healthy foods. If you can sneak it in, it’s better than having a fight about it.
julie
Great ideas! I like the popsicle idea. You could put lots of healthy, yummy stuff in their “treats”!
Puja Bhardwaj
Wow, this is amazing. Thanks for sharing this recipe. I’ll surly try it.
angelinegormley
Love these ideas! My toddler would definitely enjoy the funfetti one! ❤️
Sarah
These are great ideas. I add applesauce to a lot especially when they need help staying regular.
Loren
Currently I have a great eater. But my five year old was a great eater and now he’s not so I know it probably won’t last…
Vidya
LOL! that comment about your husband not noticing the baby food in the mac and cheese 🙂
But yes, while I have not done that, I have pureed veggies when my teens were younger and mixed that up in “yummy” food..
kiddoandcloth
I would have never thought to add the carrots to Mac and cheese!
Singing A New Song
These are brilliant ideas to sneak nutrition into kids foods! Can you please do more of these!? Thank you so much for this!
Bri
Absolutely! Stay tuned!
Sarah Miller
I love banana pancakes! I eat them myself 🙂 I like to add natural peanut butter to them too.
Bri
That’s a great idea! Sometimes we do chocolate chips too 😋
Tomaseena Auzenne
These are all great ideas. I’ve definitely tried the gerber in the food thing before. Maybe not exactly that way, but I’ve sneaked it into recipes before. My daughter’s food pickiness is exhausting.
Samantha
Adding in these health hacks are so easy. Thank you
Cyndi Buchanan
These are all great ideas! Sometimes we have to sneak until they are more open to trying new things.
Subarna
I face the same situation like yours. I had to struggle a lot to make her eat something health. Gradually after going to school she is learning the importance of healthy food and so now eat few healthy things. Yours ideas will surely work specially the banana pancake. Thanks for sharing !!
Monica
Wow these are all such great ideas!! So creative . Love the Mac n cheese idea . Definitely trying some of these
Monica
Wow these are all such great ideas!! So creative . Love the Mac n cheese idea
Audrey
I just got some popsicle molds from my neighbor who is having her kitchen remodeled! She was giving away a ton of kitchen stuff. I’ll have to try the other tricks too.
Chiell Ordonez
Banana pancakes are my fave thing to make for her! I add blueberries and or other fruit in there as well, sometimes even purree spinach! My little one is going thru her picky phase, so I feel ya on this one, mama!