Getting our little ones to eat their vegetables is challenging enough. Words like asparagus, eggplant, and green peas are sometimes met with a frown or a big thumbs down. This can be particularly the case if there are sensory differences at play as well. The might rather run to the table for a slice of pepperoni pizza and a bowl of chocolate ice cream.
The struggle to get kids to embrace healthy eating might have you feel like giving up sometimes. And if your kids are neurodivergent, then maybe that’s a battle that isn’t worth having. Outside of this though, we know the game of tug-of-war isn’t necessarily always a losing one. It might be in your best interests to occasionally let go. Nonetheless, it is worth taking a little look at the ways that we can introduce eating healthily in a different light perhaps by including them in your meal planning. Let’s look at some ways to accomplish this.
This is a collaborative post.
Turn meal planning into a fun activity
One of the reasons children equate not-so-good-for-you foods with fun is because of what these items are associated with. Cake and ice cream are for birthday parties. Pizza often arrives at the door when it’s movie night on Fridays. And hamburgers, fries, and strawberry shakes are a treat on a summer night when it’s too hot to cook.
Why not teach your kids to link fun with healthy meals as well? Before you roll your eyes, it is possible with meal planning apps and healthy food delivery services. You can get the kids involved in creating menus and choosing recipes for various theme nights. Another trick is to have your children look through recipes for healthier versions of their favorites.
A veggie burger topped with guacamole and sweet potato fries can be just as tasty as the local fast food joint’s version. A low-sugar smoothie with bananas and strawberries can substitute for that shake. And a snack of hummus with carrots or celery will make them feel better than a bag of potato chips. Also, introduce ideas for themed dinner nights, such as pastas on Mondays. Have your kids select themed dishes they see featured on the delivery service’s site.
Prep meals as a family
The good news is that American families are spending more time together than they were six years ago. However, the average time spent together is only slightly over six hours per week. In the UK, this figures seems to be the same too, according to Netmums. When you spread this out over seven days, it comes out to less than an hour per day. It’s not a lot of quality face time, especially if you value family relationships.
So, one way to get more face time with the family is to prepare your meals together. Dinner time could be the best opportunity since most of the brood should be home for the night. Another idea is to prep breakfast together on the weekends or holidays when everyone is home. Gather the group in the kitchen, giving each family member a way to pitch in.
You can set up chopping stations for the older kids while letting the younger ones separate heads of lettuce. If you’re making a big breakfast with protein waffles, have the kids assemble all the ingredients. Show them how to make the mix and gently add fresh fruit to it. You can also use this opportunity to talk about different food groups and what makes certain foods better for you than others. Alongside this, why not introduce the sensory element too: perhaps thinking about crunchy foods, or spicy ones, and so on?
Use kid-friendly cookbooks
It’s easy to get stuck in a rut. After sticking to salads and wraps for a few weeks, you feel like your palate needs something more exciting. Kids can get bored, too, with the same recipes on rotation week after week. But you and they may need a nudge in the right direction to find inspiration for new ideas.
Try visiting the library to find kid-friendly cookbooks you can look through together. Have each child pick out a new recipe they’d like to try. Add those meals to your menu for the upcoming week. If they end up not liking the dishes they prepare, let them know it’s OK. Have ingredients for an easy meal on standby in case.
Think toasted cheese sandwiches, spaghetti, or a frozen pizza you can heat up. Besides cookbooks, encourage your children to look for online cooking videos for kids. Sites like YouTube have videos focused on kid-friendly recipes and meal ideas. You might also see if there’s a kid-oriented cooking class in your community you can attend together.
Get goal-oriented
You’ve heard of chore charts. How about healthy eating charts with a spot of fun for the kids? It might seem like it’s taking the fun out of healthy meal planning, but establishing those goals can be enjoyable. For example, your youngest wants to watch the colours they are eating. If they meet their goal, they get to pick the family movie for next Friday night.
Establishing a reward system might also give them an incentive to make progress. Setting goals also helps you model the behaviors you’d like to see instilled in your children. If they see you making healthier food choices, they’ll be more likely to follow. The key is to set realistic targets and not over-emphasize achievement as a sign of personal value. It’s OK to steer off course occasionally, as long as you’re able to get back on track.
While you don’t necessarily have to create charts, it does help to have everyone at least write down their goals. If you observe your children making progress, acknowledge it with encouragement. Say they come up with a new healthy recipe because they want to increase how much they contribute to meal planning. Thank them for the suggestion and show them you’re penciling the recipe in for your family’s next meal.
Kid-friendly healthy meal planning
Slicing up cucumbers probably isn’t your kids’ first idea of fun. But you’d be surprised what they’re willing to embrace if you get creative. By getting the whole family involved in healthy meal planning and preparation, your kids will be eating, and maybe even loving, their veggies.
We hope you like this article: do check out some of the other meal planning ones on the site:
Meal planning ideas on KiddyCharts
Here are some more meal planning ideas for you on site.
Printable weekly meal planner to download for free
Grab this freebie printable meal planner to help you plan those meals better with the kids!
Build your own cookbook for the family: Free cookbook template
This is a great idea - a cookbook you can create with your healthy recipes for the kids in it!
Six week family meal plan
Finally, some ideas for 6 weeks of meals, including some recipes for you to go and check out as well.
Or visit some of these too:
Other meal planning ideas
Here are some more meal plans you might like to dip into as well.
Ten budget family meals for the week before payday.... | The Diary of a Frugal Family
Some budget ideas for your meal planning.
Family Meal Planning Made Easy
How to go about it if you want to meal plan yourself.
How to create a year long meal plan
Create a year long one - and when you have - let me know?!?!
Get Organised - How to meal plan.... | The Diary of a Frugal Family
Finally, another bit of advice on how to get started meal planning if it isn't something that you have done before as a family.
Thanks so much for coming to see us, and we hope you will again.
Helen
Helen Neale
Helen is a mum to two, social media consultant, website editor and a qualified counsellor with experience of working with both children and adults. She is a registered member of the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapists, with her own private practise. She also freelances with her local Mind organisation. Since giving up being a business analyst when juggling travel, work and kids proved too complicated, she founded KiddyCharts so she could be with her kids, use those grey cells at the same time, and supplement her counselling income. KiddyCharts has reach of over 680k across socials and the site. The site works with big family brands to help promote their services, as well as offering free resources to parents of kids under 10. She is a specialist counsellor for neurodivergent individuals and brings this expertise to her resources and the site. She is also an ADHDer herself. KiddyCharts gives 51%+ profits to charities, focused on supporting mental health and a community in Tanzania Helen has also worked as a digital marketing consultant (IDM qualified) with various organisations, including Channel Mum, Truprint, Talk to Mums, and Micro Scooters. She loves to be creative in the brand campaigns she works on. Get in touch TODAY!