Have a picky eater? 

Here are 10 PRACTICAL ways to get your little ones to eat their veggies – and other new foods! 

 

 

“No Thank You” Bite  This one isn’t just for veggies but all food.  Face it, some things kids just don’t like (just like some food YOU just don’t care for!).  You don’t want to force your kid to eat everything but they do have to at least take a bite.  Afterwards, if they don’t like it, they just need to say, “No thank you!”  Not “EWWWW”, not gagging, not spitting it back out. 
*Bonus - a little lesson on manners!

 

Do NOT be sneaky  There are recipe books out for how to sneak veggies into your kids' food WITHOUT them knowing!  No way Jose!  Go ahead and put the pureed veggies in your cheese sauce or smoothie but TELL THEM (maybe wait until they are a few bites or sips into it and talk about how yummy it is first).  Let them see that they are eating veggies AND enjoying them!

 

 

Shop with them   As you walk around the produce section, get them involved!  Encourage older kids to walk around and explore the goods!  For the little guys cooped up in the cart, be sure to hand them some produce to explore.  They should be looking, touching, and smelling the different produce (be sure to hit up some things like ginger, ripe peaches, lemons… to smell).  Every week have them pick out a new fruit or veggie to try (later they can help you prepare it!). 

 

Cook with them  Get them involved in the kitchen with you!  It gives them a real sense of ownership and they are more likely to try something that THEY made! 

*Bonus - you’ll be making fun memories, not just healthy food J

 

Raw vs Cooked Taste Test  Once the veggies are washed, put some raw ones aside.  When the cooked ones are done, put both on their plate.  Make it a fun game to see what one they like better - You might find out that they like raw crunchy carrots and not a fan of steamed ones!  While I don’t encourage short-order cooking (cooking different food for picky eaters), if they do like the raw veg, remember that in the future!  Always pull out a few raw ones for them (but keep putting the cooked ones on the plate too so they get used to seeing them).  Keep the raw ones in mind for snacks too!

 

Have FUN with Food  I do this all the time for snacks!  My 8 year old loves “surprise snack”.  He can’t look at what I am making (a stipulation we have is that he HAS to eat whatever I fix him or I won’t do “surprise snack” again - I try to do foods he likes).  This can be as simple as arranging slices of fruit in the shape of a smiley face or giving foods goofy names.  The other day I made the kids “monster eyes”, which were really slices of bananas smeared with peanut butter and topped with a raisin.  As they munched I would exclaim, “Ewww!  I can’t believe you’re really eating monster eyeballs!  That is soooo gross you guys!”
PS - When plating your kids dinner, try to make it look appealing - use contrasting dishes if you have them.  Insead of putting green broccoli on a green plate, put it on a yellow one to make it stand out and look bright and fun :-)  Yep, broccoli can look fun!

 

 

Dip, Baby, Dip  Kids like to dip, plain and simple.  Ranch, ketchup, honey, yogurt, Nutella, hummus, salsa, peanut butter…  Find out what they like!  Don’t just get creative with the dip but with the way you serve the veggies or fruit.  Cut them in strips or shapes to make dipping even more fun!

 

 

Get Growin’!  If you don’t have one already, start a little garden.  Don’t have a yard or it’s too cold?  Do a little on your window sill!. When a child sees the magic of a tiny little see grow into FOOD they will be amazed and eager to give it a taste!  Start small with an herb like cilantro to make a fresh salsa (that they of course help you make too)!
*Bonus – Built in science lesson!

 

 

 

Bring on the super powers!   What kid doesn’t want super powers?!  Do a quick Google search on what you plan on serving to see how our bodies benefit from it.  I do this with a lot of food, not just veggies!  For example, chicken is a great source of protein.  Be sure to tell the kids how eating the chicken is going to make their muscles big and strong.  After they take a bite or 2, be sure to have them flex for you.  Give their bicep a little squeeze and prepare to be amazed that they are already getting stronger!!!  The next day while they are hanging from the jungle gym exclaim, “Wow!  That chicken really made you strong!  Look at you swinging away like monkey!”  OR at the table I will say, “Oh no!  I put peas on your plate.  Whatever you do, DON’T eat them!  They will make you way too strong!”  Sure enough with a mischievous grin, a few peas will start making their way into your little one's mouth. 

 

Monkey see, monkey do!  Don’t be a “Do as I say, not as I do” kind of parent.  Kids won’t want to eat broccoli if daddy always leaves him on his plate (hint hint to my hubby!).  When they see you enjoying healthy food, they will want to try it too!  My daughter was never a fan of avocados, which my husband and I love!  After seeing us repeatedly chowing down on them and always offering her some, she now loves them!  Be sure to talk about how yummy the food is so they hear how much you like it!

 

When life just gets too crazy and you realize that your kids just aren’t eating how you want them to that day or you want to give them an extra boost...  There is a way to CHEAT!  If there is a day that you will on the go and afraid your kids won’t get the nutrition they need, here is my FAVORITE go to -The Greens!  I take them every morning to boost my immune system, alkalize (diseases HATE alkaline bodies), and for energy by giving my body the right stuff.  PLUS feeding your body the right stuff CURBS CRAVINGS!  One little orange flavored scoop is equivalent to 4+ servings of organic fruits and veggies!  Mix it in some juice (our favorite is orange or strawberry/banana/orange) and you’re done!  At least you know that your kids got in 4 servings before they even finish their morning Barbie Princess movie (can you tell what my 3 year old daughter is into right now?!).  When my kids see me mixing mine (I do 2 scoops for 8+ servings) they come running for theirs!  How cool is that?!

 

Click to order YOUR Greens!!!

 

 

Goodbye Baby Belly!

Okay.  So I have now had 3 babies.  I am NOT one of the little mamas who walk out of the hospital holding her little babe rockin' her skinny jeans.  I gained 40 lbs with every one of them and worked to get those bad boys off of me every time.  Even when I got down to my pre-baby weight, my skin was still loose. This last time I found an awesome way to tighten and tone my belly back in just 45 mins!  Amazing!  You just slap one of these It Works Wraps on and wear it for 45 mins (I actually slept in mine...).  I started noticing results right away and they got better and better over the next 72 hours!  Woohoo!  This is for real and the best part is that the tightening and toning actually lasted.  Pretty amazing...  I bought a box of 4 wraps for $59.  I had such great results, I became an distributor for It Works Global!  I now get to share one of Hollywoods biggest secrets.  Here are some before and after pictures of the wraps...

 

 

 

Pretty cool, right? It's not just for tummies! 

Check out the before and after of her arm! 

They can be used anywhere that you want to be tightened and toned.

 

 Wanna get healthy while you tighten and tone? 

Yes, this is GOOD for you! 

Check out my website and let me know if you would like to try it for FREE! 

www.itworkswrapgirl.com More to come...

Time to Sign

Baby Gabe is just about 8 months old already - That means it's time to start signing with him!  We did this with our last two and it's AMAZING how much easier it is on the baby and the parents when you give them the tools to communicate!  Cognitively, babies know what they want, they just don't have the verbal skills to communicate it to you yet.  By teaching them some basic signs, you are allowing them to tell you what they want or need.  A lot of parents think, "Oh please!  I have enough going on with out adding this to my plate..." The truth is, it doesn't take any extra time!  Follow these easy steps and prepare to be amazed...


Step 1.  Pick the words you want to teach first.  I always start with these three (I introduce them at the same time):  eat, milk, and more.  Here are the signs for these 3 words (these are standard American Sign Language signs)...

Step 2.  Whenever you ask your little one if they want to eat, just do the sign!  The same goes for "milk" (I use the same sign for both bottle and boob).   Use "more" when not only talking about eating/drinking, but playing too!  Be sure to say the word, not just sign it.

Step 3.  After doing the signs to your baby for a few weeks (I do 2 weeks) take their little hands and mimic the sign for them.  You say "Do you want to eat?" doing the sign yourself and then repeat it bringing their little had to their mouth. 

Step 4.  Be consistent!  Encourage family members (big brothers and sisters love doing this!) to help.  Teach all the care-givers the signs and ask them to do it too.  It seems like it takes my babies about 3 or 4 weeks and then BAM!  They totally get it!  The first time they do it you're like, "Wait... Did they really do that or was that a fluke?"  But then they do it again!  Sometimes they do their own variation so be aware of their hand movements.  When you see them do it, be sure to verbally acknowledge that you understand them.  "Oh!  You want MORE?" (still do the sign).  It's soooo exciting and fun to have your BABY clearly communicate with you!  Yes, people might ask you if your baby is hearing impaired (this happened to us!) but smile and explain what you're doing.  Many people are blown away by this, especially when they see your baby do it back!  After mastering these words, add on!  We did "all done" and "help" next.  Try to pick things that they really need.  Google the word you want along with ASL and hit "Images" to learn how to do it, or make up your own sign!

Some people think that doing signing with your baby will delay the verbal language development.  Nope!  The opposite is actually true!  Babies who sign have a much higher vocabulary and pick up new words much faster than those who don't sign.  Not to mention studies show they have higher IQ's plus a slue of other amazing benefits... (See the links at the bottom of this post.)

I first learned about signing with your baby in some of my psych classes while earning my degree in education.  I knew right away that this was something that I wanted to do with my future children.  I purchased a program for my first child.  Here is the one I used:
http://sign2me.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=14&Itemid=242 
Dr Garcia made it so easy to do! 


Here are some links with some of the many benefits of signing with your baby:
http://sign2me.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=15&Itemid=31

http://theparentsite.com/parenting/signbaby.asp

Happy Signing!!!

First Eats for the Babe...

So, my mama was a total hippy chick.  I am talking hitch-hiking across to country to spend time in a commune in New Mexico with a group called The Diggers who lived off the land type of hippy.   She raised us on good, healthy food and taught me to do the same with my little ones. 

For those who haven't made their own baby food, it's super easy and makes you totally feel like a total super mom!  Here is how I made a batch of homemade organic carrots for Gabe the Babe...

Items Needed:
Fruit or Veg
Large Pot with Lid and Steamy Thing that goes in the bottom
Food Processor or Blender
Ice Cube Trays
Gallon Zipper Bags

1.  Scope out some good fruits or veggies that are on sale and stock up.  If you don't want to splurge on organic every time, try to at least do it for the things that grow in the ground since they absorb so much of the nastiness from all the chemicals used to treat crops. 

2.  Wash the produce and place in pot with enough water to come to the bottom of the steamer thing (yes, I know you are impressed with my culinary vocabulary right now...).  Since I went with organic, I didn't bother peeling them.  Save all the time you can Mama!!!

3.  Cover with the lid and turn heat on med-high heat (watch to be sure it doesn't boil over if there is a lot of water AND that it doesn't evaporate all the water and scortch your pot if there's not enough water- been there, done that!).  Steam the carrots until the are easily pierced with a fork.

4.  Take the cooked carrots and place in the food processor.  I had to do the carrots in a few different batches...  (Before I had this food processor, I used my blender and it worked just fine.)

5.  Puree veggies.  If it's to thick and pasty, add some of the water from the bottom of the pot that you used to steam the carrots.



6.  Pushing the "On" button can be oh so tiring, so this is when you enlist the help of a near-by button-pusher!  Miss Ava is highly trained and came with very strong recommendations!  Don't let the fact that she's in jammies fool you folks, it wasn't morning, it was noon when we did this ;-)

7.  Puree and add water until you get the consistency that you want.

8.  Spoon into ice cube trays.  Two bags of carrots made 5 1/2 trays full for me.

9.  Stick in the freezer (next to your bags of breastmilk ;-) until frozen solid.

10.  Once frozen, put about an inch of hot water in the bottom of your sink and put the ice cube trays in there to loosen up the cubes (this only takes a minute).  Then, pop into a freezer zipper bag and label.  Next time your little one is hungery for some good stuff, just grab a cube, heat it up, and your ready to go!

Hey look - Gabe loves them!  It was all worth it!  Okay, actually, he hated them and this was a fluke picture.  The only way I can get him to choke the carrots down is to mix them with some of his beloved apples or pears.  But I will slowly start adding more and more carrots until he loves them by themselves...  

Other good foods to start with:  Apples (peel and core), Peas (frozen work great), Sweet Potatoes (poke with a fork, microwave for 5 min, turn, 5 more min, then cover with foil and let sit for 10 min, then the skin pulls right off).  Experiment and mix the different cubes!  Another easy one is mashing up bananas or avocados with a fork and feed to your baby fresh.  Have fun - Happy Feeding!