Healthy Ideas for Picky Eaters

People who have met my children, particularly my son, have heard tales of their pickyness. He is very fortunate to have been born in the time and place that he was, otherwise he would probably be a early childhood mortality statistic. As a toddler we had to put him on appetite stimulants, he was that determined not to eat. Keeping them alive this long, I've read dozens of books and articles about trying to get kids to eat healthy foods. Here are some ideas that have worked for me, they may not

work for everyone, but they are certainly worth a shot.

1. Be an example- When your kids see you eating healthy foods, they are more likely to try it themselves. My youngest has no recollection of our family eating 'the standard American diet'. Most of the time if she sees me eating a salad, she would rather have that versus what my older kids are requesting.
2. Dip- For some reason kids find foods you can dip very appealing. And why not? Dip=party food. It can be healthy dip too! My girls love carrots in hummus. Even Mr. Picky himself will sometimes eat carrots in ranch. Whole grain tortilla chips in salsa are a big hit at our house, as are cut veggies in tzatziki. Roasted cauliflower in peanut sauce is a winner too.
3. Get them to help. Kids are more interested in eating things that they helped purchase, grow and/or prepare. 
4. Get their input. Ask them 'What fruits and vegetables would you like to eat?'
5. Keep dried fruit, nuts or popcorn in your car/purse. More often than not, when we are on the go, the kids complain of being hungry. If they are really hungry, and not just bored, they'll eat the healthy snacks that I keep on me. If not they can wait.
6. Always have cold water available. My kids will always choose the ice water over the room temperature juice. Before we leave the house, I try to make sure that every kid has their respective water bottles and they have fresh ice water in them.
7. Keep trying, keep exposing them to healthy foods. Try exposing them to foods prepared in different ways. I was thoroughly amazed when one day I roasted Brussels sprouts and my oldest couldn't get enough of them. She ate half a pan, when the week before she wouldn't touch them.
8. Mix veggies in smoothies. I try not to rely completely on this. I want my kids to learn to eat healthy whole foods, but I am not above blending spinach, beets or carrots into smoothies (or soups or sauces).
9. Stick to your rules. In our house, if my kids want a treat they have to have a fruit or a vegetable first, and they need to have eaten whatever the previous meal was.
10. Make it fun. Arrange foods into faces or use cookie or sandwich cutters to give the food fun shapes.
11. Stay positive. Don't get angry and keep encouraging them to try new things

I can't say that my kids always willingly eat healthy foods, but we have made so much progress!

Book Review: Yes, Please

The biggest reason I chose this book is am an Amy Poehler fan. I love that she is funny, a feminist and very outspoken that girls should have opportunities in science and other academic fields. And the audio book is fun because she has some fun actors helping her to narrate it like Patrick Stewart, Carol Burnett and Kathleen Turner. (Also I love audio books because they make catching up on laundry and dishes more fun.) As I started listening to it I thought it was awesome that Amy Poehler is a mom of small children who works full-time who is passionate about life and I think she has some good points for those who trying to juggle all the busy things that fill our lives. Although there is a whole lot of raunchiness, and I did not like the book nearly as much as I was hoping that I would. I don't know that I would recommend it. (I did LOVE the chapter when she talking about making Parks & Rec. I also loved the chapter where she talked about visiting Haiti.) Having said that, I do think there are several worthwhile pieces of advice. So without further ado, advice and inspiring thoughts from Amy Poehler's book, Yes, Please

• Discover what your 'currency' is. What aspect of life is really important to you? Let go of the things that aren't you.
• More women should adopt the motto "Great for her, not for me."
• As a woman, it takes years to find your voice and figure out who you really are.
• Any painful experience helps you see things differently
• Fighting aging is like the war on drugs. It's expensive, pointless and never ends.
• Getting older means you get super powers. :) You're wiser, people notice you less and you can laugh at younger people doing stupid things.
• Ignore what other people think, most people aren't paying attention to you anyway.
• Write. Create. Take risks.
• If you are afraid to look stupid you should probably go home.
• It is easier to be brave when you are not alone.
• Every mother needs a wife, someone to take care of you so you can take care of everyone and everything else. (Of course, that's easier said than done.)
• Doing something together is more fun than doing it alone.
• Other people are not medicine.
• Everyone wants to hear your most embarrassing moment. You don't have to share.
• There is a difference between talent and determination.
• Ambivalence is key to success. You need to not care what other people think of you. You have to not care how you look. 
• When someone is being rude or abusing their power, call them out on it.
• Too often women try to tackle problems that are not our own. 
• Take time to be in the moment.
• Hopefully you can get to the place you need to be.
• Drugs make folding your laundry bearable? (I'll take my audio books, thank you.)
• Going outside in your pajamas makes you feel like you are breaking out of jail.
• What truly heals is gratitude and tenderness.
• A person is more than the tragedies that they experience.
• You can change your story.