Mom Approved Kids Meals…

That are great for mom, too!

In honor of Mother’s Day, this month is all about mom-approved kids meals… for moms, too! Even if you aren’t a mom, these are great baby steps towards healthy eating. So, if you want to encourage a spouse, friend, or co-worker to adopt healthier eating habits, these tips are a great place to start! 

How often are you stuffing your face with your kid's snacks and leftovers? Like, “Oh, I’ll just finish their last few fries or bites of their ice cream.” Sometimes, those last few bites can sabotage our healthy eating habits.  But what if we changed how our kids eat, too? What if we could both be happy eating the same thing? Believe it or not, kids are way more open to trying new things than we give them credit for, especially when they see us eating it repeatedly. Our clients' first compliment is that our recipes are family (and picky-eater) friendly! They can’t believe their kids are begging for our smoothies or snacks. 

Here’s some advice on feeding your kids healthier options:

1. Dips—Kids love to dip things. It’s almost like a game, and honestly, who doesn’t love a yummy dip? Think guacamole, hummus, bean dip, cottage cheese, nut butter, and Greek yogurt. The ideas are endless with the amount of fruits and veggies we can dip in these. 

2. Soups—If you think they won’t eat it, put it in a soup. The beauty of simmering vegetables together is that they take on each other’s flavors, and you never know all that’s in it because it tastes so decadent. Start your soups with a vegetable, bone, or meat broth, and add fresh garlic. Then throw in any veggies you don’t want to go bad! 

3. Smoothies—Here’s where you really can’t go wrong. We have met very few people, kids included, who don’t like smoothies. There’s a reason one of our best-selling cookbooks is entirely devoted to smoothies! Plus, things that kids normally wouldn’t eat on their own (we’re looking at you, spinach) can easily be hidden inside a delicious smoothie. 

The bottom line is, let’s not make our reason to do better and be better the same as our excuse. We can do better for us and our kids. You’ve got this! 

Looking for more kid-friendly recipes? We have an entire cookbook! 

The Kid-Friendly Cookbook focuses on how to feed our kids the CCN way.

What’s included in your digital download:

• 50 Breakfast, Snack, and Lunch Ideas (including sweet treats)

• Tips & Guidelines for Feeding Kids (picky eaters too!)

• Kid-Friendly Products We Love – with clickable links

• Portable Lunch and Snack Ideas – with a handy lunch packing chart

• My 5 Colors A Day Chart – kids can keep track of their colors in a fun way

And what kid doesn’t like dessert? Kids can easily be incentivized to finish dinner if a treat is promised afterward. What they don’t know is this treat is also better for them! This strawberry shortcake is also a great dish to take to a BBQ. Memorial Day weekend, anyone?  

Strawberry Shortcake

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose or whole wheat flour (gluten-free flour option: use fine almond flour)

• 1/4 cup coconut or palm sugar

• 1 Tablespoon baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 6 Tablespoons chilled butter, cut into small pieces- Can sub coconut oil

• 1 1/4 cups buttermilk (to make buttermilk, use 1 1⁄4 cup milk and 1 Tablespoon lemon juice or white vinegar) (Can substitute dairy-free milk)

• 1 Tablespoon grated lemon rind

• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

• 1 Tablespoon butter, melted

• 1 Tablespoon coconut or palm sugar

• 4 cups sliced strawberries

• 1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Combine 2 cups flour, 1/4 cup coconut sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a large bowl. Cut in chilled butter with a pastry blender until the mixture resembles a coarse meal. Combine 1 1/4 cups buttermilk and grated lemon rind. Add the buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture and toss gently with a fork to combine. (The dough should be wet and about the texture of cottage cheese.)

Coat a 9-inch round metal cake pan or baking sheet with cooking spray. Place 1/2 cup flour in a separate shallow dish. Scoop 10 equal dough portions into the dish. Gently shape each portion into a round by tossing in flour to help shape the dough. Arrange in cake pan. Discard excess flour. Brush dough with melted butter, and sprinkle evenly with 1 tablespoon of coconut sugar. Bake at 425 degrees for 22 minutes or until the shortcakes are lightly browned. Remove shortcakes from pan. Cool on wire rack.

Combine berries and lemon juice; toss to coat. Let stand for 15 minutes. Split each shortcake in half; spoon about 1/3 cup berry mixture onto each shortcake.

Serve with fresh whipped cream - use a carton of heavy whipping cream or canned coconut cream (dairy-free option), 1 teaspoon vanilla, and 2 Tablespoons powdered sugar, and whip until light and fluffy.