To think I once worried that Maven didn’t know when she was full now makes me laugh. To get the girl to sit down for a complete meal is sometimes a real challenge. She’s so active, so chatty and just has way more on her agenda than sitting down to eat whatever we may put in front of her.

Sylvie on the other hand just wants to snack, snack, snack. She’s a grazer – and gets that from her mama. (Amazing mama snack ideas here!)

How then do I find the balance? How do I get them to sit down to eat and get them to consume the good stuff?

I’ve learned children go through phases of being more or less interested in food, open to eating new things and picky beyond all frustration. I’ve experienced each end of the spectrum and have children with different eating habits, so I’ve tried to come up with a few simple ways to make food fun. I want them to be able to sit down and eat a healthy meal so I know their minds and bodies are fueled for growth and learning (and so we can prevent all things related to hangry meltdowns). If I can make things exciting for them, I know I can better capture their attention long enough to get that good stuff in.

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Here’s what is fun for us:

Containers

• Bentgo lunch box: My kids LOVE this Bentgo lunch box. They think it’s so fun to have places for all of their food components and it honestly makes them excited to open it and eat. I sent these boxes to school with them (packed in an insulated lunch bag) and we utilize them, too, when we pack up lunch to go (ex: to the zoo).

• Individual everything: Individual portions of everything excite my kids. While we do buy some pre-packaged products in these sizes, I’ve also bought little bowls with lids that I can divide things myself + save on waste!

 

Shapes

• Shape cutters: (ex. Cucumbers) Cutting anything you can into shapes is always exciting. It’s so affordable to get a set of shapes and switch it up to keep things interesting. And I swear, it doesn’t take much effort at all. This starpack is great!

• Stencil for sandwiches: Our teddy bear stencil was a thrilling addition to our lunches last summer. Eat his ear, I would say. They would laugh and laugh and eat all of the pieces I told them to. This set is great for variety!

Tools

• Mini forks: I got this idea from my mom, actually, because she serves fruit using these. Mini anything is cute and fun and different + my kids love eating small pieces of food with these. They love picking out their colors with these!

• Food pics: Same principle, and seriously, anything cute my kids just eat up. This animal set is adorable and does the trick!

Dips

• Peanut butter
• Dressings
• Honey

Anytime I give my kids something to dip food in, they seem to eat more of it. Get creative with what you offer and don’t assume because you wouldn’t pair two items together that your kids won’t. ☺ Apparently honey pairs well with everything.

 

Smoothies

This is such a great way to sneak in more vegetables for your kids! Plus, it’s great activity to get them involved in the smoothie making process. We often use these for breakfasts and snacks, especially during the summer. We have a Vitamix Blender (my Mother’s Day gift last year) that is seriously amazing. It blends so well, which allows us to incorporate more vegetables without having grainy or not well blended textures. The investment has been well worth it.

Variety

• Snack mixes: Mix anything and everything together. Cereals with dried fruit with crackers with nuts with you name it.
• Fruit salad: I know most kids eat fruit regularly, but making a fruit salad is a fun way to mix up what you are serving.

 

I hope these simple ideas are helpful to you. Sometimes when I scroll through Pinterest and realize I’m not making my pancakes look like animals or creating edible arrangements for my kids, I can feel a little inadequate. But then again, I remember how b u s y we are and where my strengths + priorities lay, and here I am with an incredibly simple list of strategies to get my kids to eat well.

Enjoy!

XO

PS – Are you following me on Pinterest yet? I post some fun stuff there.