Sigh.
Just when I think I've got my kids eating a variety of foods, they stop. Ms. 10 used to eat almost anything. Now she'll eat almost no meat, limits her vegetables and there are even some fruits she won't eat anymore. Ms. 8 eats mac and cheese, eggs, cheese, popcorn and fruit, if she has to. Those are her major food groups. I know I'm not alone in the struggle to provide a variety of meals that the whole family can enjoy. The dinner struggle is real.
During last month's Macaroni Wellness Monday, I shared some of my favorite resources when it comes to feeding kids. I will share them again with you here.
Advice:
It's Not About the Broccoli - I reviewed this book a few years ago and it's time to go back to it. The author lays out three habits to teach your children that will give them a lifetime of healthy eating. Her overall lesson is that the battle isn't about making your kids eat broccoli. Kids don't hate broccoli. Kids hate to lose! (Sounds like my dinner table. What about yours?) By setting up guidelines and rules and becoming partners with your children, habits start to change.
French Kids Eat Everything - Food is a cultural experience. How we enjoy food, how we are social around food, how we feel about food is different depending on the culture we live in. This book is about an American mother's struggle when her young family moves to France and how she not only trained herself to eat the French way, but integrated her children into the culture as well. Spoiler alert: it's hard but she does it!
Recipes. My girls go through these books and put post-it notes on the recipes they want to try. (Hence the picture above.) It's a great way to get them involved!
100 Days of Real Food - Back in 2010, Lisa Leake and her family made a pledge to only eat real food (nothing processed) for 100 days. The 100 days changed their lives so drastically, they are still going strong. Now Lisa's website and books are amazing resources for families, no matter what your budget.
The Best Homemade Kids' Lunches on the Planet (Snacks, too!) - I discovered Laura Fuentes and her website MOMables.com when I was trying to figure out how to make creative yet easy and healthy lunches for my kids. If you're looking for an expansive resource of kid-friendly (and often allergy-friendly) recipes, then you'll really enjoy this mama's work!
Weelicious - Us moms have gotta stick together, right? And dads, and grandparents... all caregivers! We are all trying to feed our kids the best we can without pulling our hair out. Weelicious is a website and series of books put together by a mom named Catherine. She is also helping us feed our families healthy and easy meals that the whole family can enjoy.
There are many more books and websites out there in the world to help with feeding your family, but these are the few I've come across that I have enjoyed the most. I hope you find them helpful, too!
