Your kids want cookies, squeezable yogurt, and cheese puffs.
You want kids that are focused in school, get sick less often, recover faster, and are more happy and healthy overall.

Put the effort into training your kids’ taste buds now and take the fight out of healthy eating later.

Your Plan of Attack:

1. Get rid of all the junk food in the house. Throw it out and don’t bring it back! If they know it’s in the cupboard and you’re just not letting them have it, it will become an endless battle of wills.

2. Keep an ample supply of healthy snacks on hand that are easily accessible to the kids. I like to have a shelf of “you don’t have to ask” snacks -- foods that kids can help themselves to as much as they like, as often as they like. They’ll appreciate the autonomy and you’ll appreciate not having to be “food cop” all the time.

3. Train your kids to like vegetables. Vegetables are a free pass in the realm of good eating. You can’t possibly eat too many even if you ate nothing but vegetables all day long. High fiber, low calorie, zero fat, low or no sugar, and the single highest nutrient density of any food group. Vegetables are a no-brainer, pure goodness food.

4. Fruit is nature’s dessert. We all like to give our kids a treat sometimes. Fruit is naturally sweet and naturally high in Vitamin C. Eat with the seasons and you’ll get the best nutrition and flavor -- Summer: berries, cherries, plums, peaches, melons; Fall: apples, pears, grapes; Winter: citrus. Fruits and vegetables are not interchangeable. Vegetables trump fruits every time. It’s the sugar factor.

5. Be a role model. Kids are great at sniffing out a double standard. Don’t have one set of rules for your kids and a different set for yourself. Eat your vegetables at every meal. Don’t even think about keeping a secret stash of junk food for the grown-ups. Think about your drinks too. Americans get an average of 40% of their daily calories from beverages alone. Think how fast those extra pounds could be shed simply by drinking water only.

6. Be Consistent! Above all else, be consistent day in and day out. Making exceptions sends a clear signal to your kids that you are open to lobbying, so let the whining begin! A common exception that many parents fall into is rewards. Find something else to reward your kids with -- they get to pick the weekend family activity, a sleepover with friends, etc.

Treats vs. Snacks

Remember when life was simpler and there were only 2 food groups? Junk Food and everything else. And it was pretty clear what junk food was -- soda, potato chips, candy and, well, all desserts. Then a marketing explosion of all these in-between food categories came about to the point it has become difficult to tell what’s good and what’s junk.

“Treat: (n.) an event or item that is out of the ordinary and gives great pleasure.”

Snacks, on the other hand, have to play by the same everyday nutrition rules as breakfast, lunch and dinner. Many treats are marketed as snacks at the grocery store by their packaging and their placement in the store. Don’t be fooled! If you wouldn’t load up your child’s dinner plate with it, then it is not an acceptable snack.

Healthy snacks are low in sugar. Most of us probably have no idea how much sugar is too much for a child, much less ourselves. Check the label on any of your favorite products; you won’t find a “% Daily Value” on sugar. The American Pediatric Association and nutritionists have been trying to get a standard set for years and the number they would like to see is 40 grams per day. To put that into perspective, that’s one can of soda for your entire daily supply of sugar. Sugar consumption in America is out of control. Try adding up you own daily intake and you will likely be astounded. How many grams of sugar in your kid’s cereal and the orange juice they drank with it? The chocolate milk at lunch and the cookie you packed? The granola bar they had after school? You’ll get the picture...fast.

Healthy snacks don’t need “added vitamin C” or “fortified with Calcium” or “made with Probiotics.” Healthy foods come by their goodness naturally. When you see foods or food products boasting on their packaging about all the wonderful things the manufacturer has added to it, that’s typically a big red flag that that particular food had little or nothing to offer you in the way of nutrition in the first place, so they had to dress it up. A cookie with a vitamin added is still a cookie.

Think about what it is made of, not what they’re calling it. Granola bars are a big hit with the kids. Why? Because they’re candy bars. Chocolate chips, marshmallows, caramel...throwing a handful of oats in it and calling it by a different name does not make it a health food. Think of it like this: if you took a green bean and dipped it in chocolate, rolled it in marshmallows, and drizzled it in caramel, would you serve it at dinner as your vegetable?

Healthy foods are natural and whole (unprocessed or minimally processed). Great, we just eliminated everything in a package. Some of you may be saying, “Now what am I supposed to feed the kids?” the rest of you might be saying “Phew, no more reading confusing labels!”

Snack Ideas

Fresh Fruit
Raisins or Dried Fruit (choose unsweetened)
Seeds and Nuts
Whole grain crackers
Almond butter, Sunflower butter, Cashew butter
Apple slices with almond butter
Pear slices with cashew butter
Hummus
Avocado, guacamole
Fresh vegetables with a dip
Leftovers
Soups -- Annie’s low sodium canned soups, miso soup, or homemade can be prepared ahead of time and frozen in small portions
Salads
Granola - make your own, store bought contains too much sugar, see recipes below
Hard-boiled eggs

Fast Snacks

Soba Noodles- Boil water, cook noodles for two minutes, drain. Toss with vegetables, soy sauce or any other add in.

Rice Stir Fry
1 cup cooked brown rice
1 1/2 cups kale, broccoli, carrots, onions (or any vegetables)
1 or 2 eggs
Wheat-free Tamari or Bragg’s liquid Amino Acids to taste
Heat skillet and add a small amount of sunflower oil to coat. Add brown rice and vegetables. Cook until heated through, crack 1 egg into the skillet and mix into the stir-fry. Cook until egg is done. Add Bragg’s or tamari to taste.

Miso Soup: You simply add a heaping tablespoon of miso paste to a cup of hot water and stir until it is dissolved. Add spinach, carrots, or any other vegetables for a quick soup.

Popcorn: Try to avoid microwave popcorn, but using organic corn kernels you can air pop the corn or cook it on the stove with some sunflower oil.

Make Ahead and Have on Hand

Tip: Get the kids to help you in the kitchen. Kids are naturally more open-minded about something they helped make.

Yam Chips
2 small yams, cut into 1/8-inch slices
½ teaspoon dried basil
½ teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon onion powder

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. In a self-sealing plastic bag, place yam slices, herbs, and onion powder. Shake to coat. Spread the yams on the nonstick baking sheet sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Bake for about 45 minutes or until yam slices are slightly golden and crispy, making sure to turn at least once during cooking process. Be careful not to burn yam slices.

**You can make this a sweet treat by substituting 1 packet of stevia and ¼ teaspoon cinnamon for the Italian herbs.

Nut Mix
2 Tablespoon coconut oil
½ cup Almonds
½ cup pecans
½ cup walnuts
½ cup pumpkin seeds
¼ teaspoon cayenne
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger

Melt coconut oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add all ingredients to skillet, stirring constantly to blend making sure to coat nuts evenly with spices. Cook until nut mixture is lightly golden brown and toasted, about 6 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool. Store in air tight container.

Party Mix
1-2 cups raw nuts (Almonds, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, pine nuts, etc)
Sprouted grain tortillas cut into bite size triangles
Olive Oil

Soak nuts over night in clean water. Rinse and place on cookie sheet with other ingredients. Toss all ingredients lightly with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt and any additional seasonings (try curry powder or a chile mix.) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake until golden and crispy. Enjoy!

Tea Eggs
8 eggs
2 Tbsp black tea
2 Tbsp wheat free tamari

Place the eggs in a small pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil and cook for 10 minute. Remove the eggs from the water with a slotted spoon and rinse with cold water in a colander until just cool enough to handle. Using the back of a metal spoon, lightly tap each egg shell to crack it all over. Return the eggs to the pot of water and add the tea and tamari. Bring water to a boil then reduce to a gentle simmer, steeping the eggs for 50 minutes. Then remove the eggs from the water and allow to cool. They can be peeled and served warm or cold.

Salmon Cakes – serve with minty dill pesto (see dressings)
8 ounces cook salmon fillet, skinned
¼ cup scallions, finely chopped
2 teaspoons fresh dill
2 garlic cloves, minced
Splash of fresh lemon juice
1 egg, beaten

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place salmon in a large bowl and separate with a fork. Mix in scallions, dill, garlic, lemon juice, and egg. Shape mixture into small patties, about ¾ inch thick. Place patties in nonstick baking dish or sheet in oven. Bake in oven for about 15 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through.

Grain-Free Granola
2 cups almonds
1 cup macadamia nuts
1 cup pumpkin seeds
1 cup raisins (optional) Shredded coconut is a great option
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon sea salt

Place nuts and seeds in a large bowl, cover with water and soak overnight. Place raisins in a separate bowl, cover with ( ½ to 1 cup) water and soak overnight. Place the raisins, along with their soaking water in a food processor and puree until smooth. In a fine mesh metal strainer, drain and rinse the nuts and seeds and discard the soaking water. Add nuts and seeds to raisin puree in food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped, to the consistency of granola, then add vanilla, cinnamon and salt and pulse briefly to incorporate these final ingredients. Transfer mixture onto two large parchment lined baking sheets. Bake 45 minutes in the oven at 250°.

Almond Power Bars
2 cups almonds (raw)
½ cup flax meal (flax seeds ground in a blender)
½ cup shredded coconut (unsweetened)
½ cup unsalted almond butter
½ teaspoon celtic sea salt
½ cup coconut oil
4 drops liquid stevia
1 tablespoon agave nectar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup Dagoba Brand Chocodrops(optional)

Place almonds, flax meal, shredded coconut, almond butter and salt in a food processor. Pulse briefly, about 10 seconds. In a small sauce pan, melt coconut oil over very low heat. Remove coconut oil from stove, stir stevia, agave and vanilla into oil. Add coconut oil mixture to food processor and pulse until ingredients form a coarse paste. Press mixture into an 8 x 8 glass baking dish. Chill in refrigerator for 1 hour, until mixture hardens. In a small saucepan, melt chocodrops over very low heat, stirring continuously. Spread melted chocolate over bars; return to refrigerator for 30 minutes, until chocolate hardens. Remove from refrigerator, cut into bars and serve. Makes 20 bars.

Goji Granola
2 cups almonds (or substitute your favorite nuts)
1 cup macadamia nuts
1 cup pumpkin seeds
½ cup flax seeds
1 cup unsweetened goji berries
1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon ginger
½ teaspoon cardamom
½ teaspoon celtic sea salt

Place nuts and seeds in a large bowl and fill with water until just covered. Soak overnight. Place goji berries in a separate bowl, cover with ( ½ to 1 cup) water and soak overnight as well. Place the goji berries and their soaking water in a food processor and puree until smooth . Drain and rinse the nuts and seeds. Discard the soaking water. Add nuts and seeds and coconut to goji berry puree in food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped, to the consistency of granola, then add vanilla, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom and salt and pulse briefly to incorporate these final ingredients. Spread granola on two lined baking sheets (parchment paper works best.) A quicker option is to bake the granola for 45 minutes in the oven at 250 °.

Sweet Potato Fritters
2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and shredded
2 Tablespoons grated onion
2 egg whites
½ teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper

In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients. Mix well for several minutes until well combined. Heat a large non-stick griddle, oil it lightly with coconut oil. Drop mixture by tablespoon onto hot skillet. Flatten fritters with the back of a spoon and smooth edges so fritters aren’t too ragged. Turn fritters when edges appear dry and bottoms are lightly brown.

Spicy Chickpea “Peanuts”
1 can (15 oz) chickpeas, rinsed well and drained
1 Tablespoon sesame oil
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon coriander
¼ teaspoon ground cumin

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a mixing bowl, mix the chickpeas with the oil and spices. Place on a nonstick baking sheet sprayed that is lightly oiled. Bake about ½ hour or until chickpeas are golden and crunchy.

Tzatziki Sauce
1 Cucumber, peeled and diced
1 cup plain yogurt
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 c finely chopped dill
pinch of sea salt

Stir all ingredients together in a bowl. Serve chilled with fresh vegetables or whole grain crackers.

Mini Bean Burgers
1 16 oz can of black beans or pinto beans
1 egg
1/2 cup leftover cooked rice
1/4 onion, diced
2 Tbsp fresh cilantro (or basil) chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp olive oil
optional -- sea salt and black pepper

Place beans in a bowl and mash with a fork until chunky. Crack the egg into a separate large mixing bowl and mix with fork. Add the beans to the egg and all the remaining ingredients and mix well -- go ahead and use your hands; its easier. Divide into 6-8 portions and shape into mini patties. You can freeze the uncooked patties for later use or cook in a skillet for about 4 minutes on each side. These patties can be broken up into a pita pocket with lettuce, tomato, avocado or served alone with salsa or guacamole or tzatziki sauce.