I feel like I’ve had relative success in this department (with relative futility in others, e’hem…homeschool anyone? Google meetups -oops).
I’ve been geeking out on sneaking secret ingredients in my kids’ food for a while now but covid exemplifies all my best efforts.
Wanna know what they’re eating so you can have your hand at a few tasty treats?
First and foremost – I will preface that I’m “one of those mums” who doesn’t keep things like ice cream in the freezer, candy on the shelves or generic snacks around. For their sake and mine. Our home is a pretty processed junk food free zone which is the #1 ingredient for keeping your kiddos eating well and good and staying that way.
Don’t get me wrong though, I’m no angel – I see the value in having treats too so every once in a while the kids will pick out their favorite dairy free ice cream or we’ll buy marshmallows for hot cocoa – I keep that handy bag of marshmallows tucked away once they forget about it and bring it out on a rainy day. The foundation we wish to lay, however, is to keep the zone relatively clear.
So here’s what I’ve been doing to keep my babes vibing high and rocking this coronavirus with bulletproof immunity:
Desert Pillows – Aka Mint Chocolate Chickpea Cookies
1 can of chickpeas
1/4 cup maple syrup
3 Tbsp cacao powder
3 Tbsp pb2 (peanut powder – unsweetened)
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp sea salt
2-4 drops of peppermint extract
a couple splashes of almond milk
~ bake at 350 on a greased baking sheet for 20 minutes
Allow to cool
Smoothies, The basic:
Bananas
Blueberries
Strawberries
Almond milk
+ sneaky ingredients: spinach, hemp seeds, chlorophyll tablets
Guacamole & Veggie chips. I bought a bag of Garden of Eaten veggie chips from Costco recently after reading the ingredients. They’re mostly rice, peas & beans and they’re a great vessel for scooping up nutrient dense avocados. Simple kiddo friendly guac is:
2 ripe haas avocados
mashed with sea salt.
Presto.
Avocado Oil Popcorn with Sea Salt & Nutritional Yeast (best for an electric stovetop)
1/4 cup avocado oil
+ 3 organic corn kernels
~ heat the pot on medium heat with oil
~ wait until you hear them pop, remove with a slotted spoon
~ take pot off heat (keep heat on)
+ 1/2 organic corn kernels to the hot oil and COUNT TO 30
~ cover with lid and return to heat
~ kernels will begin to pop like mad, remove from the heat once they begin to slow down. Probably takes 45-60 seconds total
+ sprinkle with sea salt & nutritional yeast
Big winner
Green Soup
This one is going to sound like a long shot but I couldn’t believe my daughter when she said it was the best thing she’s ever tasted – enter wide eyes here . I made this for myself as part of my Therapeutic Eating program meal plan so I was taste testing…
Green Soup:
1 zucchini
2 handfuls of spinach
1/2 onion
cover with water, cover with lid, bring to a boil & simmer for 2 minutes – remove
Season with:
2-3 dashes of tamari
2-3 dashes of ume plum vinegar
a little salt and pepper to taste
*optional 1 Tbsp miso paste
Blend – serve with flax crackers
Flax crackers *may or may not fly with your kids but again, I let myself be surprised.
3 cups flax meal
1 Tbsp Italian seasoning
1 tsp salt
cover with water, stir into a thick batter
smear onto a greased cookie sheet
score long lines across
bake at 350 for 1 hour
allow to cool
break along the lines you scored, serve with soup
Whatever else I can come up with I’ll post here – but that’s it for now. And because we’re #luckywelivehawaii I make sure to get them outside for some sunshine and water play. Go Mom (or dad)!
hope that helps and inspires some healthy eating in your home!
xo
Katie
#kidapproved #plantbasedkids #eatmoreplants
