healthy eating kids Archives - Wild Blueberries

6 Back to School Recipes Your Kids Will Love

For most of us, Labor Day means the end of white jeans and the start of Pumpkin Lattes. But for parents everywhere, it’s the return to the structured routine of school, sports and homework. So as we head back-to-school, we wanted to give all the moms and dads out there our favorite tips and recipes for keeping breakfast and lunch fun and delicious – even for the pickiest of eaters!

Breakfast

Eating a healthy nutritious breakfast is important for every kid. It provides them the fuel they need to be effective at school. Incorporate foods into your breakfast routine that will help your child do their best in the classroom. For example, research has shown that including Wild Blueberries in your kid’s diet can boost memory and concentration in elementary school aged kids. Even when the mornings get hectic, which we know they do, don’t skip breakfast.

Plan ahead and have delicious breakfast items ready to grab and go. You can whip up a batch of these Wild Blueberry Mini Muffins from Lindsay Livingston of the Lean Green Bean in no time. The almond butter (or nut butter of your choice) and the yogurt helps these muffins stay nice and moist for days at a time and their small size fits perfectly in little hands, eager to eat on the go.

Oatmeal is another healthy breakfast choice, but one often scoffed at by kiddos because of its texture. Keep things fun and fresh with this creative recipe from Sally Kuzemchak of Real Mom Nutrition. Her Gluten-Free Wild Blueberry & White Chocolate Oatmeal Cups are hearty and healthy, and the kids won’t even know they are eating oatmeal. The frozen Wild Blueberry and white chocolate combo is like eating dessert for breakfast. Plus, if you make them in muffin tins they’re easy to grab on the way out the door to catch the bus.

Smoothies are another healthy grab and go option for breakfast. You can pack them full of nutritious ingredients – even veggies – and serve them up in fun travel cups with colored straws. Try this Wild Blueberry and Kefir Breakfast Smoothie from Sally Kuzemchak. She uses frozen Wild Blueberries to help balance the tang of the kefir. And because Wild Blueberries have such a vivid hue, a handful of fresh, iron-rich baby spinach just disappears into the drink.

Lunch Box Ideas

Involve Kids in the Process: Sit down and make a lunch plan for the week so they’ll be excited about what they find in their lunch box everyday. However, getting lunches packed on time, never mind making them inspiring can be a challenge, but we have a few tricks up our sleeves to help you keep things fun. Show off your magic skills with these Wild Blueberry Fruit Leather roll-ups. From frozen Wild Blueberries to chewy, sweet fruit leather, your kids will actually be excited for lunchtime. These are great to make ahead for the entire week, and even more magical if you have some of those small hands helping you along the way to witness the transformation.

Making sure lunches include protein is so important to keep kids energized throughout the day. And while it can be tempting to buy energy bars from the grocery store, many are full of hidden sugars and unpronounceable ingredients. These Wild Blueberry Energy Bars will make sure your kids are full and ready for the rest of the school day – without all the added sugar! Make them with their favorite nut butter and vanilla or chocolate protein powder – they’ll be begging for this bar to be a part of lunchtime or even as an afterschool snack!

Afterschool Snack

Make it Fun: When the kids get home from school, they usually run directly to the kitchen and start poking around for a snack. Of course you want to make sure it’s something healthy, and also won’t spoil their appetite for dinner! These Wild Blueberry Yogurt Pops seem like an unlikely treat but with frozen Wild Blueberries, chia seeds, yogurt and some protein powder, they are a perfect energy boost for the afternoon. If you don’t’ have a popsicle mold handy, you can use ice cube trays and popsicle sticks or toothpicks.

Phew! That should get you to dinnertime. All of these recipes are kid-friendly but that doesn’t mean adults can’t enjoy them as well! You’ll be the envy of the office with those muffins and maybe even spread some nostalgia with the fruit leathers. They will keep you going until dinner is on the table! Need more ideas – we can help with that too! Check out ALL of our Wild Blueberry recipes.

Eat Your Fruits & Veggies! Top Tips for Kids

Are your kids getting their recommended daily cups of fruits and vegetables? If the answer is no, they are not alone. Obesity numbers tell the story of what’s on our kids’ plates more than any other statistic. According to recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one in three kids in the U.S. is overweight or obese and in Canada the figure is 26%.

Children’s weight is the number one health concern among parents, and it’s no wonder. Obesity is responsible for an array of health problems including high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, elevated cholesterol levels, and a shorter life span than even their parents.

Healthy fruits and vegetables continue to take a back seat to sugary, fatty foods, and the battle to nudge kids toward more nutritious fare is in full swing. Recently, media reports show that adding a light mist of sugar makes vegetables more palatable to kids until they develop a taste for veggies. While a spritz of sweet may bridge the gap for kids whose veggies end up being pushed around the plate, there must be another way to help kids get their daily recommended cups.

In fact, there’s plenty of advice when it comes to increasing kids’ fruit and vegetable intake. But the best piece of advice for parents is to keep trying. It takes time for children to develop a taste for new foods, and a little culinary manipulation can be a good thing.

Here are 5 of our favorite ways to extend our efforts to give kids the nutrition they need and tip the scale in the right direction.

Help Kids Get Their Cups! Our Top 5 Tips

Tip #1: Exploit Fruit.

For kids over the age of three, USDA dietary guidelines recommend 11/2 cups of fruit per day and 2 cups of veggies. So if your kids are eating fruit, that’s nearly half the battle. Luckily, nature has provided fruit with their own appeal: sweet taste, bright color, easily edible packages – sometimes just taking advantage of fruit’s built-in charm is all that’s necessary.

For a great snack idea that ups the cups, go blue. Wild blueberries are our choice for a food kids always love. Wild blues are a perfect choice for every day munching because they are nutrient-rich food that adds important dietary nutrients without the “empty” calories that are important for kids to defy the obesity statistics. Eating them straight from the freezer is a popular snack for kids (parents, too), and while they are good by the bowlful, they also make duller foods better, thanks to their fun color. Add blues to nearly everything to get an antioxidant punch (and an easy half cup!), including cereal, yogurt, salads, and even proteins for a sweet splash that appeals to young tastes.

Once you have your blues, keep tiny Tupperware® on hand so fruit salads can be used as an on-the-go snack to replace processed foods. You can also skewer fruit pieces for a fun, colorful way to snack, make a fruit pizza, or blend fruit together for much-loved Yogurt Fruit Pops. Or make fun recipes from fruit that mock their boxed counterparts, like these Blueberry Pop Tarts courtesy of Mogwai Soup, and consider the war against poor eating habits on.

Tip #2: Make Veggies Yummy.

Think your kids won’t eat vegetables? Put a kid-friendly twist on a dish and stand corrected. To appeal to younger palates, get creative by taking advantage of the ready-made sweetness of carrots by making Maple Glazed Carrots, or cook up some Zucchini Chips for an irresistible crunch kids love. Dips are also great for youngsters: slice up peppers, cucumbers, broccoli and cauliflower and pair them with a little dressing (one that’s not loaded with sugar and fat) and those veggies will disappear. Try these kid-approved dish ideas from My Recipes (including Maple Glazed Carrots and Zucchini Chips) to spark some ideas to take veggies from ho hum to yum.

Tip #3: Eat Just One Meal Together.

Finding it difficult to sit down to dinner every night? Take heart. The latest news about family meals is surprising, but for the time-challenged, it’s all positive. Eating a meal together just once a week will boost fruit and veggie intake, according to new research. The study, published in Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health, shows that kids who eat together with their family consume more portions of produce than those whose families don’t share a meal. Whether it’s Sunday brunch or a single weekday dinner, that one visit to the family table could work magic in the quest for daily cups – among other benefits.

Tip #4: Be a Food Marketer.

The smarty-pants that changed the name of the Indian beetle to the “ladybug” must have known something about marketing. A simple name change, it seems, can turn yucky into yummy, and that’s a lesson in marketing that works as well in the kitchen as it does in the boardroom.

Consider the story of a mother that started calling Brussels sprouts “hero buttons” and changed the way her kids looked at this less-than-popular veggie. Could it be that simple? Sure. When spinach smoothies become green monsters and dinner vegetables become appetizer “snack plates” you’ll start counting up daily cups. In fact, researchers involved in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health study also found a link between fruit and vegetable intake among the kids and how the produce was presented on the plate. Simply cutting up fruits and veggies led to kids eating more. Presentation is everything, even when it comes to nutrition!

Tip #5: Get Kids Involved.

Of all the inventive, resourceful techniques to get kids to embrace healthy food, our #5 is a guaranteed winner. Parents and experts agree that when kids are part of the process of making meals, they are more likely to understand the benefits of whole, nutritious food, including fruits and vegetables. So let kids help with the shopping – have them choose a new favorite fruit or vegetable from the produce section, for example. And, involve them with meal preparation as well by enlisting them to wash, measure, toss, or add spices. Getting kids involved provides healthy eating lessons they’ll take with them forever. Try these 10 ways to get kids involved from Fruits and Veggies More Matters.

Get Kids in the Game!
Noticing more activity in your kitchen? It could be because school vacation is in full swing for kids around the country. It’s a perfect time for getting kids involved in games that teach them about fruit and veggie nutrition. Fruit and Veggies More Matters has “Food Champs” for just this reason!

New Generation = New Trends in Nutrition?

Our Kids Could Change the Course of Healthy Eating

The news has been grim: one in three American kids is overweight or obese, according to the American Heart Association. In Maine, more than half of all adults will be obese by 2030, wreaking havoc on the state’s health and its economy. With spiking obesity rates come unprecedented rates of Type 2 diabetes, higher incidences of heart disease, metabolic syndrome, and many weight-related conditions. For the first time in history, the younger generation may have a shorter lifespan than their parents.

Lamenting the poor health and nutrition of our youth seems to be part of the cultural script. There is no shortage of blame. Scientists have uncovered evidence that everything from gut bacteria and antibiotic use to sleep deprivation contributes to a population destined to be larger and sicker. While new factors emerge, others remain culpable, including portion sizes and endless exposure to nutritionally-poor processed foods and their mammoth advertising budgets. Add factors like fewer families cooking at home (and fewer kids learning to cook), tight budgets that lead us to less healthy choices, and less time being active, and we have a recipe for a nutritional doomsday for today’s youth.

At the same time, according to a Generational Consumer Trend Report issued this year by the food industry market research firm Technomi, today’s millennials consider healthy eating important. Young adults, says the report, have greater awareness of and appreciation for food and health-related issues. It may be that the younger generation is primed for better choices: general opinion suggests they are more open to receiving health messages and they possess a healthy skepticism when it comes to advertising claims. As a result, messages about the importance of fruit and vegetables and research about disease prevention may be getting through, starting trends in good health for the generations that follow.

Here in the land of wild blueberries, the University of Maine reports that more students are enrolling in their food and science program, for example. According to the report, enrollment in the program has been nudged by the importance of personal health and wellness for a new generation that has been seeking out whole, natural foods in an effort to be and feel well.

The news may represent a single point of light in a world of nutritional darkness, but it also may indicate real generational differences in the choices we make about food – differences for the better. In the face of seemingly insurmountable odds, signs of a hopeful, healthier future can be found in many places in the nation and locally.

A New World of Healthy Eating

Much of the focus on our kids’ eating has been on the schools, where poor options have been the rule rather than the exception. Choices in the lunch line are improving as schools join the movement to eliminate veggie stand-ins and offer more whole foods. In fact, childhood obesity rates have declined slightly in some cities and states that have taken on the issue of school lunch nutrition. Close to home, Maine Harvest Lunch puts local foods on school menus across the state at certain times in the school year. The initiative has prompted schools to purchase food from Maine farms and other food producers year round, causing a virtuous cycle within the industry. And, when school doors close, summer camps pick up where they left off, exposing kids to local produce and diverse, whole foods. That’s true especially in areas around Maine and Canada, where what goes on in the lunch room at meal time is as important as the activities outside.

In addition to changes in the lunch line, educational programs for kids, legislation about food claims, and healthy eating role models are contributing to changing the food environment of young people and helping them develop a connection to their food sources. It’s these changes that make kids more likely to embrace diverse foods and eat more widely across the food, color, and nutrition spectrum and rely less on a traditional American diet full of fat, salt, and sugar.

Be Part of Positive Generational Change

Can a new generation change the course of our health? A case can be made that it can. Evidence of positive change can be found everywhere. And, the more we recognize the good nutritional choices kids and their families make – eating more fruits and vegetables, either fresh or fresh frozen and more whole, nutritionally-dense food – the more we can propagate good choices in our own families and communities.

Recently, a Wild About Health reader said she started using frozen wild blueberries and spinach in a “synergistic smoothie” every morning based on Dr. Daniel Nadeau’s recipe. She began making a little extra for her teenage daughter, a notorious breakfast-skipper, who loved them and started making them herself. Now, no matter what the rest of the day brings nutritionally, she knows they’ve both had at least 2-3 fruit and vegetable servings. We can all start being more aware of our own healthy eating, too, and model that behavior for our kids. We can challenge them to cook themselves, help them try new recipes, and enlist them to help us shop for whole foods whether local, fresh or frozen. We can let them stock the fruit bowl, or be in charge of buying their favorite frozen fruit to keep in the freezer for snacking. We can bake a fruit pie together, or involve them in picking up squash from local farmer’s market. We can learn not to dwell on the negative choices they make, and start noticing the positive ones, so we can nurture and build on them.

There’s no denying the perils that face the health of our nation’s youth. But a nutritional course correction could be just a generation away. The more we recognize positive change, the more we open the door for health and nutritional messages to get through so our kids can lead the way in the quest for a healthy future.

Get kids cooking. Try these 10 ways to get kids involved in cooking and shopping from Fruit and Veggies More Matters.

Let the healthy games begin! Make healthy eating fun with FoodChamps.org, a game that teaches kids about nutritional choices.

See evidence of healthy change in your family or in your community? Let us know!

Don’t Be Scared

Why a Bowlful of Candy Can Be a Good Thing

Yes, it’s a Halloween tradition, and it protects your front yard from getting TP’d. But if you’ve been working on getting a cupful of blueberries and a bowlful of greens in your diet instead, bringing a bushel of mini Snickers into your kitchen can bring bone-chilling fear to your Hallow’s Eve.

But don’t be bothered by the boo – if you find October 31st truly scary, consider that it can provide a reminder of healthy eating principles that you can embrace all year. Here is a bit-sized list of rules for gathering Halloween loot that we’ve lived by since we were kids. We’ve applied them to the rest of year to help you turn a day that strikes fear in your heart into one that can actually strengthen your resolve and help you achieve your healthy eating ghouls…er, goals.

1. Cook what you eat.

One of today’s popular rules of eating better, attributed to real-food evangelist Michael Pollan, is if you’re going to eat it, cook it. Crave an indulgent dessert? Put in the time to do the baking. It’s not just penance—it ensures you are using real ingredients, and if cake isn’t available at a moment’s notice, it means you’re probably having it less often.

The same goes for Halloween. There are lots of treat options that don’t come pre-wrapped: roasted pumpkin seeds, chocolate dipped fruit, cocoa crispy balls, caramel apples…they are fun, unique, yummy, and less loaded with fat and preservatives. Bake Halloween cookies, try some frightening Halloween snack ideas, or check out these spooky recipes and tips.

2. Check for dangers.

It dates back to the early days of trick or treating – parents would scan their child’s candy bag for the truly frightening treat such as razor blades in apples or any other unwrapped, sinister-looking dangers posing as bonbons. Checking for dangers is a prudent health rule for the rest of the year as well. Healthy eating land mines including restaurant visits, overbooked schedules that lead to drive-through and packaged eating, and high stress times that only mindless eating can cure.

If you’re on a mission to be a cook, to get your servings of fruits and veggies, or to avoid brain-sedating taste triumvirates, make sure mindfulness is part of your life so you can keep your most dangerous habits in check. Otherwise, you’ll end up sleepwalking through a hall of horrors, an easy target for nutritional ghosts and goblins.

3. Trade your treats.

After the treats and tricks are over and you and your wig-wearing, makeup-smeared friends were back at home evaluating the take, trading was key. Too many Smarties and not enough hot balls did not a diversified candy sack make. But that could be easily fixed through the complex negotiations of treat trading, where a Snickers bar equaled two Junior Mints.

Even when the sacks are emptied, the trade must go on. Replacing portions of a meal of average nutrition with one fruit or veggie, or adding color to your plate to create a more vibrant edible rainbow should always be the rule of thumb. Get your trade on: replace potato chips for baby carrots; switch your white-colored food for something deep green or bright blue.

4. Divide.

You know the routine – ingest all you can on Halloween night, then put the rest in zip bag and store it in the freezer. Parceling out treats over the long term is just a mother’s intuition, and it couldn’t make more sense. You know eating thirty milk balls when two will suffice will help you maintain your diet and nutritional goals over the long term.

Portion control is a truly American phenomenon, where muffins are as big as manhole covers and cleaning our plate is the only option. Stretching high-fat, high-calorie food out over weeks or even months is pure mathematical division, and it has the same benefit as stretching those giant portions out so a little less goes in over a longer period of time.

5. Don’t eat your feelings.

Whether you dressed as a princess or pauper, you knew your Halloween candy was earned through the hard work of knocking on doors and trudging through the elements. This hard-won booty was yours, not to be doled out as a reward for doing your homework or taking out the trash.

Using candy as a reward or a bribe turns that peanut butter cup into a little ball of love and acceptance, and that equates confections with emotions. Don’t confuse your kids or yourself by conflating acceptance and love with something caramel-filled. Love yourself with a sweet peach or a blueberry smoothie instead – sometimes a mallow bar is just a mallow bar.

6. Snub the fear.

As a kid, you never passed up an opportunity for a haunted hayride or a late night slasher flick. As a grown-up, you can still be fearless. Just because you are surrounded by sweets, don’t let it scare you. Indulging is part of a realistic diet. Vilifying food by locking it up behind a three padlocks only leads to desperate lock-picking on the flipside.

Nutrition, disease prevention and longevity are life-long pursuits, and can’t be toppled by a momentary poltergeist. Have a chocolate eyeball or an orange M&M! Indulge – mindfully and in moderation. Remember, every day is full of demons, these just happen to be in fun sizes.

Get Fright Night Guidance:

Get more healthy Halloween eating advice from Meals Matter.

About.com doles out advice on how to handle Halloween eating chaos.