Food preparation and menu planning sound simple enough, but when you want your kids to get the best nutrition while still enjoying their meal, you have to get really creative. Veggies aren't usually the first thing kids will ask for nor pick when given a choice, but leafy greens and colorful produce are crucial for good nutrition and for starting a lifelong habit of eating healthy.
How do we get the kids to eat veggies without having to go through drama? Here, some moms share their tips.
1. Mix them in with their favorite food.
"My children love spaghetti with meatballs. What they don't know is that my version is packed with veggies. I finely chop carrots and some spinach or malunggay, and mix those in with the ground meat to make the meatballs. Delicious and nutritious!" — Nisa Ortega, mom of five
2. Add veggies to their desserts.
"Kids usually have a sweet tooth and love sweet treats like cookies, pancakes, or brownies. What I do is I buy malunggay powder and mix this with the cookie, pancake, or brownie mix. The kids get to eat a nutritious snack while getting the benefits of our local superfood malunggay. These treats are also good for lactating moms to help with breast milk production." — Kim Melendrez, mom of one
3. Make veggie-fruit shakes.
"My daughter loves cold drinks and fruit shakes. To make them more nutritious at home, I mix in veggies with her shakes. I put in mild-flavored veggies like kangkong, lettuce, or cucumber with her favorite bananas and mangoes. She initially found the green color weird, but once she tasted them, she detected only the stronger flavors of bananas and mangoes. If you want to cover the green color, you can put in some chocolate syrup or blueberries to make the color more appetizing. Or put the shake in an opaque container with a straw." — Debbie Cuna, mom of one
4. Involve them in meal prep.
"Our whole family loves any ulam with soup like tinola, sinigang, or ginisang monggo. What I do to familiarize the kids with veggies is to involve them in the meal prep. They can help wash the veggies and pass the ingredients to me as I'm cooking. If they're a bit older, they can also help cut the veggies. I make sure to make the soup rich and flavorful by using Knorr cubes. A flavorful base brings out the flavors of all the components of the dish, including the vegetables. Seeing how veggies are integral parts of their favorite food, and also giving them the opportunity to be involved in the meal preparation, make them want to eat everything in the meal and also make them love their veggies." — Donna Pita, mom of two
To know more about how you can make sure what you're preparing for your kids are nutritious, check out the Knorr Lutong Nanay Nutri Program. It shows moms how to #FeedtheFuture by empowering them to prepare flavorful, nutritious meals. Watch this video to know more:
For more details about the program, visit www.knorrlutongnanay.com.
