Fruits and Vegetables ! 1/2 of your meal
 

How many fruits and vegetables do my kids need?

Children Ages 2-8 need;

1 to 1 1/2 C of Veggies and 1 to 1 1/2 C of Fruit per day

FRUIT

There are many easy ways to include fruit in your families diet.

Apples, Apricot, Avocado, Bananas, Blackberries, Blueberries, Cantaloupe, Cherries, Cranberries, Dates, Elderberries, Gooseberries, Grapes, Grapefruit, Honeydew, Kiwi, Lemon, Lime, Mango, Olives, Oranges Papaya, Passion Fruit, Peach, Pear, Persimmon, Pineapple, Pomegranate, Plum, Raspberries, Star fruit, Strawberries, Tangerine, Tomato, Watermelon, and many many more.

Fruit comes in many delicious forms; fresh, frozen, canned, dried, juiced, etc.

PREPARATION IDEAS:

• Smoothies; take a few ounces of fruit juice (we like Orange Juice). Add a few spoonfuls of plain yogurt. Lastly a generous handful of frozen fruit (like frozen strawberries, blueberries, banans etc. Blend and pour into tall glass.
• Dips; skewer fruit such as melons, berries, banans etc. Then provide a dip. Some of our favorites are yogurt and cottage cheese.
• Fruit Salads; Just after your grocery trip, cut up, wash, and chop your fresh fruit. Store in an airtight container to eat from during the week. For breakfast, pull it out, provide your children with some fruit salad. For lunch, snacks etc, it's very convenient.
• Convenience foods like fruit leather and dried fruit are perfect for an on the go, healthy snack.
• If you are all out of fruit, offer 100% fruit juice. Orange juice is still a good source of folate and vitamin C. Just limit juices so it doesn't interfere with a child's appetite, diminishing his or her desire for real food.
• Give applesauce a different texture by making it yourself. Boil cut up apples with some cinnamon till the apples are soft. Mash apples with a fork. Include some of the cinnamon-flavored water if you need to make it smoother.
• Pumpkin is a good source of Vitamins C and E and has loads of antioxidants. Mix canned pumpkin with applesauce, plain yogurt, or any baked goods such as breads and muffins.
• Replace applesauce for oil in baked goods. Other mashed fruits you can add or substitute are mashed bananas or prunes.
• Add frozen blueberries, strawberries, or other fruit to pancake batter, or top pancakes with berries after you pour the batter onto the griddle during cooking time.
• Stir 100% fruit jam into plain yogurt and mix well.

For more ideas and tips, visit the blog updated daily!

Vegetables

Many kids prefer vegetables raw, but there are other ways. Steamed, stir-fryed, grated, mashed, and mixed in with many entree's and caseroles.

We love; Artichoke, Asparagus, Beans, Beets, Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, Cabbage, Carrots, Cauliflower, Celery, Corn, Cucumbers, Kale, Leek, Lettuce, Mushrooms, Okra, Onion, Parsnips, Peas, Peppers, Potatoes, Radishes, Rhubarb, Rutabaga, Shallot, Spinach, Squash, Yams, etc.

PREPARATION IDEAS

• Dips; Chop vegetables into easy to hold, bite sized peices. Provide dips such as low-fat ranch, low-fat melted cheese, salsa, or a ranch seasoning packet mixed with low-fat sour cream or plain yogurt.
• Salads There are so many different ways to make salad's appealing for kids. Try a sweet salad by adding fruit to your greens, and topping with a sweet dressing. Try shredded carrot/raisin salad mixed with plain yogurt or low fat mayonaise.
• Casseroles; While normally I am opposed to "hiding" vegetables in meals, I welcome the chance to add nutrients to any meal by mixing in some pureed veggies. Add pureed cauliflower to mashed potatoes. Add pureed carrots to casseroles based with cream of chicken soup. Add pureed squashes to any tomatoe based casserole.
• Stir-Fry; Add veggies to rice and chicken anytime. Experiment with different vegetables that your kids like, and add some they are unfamiliar with.
• Different vegetables can be added to scrambled eggs or omelets. Salsa, plain tomatoes, onions, or bell peppers are a few that go well with eggs. Serve on a plate, or roll them up in a whole-wheat tortilla to make it finger food.

For more ideas visit the blog daily!