Ringing In A Healthier New Year

It's that time of year.

The time of year to make New Years resolutions.

And *probably* break them the next day. And by *probably*, I mean...that's what I usually do. :p

And inevitibly one of those resolutions is to eat healthier.

But, since my kids and husband are a pain in the biscuits to feed because they have all of these rules about what they will and won't eat, I have had to devise a multi-strategic war plan to defeat them.

Here's the plan:

1. I trick them.

That's right. I trick them and add good foods into their meals and they don't even know it. If they weren't so dog gone picky, I wouldn't be forced to do battle in this manner.

Baby Foods

Organic baby food to be exact.

Baby food?! Yes. Baby food. I put it into foods that I'm cooking to add more veggies and fruits to their meal in addition to their salads or veggies that they're eating. I only add enough so that the flavor isn't compromised. Too much. ;) Missy Lapine of The Sneaky Chef fame has a few cookbooks out that advocate for this and it's brilliant. I just don't happen to have her ability to make the food smooth enough for the kids not to notice. So using baby food is better for me.

Flax Seed , Wheat Germ and Oats

I add ground flaxseed, oats and wheat germ to many of the meals that I make - especially ground meat, cookies and breads. Added in the right amount, you can't even tell.

Other Miscellaneous Tricks:

* I mash ripe bananas into the pancake mix. Sure it adds a flavor of banana but it's yummy. Shane saw me do it yesterday (damnit) but instead of lying to him (because he's just too smart to buy anything other than what I was really doing), I told him the truth.

Yep. Just looked him right in the eye as I was mashing the banana and told him exactly what I was doing. He screwed up his little nose a bit but then said "oh...okay" and turned around and left. I also put a few mini chocolate chips in the batter so maybe he ate it because of those but he said they were good. :)

* I use applesauce instead of oil in most recipes.

* I use organic and natural peanut butter. It took a while for the boys to take to it but they have finally accepted it.

2. I have added foods and drinks that are healthy into their diet without tricking them.

That's right. It's a brilliant move. I didn't make a big deal about it. Just gave it to them.

So, here are some items that you may or may not know about that will help you in your war too.

V-8 Juice



It's not your mother's V-8 juice though. It's vegetable juice with fruit juice added to it and the kids love it. There are all kinds of flavors. Their favorite is the orange/carrot juice.

McCain Sweet Potato Fries



These are the best tasting sweet potato fries that I have found. There are other brands but these seem to cook most realistically to "real fries." Owen and I love them. Shane and Ken shove them around on their plates, pretending to eat them and wishing that we had a dog to feed them to. Oh well. I'll keep making them. Eventually they will learn to like them too.

Other Miscellaneous Items:

* Whole Wheat Breads, Ritz Whole Wheat Crackers, Cookies and Snyders Whole Wheat Pretzels.

* Unsweetened applesauce - you can't even tell the difference.

* Capris Sun Juice boxes with no extra added sugar.

Most items come in whole wheat versions these days. Many have reduced sugar or no added sugar. These are just a few of them. If you are at war and have discovered any products or uses of other foods to help in your battle, please let me know!