Ideas for Picky Eaters

Strawberry Banana Greek Yogurt Popsicles

Another hit with my picky eaters. Fruit & Dairy combined in a wonderful healthy treat that proportioned just right.  You will need an ice cube tray and some popsicle sticks.  You can combine whatever fruits, flavors and juices your child likes.  But I have placed a recipe below if you need some inspiration.  

Ingredients:
1 cup of Greek Yogurt Strawberry (I used Chobani)
1 banana
7-8 Frozen or Fresh Strawberries
½ cup of Strawberry Banana Juice or any juice you might like to compliment the yogurt (I like to use Naked Brand juices)
Note: I usually add a splash more juice for taste and thickness if you choose
Directions:
    Mix all of the ingredients together in a food processor.  If you would like there to be chunks of fruit in your pops, skip the processor and use a potato masher instead. Pour into icecube mold and make sure that they are not to full.  If the tray is too full the cubes freeze together at the top making it hard to pull them out when they are frozen.
    Place your pops into the freezer until they start to harden a bit (for my freezer it took about 2 hours).  This is when you put the sticks in.  You want the hardness to be just right; soft enough to slide the stick in but hard enough so that the stick does not fall off to the side.  So you might want to check every so often to make sure the temperature is just right to do this.
    Continue freezing until the mini pops are frozen solid and serve!!  
  

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Creamy Tomato Soup with Goldfish

        My 4 year old twins are very picky and getting them to overcome their fear of food is a daily battle often ending in meltdowns. We are against forcing them to eat anything as this seems to make them protest unfamiliar food even more. When it comes to preparing food I have to be very creative and tricky to give them the nutrition they need. My husband decided to combine a food that they are familiar with (and that they love too) with one they are not familiar with to ease the anxiety of trying something new. The girls love goldfish but have always avoided soups. To my surprise putting the goldfish into the soup was a huge success. We placed a small hand full of fish into each of their bowls, gave them a spoon and pretended we were going fishing. They loved the activity and loved their meal as well. We will be trying this again soon.

Ingredients 1 can of Tomato Soup (we used Campbell’s)
½ cup Half and Half or Milk
¼ cup water
Gold Fish Crackers

Directions:Combine soup with the half and half/milk and water. Cook until warmed but not too hot. Sprinkle with goldfish.

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