Baby Love Part 5: Feeding Frenzy

​Special thanks to my good friend, Liza, who is also a Super-Mom, for chiming in on how she gets her little cuties to eat SO healthy! I’ve tried their smoothies that Hayden helped to make and they’re delicious.

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The one thing all mothers want for their children, from the moment they are born (conceived, really), above all else, is for them to be healthy and thrive. That being the goal, there are many ways to have healthy children: making sure they get plenty of rest, physical activity, are challenged mentally to name a few. Yet the one thing I think we can ALL agree on, is that the basis of health for anyone begins with what we feed ourselves.
First, let me just say that I am not a nutritionist or dietician or expert parent of any kind. I am just another mom who strives and, at times, struggles to put only the healthiest of foods into my children’s bodies. My kids are 2 and 4 years old right now. My 2 year old is just dawning on the picky stage and my 4 year old is slowly receding out of it. This “picky stage” I speak of, is a time in children’s lives where they like to be the big boss and be in control of anything they possibly can. What better way for them to achieve this than by denying the oh-so-healthy meal placed in front of their little faces?
As far as I can tell, and this is just from experience, there are a few ways to avoid a plate full of unwanted food from being dumped onto the floor to be quickly eaten by the dog. I’ve found that if my kids are distracted out of that defiant mind-frame before dinner time, then they won’t have that “itch to scratch” so to speak. So giving them some decisions to make prior to dinner can ease their minds a bit. A great way to do this is to let them help prepare the food. Sometimes I just want to put my kids in front of the TV while I quickly get supper on the go, but I’ve found that including them actually does help. Those kids&food blogs ain’t lying! What else I love doing is just having a pantry completely absent of any food that IS NOT healthy. This works! They will eat your healthy meals when there is no other options and they will learn to love it! (Please note: We currently live with my parents so this is definitely NOT the case right now. Grandma’s and Grandpa’s are known to harbour an abundance of treats.)
Lastly, if you haven’t yet delved into the world of smoothie making, you really must get on that! Especially if you have young children. It is honestly the best. Hayden and Deacon eat all kinds of weird stuff in smoothies that they would never dare touch at the best of times. The following are some ingredients that we typically use in our smoothies:

• Bananas
• Mango
• Apple
• Blueberries
• Blackberries
• Cherries
• Peach
• Goji berries
• Spinach
• Kale
• Carrot
• Avocado
• Pineapple
• Chia seeds
• Hemp Seeds
• Almond milk
• Coconut milk
• Wheat grass juice

I may even be forgetting things here. Deacon (my 2 year old son) just LOVES to help make smoothies. He puts all the ingredients in and puts the lid on and then pushes the button. He could do it all day. I don’t have one of those super duper blenders so I won’t do anything that doesn’t blend well or is too seedy. Freezing any of the fruits is awesome for a more milkshakey consistency. And if you choose to use Chia seeds, mix with water before hand so that they turn jelly first! Also, I know lots of people who put yogurt in there and that’s great too!
Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this tiny insight into the reality of child nutrition! Haha. If you are a mom and know where I’m coming from or want to contribute to the conversation, please do!!!! Thanks for reading!!
Peace and love always!!
Liza