Thanksgiving is a time for family togetherness and remembering all the things you are grateful for. However, it is also a time for gathering for a delicious meal. However, if you have family members, especially children, who are picky eaters, preparing a healthy dinner can be challenging. Therefore, in addition to providing elderberry gummies for toddlers, you need to find healthy foods they will love.
Dinner Planning
When you have picky eaters in your family, you need to take additional time to plan your meal. Include foods that your child loves, but avoid choosing precooked or prepackaged foods. Find recipes that use fresh ingredients. Also, choose a variety of vegetable and fruit dishes, giving them a choice between healthy options. These are five healthy foods you may consider.
Roasted Vegetables
Vegetables have so many health benefits. They provide the necessary vitamins and minerals that keep your family healthy. Choose different colored vegetables so that you and your family get the best immune boost. Also, roast them with rich, tasty herbs to enhance their flavors.
Sweet Potato Casserole
Sweet potato casserole gives your children the health benefits of squash while somewhat disguising it with sweet maple syrup and marshmallows. Many different recipes are available, so if your children don’t like the textures of mashed or beaten sweet potatoes, you can try cutting them in chunks instead.
Green Bean Casserole
Green bean casserole is a staple on most tables during Thanksgiving. However, if your children don’t like the original, try a new recipe. You can find options with cheese or that substitute the mushroom soup for ingredients that are still creamy but give your dish a different taste. If your kids don’t like onions, cut them smaller and stir them into the dish so they still get the health benefits.
However, just as kids multivitamin drops provide the same or greater nutrition traditional multivitamins do, your children can still get the health benefits of traditional dishes even if they are made with new recipes.
Rotisserie Turkey with Herbs
Turkey is the featured guest for most families during Thanksgiving. However, you may consider cooking it a different way. For example, you can bbq, bake or roast your turkey on a rotisserie. Instead of stuffing it with traditional stuffing, consider stuffing it with herbs and fruit. Those tastes penetrate the meat, giving it a rich flavor. Avoid herbs that your children don’t like.
Cut Fresh Vegetable
Some families may not have fresh-cut vegetables on their Thanksgiving tables, but these offer your children healthy options. You can dress them up or turn them into interesting, pretty or fun characters. Most kids like at least a one fresh vegetable, so make sure it is on your table.
Let Your Children Help
One of the best ways to encourage your children to eat healthy options is to involve them in the preparation of the meal. Let them help you wash vegetables or stir in ingredients. They will feel proud that they helped cook, and they should be more willing to test everything they helped make.
Adopting a plant based diet for kids is often the healthiest option. Therefore, as you prepare your Thanksgiving feast, consider adding vegetable and fruit options.