Eat Your Fruits and Veggies!

Getting children to eat their fruits and vegetables when served at meal time can sometimes be a difficult task which can also lead difficulties during meals with the family. If children are involved in the process of making their meals and snacks it will teach them how to help out with family meal time (Woodruff, Kirby 2013).

It has been shown that family meals are associated with a number of health benefits in regard to weight control, mental health, and social skills. (Berge, MacLehose, Larson, Laska, & Neumark-Sztainer, 2016). Teaching children to be an extra pair of hands in the kitchen will not only help out parents but will teach children skills that will be useful throughout life.

The ability to cook is associated with better dietary intake and increased consumption of fruits and vegetables which is beneficial to growth and development (Utter, Denny, Lucassen, & Dyson, 2016). Having children participate in making snacks and meals benefits the whole family and is especially great for children because they can carry these skills into adulthood and also have great memories and recipes to share!

To help make you and your child feel more comfortable in the kitchen I recommend getting them a nylon plastic knife from Amazon when they are first learning kitchen skills. There are some great child safe kitchen utensils, so they can help with all kinds of recipes! I have two recipes to share, one for a snack and the other an easy lunch!

Fruit and Vegetable Bug Garden

Shopping list:
·        Green or red seedless grapes
·        Cuties or mandarins
·        Shredded carrots
·        Sliced cheddar cheese
·        Cherry tomatoes (not necessary but great for variety – grapes can be used instead)
·        Cucumber

Directions: Pre-K ages and up can do this recipe; let them use their busy hands! Using a wide plastic cutting board to set up their bug garden can make for an easy clean up.

1.      Cut 1 slice of cheese into 4 small rectangles that are about ½ inch wide and 1 ½ inch long
2.      Cut 3 grapes in half longways (5 if not using cherry tomatoes)
3.      If using cherry tomatoes cut 2 in half
4.      Cut 5 slices of cucumber
5.      Peel mandarin and portion out 4 individual slices  

Butterfly:
Body: Line up 3 of the grape halves vertically
Wings: Place two slices of mandarin on each side
Antennae: Place 2 pieces of carrots
 
Dragonfly:
Body: Using either the 4 halves of tomatoes or grapes place them in a vertical line
Wings: Place two slices of the cut cheese on each side as wings
Antennae: Place 2 pieces of carrots
 
Flower:
Petals: Use the 5 slices of cucumber and place in a circle
Center of flower: Use one half of grape in the center
Stem: Place a longer piece of carrot to create a stem
Leaves: Place two grape halves as the leaves

 
This is an easy way to get their hands working and for them to be creative while eating fruits and vegetables!
 

Fresh Vegetable Wraps

Prep time: 10-15 minutes
Ready in: 5-10 minutes

Ingredients:
For one serving:  
·        1 whole wheat tortilla
·        1 spoonful of hummus - flavor of choice
·        Sliced cucumber
·        Bag of shredded carrots (maybe the leftovers from the veggie garden!)
·        Sliced bell peppers - colors of choice
·        1 leaf of romaine lettuce
·        2 slices of cheese 

Directions:
Help your child wash cucumber, bell peppers, and lettuce. Demonstrate how to cut the cucumber and bell pepper into thin julienned cuts that are roughly 2 cm wide and 2 inches long and then let your child take over!

For one serving:
1.      Take 1 tortilla and place 1 spoonful of hummus and spread around.
2.      Place 2 slices of cheese overlapped on top
3.      Flatten the lettuce by snapping the middle core without ripping in half and place over cheese
4.      Place the carrots, cucumber and bell pepper on lettuce
5.      Fold in both sides and roll – eat as is or slice into 2-inch pieces 

Smile because your child is getting 2-3 servings of vegetables in one easy meal!

References
 
Berge, J. M., Maclehose, R. F., Larson, N., Laska, M., & Neumark-Sztainer, D. (2016). Family Food Preparation and Its Effects on Adolescent Dietary Quality and Eating Patterns. Journal of Adolescent Health, 59(5), 530-536. doi:10.1016/j.jadohealth.2016.06.007
 
Utter, J., Denny, S., Lucassen, M., & Dyson, B. (2016). Adolescent Cooking Abilities and Behaviors: Associations With Nutrition and Emotional Well-Being. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, 48(1). doi:10.1016/j.jneb.2015.08.016
 
Woodruff, S. J., & Kirby, A. R. (2013). The Associations Among Family Meal Frequency, Food Preparation Frequency, Self-efficacy for Cooking, and Food Preparation Techniques in Children and Adolescents. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, 45(4), 296-303. doi:10.1016/j.jneb.2012.11.006

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