I'd like to take a moment to introduce you to Adrienne, also known as The Iowa Farmer's Wife. This amazing woman is mama to two munchkins and wife to The Farmer.
You'll be able to find Adrienne here on Let's Lasso the Moon occasionally sharing ways to make fresh produce a regular part of your family dinner. This month she shares 5 Ways to Play with Your Food below.
Do you have any traditional tried and true tips for ensuring your child has a balanced diet?
I'd love to hear your recommendations. Let's chat in the comments.
5 Ways to Play with Your Food
Are you passionate about making sure your kiddos get the healthiest food possible? Me too! It hasn't always been easy, but it has been fun (seriously!).
How do you do it? Start by giving the healthiest options possible. We feed our daughter organic fruit, veggies, cheese, yogurt, grains and protein as often as we can, and now that our son is eating solids, we do the same for him.
I will admit that it gets harder as children get older because they are introduced to cupcakes, ice cream, candy and other sweets in the world of birthday parties, Halloween and Iowa parades.
Are you striving to give at least 3 servings of veggies, 2 servings of fruit, grains, protein and healthy fats a day?
How do we do that? By playing with our food, of course!
Here are five of our favorite ways to play with food:
1. Serve meals in a muffin tin. Something about tiny portions of food separated into their own container makes kids LOVE it. I'm not saying they'll eat everything in it, but it does help!
I love the ideas shared by Muffin Tin Mom each week and all of her little details. You don't have to buy fancy liners or toothpicks, just stick some snacks in a muffin tin and see what happens.
2. Invest in one or two fun plates. We have the Fred & Friends Ms Food Face plate and my daughter eats everything on it whenever we use it. It's fun to create new funny faces and her face lights up each time I put it in front of her.
3. Or forget the new plate. Create your own funny faces and scenes on a plate you already own.
4. Make themed lunches. A few themes to try: rainbows, winter, holidays, birthday, numbers, letters, shapes and colors.
5. Create or find a kid-friendly recipe to try with your child(ren). Make it a special time with mom and something they only make with you. My daughter and I make granola once a week and it's an amazing sensory experience since we mix it with our hands. She makes a huge mess, licks her fingers and absolutely loves it. And no matter what time of day it is, she always has a bowl of granola when it's ready. Pop over to The Iowa Farmer's Wife to see a few of our favorite granola recipes in this delish granola round-up!
How do you and your family "play" with your food?
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About Adrienne
Adrienne, aka The Iowa Farmer's Wife, is a mother of two who enjoys sharing simple ideas about educational activities for kids, frugal living and healthy eating. She lives in the Midwest, where she and her husband own a small farm. In addition to being a stay-at-home-mom, Adrienne teaches a speech course at a local university and serves as a co-coordinator of her local MOPS group.
Find The Iowa Farmer's Wife online at: Blog | Facebook | Pinterest | Twitter | Google+
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