My #1 Secret Weapon for Fussy Eaters

Want to know my go to secret weapon for making sure your fussy kids are getting all the nutrition they need?

Snacks! We often turn up our noses at the idea of snacks, thinking of them more as food that kids will fill up on and cause them to not eat enough dinner. But let me ask you, what’s better for your kids? A high iron chocolate cupcake that they eat all of, or a high iron chickpea and spinach curry that they take two mouthfuls of and leave the rest? Yeah, I think you’ll agree that it’s better for your kids to actually be getting the nutrients. Plus, when you’re kids are getting the nutrition they need, they’ll actually be more likely to eat more and try some of the more adventurous things you serve for dinner. So it’s a win win, really!

So today I want to talk to you about my 3 top reasons why snacks should be no.1 in your arsenal for making sure your kids are getting all the nutrition they need. 

Kids Will Actually Eat Snacks

Don’t you hate it when you labour for hours on a healthy dinner for the kids, and your kids refuse to eat it? The trouble is, when they refuse to eat that dinner, all the nutrition goes in the bin along with your spinach and chickpea curry.  

So what are we supposed to do? 

Pack those nutrients into foods your kids actually eat! Snacks! And this, my friend, is the number one reason that snacks are such a secret weapon – kids actually like them! And, even better, kids generally eat the foods they like. 

So unlike dinner, which can be a bit hit and miss at the best of times, you can be pretty sure that your kids are going to eat their snacks. So if we take advantage of this, and pack their snacks full of the nutrients they need, then you’re actually going to get those nutrients into them. Which is a parenting win in my book! 

Snack Time is When Your Kids Are The Hungriest

How many times do your kids come home from school and spend the afternoon eating constantly out of the pantry? But come dinnertime, they’ll take 2 bites, and push the rest away because they’re not hungry. OMG, talk about frustrating!

Let me tell you, afternoon snack time is the golden hour for getting your kids to eat. They’re so hungry then, they’ll eat virtually anything! So let’s take advantage of that!

Afternoon tea is when I pack in all the foods I want them to eat. I give them veggie sticks, high iron protein balls, high zinc muesli bars. And when they’ve eaten all that for afternoon tea, I can just focus on filling their tummies at dinner so they’ll have a good night’s sleep.

Nutrition – tick! No dinner fights – tick! Sleep – tick!

Snacks Are Great For Packing In High Nutrient Foods

You know your kids should be eating more greens, beans, nuts and seeds, but you’ve got no idea how to actually get them to eat them? Once again, snacks are to the rescue! You can use the sweetness of snacks to hide all sorts of healthy ingredients.

I pack my kids’ snacks full of pumpkin seeds (the best iron and zinc food for vegans ever!), cashews, oats, tahini, and more. I even fill their smoothies and muffins with kale and spinach to make sure they’re getting their greens! It’s amazing what you can do with a bit of creativity. And because snacks don’t have the same stigma that savoury meals can have, kids are often a lot happier to eat them – even if they have a green tinge! 

Grab My Favourite Snack Recipes

Now that I’ve convinced you how good snacks really can be for your kids, let me give you some of my go to snack recipes! I’ve put together an ebook of my most popular high iron, high zinc vegan snacks for you to try out. And don’t worry, they are super quick and easy recipes, so you don’t spend your whole weekend in the kitchen! You can download the ebook below!