Issue link: http://hvparent.uberflip.com/i/218076
Family life Hey kids, play with your food! A ccording to the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, 90 percent of kids don't eat the recommended amount of vegetables each day. To help get more kids on board with healthy eating, it's important to show them how fun veggies can be. It's no secret that kids love to play, especially with their food. While this behavior may normally be discouraged, the Birds Eye Vegetables brand is encouraging parents to rewrite the dinnertime rules. "Getting kids involved in the dinner process makes them more likely to eat and enjoy what they helped create," said Birds Eye corporate chef Michael Christiansen. "With our Rewrite the Dinnertime Rules program, we've come up with some easy ways to get your kids excited about dinnertime and loving vegetables." Here are five tips to get your kids to eat more veggies: 1. Get your kids involved When kids are involved, they're more likely to eat their creations. Let the kids help with the shopping, choosing of the recipes, prep and cooking of the meals. Have them choose the veggies they want to eat for dinner and which they want to pack in their lunch. Encourage them to try a variety of colors and flavors. Check out Birds Eye's Pinterest page for more playful recipes. 2. Make family playtime with veggies Kids can create rainbows on their plate with veggies or make smiley face pizzas. For the pizzas, use mini wholewheat pitas as the base and let the kids add marinara sauce, reduced-fat cheese and veggies to make faces. 3. Mix it up Veggies can be used in surprising and delicious ways. Mix veggies with yogurt, orange juice and honey to make nutritious smoothies, or whip up refreshing popsicles with carrots and orange juice. 4. Positive reinforcement Celebrate veggies and how delicious and fun they can be by using positive words when talking about them. 5. Use new veggies in familiar dishes Combine new veggies with a few simple ingredients for a twist on familiar favorites. Try making pea guacamo- Chicken & Corn Sliders Total time: 15 min. Servings: 6 1 bag (12 oz.) super sweet corn 1/3 cup prepared barbecue sauce 1/4 cup water or fat free, low-sodium chicken broth 2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken, skin removed 2 green onions, chopped Torn lettuce leaves 12 1-oz. whole grain slider rolls Bring barbecue sauce and broth to a boil over high heat. Simmer 1 minute. Stir in chicken and Super Sweet Corn; toss to coat and heat through. Stir in green onions. Evenly arrange on lettuce-lined rolls. Secure with fun toothpicks. le, corn salsa or other unique creations that combine old favorites with healthy veggies. hvparent.com n Hudson Valley Parent 5