Your “Nuggets” of Mealtime Wisdom
Tyson congratulates all parents for submitting their solutions to please their picky eaters and build a foundation of balanced eating habits.
The following five participants were randomly drawn in Tyson’s “Tell Us Your Little Nugget” program:
Grand prize winner of a $5,000 savings bond and a year’s supply of Tyson 100% All Natural Nuggets is Stephanie B. of Pensacola, FL.
First place winners of a $1,500 savings bond and a year’s supply of Tyson 100% All Natural Nuggets are Judy D. of Monroe, NC; Roblyn H. of Prairieville, LA; Jennifer A. of Hasbrouck Heights, NJ and Tiffany D. of Saint Johns, AZ.
Looking for more “nuggets” to help please finicky eaters? Here are a few top solutions submitted by parents:
- “I started a point system chart to get my two children to eat better. They would get points for giving up pop, eating vegetables, and trying new foods (that one was worth 10 points!). At the end of the week, I would give them a penny for every point they earned. It wouldn't amount to much: sometimes between $2-$3, but it was worth it to get them to eat better.”
- “I have boys so if we have noodles for supper, I tell them we are having boiled worms instead. Green beans are snake bites. Chicken nuggets are bird Frisbees. I add blue food coloring to scrambled eggs to have scrambled alien eggs. My kids are much more excited to have a bowl of boiled worms than to have something boring for supper.”
- “Our children love chicken nuggets, but it's often hard to get them to eat healthy side dishes. So, we started growing a vegetable garden. Now, they love running outside to see what healthy food is growing. For the first time ever, they are eating broccoli, beets, spinach, bell peppers and other yummy home-grown food.”
- “I have 'appetizers' out while I'm preparing dinner. I put out cut up veggies, a bowl of cherry tomatoes, hummus and baby carrots, or cut up fruit (on toothpicks if I have the time) and the kids can graze while we talk about their day. It lets the kids make healthy choices and reduces the food struggles to get them to eat their dinners.”
- “Save the best for last! We put meat and veggies on the plate first for hungry kids to dig into. My picky eater won’t eat anything else once the mashed potatoes hit the plate.”
- “At mealtime, I have little metal bowls that I fill with dipping sauces and put them in the middle of the table for them to share. Whatever we are having, I always give them dipping sauces, such as ketchup, mustard or honey. As long as they can dip their food into one of these, they will eat anything. Sounds really simple, but works for my kids.”
- “Make 'art structures' out of food. It's easy to get carrots and grape tomatoes and chicken down when they are created into silly faces, dogs, horses, or any favorite animal. Once they get past the first experience, throw in asparagus and more adventurous vegetables.”
- “I try to get my picky eater to eat healthy by telling her she has to eat a certain number of pieces of healthy fruit or vegetables. She tries to negotiate the number down, so we end up compromising with her...”
Robin Miller’s FUNdamentals of Finger Foods
As a nutrition expert, chef and mom of two boys, Robin Miller understands the challenge of preparing meals that her boys will try, enjoy and ask for again. That’s why she’s developed the following “nuggets” of mealtime wisdom to help please picky eaters and build a foundation for balanced eating habits:
Hands-on Food: Let’s face it -- kids prefer to eat with their hands. Finger foods make ideal meals for kids since you can combine a variety of small portions on one plate. Try partnering protein-packed Tyson® 100% All Natural Chicken Nuggets with vitamin-rich green beans and complex carbohydrate-rich pasta for a mouth-watering, nutritious meal that’s easy to eat with little hands. What looks like fun to your child is a well-balanced meal that you can feel good about serving.
Name Games: Giving fun, creative names to everyday nutritious foods may have kids asking for more! According to a 2009 Cornell University study, when kids were offered “X-ray vision carrots” instead of plain carrots, they ate 62 percent more carrots. Try adopting this approach in your own house by giving silly names to a variety of foods, such as “cloud fluff” for mashed potatoes or “cheese in the trees” for broccoli florets topped with cheese.
Muffin Tin Meals: Kids love to get their hands into everything, big or small. Set up a “finger food buffet” and have your kids pick the items they’d like eat. They’ll feel included in the process, which will increase their interest in trying a little bit of everything. Start with a muffin tin (or any small container with compartments) and customize the meal by filling the sections with bite-size portions of colorful, nutritious foods. Some great food ideas include: cubed cheese, whole grain cereals, grapes, sugar snap peas, baby carrots, cherry tomatoes and Tyson® 100% All Natural Chicken Nuggets. Once you’ve filled the compartments, let them pick their items, allowing them to be hands-on with their meals.
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Click here to read more of Robin’s “nuggets” of mealtime wisdom. |
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