As parents, we all know the struggle of dealing with fussy eaters. It can be frustrating and stressful trying to get the right food into our kids. But there are ways to boost the nutrition in their meals without them even knowing it! We’ve got 5 sneaky swaps that you can use for your children’s everyday meals to up the goodness, and the best thing is they won’t even notice.
1. Add Flax and Chia Seeds When Baking
These seeds are packed with essential nutrients like omega-3 fatty acids, fibre and protein. They’re also quite bland in taste which makes them a great option to add to baking recipes as they won’t affect the flavour too much. Here are some tips on how to add them when your baking:
Flax Seeds
- Use ground flax seeds (flax meal) instead of whole flax seeds in your baking. Ground flax seeds are easier to digest and absorb, and they also release more nutrients when baked.
- Substitute up to 25% of the flour in your recipe with ground flax seeds to quickly boost fibre and protein.
- You might need to adjust the liquid content a little when you use this swap as the flax can be more absorbent than normal flour.
Chia Seeds
- You can use whole chia seeds which will give a little extra texture or ground chia seeds (chia flour or chia meal) which will be more hidden.
- Substitute up to 25% of the flour in your recipe with chia flour again to add extra fibre and protein to your recipe.
- Whole chia seeds are great to top things like muffins and rolls, it gives an extra crunch as well as a mild, nutty flavour!
2. Use Bone Broth To Cook Your Rice And Pasta Dishes
Cooking your pasta or rice in bone broth is an excellent way to boost their nutrition and flavour. Bone broth is packed with collagen, amino acids, and minerals and the carbohydrates will absorb all of that whilst they cook in the broth. Because Freja bone broth is 100% natural you know they’re getting all the good stuff and no nasties, and it is so much more nutritious to cook your carbs this way instead of using a stock cube for flavouring.
Just cook your rice or pasta as you would normally but replace the water with bone broth. If there’s any broth left over once the ingredient is cooked you can add it to whatever sauce you’re making alongside.
3. Smoothies
A smoothie is a great way to get a load of vitamins and nutrients into your children in a tasty and fun way. They are delicious, easy to make, and can include a variety of fruits, vegetables, and other healthy ingredients. The process of blending the whole ingredient instead of juicing also means all the fibre is kept in the drink and makes it more filling.
As the overall flavour is often naturally sweet from the fruit, it’s easy to add in some leafy greens, avocado, nut butter, beetroot or yoghurt to the mix and not impact the flavour too much. Smoothies are quick and easy to make and packed with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants to start the day right.
4. Add Bone Broth Powder To Stews And Soups
Adding bone broth powder to stews and soups is a quick, affordable and easy way to increase the protein and nutrient content of your meals without your kids realising. The flavour of Freja Bone Broth powders are mild so you can add it to all sorts of savoury dishes to boost the nutrients. Bone Broth powder has all the health benefits of classic bone broth but in a more convenient, affordable format. It’s simple, just stir in a spoonful when you’re cooking and that’s it!
5. Home Made Pasta Sauce
Pasta sauce is an ideal vehicle for sneaking in some extra ingredients that kids may not be keen to eat otherwise. Adding pureed vegetables like carrots, spinach, or courgette to the sauce naturally increases the fibre, vitamins and mineral content of the meal without affecting the taste. For particularly precious tastebuds you’ll want a smooth texture which is best achieved if you blend the sauce whilst it’s still warm!
With these 5 sneaky tips you can easily improve the protein and nutrient content of your children’s everyday meals without any fuss. Healthy meals don’t need to be a battle all the time!
