I need to change how may family eats.

[Summerishere123]

We don't eat very well. Other than me, no one else will eat fruit. Veg, DH and DD eat (DH doesn't like root veg though and DD only root veg!) but DS won't touch at all. DS just wants to eat crap all the time.
I have decided not to buy stuff in any more to avoid the binging but what do I feed them instead?
What healthy snacks and breakfast meals do you feed your kids? any ways to make fruit a more interesting prospect?

How old are the kids? Might change the advice.

7 & 10

Put balanced meal in front of them. You don't have to eat it but if you don't give the meal overall, especially the veg, a good stab then there's no pudding. Cos if you are hungry enough for pudding you're hungry enough foe veg. Repeat most days of the week (ie 5 or 6 evening meals) for 4 months and appraise results.

Tell DH to grow up and eat his bloody carrots ffs!

Today my kids have had:
porridge and banana/ blueberries for breakfast
lunch at school
dinner, quiche and cheese, ham, cucumber, tomatoes, avocado
snacks: satsuma, apple, yogurt, chocolate buttons

Fruit smoothie? I made one tonight for my dc, wizzed up a couple of old bananas, some frozen mango, a few spoonfuls of natural yogurt and a splash of milk. Even my fussy teen dd will drink it.

Just vary the frozen fruit but bananas give sweetness.

Blend lots of veg into a tomato sauce as a base for pasta/pizza?

My husband doesn't eat veg and I thought it would be an issue with my kids. I got lucky and always approached it with you have to try, not like or eat it all but try.

Look up mindfulness eating and make a game of trying new veg this way.

I think you would need to make the changes slowly rather than going cold turkey, I think you would get less resistance. Find out how to make their favourites in a healthy way. Good luck.

DS will actually have a smoothie. He will even let me grate carrot into it.
But I also want them to learn to eat healthily so they get into better habits.

DS doesn't like pasta sauces so can't hide it.

I have just suggested a rewards chart where they get a treat meal on a Sunday if they eat a minimum of 3 of their 5 a day Mon-Sat which they seem keen on.
Ds is reeling off fruit he will eat.

My kids are 5 & 8 so a bit younger. But we talk about eating a rainbow of colours and talk about what the different colours 'do' in your body. I like the Facebook page 'my kids eat in color' (it's American). It's a weaning website first and foremost but I still use it. I have saved some pictures on my phone. The kids will ask me what does this red fruit do? They once made charts to show if they'd eaten all the colours. I like the science element. Maybe a scientific approach could help?! What this food does that my body needs.

My eldest really enjoys watching 'Eat well for less' (iplayer) which is usually about a family who want to save money and easy healthier, includes recipes, great show. Maybe you could you watch some together.

When my kids were young, we had a sudden and dramatic change in finances which vastly changed our shopping habits. Kids didn't like it, but they accepted it grudgingly. After a while, it was the new normal. I think it helps if there's a discussion rather than it being imposed, but hungry is less fussy!

Make sure you open my picture to see that it says 'what to say instead of this is healthy'.

Give them small servings of everything with seconds of what they like.

Don't serve a lot of one veg.

Make it fun- think duck pancake rolls with shredded veg and dipping sauce.

Mine ate things like tacos and wraps that you stuff yourself. Little bowls of sweetcorn, cherry toms, cucumber sticks, cheese, grated carrot, celery shreds, shredded lettuce- build your own.

Anything served with a cocktail stick to stab and eat- marshmallows, pineapple, olives, strawberries, cheese etc. let them make mini kebabs. Have cheese sauce or melted chocolate so they stab and dip!

Celery boats- fill the middle of the canoe with something they like- peanut butter, cream cheese, cheese spread.

Think in terms of pairing what they like with what they don't, and make it fun.

Home med Veg soup- pea and ham, tomato, French onion etc. serve with a little soup and some cheese toast cut up and floating on top as croutons.

Get them used to a bit of something healthy with their treat foods, and gradually increase the ratio of fruit/veg to treat.

Make their own slush- frozen fruit and juice or milk blended up.

Top their own pizza from a selection of toppings.

They like swing stuff

Today 4yo had strawberries and porridge for breakfast, packed lunch with Tuna mayo pasta & sweetcorn, grapes, yoghurt, carrot sticks and Cucumber for lunch, for tea we had lasagne with salad (I'm very lucky though that he likes lettuce and rocket). On a Friday and Saturday we have dessert (he will have jelly or a chocolate yoghurt, or maybe a packet of chocolate buttons), and Sunday night we have a movie night without fail with popcorn.

I never worry about what they eat. I just make a healthy dinner with fruit for desert and let them eat/not eat. They'll get around to liking it all eventually.

Change your language.

If they eat three portions of F&V a day, they can chose to eat ultra processed junk food on Sunday.

A treat is someone going to the effort of making a crumble

I think your best bet might be to get creative and try fruit and veg in different ways they've not had before. Honey roasted carrots and parsnips, blueberry oaty muffins, banana eggy bread (with loads of cinnamon), different veggie fritters with paprika/garlic/Cajun spices, switch out chips for sweet potato wedges or fries instead etc.

i make angel delight and add frozen fruit/ bananas etc. i make it a bit smaller than the portion size and yes not the healthiest but we have it as pudding twice a week and it’s become a hit

Thanks guys. Lots of useful ideas.

Be a good cook. My dc don't like fruit or raw veg. But he would eat most except for very small exceptions like aubergine if cooked.

I want picklemewalnuts to adopt me now.

My dds liked the carrot muffins I made and banana bread/muffins when they were small. Eventually they’d move on to sweetcorn/corn on the cob, raw carrot sticks, green beans, mange tout. They’re 11 and 12 now and have a variety of veg.

Don’t worry about the fruit, it’s very sugary. Vegetables are good though. Whizz them into pasta sauces or stir into curries?

I wouldn't worry about fruit - apart from berries.

Get them involved in meals, meal prep, choosing recipes and shopping lists.

Do "fun" things - wraps, tacos, veg-based pizzas, mezze platters, share boards, spring rolls (that they can create), poke bowls, layered breakfasts, smoothie bowls. Also food that "looks" good. Let them lose on pinterest for a family meals idea board.

I wouldn't reward healthy eating with the opportunity to eat badly by the way; we don't reward looking after ourselves in this house purely because it's something that we should naturally do. Food and exercise / outdoor time are non negotiable.

It's a great age to start getting them interested in cooking.

Design their own savoury muffins, veg kebabs (with / without meat) on skewers, crudites and dips for snacks, design their own quiches, omlettes, frittata, Noodles or Fried Rice is another great one to load up with veg they can chose.