Share how you make your children’s food win-win with Soreen - £200 voucher to be won

[CeriMumsnet]

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As a parent it can be tricky to make sure our children are enjoying a healthy, balanced diet, especially if we are now busy juggling work with home-schooling and the biscuit tin is within reach. Ensuring that their meals are nutritious enough to give us peace of mind but won’t go untouched, or that we’re stocked up with the right snacks to keep our children fuelled and able to concentrate throughout the day is a constant balance to strike, whether your DC are staying at home or still going into school this lockdown. With this in mind, Soreen would like to hear your stories and tips about making your kids’ foods ‘win-win.’

Here’s what Soreen has to say: "It’s only natural for parents to want to give their children what they ask for however, as we all know this can’t be done, especially when it comes to snacks.

And now with many families spending more time indoors and trying to balance work and home-schooling it can be even more tempting to say ‘yes’ to visiting the treat cupboard, especially if it means you might get some peace and quiet for your next virtual meeting.

With Soreen Lunchbox Loaves there is finally a treat you and your kids can both agree on. Containing 50% less sugar than the average cake bar, a source of fibre and low in saturated fat they’re a healthier alternative (don’t tell the kids!) that takes the guilt out of saying ‘yes’. They’re available in four squidgy and delicious fruity flavours; banana, apple, malt and strawberry, and come individually wrapped in a pack of 5 mini loaves - perfect for each day of the school week."

So have you resorted to hiding vegetables in your pasta sauces to ensure your DC get their 5 a day? Do you opt for low in sugar alternatives to your children’s favourite snacks, or have you set a lockdown snack-time routine that works for your family? Perhaps you teach your children about the importance of a balanced diet by saving dessert for the weekend?

Whatever your tips for making your children’s food win-win, all who post on this thread will be entered into a prize draw where one lucky MNer will win a £200 voucher for a store of their choice (from a list).

Thanks and good luck with the prize draw!

MNHQ

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Most veg gets eaten as they have been eating veg since they were tiny. I find something like a soreen bar keeps them full a little longer than a few biscuits.
Apples and tangerines are good to and any other treats we make, like fairycakes, cookies, flapjacks. I couldnt aford them otherwise.

I try to add 2 or 3 different fruits to my childrens breakfasts to start them off well for the day. They'll often have something like weetabix or porridge with berries or banana and a glass of fresh fruit juice. Sometimes it's also coco pops!
I give them cheese or nuts often as a mid morning snack and put some chopped tomatoes, cucumber, peppers, olives etc on the side of their lunch, with only 1 bag or crisps shared between them both if they have sandwiches. I don't buy chocolate spread etc, I figure if it's not in the house they have to eat the healthier options.
They do have a biscuit or some chocolate a few times a week as a treat and usually pizza one evening a week but that is balanced out with healthier dinners.
It's all about moderation in my book!

I have an autistic 12yr old and almost 6mth old. My son will try a new thing once a week. It is something his dad and I will be eating and if he likes it he can steal some of his dads if he doesnt he can spit it out into the bin and eat his dinner. We used to love going round costco because if he tried the new things going round we could have our meal there. We even try him with things we dont like. None of us like scampi but he does. So dont forget to get a small amount of something you dont like because it could turn out to be your kids favourite meal x

No problems with my great niece as she absolutely loves her fruit & veg.

Shape cutters are useful. And silicon moulds. My children wouldnt eat an omelette but chopped ham in a dinosaur mould, add whisked eggs and grated cheese, cook in the oven and its suddenly a favourite.
Sandwiches cut in circles/people shapes etc are more interesting. if you cut the bread before adding the filling you can use the scraps to make bread&butter pudding.
buy coloured paper plates and theme lunch into colours?
Soreen can be moulded! just saying!!! A block of Soreen and some snips of carrot to add eyes etc to the 'teddies'? just me then!!!!!

My older two are adults now and I think I gave in to their fussiness (there are sn’s involved) and they are still fussy now. With ds3 I’ve taken a different approach. I decide what to cook and serve and he decides how much of it he’s going to eat. Snacks are fruit, yogurt, cheese and crackers or things with dip. If I do a lighter dinner such as omelette, jacket potato or soup, I do a dessert, otherwise we don’t bother. He isn’t fussy at all and eats what he’s given. However it’s probably just a fluke!

Luckily ds (2.5) is a good eater. I get an extra portion of fruit in (not that he needs it!) First thing by mixing frozen fruit with his porridge- cheery porridge is his current favourite.

Also original soreen woth spread is a favourite or as we have dubbed it "butter cake"!

Reward them with treats when they eat all their greens!

Try not to make an issue over an 'issue' with certain foods - My niece would hate certain veggies on her plate and refuse to eat them and is vegan now she's grown up.

We just try to make sure their diet is balanced with lots of fresh fruit and veg, some carbs and protein and a few nice things. We also make sure they get out exercising regularly too - especially during the current time.

I think it's good not to encourage bad eating habits but equally not to encourage obsessive behaviour around food and saying things are bad - more everything in moderation.

"Perhaps you teach your children about the importance of a balanced diet by saving dessert for the weekend? "

Having set days for food and labelling food as "good" or "bad" does not teach children about the importance of a balanced diet, it does the opposite.

If you have a fussy kid, don't serve special meals for them, cook for the whole family but if you know they wont eat the main course eg salmon, make sure you serve side dishes they will eat and fill up on eg potatoes, noodles or a filling pudding. That way you aren't pandering to their fussiness, they still get exposed to the food and (hopefully without pressure) will start to accept it, but you know they have eaten enough not to be hungry

My 16 month old has to see what mummy is doing at all times (even when on the loo of course) so he has to see me making his food, once he sees what were going to be eating hes much more keen tontry

I just try to make sure they have loads of fruit and veg as snacks instead of sweet things, so raw carrots (they love these), apple slices etc.

I'm lucky my children love fruit and veg and they'll love these Soreen lunchbox loaves too.

My son is quite fussy but he would often eat more fruit & veg if I peeled and chopped it and just left it on a plate on the table and he'd pick at it as he played nearby.

I have always encouraged the children in trying different things and have introduced lots of different tastes as early as possible. Never used rewards just expected them to try everything and eat along with them.

My two were wanting to hit the snacks every day as they are used to being provided with them at school - but their snack of choice would be biscuits/bars etc. I've now said this is a Friday treat - and every other week day they need to have fruit. Weekends, I'm more relaxed anyway and allow them a dessert or sweets after dinner.

I have a Vitamix, which is great for many reasons, but especially for making soups, sauces and smoothies. One tip I learned is that you can pop in a small amount of vegetables into other things to get children and others to eat them.

Let them help with preparation.

Eadie loves pasta but not block cheese so I always put cheese on her pasta so it melts into the pasta and she eats it fine, she is also I lover of cucumber so as a snack I give her a big chunk to eat,
She is not a lover of meat and if she puts it in her mouth she always spits it out, I have not found a way to get her to eat meat yet and as she is only 2 years an 4 months I think she will start to eat it as she gets older.

While DS loves veg in its whole form (eg carrots etc with a roast) he doesn't like 'mushy vegetables' in chunkier soups or pasta sauce. I do a lot of blending to make our homemade soup smooth and he absolutely loves it. A great way of getting in those veg that have a bit more of an acquired taste like aubergine too!

I seem to have finally conquered the answer to having fussy eating children. After making the childrens food, I would then cook a more interesting meal for myself and my DH which would involve foods that the children would not even entertain had it been on their own plates but they would often ask and seem very intruiged by mine and my DH meals and so it was a good opportunity to offer them a spoon full to try and I was pleasantly surprised how tasting a sample then led to them asking for that particular meal the next time! It's worked and I can proudly say I no longer have any fussy eaters at home.

Fingers crossed DD7 and DS4 are coming out the fussy stage. DD 1 is still really good at eating so long may that continue. We try and be as relaxed as we can with the kids and encourage them to try but never force the issue. Since lockdown we have eaten as a family most nights, this helps a lot. We always put a few 'safe' foods on the plate like potatoes or carrots as we know they will eat these.The kids help chose the menu so there are always meals that they like carbonara or haggis. On occasion we have nice puddings , posh fruit, yogurt or occasionally jelly or angel delight. This is often a good incentive and the kids eat well.

my girls actually love fruit and vegetables but i do try and sneek a few more in with dinners, like onions and mushrooms and peppers into a basic pasta sauce.