This week’s Disney D-Lightful Living Challenge is to eat more fruits and veggies, something most families can probably use a little help with. It’s up to us as parents to make sure our kids are getting the recommended servings to keep them healthy. While it can be a little tricky, there are some things that help encourage kids to reach for something healthy including a lineup for products featuring Disney characters. The following are some tips that can be used to get your kids eating healthfully:
- It’s all in the presentation. Make up a plate of fruits and veggies in a colorful pattern and serve with a yummy dip to encourage sampling of a variety of items. You can also create faces with red peppers for lips, broccoli for hair, olives for eyes, etc.
- Serve juice boxes with your kid’s favorite characters on it — they won’t even know what they’re drinking is nutritious
- A Disney themed bouquet of fruit is the perfect centerpiece for a party or play date. Not only does it look super cute but it’s edible, fun and delicious!
- When all else fails, sneak veggies into meals by disguising them. Blend cooked cauliflower into mashed potatoes, add carrot juice to fruit juice or serve meals like spaghetti where the veggies are blended into the sauce.
- Put it on pizza the cover it with cheese. Most kids love pizza and cheese so adding a veggie or two to one of their already favorite meals might help them accept trying something new.
Disney has a selection of products designed to encourage healthier eating including:
Crunch Pak Foodles
Foodles are combinations of fruits or veggies with sides like dip, raisins, cracker or cheese packaged in Mickey-shaped trays that are easily transportable. Kids will love snacking on these special servings made just for them. Prices range from $1.99-3.99 at select grocery stores nationwide.
Crunch Pak Apple Slices
Phineas & Ferb Apple Slices are an easy snack to pack for the kids. My kids gobble these up like they’ve never eaten an apple before! Prices range from$2.99-3.99 at select grocery stores nationwide
Brother-All-Natural Freeze Dried Fruit Crisps
These 100% fruit snacks are available in a variety of flavors and provide a different fruit snack experience. The Disney packaging is sure to please! I especially like these for my littlest who just turned one because they almost melt in your mouth. These are priced at $0.99/bag at grocery stores nationwide. For more info visit brothersallnatural.com/Disney
Tummy Ticklers
Get more fruit in your child’s diet with these apple and fruit juice drinks which feature more than 30 different toppers ranging from classic Mickey & Friends to “Toy Story” characters. The best thing about these is that they are reusable and the kids LOVE drinking from them! They retail for $2.99 at Walmart.
Juicy Juice
Juicy Juice is one of the only fruit juices we buy. The Cars 2 juice boxes are our current favorite and we usually take these to preschool for our snack day. The limited-edition cars packaging comes in 9 different flavors of 100% fruit juice with each box featuring a cars character. The packaging has games and an online game site where kids can go to “Spy School”. A pack retails for $4.99 at grocery stores nationwide.
Edible Arrangements’ Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Party Bouquet
My kids love fruit and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse so this edible party bouquet is sure to be a hit. The arrangement includes fresh pineapple, strawberries, grapes, cantaloupe and honeydew arranged in keepsake Mickey Mouse Clubhouse or Disney Princess-themed carry-all container. Perfect for birthday parties, you’ll be surprised how kids will literally eat them up! These retail for $45.00 at Edible Arrangements stores and EdibleArrangements.com
It’s always tricky getting kids to eat fruits and veggies. How do you encourage your family to eat more nutritious foods? Do you have a helpful hit to share? Please leave a comment!
Disney Living has launched the D-Lightful Living campaign on their Disney Living Facebook page. Over a 12 week period they’ll post a weekly challenge for families to encourage them to live a healthy lifestyle. These challenges will feature simple tips and product suggestions to make it easy. You’ll be able to download a checklist that outlines all 12 weekly challenges to help you track your progress. You’ll also be able to participate in an online forum to share tips with one another. Last, but not least, visitors will be able to enter to win a weekly Disney-branded product prize package! Be sure to visit Disney Living on Facebook for all of the details.
Complimentary products were provided for this post and I am being compensated for my time as a Disney Brand Ambassador, however, all opinions expressed are my own. See Mommies With Cents disclosure policy for more details.