Kid Approved Meals: Recipes and Advice for Busy Families

Christine Steendahl has created a guide for planning family meals that emphasize a balanced diet and is especially geared toward busy parents of picky eaters. We interviewed Christine about Kid Approved Meals and her advice on getting children to enjoy a variety of foods.  

About Crhistine Steendahl: 

Christine Steendahl, “The Menu Mom” has been menu planning for busy families for over 5 years.  She has a passion for families and helping them enjoy family time around the dinner table.  She specializes in home-style quick and easy recipes.  She resides in rural IL with her husband and four young children, who serve as her taste-testers.  You can also find her on twitter (www.twitter.com/themenumom) or facebook (www.facebook.com/themenumom).

What was the inspiration behind creating kidapprovedmeals.com?

We started with Dine Without Whine (www.dinewithoutwhine.com) which is dinner planning for busy families, and many of our clients asked us if we could also put together something for breakfast and lunch as well.  It was through these requests, that Kid Approved Meals was born. 

What can readers find on the kidapprovedmeals.com?

Kid Approved Meals features an e-book with 13 weeks of breakfast and lunch menus with categorized grocery shopping lists to go along with each menu.  We also feature articles and a great affiliate program.

What are your favorite things to cook/bake for your children?

We love trying new things!  Some of our favorites are smoothies, pasta, homemade breads, and muffins.

Could you give a word of advice for parents with very picky eaters? 

Don’t give up hope!  At our house, nothing is ever forced onto our children, but it is continuously offered.  We encourage 1 bite each time something is served, and they are not allowed to declare they do not like it until they have tried it.  One bite is all it takes.  Sometimes they still don’t like it, other times they decide maybe it isn’t too bad.  It is your responsibility as a parent to remain positive.  Do not get angry with your child, but instead stay positive and say “that is okay, we’ll try it again another time”.   The most important thing is not only to provide variety, but also to include something healthy that you know your child enjoys.  We don’t want eating to turn into a negative daily battle, but instead a learning experience.  I have found too, that if you have your kids join you in preparing food, they often are more likely to be willing to try it.