The new year is the time that we tell ourselves we will all eat healthier and make better choices this year. Really.
It's the time of year when everyone's heading to the gym, buying new fitness clothes, and making healthier food choices.
We're here to help ... at least with the last one! Here are three smoothie recipes we love, easy tips for eating healthy, and healthy food swaps you can incorporate into your favorite recipes.
Smoothies
Smoothies are a great way to turn fruits and vegetables into a delicious treat for your family. Ingredients can be both mom- and kid-approved!
Serving the smoothie in a fun cup or with a straw can help distract kids from the delicious nutrients and vitamins they're getting in their cup. Spinach is much more appealing when masked with sweetness or sipped through a holiday-themed straw!
Click here to get 3 healthy and kid tested smoothie recipes: The Sweet Treat, The Chunky Monkey and The Green Dream.
Smoothies are a fun way to cook with your kids, experiment with different flavors, and sneak in super healthy nutrients!
5 easy ideas to encourage healthy habits
1. Set goals for yourself and your family: Be intentional. In most cases families who set goals together, stick to them together. Studies show that when you have someone to hold you accountable, you are more likely to meet your goal.
2. Walk more: Use an app to track your walks. Setting a specific goal to walk 33 miles a month is an easy way to walk more. We love 99 walks. Sign up for the monthly challenge now! Each month they have a theme that motivates you to keep moving!
3. Drink more water: Water is the secret to flushing the toxins out. We all know that. But the truth is we all need to be reminded. Here are a few tips to help you help the entire family drink more water:
- Place a water jug right on the counter and add strawberries and cucumbers... just like a hotel!
- Fill a water bottle for each family member and line them up in the fridge so they are easy to grab and go!
4. Add antioxidant rich fruits and veggies to your daily routine: We have a tower of grab-and-go fruits on our island in the kitchen. Each week we fill it with tangerines, apples (both red and green), and bananas. By the end of the week it’s always empty! We also have created a grab-and-go healthy snack section in our refrigerator. We cut up celery, peppers, and carrots. It’s a simple way to make it easy for the everyone in the family to have access to healthy foods.
5. Eat more whole grains and less sugar: We swapped out some of our everyday staples and literally cut our sugar intake by half. We swapped out Barilla Protein Pasta and our kids didn’t even know it. We also swapped out the sugary cereal for a lower sugar cereal.
Easy food swaps to make recipes healthier
Here are five ideas for healthy food swaps you can make in your favorite recipes to make them healthier:
- Replace your typical mashed potatoes recipe with half mashed cauliflower. Also use 2 percent milk instead of cream.
- Use unsweetened almond milk in your smoothies.
- Try homemade kale chips instead of potato chips.
- Swap ground beef for ground turkey or ground chicken on taco night. Even replacing just 1/4 of the ground beef will make a difference in the fat intake!
- Swap out sweet potato fries for french fries.
