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I can’t help but smile and feel a sense of modest pride when I remember the look on my friend’s face as the 5 children (ages 1-6) sitting at my dinner table chanted “More tofu! More green beans! More quinoa!” OK, so the 1 year old yelled something more like “Aaahhhhh!” but her message was crystal clear. My friend, and fellow mom, was in disbelief that I got them to not only eat a fresh healthy meal without bribery or threats, but they were actually begging for more.

You may be skeptical, faced with the typical challenge of the “picky eater” and swayed by the undeniable convenience of packaged snacks and processed foods. These factors, along with multi-million dollar marketing campaigns aimed at convincing us that Froot Loops, Goldfish, Go-gurt, and Lunchables are healthy choices, often override our better judgment about what to feed our children (learn more about behind the scenes marketing tactics in Marion Nestle’s, What To Eat). What we’ve come to identify as “kid food” is truthfully mostly processed junk food made from poor-quality, cheap ingredients.

Children need fresh, nutrient-dense foods to support healthy development of their body, nervous system, and brain. By making a weekly trip to your local Farmer’s Market and sticking to the perimeter of the grocery store (and out of the isles) you can easily achieve this. The Farmer’s Market provides a great opportunity to get kids involved; let them sample the foods and help choose which ones to buy.

As for drinks, kids should mostly drink water. Limit juice to no more than once cup of 100% fruit juice per day and avoid soda, diet soda, sweetened and artificially sweetened beverages all together.

It is our job as parents to teach our children healthy eating habits that empower them to thrive physically, emotionally, and socially. In order to deliver on this important promise, we must set aside time to shop for and prepare fresh, whole foods.

Here is a sample menu of healthy kid-friendly meals, snacks, and desserts that have won star approval from my toughest critics. See notes below on salt, oils, and sweeteners and for additional helpful tips read  6 Ways to Get Your Kids to Eat Healthier.

Breakfast

• Warm oatmeal with a dash of salt, a drizzle of agave or pure maple syrup, and a small dollop of coconut oil. Use whole rolled or steel cut oats, not instant. You may also mix in a spoonful of nut butter for a little protein boost.
• Homemade Muesli: raw rolled oats, a handful of plain Joe’s O’s (or your low sugar cereal of choice), and slivered raw almonds topped with a drizzle of honey and unsweetened almond milk. I like Almond Breeze almond milk and prefer this to cow milk since it is easier to digest.
• Egg Taco. Cook 1-2 eggs omelet style in lightly buttered pan with a dash of salt and wrap in a warm corn tortilla. It is important to use pastured eggs from chickens that graze on a natural diet. Avoid conventional eggs.
• Quinoa with dried berries: Cook quinoa (2 parts water, 1  part quinoa) for about 15 minutes. When it’s about 1/2 way cooked, add dried berries, a dash of cinnamon, and a pinch of salt. Right before serving mix in 1-2 Tbs flax meal (for added fiber) and top with sliced almonds, a drizzle of agave syrup, and a small dollop of coconut oil or butter.
• Sprouted grain French toast: Soak slices of sprouted whole grain bread in a mixture of eggs, vanilla, almond milk, and cinnamon. Brown both sides in a lightly buttered pan, and drizzle with pure maple syrup.

Lunch or Dinner

• Scrambled eggs with brown rice and petite peas. I use frozen peas and run them under warm water to thaw.
• Turkey sandwich with carrot sticks. Use sprouted grain bread and turkey that is free of nitrates/nitrites.
• Hard boiled egg(s), 1-2 Ryvita sesame rye crackers lightly smeared with chevre goat cheese, and fresh sugar snap peas.
• Browned tofu with quinoa and steamed green beans. Cook quinoa (2 parts water, 1  part quinoa) for about 15 minutes. I usually add a little bullion or broth for flavor. To prepare the tofu cut into bite size cubes. In a mixing bowl combine soy sauce, a drizzle of honey, and a dash of powdered ginger and stir in tofu, evenly coating all sides. Melt coconut oil in non-stick pan over med-high heat. Brown tofu on all sides. Once the green beans are finished steaming and on the plate, drizzle with flax oil and add a dash of salt.
• Chicken pieces atop brown rice with steamed broccoli. I often pick up a pre-cooked whole rotisserie chicken at Whole Foods. Cook the rice with half water and half chicken broth to make it extra tasty and add a little butter and salt to the broccoli.
• Grass-fed beef burger with mashed sweet potato and corn on the cob. Bake the sweet potatoes for about 50min, remove the skins, put in a bowl, add a pinch of salt and a dash of cinnamon, and blend with the hand mixer. Grill patties and garnish with a swirl of organic ketchup (make sure it doesn’t have HFCS). Steam or grill corn on the cob.
• Teriyaki salmon with polenta and vegetable of choice. Marinate salmon in teriyaki sauce and bake or grill. Polenta cooks in only about 5 min and is easy to prepare with 3 parts water to 1 part corn meal (add a little bullion or broth for flavor).

Snacks

• Sliced apple with peanut butter. Your peanut butter should contain only two ingredients: peanuts, salt.
• Sprouted grain toast with almond butter and banana/honey/or 100% fruit jam.
• Homemade popcorn drizzled with either flax oil and salt or liquid aminos and brewer’s yeast.
• Hummus with a few sliced carrots and rice crackers for dipping.
• Fruit smoothie. Use any combination of these ingredients or your own additions: unsweetened almond milk or coconut milk, fresh and/or frozen fruit (banana, blueberries, blackberries, mango, strawberries, etc), nuts (raw cashews or walnuts), avocado, a little pure maple syrup to taste (may not be necessary), water.
• Fresh seasonal fruit such as melon, pear, plum, peach, grape, strawberries, etc.
• Frozen fruit such as mango, blueberries, grapes, or bananas. Perfect for a hot day.
• Ryvita crackers either plain or with a smear of chevre goat cheese.
• Nuts. I recommend raw, sprouted, or roasted & lightly salted.

Dessert

• Fresh seasonal fruit such as melon, pear, plum, peach, grape, cherries,  strawberries, etc.
• Frozen fruit such as mango, blueberries, grapes, or bananas.
• Chocolate covered frozen banana (I found these at Trader Joe’s).
• Homemade frozen juice popsicles. These are healthier and more economical than pre-packaged juice bars.
• Mango pudding: In blender, puree soft tofu, frozen mango, a dash of vanilla, and pure maple syrup to taste.
• Coconut milk ice cream (Coconut Bliss makes a great product).

Salt: Use unrefined (French Celtic) gray sea salt. In it’s unprocessed state, salt contains trace minerals which support optimal health. When we eliminate processed foods (which are loaded with copious amounts of pure sodium chloride) from the diet we can freely add a little salt to enhance the flavor of our food.

Oils: Cook with olive oil, butter, or coconut oil depending on flavor and cooking temperature. Olive oil contains healthy omegas and antioxidants and can be used for low to medium heat cooking. Butter from grass-fed cows contains greater amounts of vitamin A, D, K, E, and omega-3s than butter from conventional diary. Butter can tolerate medium to high heat. Coconut oil has antibacterial and antimicrobial properties which boost the immune system and can tolerate high heat.

Flax oil is a good source of omega-3s and can be added to warm food but should not be used for cooking as the heat will damage and oxidize it.

Sweeteners: Use unrefined natural sweeteners such as pure maple syrup, agave nectar, and honey. So long as we are not feeding our children sugar laden “kid food” we can feel free to add a bit of natural sweeteners to make whole, healthy foods more exciting for them.