Yogurt Bowls-Berries, Puffs and Honey

New to Food With Kid Appeal? Welcome, leave a comment, reading your thoughts makes me smile! If you like what you read, sign up to receive email subscription or RSS feed.


Big and Little boo eat at school three days a week, so on their days home I try to get a couple extra dairy servings in. Yogurt lunch is kind of a hold over from baby food days, and also one of the things I did last year to A) save money on expensive individually packaged yogurt and yogurt drink items. B) reduce the amount of plastic waste we create C) cut some added sugar out of our diets. Pre-sweetened yogurt product all contain a fair amount of sugar (4 or more tsp for a small cup), and with two little ones eating it daily the cost, trash and sugar was adding up. Now I buy a giant container of low-fat plain yogurt and we make bowls for lunch, and “yogurt” drinks for special snacks.

(yes, I know that is NOT a very appealing picture of yogurt, but did you see those baby blues??)

What’s good in yogurt?

• Yogurt is great for gut health. If your kids suffer from constipation or frequent tummy upset, getting them on yogurt regularly could help a lot. Yogurt is a probiotic-which means it contains bacteria that produce lactic acid. These “good” bacteria contribute to a boosted immune system, better intestinal tract health and reducing the risks of certain cancers. It’s also been shown to improve LDL/HDL ratios. For more on how yogurt helps with immunity to bacteria and viruses, check out WH Food’s yogurt page.
  

1 cup yogurt (389 mg) has MORE calcium than 1 cup of milk (~300mg)! Plus it has less lactose than milk, so even those with intolerance to milk may be able to enjoy it.

As with all dairy products, yogurt is high in protein making it a good alternative to meat for little ones who haven’t figured out how to eat that chewy stuff.

Moms, this meal is great for weight maintenance too! One study showed that folks who ate yogurt daily burned more fat after meals than those who didn’t. Check out WH Food’s yogurt page for more details on that study.

Make sure to find yogurts that have “live and active” cultures to get the benefits from the good bacteria. Lowfat is best for kids over 2. Kids under 2 should eat whole milk yogurt.

The other great thing about yogurt bowls is the other healthy foods in them! We add honey, frozen berries (thawed) and puffed grains (millet, kamut, rice) or granola. We get fruit, whole grains and dairy all in one bowl! I prefer puffed grains over granola because I get them unsweetened, and then there is no sweetener but honey in this meal. See this post for more on Nature’s Path’s puffed cereals. Most granola is sweetened with sugar, but is still a better choice than pre-sweetened yogurt since at least you’re getting the benefit of a grain. Berries are something I used to buy fresh year round, but buying them frozen is more affordable, and better for the environment. More frozen berries can go in a truck load, than fresh delicate gently packaged berries. Dave Grotto, author of 101 Foods That Could Save Your Life has a great video on raspberries, check it out here. Stay tuned for a chance to win his book!

Ground or whole pumpkin seeds, flax seed meal and dried fruit have also appeared as toppings on yogurt days for us. Any nuts/seeds would do, and would give a protein kick to this meal. Grind them for your youngest eaters, leave them whole for older kids and add a great crunch to the yogurt.

The boys both love yogurt days, and so does hubby. If you followed the recovering picky eater challenge you know I just started eating honey. It used to be on my ick list, but now I enjoy it in yogurt. I have to credit the enthusiasm of my family for this meal in helping me get over the honey-is-yucky hurdle. This is a top-it-yourself meal which has undeniable kid appeal. I serve the boos a bowl of yogurt and put the toppings on the table. They load up their bowls with fruit and puffs and I drizzle on the honey. The berries turn the yogurt great shades of pink and purple so the boys like to mix and watch the white yogurt disappear. There is a mine-is-purpler-than-yours contest every time! For another top-it-yourself meal check out this post on Taco Night.

Kid Appeal Tip If you’re having problems getting a certain themed meal over with your family, try making it a routine. Being exposed to it more often helps, but kids often are comforted when they know what to expect, and the same goes for food. Even if they start off resisting, they may come to really enjoy a new food tradition once they’re expecting it and they see others enthusiastic about it.

What’s on your yogurt?

PS-if you haven’t entered to win Soap Nuts, you have until Thursday at 8p CST. Click here to enter.