Finding foods that your kids will eat AND that you can feel good about giving them can be pretty tough. Thankfully, Babbleboxx sent me a curated box of kid-friendly foods from a handful of fantastic brands. So, if you're struggling to find new foods for your children to try, check out some of my kids' new favorites below.
This post is sponsored by BabbleBoxx.com.
My firstborn was a horribly picky eater. From the moment he started taking solid foods, I knew it was going to be a struggle to get wholesome, nutritional foods in him. I took the advice of the professionals and offered different foods (over and over again) but he just couldn't tolerate a lot of different tastes and textures. Over the years, I learned that if I'm open to purchasing new brands and products, he'll try anything at least once. I think that's due to the fact that I never made him finish a plate of anything he couldn't bear to eat. He trusted me and knew that if he tried something and couldn't tolerate it, that was okay with me. Perhaps we'd try it again at some point, but I think this plan of attack really helped open the door to him trying new foods. Sometimes he's surprised by the foods he thought he wouldn't like and he's been open to eating many, many new things over the past few years.
Recently, Babbleboxx sent me a box full of kid-approved foods and I was excited to see if we could add some new items into our regular lineup. I'm always on the hunt for new kid-friendly food, so this seemed like such a perfect fit for us.
Kid-friendly foods
The first thing we tried from our box was . This new offering from the RAGÚ brand is full of flavor from aged Parmesan cheese and real butter. My kids love plain pasta with just a hint of butter and shaved parmesan cheese, so I knew this sauce was going to be hit.
If you've got an instant cooker, there is a great that you can try. I decided to make a more traditional version of that recipe where I cooked the pasta to al dente, then mixed the ingredients and baked it in the oven for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.
I knew this dish was going to be a winner as soon as I took it out of the oven. It smelled amazing the cheesiness was right up our alley. Even my pickiest eater was all in for this homemade mac & cheese recipe.
Our whole family enjoyed this kid-friendly recipe and my son even asked for seconds, which isn't a super common occurrence around here. I will surely be adding RAGÚ® Butter Parmesan Sauce to our grocery list.
Right now, you can enter to RAGÚ Dream Kitchen Giveaway for a chance to win a $20,000 Dream Kitchen Makeover, a kitchen stand mixer, or other great prizes. Just visit Go to ragu.com/sweepstakes for more information and to enter before September 22, 2019.
Another great item in our kid-friendly food box was Gardein Meatless Meatballs. I know what you're thinking, meatLESS meatballs? How can this be? Well, these meatballs are plant-based and are certified vegan, non-GMO, dairy-free, and kosher to boot. They're also packed with 14 grams of protein per serving and taste like the real deal.
There are multiple ways to heat these meatless meatballs and they can be ready in as little as 8 minutes. All you have to do is toss them with your favorite sauce and you've got a meal.
To be honest, I wasn't sure how my son was going to react to the vegan meatballs. He does eat a lot of plant-based foods like veggie dogs and nuggets, so I was hoping he'd like the Gardein Meatless Meatballs just as much. I'm pleased to say he did like them! He said they were quite yummy! I also made a serving for myself and I absolutely loved them. With 150 calories, 4 grams of fiber, and 14 grams of protein per serving (which is 3 meatballs), I can definitely see myself preparing these for myself for lunches and dinners.
Getting your children to eat veggies can be a bit of a challenge, but Tessemae’s Pantry Classic Ranch makes it so much easier. Their ranch is thick, creamy and has that classic ranch taste my kids know and love. It's USDA Certified Organic, Whole30-approved, Keto-approved, dairy-free, gluten-free, non-GMO, and has no added sugar. This cream ranch dressing is seriously everything we've been looking for in a salad dressing and it tastes delicious. I finally found a dressing that I can feel good about serving my kids.
Another pantry staple that we tried was Tessemae’s Oraganic Ketchup. I've tried a lot of "wholesome" ketchup in the past few years but none of them were truly kid-approved. My kids want that classic ketchup taste and I don't really blame them. That's why Tessemae’s Ketchup caught me a little off guard. It's the perfect balance of that classic ketchup flavor with just a hint of sophistication. It's made with premium, organic tomato paste and it's naturally sweetened with organic dates and white balsamic vinegar. See where that hint of sophistication comes in? Don't worry, your kids won't notice it. They'll just notice the great iconic ketchup flavor and ask for more. Like Tessemae's Classic Pantry Ranch, it’s also USDA Certified Organic, Whole30-approved, Keto-approved, dairy-free, gluten-free, non-GMO, and doesn't contain any added sugar.
Another big winner in our kid-approved box of goodies was Nutiva Squeezable Organic Coconut Manna. This is a delectable coconut butter spread made from organic pureed coconuts and it comes in three yummy flavors, coconut, almond, and chocolate. With how great it tastes, you might be surprised that only has 1 gram of sugar per serving and it's dairy-free and gluten-free. Compared with other nut butters, like the peanut butter that my kids are always asking for, this is a much better alternative.
The packaging is so awesome since you can easily knead the content and then spread them neatly and with better portion control. I used the Chocolate Organic Coconut Manna to spread onto toast and topped it with strawberries for an easy breakfast and my daughter loved it. You could also add it to oatmeal, to your favorite smoothie or spread it onto fruits.
Every kid loves apple sauce pouches right? Mine sure do! So, of course, the North Coast Probiotic apple sauce pouches we received were gobbled up quickly. These organic apple sauce pouches are not only tasty, they also help balance the friendly bacteria in your gut thanks to the carefully selected probiotics inside. These probiotics can also help treat digestive issues if that's a struggle for you or your children. This is the epitome of clean-eating!
We also received North Coast's Probiotic Apple Drinking Vinegar that contingently blends the recommended daily dose of 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar with the perfect blend of apple juice and water. There's no added sugar or preservatives so you can certainly feel good about putting this into your body.
Miranda says
What a great box! So many yummy choices!
Mia E. says
My grandkids visit after school so I love these healthy and easy snack ideas.