Eat Better, Eat Together is a blog series by registered dietitians and parents whose stories and advice help families start or strengthen a commitment to balanced family meals and create healthy, successful families. Take the Eat Better, Eat Together Family Meal Pledge at Facebook.com/MealsMatter.org.

Both my husband and I were raised having family meals, and we believe they offer many benefits, so it has been a priority for us to have sit-down, well-balanced meals with our three-year-old twins. Getting a balanced, nutritious meal that everyone will eat on the table night-after-night with two working parents is truly a juggling act.

The part I find easy when putting together a balanced healthy meal is making the main dish (which for us ranges from meat to eggs or fish) and pouring some glasses of milk. But I struggle with the side dishes from the other three food groups that balance out the meal.

These side dishes are important because not only do they balance the options we serve, but they offer “safe” foods that preschoolers are likely to eat on nights when Dijon-smothered chicken with capers isn’t appealing to them.

My solution for busy nights is to go simple. Usually our grains consist of brown rice or a bag of whole-wheat egg noodles with a bit of butter. Only when I’m feeling adventurous will I cook up a little couscous and add some veggies to it. Whole-grain toast with butter and some garlic salt is another quick favorite.

I also go for easy veggie options. Bagged salad for the adults with baby carrots for the kids is a staple. Pre-packaged frozen vegetables that come with cheese or butter sauce are also a go-to item. Steam-in-the-bag green beans splashed with some rice vinegar are on the menu nearly every week.

Rounding out the meal—and usually serving as dessert—are cut-up in-season fruit snatched from the bowl on our countertop.

As we sit down to eat, I do a quick survey of everything we are serving around our main dish: Whole grains? Check. Milk poured? Check. Veggies? Check. Fruit? Check.

Then I breathe a sigh of relief and try to enjoy a few warm bites of my dinner before the never-ending fetching starts: more milk, more noodles, napkins, salt and pepper, a clean fork…

Subscribe to the Meals Matter blog, follow @MealsMatter and #EatBetter2Gether on Twitter for more tips, recipes and family meal inspiration.

Eat, Play, Love: Raising Healthy Eaters is a blog series by parents and dietitians whose stories and advice reminds us that we can overcome the challenges of feeding children. Subscribe to find ways to build lifelong healthy eating habits for your children.

Like many well-meaning parents, mine were not enlightened to Ellyn Satter’s division of responsibility. They demanded that I eat the foods they thought I needed at that moment, rather than giving me the time and space to learn to like them on my own. The result? I am a picky eater. I can list dozens of foods that I will not taste and prefer not to even touch or smell.

When my twins were born, I vowed to approach their feeding in a way that precluded my picky eating habits. I promised to cook and serve the foods that I didn’t want to touch or smell, because I wanted them to have the most diverse range of foods to choose from. I knew that they would have preferences and dislikes on their own, and I worried that if I started off by eliminating all of the foods that I wouldn’t eat, and they eliminated the foods they didn’t like, we might not be left with many choices at all!

This commitment took some sacrifice on my part. I had to get over my sense of smell and learn to buy (how do you know when certain fruits are ripe if you don’t eat them?) and prepare foods I’ve never eaten. I also experimented with new foods and flavors to find meals that we would all learn to love. Most importantly, we made a commitment to eating together every night, and I make sure that all food groups are on our plates and milk is in our glasses.

My approach seems to be serving us pretty well. Although I have held on to my picky eating habits, my soon-to-be-three-year-olds aren’t exhibiting any. Like most toddlers, some days they eat a good range of everything I serve and other days they barely take a bite of anything. But they always are willing to try new foods and have begun helping me in the kitchen.

So while we are doing well now, I am preparing myself for the important question that hasn’t come up yet, “How come you’re not eating that, mommy?”

Subscribe to our Eat, Play, Love: Raising Healthy Eaters blog series to find ways to build lifelong healthy eating habits for your children.

For more tips and information on raising healthy eaters, follow @mealsmatter and the #eatplaylove hashtag on Twitter.

Eat, Play, Love: Raising Healthy Eaters is a blog series by parents and dietitians whose stories and advice reminds us that we can overcome the challenges of feeding children. Subscribe to find ways to build lifelong healthy eating habits for your children.

Having spent long winter days inside with two two-year-olds, I cringe when a cold, rainy spring day appears in the forecast. I always hope for a warmer afternoon so that we can bundle up and head outside, but I also try to find new ways to play inside for a welcome respite.

Here are some ideas that have helped me keep my sanity this winter by allowing everyone to burn off a little pent-up energy:

Hide and seek or tag – the game can go on as long as there are creative hiding places left to find. Turn off the lights and close the blinds to add to the mystery.

Dance party – turn on the dance music, clear the floor and twist and shout! I am proud that my kids have known Lady Gaga by name since they were 15-months-old. 

Pile o’ pillows – also set to music, we clear off every couch cushion and make a great big pile o’ pillows to run and jump in, roll down and around. Elicits giggles every time.

Hop scotch – blue tape is a wondrous thing and makes it easy to outline a hopscotch board on any floor.

Jumping on the bed – Call me a rebel, but I never thought this should be outlawed. We sing Five Little Monkeys and sneer at authority.

Five Minutes of Funk – my colleague introduced me to this idea to enliven Clean Up time. Play music or sing, set a timer and see how much can be accomplished in just a few minutes.

Fashion show – this works particularly well in a two-story house. They run upstairs for a quick change and parade down the stairs to oohs and aahs. Long hallways can also be repurposed into “catwalks.”

Games, crafts and education online – if your energy is depleted but you aren’t quite ready to give in to TV, board games, crafts and fun, educational games online are a great option. Check out the Online Games & Activities that Meals Matter offers to teach nutrition!

So, all you parents out there, what are your great get ‘em moving inside ideas?

Subscribe to our Eat, Play, Love: Raising Healthy Eaters blog series to find ways to build lifelong healthy eating habits for your children.

For more tips and information on raising healthy eaters, follow @mealsmatter and the #eatplaylove hashtag on Twitter.

Eat, Play, Love: Raising Healthy Eaters is a blog series by parents and dietitians whose stories and advice reminds us that we can overcome the challenges of feeding children. Subscribe to find ways to build lifelong healthy eating habits for your children.

As a mom feeding two toddlers, I am fortunate to work with a team of dietitians at Dairy Council of California. Their advice and guidance on feeding kids has simplified my life, erased my guilt and made dinnertime a pleasant experience in the Ruzzamenti household.

As you follow the Eat, Play, Love series, these amazing dietitians, along with guest bloggers, will help you do the same. But I wouldn’t make you wait one day longer to hear how simple it can be to feed your kids without stress and strife.   

• Provide structured meal and snack times.
• Create clear responsibilities. As the parent, you are responsible for when, what and where of eating, your child is responsible for whether they will eat and how much they will eat.

These are the basic rules, but getting comfortable with them and transitioning to them can be tricky. I highly recommend reading Child of Mine by Ellyn Satter, who created this widely-used feeding strategy, and of course, following this blog, which will provide the same steps and guidance that has so greatly benefited my family.

In the months since implementing the Ellyn Satter philosophy, I have watched my two-year-olds devour everything on their plates at some meals and not take a single bite at other meals. Yet I am confident in the knowledge that this is a perfectly normal and healthy way to eat.

I know that most parents act from love when they ask their children to eat their vegetables to earn their desserts. But my love is expressed by taking the time to prepare nutritious dinners, sitting down as a family, and leaving the responsibility of eating to each individual. And dinnertime bliss will follow! 

Subscribe to our Eat, Play, Love: Raising Healthy Eaters blog series to find ways to build lifelong healthy eating habits for your children.

For more tips and information on raising healthy eaters, follow @mealsmatter and the #eatplaylove hashtag on Twitter.

LeAnne Ruzzamenti

One transition that I had difficulty with was introducing sweets and less-than-perfect, nutrient-rich foods into my toddlers’ diets. Before the age of two it was easy. They just didn’t know what incredible tastes and sweets were available. I remember chiding my father-in-law for feeding my daughter a few bites of cheesecake off his fork when she was 15 months old. “But she likes it,” he pleaded. “Of course she does,” I replied, “but she doesn’t know what she’s missing and she doesn’t need it.”

This summer, right before my twins turned two that changed. Suddenly they knew that the rest of us were eating for enjoyment and they wanted to tryit for themselves. I treaded lightly. Would my toddlers who rejoice to have chicken for dinner and fruit for dessert start shunning their core diet and crave only sweets? I tried to avoid it as long as I could, but we are a family that enjoys our dessert, and I wanted my children to have the same experience.

So we started having dessert after dinner most nights. They can now count on having something sweet at least once a day. Following Ellyn Satter’s recommendations, I don’t require them to eat a certain amount of dinner to “earn” dessert. I do help them understand that desserts are something special and that they should be limited. We’ve taken to calling them “special treats,” which gives us a working vocabulary when they request cookies before breakfast. We also limit quantities, helping guide them to more nutrient-rich options when they want more to eat after the sweets are gone.

Although it was a scary transition for me, I realize that it was just one of the first of many “letting go” parenting experiences ahead. It has been wonderful to share my favorite “special treats” with them and to watch as they celebrate the great tastes and flavors we all enjoy.

LeAnne Ruzzamenti
Director of Marketing Communications