When you think about all of the things us moms have to do in a single day it can be pretty overwhelming, right? Get everyone dressed, get kids off to school and hubby to work, clean the house, make sure everyone gets fed three times… I’m exhausted just thinking about it. On top of our regular to-do list, we also try to make sure that our kids aren’t just eating junk. And let’s face it, with conflicting information regarding the foods we should be eating and those we shouldn’t on top of trying to get kids to soccer, dance, and youth group, sometimes it’s easiest to just roll up to your kids’ favorite drive-through. The problem is that as busy American moms we are just doing that far too frequently and our kids are suffering because of it.

So, how can we fit in healthy meals that our kids will actually eat, that won’t take 400 ingredients we don’t have and hours in the day we also don’t have? Well, here are my top 5 tips for making small changes to your family’s nutrition without making you want to pull your hair out and provoke the kids into tantrums. You can do this!

1. Make them what they love, just tweak it!

If your kids love mac ’n cheese, that’s great! Who doesn’t? I make that at least once a week for my family. Instead of regular pasta or the boxed stuff, just use a brown rice pasta or Dreamfields that has a vegetable fiber coating which negates the impact of all the carbohydrates on the body. Try using a low-carb wrap or sprouted loaf bread instead of white bread, or even whole wheat for sandwiches. Choose sauces and condiments without added sugars. These small changes very well may go unnoticed by the kids but will make a big impact on their health.

2. MEAL PREP!

This is a big one. When you don’t have a plan, you are much more likely to pull into the drive-through or eat something that came from a box in your freezer. I know it can be overwhelming, but even if you just have some browned meat, rice, or veggies cut up and ready to go it can make a big difference in getting a meal put together quickly. Spend an hour doing things on the weekend to make your whole week that much easier—it’s worth it. Healthy crockpot meals and instant pot recipes are also a great timesaver when you plan ahead. Check out Pinterest and try to find a few recipes that you can plan for without spending lots of time on the preparation when everyone gets home.

3. Don’t leave home without some healthy snacks. (AKA CARRY A BIG PURSE)

This one gets me lots of laughs with my Facebook group, but it has saved me over and over again. Always have some healthy and easily portable snacks with you when you leave the house. This is why I carry a big bag! We are inundated with images of sugary, fried, unhealthy food everywhere we turn. My kids get hungry looking at it; I get hungry looking at it. Who wouldn’t? Make sure to have some of your favorite quick snacks with you so that when munchie madness kicks in at 3 or 4pm, you’ll have some healthy trail mix, a protein bar, nuts, seeds, or even healthier-option candy like Lily’s or Dr. John’s in your bag for them! This will get you through until you can get them home and have a proper meal.

4. Don’t give up on introducing new foods

Kids can be picky. The pickiest person in our house is actually my husband; three years ago he didn’t eat a single vegetable! Now, he eats them all! My kids would run from avocados and now they beg us for them. Yes, it can take some time, but keep encouraging your kids to expand their eating options. Doing this will open up more recipes you might not have been able to even try before. We always have a “try it” system at every meal—you don’t have to eat a full portion of the new vegetable, but you have to at least try a bite or two. Doing this over time has turned even my pickiest eater into a kid who is eating salads each night and will even ask for seconds on veggies.

5. Limit sugar!

Did you know that modern kids get more sugar on Halloween than average kids would have had in over two years just 50-100 years ago? If you are going to try and make any improvements to your family’s health, sugar is where you should start. First, just look for products without added sugar—your kids won’t even notice a difference; pick a no-sugar-added ice cream; sweeten what you make at home with pure Stevia; limit juice, milk, and soda, and choose better options like True Lemon and other water enhancers, or unsweetened cashew milk. These things all add up and make a huge difference to the overall health of your child. If you can reduce the sugars your child is consuming without them even noticing, you may see better behavior, improved immunity, sleep patterns, and overall wellbeing. This makes mom’s life so much better too! Each healthier choice we make for them adds up! One meal at a time and one day at a time.

Here are a couple of my favorite recipes. You can find more go-to meals and tips on being healthy in my bestselling books BIG GIRLS DO IT RUNNING and BIG GIRLS DO IT STRONGER.

Nanny Karri Cookies

I found this recipe online and our nanny was super bummed because she couldn’t eat them—she’s allergic to almonds, the poor thing! She tried modifying the recipe so she could enjoy them, and ta-dah…Nanny Karri cookies! These cookies are soft and tasty and totally hit the cookie spot; you won’t even miss your old sugar-filled cookies anymore. I promise!

“These cookies are so good, it makes me angry”- Jack Wilder

Ingredients:

• 8 oz 1/3 fat cream cheese (softened)
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 1 Tbsp natural peanut butter
• 1 cup stevia or stevia blend
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Method:

Pre-heat the oven to 350 F

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper

Whip everything in the above list until well combined

Then add 3 eggs, keep whipping until the eggs are well combined

Then add:

• ½ tsp sea salt
• ½ tsp xantham gum (can be found online); it makes the cookies thick and chewy
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 2/3 cup peanut flour
• 1 scoopful whey protein powder (we use either vanilla or peanut butter—Jay Robb and Quest are my two favorite brands)
• 1½ cups Lily’s brand sugar-free chocolate chips (you could also use the 70% dark cocoa variety)
• Chopped nuts (these are optional)

Place spoonfulls of the batter on the cookie sheet

Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.

This recipe makes about 50 cookies, but don’t eat them all at once!

Perfect Chicken Strips

If your kids are like mine, they’re going to want some good, old-fashioned chicken strips. I serve these with sweet potato fries for them and salad for mom and dad—Jack and I often just the lay the chicken strips right onto our salads. You really can’t go wrong with this recipe. If you want to give them a bit of a zing, just add some cayenne.

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs boneless chicken, cut into strips
• ¾ cup almond flour
• 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
• ¼ tsp paprika
• ½ tsp chili powder
• a dash of black pepper
• 1 tsp Italian herb blend
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 2 large eggs, stirred
• ½ stick butter, melted
• Olive oil

Method:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Combine the flour, spices and cheese and place on a plate

Combine eggs and melted butter and place on a plate (a pie plate is perfect)

Dip the chicken in the eggs and butter and then roll them into the flour, spice, and cheese mixture.

Place chicken on the baking sheet and lightly drizzle with olive oil

Bake for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown.