The Ultimate Kid-friendly Grocery Store List
Hey Angels and Alphas,
We all know teaching children to be healthy eaters is a very difficult task, especially if they’ve made the decision to only eat two things such as hot dogs and macaroni & cheese.
However, if you just have a little patience, a great strategy, and this child-friendly grocery store list, you can expand the horizons of your kiddos and help them learn how to enjoy healthy foods, too!
THE STRATEGY IS SIMPLE…
When you’re trying to get your kiddos to consume more fruits and veggies, you have to introduce them to these foods when they’re nice and hungry. All of a sudden, you’ll have your kid asking you for a bite of your sauteed mushrooms on the stovetop because they smell delicious. When children are hungry, this will help veggies go down… and they’ll appreciate them more! And so will preparing kid-friendly meals that are tasty – with a little butter and garlic, you can go a long way.
This kid-friendly grocery guide should be your go-to when trying to find meals that your kids will enjoy and appreciate.
THE ULTIMATE KID-FRIENDLY GROCERY STORE GUIDE
VEGETABLES
Cherry tomatoes, sugar snap peas, spaghetti squash, sweet potato, peas, green beans, corn, celery, broccoli, cucumber, lettuce, baby carrots, bell peppers, and zucchini.
FRUITS
Strawberries, oranges, mango, pineapple, grapes, kiwi, blueberries, apples, bananas, and clementines.
BEANS, SEEDS, LEGUMES
Refried beans, edamame, chia seeds (which also go well in chia pudding), black beans, garbanzo beans.
MEAT & FISH
Tune, shrimp, salmon, ground beef, cod, chicken thighs/chicken breast, bone-in chicken drumsticks, ground turkey.
GRAINS & BREAD
Oatmeal, dry cereal (with less than five grams of sugar per serving), whole-grain crackers, whole-grain bagels, brown rice, whole-wheat pasta, and corn tortillas.
FROZEN FOOD
Corn, broccoli, cauliflower rice, fruit blends, fish sticks, sweet potato fries, mixed peppers, mixed veggies, green beans, veggie burgers, whole-grain waffles, and edamame.
SAUCES & CONDIMENTS
Soup, pesto, olive oil, jelly/jam, salsa, ranch dressing, maple syrup.
SNACKS
Unsweetened apple sauce, raisins, popcorn, hummus, granola, corn tortilla chips, nut butter, trail mix, pickles, and dried fruit.
DAIRY & OTHER DAIRY ALTERNATIVES
Yogurt, tofu, milk, eggs, butter, nut and seed milk, parmesan cheese, and string cheese.
STRATEGIES FOR KID-FRIENDLY SHOPPING
- Leave your kids at home (or order ahead for your curbside pickup) so you can avoid impulse purchases.
- Let your kids help you carry the bags of groceries.
- Keep your kids busy in the store via coupon hunting or managing the grocery list. Kids love to cross things off the list!
- Shop the perimeter of the store and don’t go down aisles full of processed foods because kids will go crazy! Or at least save them for later in the trip, when your cart is already full of healthy food.
- Let kids choose the protein and veggies they want to eat. This will help them during dinnertime because they’ll see the food they chose at the table.
STRATEGIES FOR KID-FRIENDLY MEALS
Still unsure what to make? We’ve included a bunch of kid-friendly meal ideas that you can use, recipes for which you can find pretty much anywhere online. Try them out and see what your kids end up enjoying! Then you can add them into your usual meal rotation.
- For breakfast… cookies? Not usually, but you can go with peanut butter breakfast cookies if you want a perfect, fiber and protein-packed meal.
- For lunch… bring together your kid’s favorite protein and veggie, and serve alongside a small dessert.
- For a snack… you can pretty much buy something from the store or make something yourself, but all you need to know here is to keep the added sugars down to a minimum. The last thing you want is a 4 p.m. snack that leaves your kid unable to fall asleep at night.
- For dinner… most kid-friendly dinners include a lot of veggies, but you have to make sure your kids are tired from playing around or just really hungry. This way, they’ll appreciate the meal more.
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