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Sneak in More Protein that your child will love!
Sometimes, I wonder if my son was born a vegetarian. Red meat is definitely not on his list of foods to eat, period. So, sometimes I worry that he is not getting the protein he needs. But, momma has a couple of things up her sleeve to make sure that he has plenty of protein in his diet. I started to sneak in more protein into his diet.
Yogurt: Use Greek yogurt and top it with oats and berries. High protein, yummy flavor!
Dairy: Just as above with the yogurt, milk and cheese also have protein! What kind of kid doesn’t like cheese sticks? 🙂
Smoothies: If your little one doesn’t like vegetables, or is on a no-meat kick, sneak some protein in with smoothies! You can add anything to smoothies and kids will drink it! (Try spinach – call it a “Hulk” smoothie and mask the flavor with peanut butter.)Â Unfortunately for me, the Hulk Smoothies don’t work because Kai has related green to being stinky. But the Chocolate banana smoothies are also delicious and seem to work for Kai. Momma has accomplished to sneak in more protein for him.
Eggs: Whether you’re serving eggs for breakfast, or whipping up egg salad for lunch, eggs are packed with protein and are so versatile you can cook them several times before the kids get tired of them.
Muffins: Muffins are a mom’s best friend when it comes to sneaking healthy ingredients into foods their kids will love. These Oatmeal Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Muffins are a great source of protein, and so delicious that kids will ask for seconds!
Vegetables: If your kids love veggies, that’s great! If not, try mixing them in a Shepard’s Pie type casserole to mask the flavor. Try peas, broccoli, and artichokes!
Hummus: Hummus is a delicious dip that can be made many different ways. From peanut butter and jelly flavored hummus, to cheesy garlic hummus, there are literally dozens of ways to get your child to not only like.. but love this delicious food! Pair it with some veggies for dipping and you’ve covered your bases well!
Beans: Cook up some black bean burgers, or serve some beans with hot dogs, and you’ve got yourself one happy camper! I know most kids love baked beans, so if yours do, try to venture off and get them to try black beans, red beans, and any other type of bean you can think of. You won’t have to “sneak” protein into their diets if they love what you’re cooking up for them.
Nuts: Peanuts, almonds, sunflower seeds… these are all items that can be added to a trail mix (think M&Ms and raisins) to up the protein count in your child’s diet, without any fuss.
Nut Butters: Make whole grain waffles with peanut butter instead of sugary syrup on top. Opt for natural peanut or almond butters to go the healthier route.
Great article, my girls have just discovered peanut butter and they like it which is great news for getting more protein in them… Now I just need to tackle meats!
Never thought about mixing stuff in with hummus. I’d be interested in the peanut butter and jelly one!
I’m going to send the link to this post, to one of my daughters. She has the pickiest kids ever!
Thanks for this post. Not for my kids but for me. =) I recently had surgery and it’s SOOOO hard to get the 60 grams of protein in per day that I am required to take in. Your post gave me some great ideas- because I hate those gross protein powders (yuck).
This is great! I’m glad it helped!
I recently had a few uneaten bananas that were going to go bad if not consumed soon. So, What did I do? I invented the PB&J Banana Boat. Everything was organic and all natural. I cut into the banana at an angle both ways and use the piece taken out as a way to balance the banana up. Then filled it will PB&a tiny amount of Jelly. That did the trick, they ate a healthy protein filled sweet snack!
Wish I could post a photo!