Fruits and vegetables are a funny thing, because it seems like kids either love them or hate them. Or maybe they love fruits, but not vegetables. Or maybe the other way around. With the recent headlines on the sugar craze in the media, we’re seeing the detrimental effects of having too much sugar and not enough real, whole foods—fruits and vegetables included. If you have a tough time getting your kids to have their “5-a-day,” I have a few strategies for tackling this.

Snack Time. Snack time is a great time to incorporate fruits and vegetables. Marketing pushes the sugary snacks like animal crackers, fruit snacks and granola bars. Snacks like these are maybe okay once in a while, but offering kids fresh fruits and vegetables at snack time should not be a foreign concept. It doesn’t have to be rocket science. Think basic, “real food” snacks. You could pack hummus with raw vegetables or fruit. Or cottage cheese with sunflower seeds and some kid-size pieces of grapes. If your peanut doesn’t have a peanut allergy (bad joke, sorry), how about packing some fresh cut apples and peanut butter? Or a peanut butter and banana sandwich? At the store you can buy individual containers of both peanut butter and hummus that make an easy on-the-go snack. Click here for more kid-friendly snack ideas.

Meal time. A great time to get in a serving or two of vegetables and fruits. Get your children in the habit of having vegetables at meal time. Even if they choose to not eat them, continue offering vegetables as side dishes to provide familiarity. You can also add vegetables to foods your child is already eating. If you make a casserole or hot dish, or even the childhood staple macaroni and cheese, how about adding in a bag of mixed vegetables? Using pureed vegetables might sound like a long shot, but if you want to save time pureeing or don’t have a food processor, it is convenient to buy jars of baby food. Pureed vegetables and baby food can be added to hot dishes or sauces, like adding pureed sweet potatoes to spaghetti sauce or carrots and green beans to a smoothie or flavored yogurt. Parents tell me they are amazed because their kids don’t even notice (and if they were to, try switching to a sweeter vegetable next time.) Not that you want to trick your children, but it’s a way to get in the vitamins and minerals that come from vegetables, while always offering a vegetable alongside their protein.

Incorporate smoothies. These can be a perfectly balanced snack, and a way to get in lots of good fruits and veggies (yes, veggies too!) Combine fruits with some greek yogurt or almond or coconut milk, and maybe a little protein powder and healthy fat, like avocado (blends nicely!) or peanut butter (goes well with bananas!) Sneak in some spinach, or even a tomato! You can also make it more nutritious by adding a scoop of powdered vegetables and fruits (Dynamic Fruits & Greens) and blending in their powdered multivitamin and liquid fish oil. Check out my Balanced Smoothie recipes for ideas.

Try packing cut up fruits and vegetables with snacks, add veggies to foods you are already making like hot dishes, or add pureed vegetables to sauces. Incorporate smoothies as a way to get in lots of extra antioxidants and nutrients! Be open minded and give it a try! Your kids may surprise you.

Lastly, I always recommend a children’s multivitamin, because chances are even if we try our darndest, our kids may be lacking in some important vitamins and minerals for growth. I recommend this powdered one that can be mixed into smoothies and yogurt!

Does meal planning stress you out? For meal plans, you’ll love our 50 Days of PFC, where it’s all laid out for you so you know what to eat for 50 full days. We take away the burden of having to figure out what to eat and lay it all out in one convenient e-guide (we have one for adults, and one for kids, too!)