WISH YOUR FAMILY WOULD EAT BETTER? I feel the same way about mine.

Looking for inspiration myself, I recently asked you guys, “When it comes to family food goals this year, what do you want to work on?” Then I posted a quick list on Facebook:

1. Less sugar
2. More veggies
3. Trying new things
4. More fiber & whole grains

Here’s what you said: Yes, please!

And you’re right. When it comes to raising kids who eat real food, I think this might be the magical combination. There’s also manners, which a couple of you mentioned as well.

So, here is what we’re going to focus on this year. Some of it may just work for you too.

Family Food Goals for a Happier, Healthier Year

1. Less Sugar.

• Stop buying soda AND juice. Just make it a habit for the kids to drink water or milk. White milk. If you’ve got juice lovers, try weaning them off by putting fresh fruit in their water (or milk).
• Watch for sugar in store-bought things like spaghetti sauce, mayonnaise, bread, applesauce and more. Just check the label and try to find brands that are made without sugar, or have the least number of grams per serving.
• Designate Dessert Night: We rotate through Fruit Night, No Night and Dessert Night. Some friends of our just declare the whole weekend Dessert Night, enjoying the fact that their kids never ask about it during the week anymore.
• When it comes to everyday baking, reduce the amount of sugar in any recipe by half. If you’re nervous, just take out a third. (Double the cinnamon or whatever flavors/spices are included in the recipe to keep the flavor level high.) Some of our favorite low or no sugar baked goods: Maple Syrup Sweetened Chocolate Cake, Banana Oatmeal Cookies, DIY “Nutrigrain” Bars, Low Sugar Cranberry Oat Muffins.
• But for special occasions with anyone over the age of about two, I say just go for it. Be French about it. Make the richest desserts you can: Rich Chocolate Cake, Chocolate Chip Cookies and more. Enjoy! Then get back to your regularly scheduled programming.

2. More vegetables.

• Add veggies to everything. Related: keep chopped frozen spinach on hand. Make the eggs Florentine every time but call it “Green Eggs” while you throw in some kielbasa sausage for the “ham”. Add spinach to rice. Add shredded carrots or broccoli to baked mac & cheese.
• Vegetables can even go in desserts, muffins and cupcakes (which are pretty interchangeable anyway). Some of our favorites: Healthier Chocolate Zucchini Cake, Carrot Cake Muffins, Sweet Potato Muffins.
• Get a handful of favorite vegetable sides down and rotate through them. Better yet, make each kids’ favorite at least once a week. We like: garlicky greens with lemon, roasted baby carrots with maple syrup and roasted acorn squash.
• Double the amount of veggies called for in most recipes. See #3 below.
• Roast vegetables at 400 degrees F, slathered in olive oil with a sprinkle of salt. Kids love them (almost) every time: carrots, broccoli, cauliflower…

3. More fiber & whole grains.

• When you’re making pasta, skip the plain pasta and try a whole-wheat blend. These usually have protein, which is more satisfying for longer.
• Make only half a box of pasta at a time. If you’re making a stir-fry or pasta dish with vegetables double the amount of veggies called for in the recipe so your plates are still full but now the ratio is more focused on vegetables than pasta.
• Serve walnuts or almonds instead of crackers. Try nut bars instead of granola bars.
• Use almond meal in place of flour. Try wheatgerm or ground flaxseed in place of 1/3 the flour any recipe calls for. It’ll still be carb-y but more nutritious.
• Buy (or make) better bread. Look at the label for high protein, high fiber and low sugar. My favorite is Dave’s Killer Bread. Dense and nutty, it’s almost a meal in itself.

4. Trying new things.

• Institute the “thumbs up/thumbs down” plan. Tell the kids you want their opinion on something new. This draws their attention away from you begging them to Eat Just One Bite. Instead, they get to take a bite, then give you thumbs up, thumbs middle or thumbs down. You’ve given them some power, and a way to express themselves without going on and on about how they don’t like it.
• Get psyched up about what you’re serving, but don’t go overboard with messages about how good it is for them, or how tasty it’ll be. Sometimes I tell the kids about how much I like this dish, or a story about how my mom used to make something like it, or how I always wished we could’ve had it… Just a little conversation to again, keep the focus off of the pressure of trying this scary new food.
• Taste tests: I love setting out a bunch of veggies (usually the thing my smalls are most reluctant to try) along with a few “dipping sauces”. They get to mix and match, eating veggies as a vehicle for sauce. Ask them which sauce they like best.
• Try a couple of cute little dishes, special things to show off the new stuff in a fun way. I love egg cups and appetizer plates because they’re so small and a little fancy, which goes a long way around here.
• Use a “bridge” food. Our kids love anything with lemon, maple syrup or Parmesan cheese so if I want them to try something new maybe I’ll include one of those. Or create spin-offs of established favorites. Homemade ham and pineapple pizza becomes pork and pineapple skewers and so on…

*Manners. I’ve thought a lot about this, but it all comes down to one thing that sets the tone for the whole meal. The single most important thing we’re droning on and on about trying to do around here is teach our kids the appropriate thing to say when a plate of food is placed in front of them: Thank you. End.

What did I leave out? Share your best tips here and we’ll get this year off to the best start.