If you want your kids to start eating healthier foods, you have to lead by example! Chatelaine‘s health editor Laurie Jennings shared her top tips for incorporating more nutrients into your daily menus.

• Line your dish with extra greens: Whether it’s your take-to-work rice dish lunch or your pasta at home for dinner, Laurie suggested lining the bottom of the plate (or plastic container) with fresh greens like spinach, kale or arugula. The hot main dish will warm up the greens so that they’re more palatable yet not overcooked and wilted.
• Serve raw veggies with a healthy dip: Recent studies show that kids will eat up to 80% more raw vegetables if they can dunk them in a yummy dip. Laurie warned us to be smart about which dips to serve, recommending low-fat options like hummus, homemade guacamole or Tzatziki.
• Bulk up meatballs with fibre: Fibre helps you feel full longer and eliminate cravings. Laurie suggested adding fibre-packed bulgur to your usual meatball recipe for an added nutrient boost.
• Theme your dinner menu: From Mexican to Japanese to Indian, themed dinner nights allow you to introduce different foods into your family’s repertoire, and a different variety of nutrients, too! With a Mexican meal, for example, you’ll enjoy the healthy fats of an avocado and the whole grains of a whole wheat tortilla. But when it comes to the beans, make sure you choose black beans over refried beans, Laurie advised, because of the high amount of sodium in the refried beans.
• Make a vegetarian “meat” sauce: A pasta sauce made out of pureed mushrooms, zucchini and spinach will end up just as hearty as a meat sauce, and it’s a great way to sneak in some extra vegetables to a meal.
• Dress up fruit for dessert: No matter what the season, fruit is always a delicious sweet treat at dinner – just use frozen fruit in the winter! By serving your fruit in a fun glass with Greek yogurt, slivered almonds, coconut and a drizzle of honey, your healthy dessert quickly becomes a fancy sweet treat!

How do you make sure you and your kids eat a variety of healthy foods? What are your favourite “sneak in the veggies” tricks? Sound off in the comments below!