publicationmedia-verification" content="e1322166-9f17-48d2-91a8-6ef3e24e5faa

Helping Your Kids to Eat More Berries with Seasonal Berries

Helping Your Kids to Eat More Berries with Seasonal Berries

I completely adore berries. Blueberries, blackberries, strawberries and raspberries. Summer is amazing for me as strawberries are in season. The others I get all year round and I do I eat daily, either on their own as a snack or with a lovely dollop of Greek yoghurt. Delicious! I sadly went off this fab snack in the early stages of pregnancy but happy to say back on it now!

Berries are definitely a healthy food, I try and get my girls to eat!

Benefits of Berries

There are so many health benefits of berries, which makes them such a good part of the diet. They are lower sugar in comparison to other fruits, they are low calorie and low in fat and packed with Vitamin C, an antioxidant. They are believed to support heart health and are a source a fibre. Perfect to snack on!

selection of berries

Berries and Kids

My girls are split with berries. My eldest is not a fan and I have to really use my imagination to get the little monkey to eat any. However her baby sister is like me; will happily snack on blueberries and strawberries and quite likes stealing my raspberries and yoghurt!

We are in October and it’s that time of year when kids are back at school, permanently hungry and need healthy snacks. My gremlin doesn’t have packed lunches yet but she takes snacks for swimming and gymnastics classes but I have friends’ kids who take food in. It’s very difficult to know what to pack! You want your kids to eat but you want them to be healthy too. Some research from British Summer Fruits (the industry that supplies 95% of U.K. grown berries to UK supermarkets) found that 47% find it hard to maintain a healthy snacking routine for their children. This is a large figure! Twenty- three per cent think schools don’t do enough to teach and support healthy eating and 65% have very hungry children when they come home from school.

I can relate to all of the above with the gremlin. She is starving when she comes home, even after a hot lunch! I actually went into her school to do a healthy eating talk for her class when she was in reception and loved it.

Ideas to Get Your Kids to eat More Berries

Berries are an ideal snack for kids and research from the University of Reading showed that eating strawberries, raspberries, blackberries and blueberries can improve reaction times, stabilise mood and maintain focus, as well as sustaining cognitive function for hours after consumption. Perfect for school!

Of course some kids are going to love them and inhale a snack like my youngest which is fab! You can buy little tubs and these are perfect to take into school.

For the fussier eaters you may need a little more imagination!!

We decided to try a few recipes for both my girls

Berry Yoghurt Lollies

My eldest isn’t going to eat anything where the berries are whole sadly, so I knew we would be looking at a smoothie or yoghurt for her, so I decided to make some berry lollies for her to try, which would be tasty, cool and refreshing.

I used –

  • 50g blueberries
  • 50g strawberries
  • 50g of raspberries
  • 150ml of strawberry flavoured yoghurt (a lot of recipes say use plain Greek or natural which is less sugar but I figured my eldest may eat it, if a little sweeter)
  • Some raspberry coulis (small amount)

I was only making a small quantity to test them out but for more, I’d double the ingredients. I simply added all to a blender, blended up and added to some lolly holder. We then froze them and had as a tasty snack!

The gremlin was a good girl and had a try which was good!

Berry Skewers

These are pretty self explanatory. You purchase some skewers and thread through your delicious berries. It makes them look exciting and appetising and my youngest had fun with me picking out the strawberries and blueberries which she loves!!

Blueberry Pancakes

We always love pancakes on a Sunday morning and this is a great way to incorporate berries. You can either blend and serve or have the berries on the side. We decided to use some of the blueberries.

Here is a pancake recipe that my hubby uses regularly:

  • 150ml of milk (adjust to consistency so runny to pour in hot pan)
  • 100g of self-raising flour
  • 35-50g of sugar (you can omit this)
  • 1 medium egg
  • sprinkle of mixed spices
  • a dash of vanilla essence
  • a teaspoon of baking powder

This usually makes 6 good sized pancakes.

We decided this morning to serve the blueberries on the side.

Will You Eat More Berries?

I do think you need to be a little creative sometimes with kids and berries, as for some they will absolutely adore them (like my youngest) and other need a little persuasion like my eldest! There are some amazing recipes you can try and we have had some success. Lollies are a lovely after school treat and pancakes are one of our firm Sunday morning favourites.

Healthy and delicious! Why don’t you give them a try?

Would you Like to Win a £25 Smiggles Voucher and Some Seasonal Berries Snackpots?

If so, please enter via Rafflecopter below.

All terms and conditions can be found here.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure – this is a collaborative post

helping your kids to eat more berries

 

 

Share:

85 Comments

  1. Sadiyya Maryam
    October 8, 2018 / 7:20 am

    My daughter absolutely loves all the fruits from the ‘berry family’ as she calls them! The snack ideas are great thanks as normally I just serve them straight into a bowl and she happily enjoys them but will definitely make it more fun for her with these ideas!

  2. October 8, 2018 / 7:59 am

    We love berries in our house. We grow blueberries, tayberries and red currants in our little garden and buy the rest.. costs a fortune as the children would eat a punnet in one go! I love them with yoghurt for breakfast too.

  3. Margaret Clarkson
    October 8, 2018 / 9:48 am

    Blueberries on top of porridge for breakfast are so nice.

  4. Martina Pichova
    October 8, 2018 / 10:08 am

    My daughter loves berries in her lunch box – especially blueberries.

  5. Lindsey Stuart
    October 8, 2018 / 10:16 am

    Lovely giveaway! We love berries but I must admit we don’t eat enough of them, I love Raspberry’s and blueberry’s with greek yogurt.

  6. Tracy Nixon
    October 8, 2018 / 10:27 am

    What a lovely giveaway! We all love berries in our house – we top them over cereals and yogurt and we eat them pies and tarts too! Smiggle is a great brand – we have lots of their brightly coloured stationary items!

  7. Karen Langridge
    October 8, 2018 / 11:34 am

    Lovely ideas to eat more berries, all look so tempting! x

  8. Iris Tilley
    October 8, 2018 / 12:14 pm

    I’ve got blackberries in my garden So my granddaughter and I picked some and made Jam and a blackberry and yogurt ice pop

  9. Jessica
    October 8, 2018 / 1:42 pm

    These are really fun ideas, blueberries really don’t last long in our house!

  10. pete c
    October 8, 2018 / 3:41 pm

    mixing in with yogurt is how I enjoy my berries

  11. Katie
    October 8, 2018 / 8:18 pm

    These look delicious. I love berries of all kinds.

  12. gemma hendry
    October 8, 2018 / 8:42 pm

    i love smiggle products so bright and fun

  13. Solange
    October 8, 2018 / 11:14 pm

    These look delicious. We love berries.

  14. Alice Colling
    October 9, 2018 / 1:25 pm

    These look great, and I would love to win this.

  15. Lorna Ledger
    October 9, 2018 / 6:19 pm

    Yummy , love berries, so versatile, my favourite are blueberries and Sloe

  16. Ash R x
    October 10, 2018 / 12:01 pm

    Fabulous post and giveaway, absolutely love berries in this house! Thanks x

  17. Ruth Harwood
    October 10, 2018 / 1:03 pm

    Great giveaway – we could make ourselves some jam – great bonding experience with the kids!

  18. Sally Collingwood
    October 10, 2018 / 3:59 pm

    I eat berries everyday and make sure the children do too!

  19. charlotte
    October 11, 2018 / 10:37 am

    great giveaway! this sounds lovely

  20. Chloe Taylor
    October 12, 2018 / 9:47 pm

    Very tasty! I often make berry flapjack or add berries to breakfast cereal.

  21. Amy Bondoc
    October 13, 2018 / 8:20 am

    i love smiggle products xxx

  22. Louise Smith
    October 13, 2018 / 2:56 pm

    My 10 year old daughter loves berries, especially on pancakes!

  23. Jo Carroll
    October 13, 2018 / 3:05 pm

    My son loves his berries …it’s a shame many supermarkets put them up so much when they are out of season.

  24. kelly wheelhouse
    October 13, 2018 / 6:49 pm

    that pancake recipe looks delicious I’ll have to give that one a go

  25. Anna Stimson
    October 13, 2018 / 8:10 pm

    Berries are a favourite in our house, I just wish they weren’t so expensive!

  26. Susan B
    October 13, 2018 / 9:02 pm

    It’s a shame that berries are so expensive as we all enjoy them. However,
    I have just bought a dwarf mulberry tree so can’t wait to try eating the home-grown mulberries.

  27. rebecca smith
    October 14, 2018 / 7:25 am

    fantastically perfect surprise for my daughter

  28. Jean Cassell
    October 14, 2018 / 3:01 pm

    We grow lots of soft fruits. Nutritious free food

  29. claire griffiths
    October 15, 2018 / 10:36 am

    my son loves berries on his porridge in a morning

  30. Rich Tyler
    October 15, 2018 / 5:12 pm

    Yummy, count me in!

  31. Sarah Mcknight
    October 15, 2018 / 5:17 pm

    I love berries, thanks for the lovely competition 🙂

  32. ADEINNE TONNER
    October 15, 2018 / 5:57 pm

    Oh yes please it would be great to get the family eating more berries

  33. katrina walsh
    October 16, 2018 / 2:20 pm

    Big berry lovers in our house. Always our go to flavor for foods like yoghurts and juice too

  34. nicola dean
    October 16, 2018 / 3:28 pm

    My kids all love berries, especially when they are made into smoothies.

  35. October 18, 2018 / 1:29 pm

    My son doesn’t need any help eating berries. He absolutely adores them. Thanks for the ideas though!

  36. Catherine Bullas
    October 18, 2018 / 8:26 pm

    Great giveaway.

  37. janine atkin
    October 22, 2018 / 2:25 pm

    id love to win this!!!

  38. cheryl hadfield
    October 28, 2018 / 9:03 pm

    my family love berries, with granola and yoghurt

  39. Karen Barrett
    October 30, 2018 / 5:07 pm

    Lovely prize, thank you

  40. Katie b
    October 31, 2018 / 6:16 pm

    We love berries, whether it’s with yogurt, in baking or even in smoothies

  41. Kim Neville
    November 2, 2018 / 10:55 am

    My kids love Smiggle and we all like our berries

  42. Lynn Neal
    November 2, 2018 / 4:49 pm

    I love berries but I think the strawberry is my favourite!

  43. Carole Nott
    November 3, 2018 / 5:39 pm

    great giveaway – would love to try these lovely pots

  44. Candice Rau
    November 3, 2018 / 10:04 pm

    Love these ideas. My daughters favourite fruit is strawberries

  45. Christine Caple
    November 4, 2018 / 2:47 pm

    They look delicious, we eat a lot of berries, especially strawberries, our favourite.

  46. Sam Parkes
    November 5, 2018 / 6:52 pm

    My daughter loved fruit especially blueberries. She will happily eat a punnet in one sitting. She also likes them on porridge

  47. jo liddement
    November 5, 2018 / 7:17 pm

    The blueberry pancakes look delicious and nice and healthy.

  48. Sarah Parker
    November 6, 2018 / 10:06 am

    My daughter would love this 🙂

  49. Kate Davies
    November 6, 2018 / 12:02 pm

    Fab prize, thanks for the chance.

  50. Leila Benhamida
    November 6, 2018 / 12:21 pm

    Love berries especially blueberries, love them in a smoothie and porridge.

  51. Diana
    November 6, 2018 / 12:55 pm

    My daughters love berries! 🙂

  52. November 6, 2018 / 2:03 pm

    We love berries in our house, I’d say we all eat them every day. Breakfast is a very popular time.

  53. Jenny Rogers
    November 6, 2018 / 2:48 pm

    We all love berries, just not all the same ones.

  54. paula cheadle
    November 6, 2018 / 3:22 pm

    all my grandkids love fruit

  55. Laura Wheatley
    November 6, 2018 / 5:29 pm

    I loooove fruit berries are my fave. My daughters adore strawberries and raspberries.

  56. Hayley Todd
    November 6, 2018 / 6:35 pm

    My daughters absolutely adore berries! They could eat them all day, everyday!

  57. Sylvia Paul
    November 6, 2018 / 9:43 pm

    My kids both adore blueberries which I am very pleased about x

  58. Faye Reed
    November 6, 2018 / 9:57 pm

    My daughters love blueberries and strawberries. As soon as the shopping arrives they will grab the blueberries and eat the whole pack.

  59. Sarah Roberts
    November 6, 2018 / 10:50 pm

    We love blueberries love to make homemade muffins with them too!

  60. ellie spider
    November 6, 2018 / 11:01 pm

    I love blueberries in a simple loaf cake they are delicious in baking

  61. Nikki Phipps
    November 6, 2018 / 11:41 pm

    My two children love berries! Blueberries in cereal, strawberries with yoghurt and blackberries as a tasty snack

  62. natalie Crossan
    November 7, 2018 / 2:05 am

    Very generous and we love berries in this household – even our doggy loves them

  63. Lorraine Crawford
    November 7, 2018 / 8:17 am

    We love berries, great in smoothies, or a less healthy berry crumble!

  64. Helen Reed
    November 7, 2018 / 8:47 am

    What fab snack ideas!!!!

  65. chris bull
    November 7, 2018 / 8:48 am

    My grandsons love berries 🙂 Thank you for a fab giveaway

  66. Carla Carthy
    November 7, 2018 / 8:59 am

    My daughters love there berries thank you for the chance 🙂

  67. Maria Jane Knight
    November 7, 2018 / 9:09 am

    Fab post! The smiley face pancakes look like great fun! My Ronan would love that.

  68. Lisa Mcalley
    November 7, 2018 / 10:35 am

    I have 2 kids addicted to Smiggle lol.
    Would love to try snackpots it looks like something one of my 5 kids may eat. He is 14 and has additional needs so a very fussy eater.

  69. Laura Pyper
    November 7, 2018 / 10:51 am

    Would love to get my kids to eat more fruit

  70. Fiona Martin
    November 7, 2018 / 10:55 am

    We love berries, so many ways to add them to food so we get through quite a lot as a family!

  71. Jeanette Leighton
    November 7, 2018 / 1:03 pm

    Would love to win. My boy Charlie 2 is so fussy but he loves his fruit

  72. Ema J Lowe
    November 7, 2018 / 4:21 pm

    mine love berries, blueberries are always on my shopping list

  73. Harriet Leonard
    November 7, 2018 / 4:42 pm

    We’re huge berry fans in this house. Especially raspberries and strawberries.

  74. Debbie Finnerty
    November 7, 2018 / 5:02 pm

    we are raspberry and blueberry fans in our house great in porridge, soothies and with scrummy yoghurt pancakes!

  75. Michelle whyte
    November 7, 2018 / 5:49 pm

    Very useful and informative. Currently I can only manage to get berries into the kids diets via smoothie. Will be trying the pancakes

  76. Sheri Darby
    November 7, 2018 / 6:55 pm

    Some really good ideas there

  77. lesley renshaw
    November 7, 2018 / 7:10 pm

    My daughter loves berries. Even with water and ice, it’s her drink x

  78. Tammy Neal
    November 7, 2018 / 8:30 pm

    My niece loves berries x

  79. carrie wilford
    November 7, 2018 / 8:33 pm

    love raspberries and strawberries especially with yogurts and overnight oats with berries and yogurts in.

  80. Laura Findlay
    November 7, 2018 / 8:48 pm

    We love berries in our house. We have them on there own and also with natural yoghurt and granola. There a tasty and healthy snack x

  81. Melissa Lee
    November 7, 2018 / 10:11 pm

    Yum – that’s made me wish it was breakfast already. I have some overnight oats with berries waiting for me!

  82. Tee Simpson
    November 7, 2018 / 10:31 pm

    My girls are obsessed with smiggle. They eould love to spend this voucher.

  83. Catherine Gregory
    November 7, 2018 / 10:40 pm

    Great ideas! My little boy loves raspberries but any other berries hard to get in him so definitely going to give these ways ago

  84. Georgie Wright
    November 7, 2018 / 11:15 pm

    I love berries and pancakes always go down well! Your lollies look great! 🙂

  85. karen
    November 7, 2018 / 11:34 pm

    I love all berries. Putting them in puddings is such a great way to use them