Easy “Vitamin” Cookies {Recipe}

My girl is about to turn 4. And can I tell you, she’s come a long way, baby! She runs at full sprint, she potties (and wipes… sort of), she writes her name, she sings princess songs, she has even taught herself how to tie a knot! (I think that was an accident.) Her latest accomplishment, though? Eating carrots!

That’s right.

For the longest time, my girl could not eat carrots. She could put them in her mouth. She could chew them. But something about the texture prevented her from actually swallowing. So they often ended up in my hand.

Yuck.

This was similar for other textural foods… like meat and various green things. Convenient, huh? That she couldn’t eat vegetables and meat? Over the past four years we have gone through several stages of pickiness and we’re not out of the woods yet.

When I ask what we should have for dinner, she still answers “Macaroni and Cheese!” Every. Single. Time.

So in an effort to expand her nutritional intake, I thought maybe a yummy shake mix would do the trick! After all, the picture of delicious chocolaty milk-looking drink on the front suggested that it would taste good and she would love it! But kids are smart.

I added it to her milk one morning. Told her it was chocolate milk. And hoped for the best.

Her response, “Mommy… this milk is not good!”

Ugh.

So here we were with a bag of nutritional shake that my girl deemed “not worthy” of her delicate palate.

FYI: nutritional shakes are not cheap. You don’t just throw them away if your kid doesn’t like them.

What to do?

Needless to say, I was DELIGHTED when I discovered this little trick from a fellow mom looking to live healthier. She shared a recipe for no-bake cookies using a shake mix! The cookies she made were yummy, healthy, and oh-so-easy, so I thought they just might be the trick to getting some extra nutrients in my girl.

Sure enough, they were fun to make and we LOVED them!

Here’s the recipe:

VITAMIN COOKIES!

1 PART SHAKE MIX (Any kind, I suppose. Just make sure it’s suitable for children.)

1 PART OATS

1/2 PART PEANUT BUTTER (If using crunchy, you’ll need more!)

1/2 PART HONEY

1. Use a spatula to stir shake mix and oats together. Add peanut butter and honey. Fold together.

2. Use hands to knead and shape into a big ball. (If it is too crumbly, add more PB and honey until it forms a ball. If it is too sticky, add a tiny bit more shake mix until it forms a ball)

3. Tear off small pieces. Roll into balls. And smash into “cookies.”

4. Refrigerate and enjoy!

 

As with any no-bake cookie ball thing, it takes a little trial and error, but I think it would be fun to experiment with different shake flavors, different nut butters, and different add-ins! (What kid could resist mini chocolate chips?!?)

Also, as I was making these and sneaking tons of bites, it occurred to me that one of the benefits of a “shake” is the water or milk that it is blended in. So to help absorb the sneaky vitamins and to help hydrate your kid, you could easily pair these cookies with a big glass of milk!

Finally, nutritional shakes have a serving size for a reason. So don’t let your kid (or yourself) eat the whole batch at once!

Any picky eaters out there? How do you sneak vitamins and nutrients into your child’s day?