My friend . . The Chocolate Chip

I have become friends with the chocolate chip! It seems that a well placed chocolate chip can get my children to eat zucchini muffins, squash cookies and spinach brownies . . . really!!

I have learned that if I mix in a cup of chocolate chips into the batter they see only zucchini muffins and may get more chips then zucchini, but if I place the chocolate chips on TOP before baking then all they see is chocolate chips and they think I am the best mom evah!! Look at the finished product below . . would you believe I made these with 2 zucchini's, 2 banana's, a cup of apple sauce, whole wheat flour, and ground flax seed!

I do the same with cookies - I start with oatmeal because its good for them and they like it, then add flax, veggies, apples, pineapples and maybe I'll put 3 smarties on top of each cookie! They get so excited by the smarties they dig in!! Now granted if the cookie doesn't taste any good the kids wise up and the smartie gets eaten and the cookie gets tossed, so there is some skill in making a healthy great tasting cookie. But I tell ya, tossing in a few chocolate chips can go a long way to helping them enjoy healthy food !!

I have also started to tell my kids that I put all these crazy vegetables in their school snacks . . I want them to know healthy can taste good (and besides, they are catching on to my tricks!). I've also learned I have to change it up a lot . . squash cookies might work this week, but they need something more enticing next week. I am curious too see what happens when they get older. Now they eat what I pack them for school mostly because I tell them they have too!! Hoping these good habits I am instilling in them now carry over to their tween years?? Will let you know!!

What works at your house to get the kids eating healthy snacks?