Picky eaters run in my family. That’s my way of saying, I’m a very picky eater. 😉 It’s not so much the taste, but the texture of the foods that I can’t eat. I found out that there is an actual disorder for texture issues, which makes me feel a little bit better knowing I’m not that weird. I do try numerous new foods in hopes this will change, but very rarely can I stomach what I try. From experience, the worst thing you can do to your child is force them to eat something they don’t want to eat. This makes food a negative thing, when it shouldn’t be. Yes, it would be great if your child finished their veggies asking for a second helping. But in reality, their taste buds are different and most veggies taste bitter to them. I was overjoyed when Ella favored spinach as an infant and loved eating her broccoli as a toddler. Well, those days have come and gone. The last time I gave her broccoli she threw it and said she wasn’t going to eat a tree. I empathized because I wouldn’t eat it either. But that doesn’t mean I will give up trying to get her to eat her veggies.

Luckily there are great ways to sneak in the nutrients your child needs. If you don’t have the time to be a chef and create sneaky foods, there is an amazing brand called HAPPYFAMILY that is safe and healthy for your child! Since Ella was born, I’ve cooked dinner from scratch every night. I gave up processed foods and didn’t want my daughter to eat junk. I refuse to use a microwave for anything. So when it comes to quick meals, I’ve been at a loss. That is until we got to try HappyBites.

We were sent a Breakfast Pocket, Chicken Bites, Fish Bites, Mac + Cheese, Salmon Stix, and Veggie Tots to review and I’m truly impressed. Ella has loved the Mac+Cheese, Salmon Sticks, Breakfast Pocket and Fish Bites. I guess the Chicken and Veggie tots didn’t fool her. But she also has issues with some meats. The Mac+Cheese is loaded with organic butternut squash, chick peas, cauliflower and of course pasta shells. What I love about it is that it’s a circle, held together by organic panko (my favorite breading!) and can be held or cut up. Both fish items don’t look like normal fish products. Ella has only had fish sticks once and was partial to them. So I was really happy when she enjoyed them both.

Each HappyBite meal is packed with USDA organic ingredients such as cauliflower, chick peas, butternut squash, red peppers, onions, carrots, beans and more. There are no preservatives, pesticides, genetic modification, chemical fertilizers, and no other yucky stuff in HAPPYFAMILY products. They are allergy friendly and every product has a label with allergy information. Plus, every package is BPA free! HAPPYFAMILY also makes other amazing organic foods for all ages. They even have HappyBellies which include DHA + probiotic cereals and HappyMelts which are yogurt snacks for babies and toddlers.

You might have seen HappyBaby products at your local market. They are frozen baby meals and the closest thing to homemade baby food other than making it yourself! They have 8 different packages of 15 delicious varieties, including meat, grains, fruit and vegetables in three stages for developing eaters. And they have added DHA to the later stage meals. We were given a coupon to try a box and I got Ella the sweet potato and pear. She loved both! The food pops out and you can either heat or let defrost. I served the pear still frozen and Ella thought it was ice cream. If you have a picky eater, these are great to add to homemade baked goods.

Another HappyBaby product we’ve loved for a while is their HappyPuffs! Puffs are a great low-fat snack for any age with only 25 calories per 75 puffs. They were Ella’s first solid snack since they melt and she still eats them every day. The cool thing about HappyPuffs is that they are 100% organic and don’t have the added sugar like other brands. They also have Organic Green Puffs that is made with brown rice, spinach, collar greens, kale and apple juice. A great sneaky snack to get those added vitamins. They also have puffs in apple and banana.

The Giveaway: HAPPYFAMILY would like to give 1 LUCKY winner- 2 free trials for each of their products: HAPPYBABY, HAPPYBELLIES, HAPPYBABYPUFFS, HAPPYBITES
2 free trial coupons for YoBaby Meals
1 FAQ on Probiiotics & DHA
1 Nutrition Guide co-authored by Dr. Sears
1 Eric Carle Growth Chart
1 HAPPYFAMILY Recipes
Rules: You have until 11:59 p.m. EST November 3, 2009 to enter. The winner will be chosen by random.org and announced after they respond to the winning email. The winner has 48 hours to respond to the winning email, or a new winner will be chosen. You must leave your email address! This contest is only open to the US

2. Become a fan of Mkokopelli on FB, Mkokopelli on Twitter, or Follow my blog
3. Subscribe to my blog by email (on the right sidebar) You must verify and be active at the time of the giveaway- those who are unverified will become disqualified4. Blog, Tweet or send a message on FB and leave a link here (3 extra entries)
@Mkokopelli enter to win a huge gift set of HAPPYFAMILY brand organic baby and toddler foods http://ow.ly/vPlY
5. Enter another giveaway I have going on and tell me which one or leave a comment on a non-giveaway post (1 extra entry total)
6. Become a fan of HAPPYFAMILY on Facebook or Follow on Twitter
7. Tell me something you learned on the HAPPYFAMILY website
8. Grab my Eating Healthy Week Button and post on your blog or FB page