Trying to get young kids to eat healthy takes some stealth. A lot of processed foods don't contain veggies and are full of unwanteds. In Hawaii, we are lucky to have so many cultures coming together, and the most harmonious way to enjoy them all is through food. Here are some of my faves that we can now pick up at most grocery stores or restaurants:

1. Gyoza or Potstickers (Japan) - love these! Boil, pan fry or deep fry. The veggies and meat are minced small and wrapped in a pasta noodle- think oversized ravioli. And kids love to eat them with their hands! I would boil these in chicken broth and cut them up small for my kids when they were as young as 1 year old.

2.  Poi (Hawaii) - Poi is the local super-food. It is a tuber that grows underground, similar to a sweet potato. Its nutritious and gluten-free, and helps control blood glucose. This was my childrens' first food. I love the Hanalei Brand from Kauai, its naturally slightly sweet and doesn't sour like regular poi. You can freeze them in small ice cube size trays. When defrosting, the trick is to heat the poi until it boils again, and then let cool before feeding, otherwise it can be grainy.

3. Spring rolls (Thailand) - These crunchy veggie-filled rolls are normally fried, and is available with meat or vegetarian, and sometimes contain bamboo shoots, flavorful mushrooms and rice noodles . The wrappers are normally made from rice, so I think its a better choice for younger children vs. flour dough. Again, all your meat, veggies and starch are in a handy, yummy package. Just watch the dipping sauce, as some contain peanuts and shrimp paste.

4. Fried Rice (China) - Even though it is called "fried" most use little oil so it may not be as bad as you think. I make it at home with a little oil, butter, garlic and soy sauce and use brown rice. Then I add all kinds of chopped cooked veggies, any left over meats and scramble eggs. Easily eaten at room temperature with a bowl and spoon.

5. Pan Fried Noodles - Almost every Asian country has one, be it pancit, chow mein, yakisoba or pad thai, and they are all equally delicious! Meats, shrimp, veggies and sometimes scrambled eggs are in the mix. A bowl and chopsticks are all that are needed, and what kid doesn't love noodles?

6. Steamed buns/dim sum - A variety of fillings surrounded by anything from a steamed white-bread type bun, to a baked - slightly sweet (think Hawaiian sweet bread) to thicker, rice pasta rounds, there is a plethora of flavors and the variety is endless. Some are fried, most steamed and all are addicting! They come in mini plates of about 4 pieces, so feel free to try one of everything! We head to China Town and feed a family of 5 for about $22, which is amazing considering most dim sum is hand made. 

So head out to your local ethnic markets and restaurants. They'll give your kids an appreciation of different cultures and flavors while getting the meat & veggies all rolled in one!

I thought I'd launch the blog with some things that we are thankful for every day:
- that we can walk down to the beach and be surrounded by such beauty in these islands
- fresh air, clean blue waters and people that truly live with aloha in their hearts
- we swap fresh fruits and vegetables with our neighbors all year round. Currently we've been obsessing over the Dragon Fruit, see image above. So sweet and yummy. We planted some, and they look like cactus. The one above is fushia on the inside with a plethora of little black edible seeds. We found one yesterday that was yellow on the outside and clear on the inside. The seeds were a bit larger but more sparse.
- we pick papaya, mango, limes, tangerines, kumquats from our yard and get pomegranates, apple bananas from neighbors. We're waiting for our avocado tree to fruit, we planted it from seed about 3 years ago. 
- our 5 month old chickens just started laying eggs. The kids named them "Cheddar Cheese", "Butter Mochi", and the kindergarten class helped name the last one "Ice Cream", which my 3 year old now re-named "Candy Cane". They've been escaping their coop, knowing we'll lure them back with sweet cereal treats.
- having a wide variety of foods from all different cultures, such as eggrolls and potstickers that are eaten by hand and have veggies in them! 
-learning hula and about the Hawaiian culture in school. The Hawaiians were advanced navigators and even had a "kapu" system where they would manage fisheries and their natural resources - they understood sustainability dating back to ancient times
-being able to go for a jog, or surf 365 days a year!
- in Hawaii, if you talk long enough to a local, you eventually end up knowing someone they know. Its such a tight knit community, and we all help each other.
- we can hike to Manoa Falls, snorkel at Hanauma Bay, go fishing, kayak to the Mokulua Islands, take a sail out to Kaneohe Bay, bike around Magic Island, go shopping at Ala Moana and eat at world class restaurants - just like a tourist. Then go home, wash the sand off our feet and get the kids ready for school the next day. In Hawaii, we say "Lucky we live Hawaii" and we mean it.