Have you heard that you should have your kid help in the kitchen? Probably that it will help expose them to new foods, feel more comfortable with different foods, create independence. 

But maybe it also feels like a big chore. And when it comes to actually getting them there, it feels like a lot. The mess, the patience it takes, the kid who stirs once and disappears.

I get it! 

But what if it's actually not THAT big of a deal. 

Heather Staller is a trained chef, culinary school graduate, and the creator of Happy Kids Kitchen. She's spent years teaching kids of all ages to cook - in classrooms, in recreational cooking schools, in preschools - and her message to parents is simple: you don't need a recipe, a plan, or even a fully willing child. You just need one minute.

In this episode, we talk about:

• Why one minute in the kitchen genuinely counts - and how it adds up more than you'd expect
• The single most important skill to teach your kid first
• Why spreading is one of the most underrated kitchen skills - like spreading butter, peanut butter, jelly
• How to involve a kid who has zero interest in helping
• Where to start if you're not much of a cook yourself
• How getting kids comfortable in the kitchen helps with more than just nutrition

If you've ever wanted your child to be more capable and confident, in the kitchen and beyond, this episode will show you where to start.

RESOURCES MENTIONED: 

✅ Smoothie Download: The Smoothie Lab

✅ Blog Post: Teaching Knife Skills to Toddlers and Kids (Safety and Basics)

✅ Cookbook: Kid Kitchen 

✅ Instagram: @happykidskitchen

Want to connect? Send us a text!

CONNECT with Nicole:

- Instagram: @nicolecruzRD
- Book a FREE Eating Alignment Call with Nicole to learn more about our approach and how we can work together: Eating Alignment Call

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Here's what I want you to consider: How does food actually feel in your home right now?

Does it feel joyful, playful, connected? Or does it feel pressured, stressful, controlled?

Because here's the truth that Ellyn Satter taught us: When the joy goes out of eating, nutrition suffers.

When eating feels stressful or controlled, kids eat less variety. They're less curious about food. They resist more. And all those strategies that you're implementing don't work nearly as well - or they backfire completely.

But when the environment feels good - when there's more joy, ease, and connection - everything shifts. Kids are more likely to try new foods, listen to their body cues, stay at the table, and actually eat a greater variety.

The environment isn't just one more strategy. It's the foundation. It's the thing you come back to when anything feels off. It's your thermostat for whether you're moving in the right direction.

In this episode, I break down:

• Why the environment around food is the foundation that colors everything else
• How to create joy AND structure (not one or the other)
• Real examples of how shifting the environment helps kids regardless of their eating patterns or the behaviors you're seeing
• Why focusing on connection instead of food actually leads to better nutrition
• Small, doable things you can try tonight to bring more joy to your table

If mealtimes feel tense, if your child is eating out of balance, if you're worried about nutrition, if you're not sure what else to do... this episode will help you see what might be missing.

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

✅ Free Guide: Make Meals Fun 

✅ Episode 28 (on distractions): Is It Bad to Let My Kid Eat in Front of a Screen?

Want to connect? Send us a text!

CONNECT with Nicole:

- Instagram: @nicolecruzRD
- Book a FREE Eating Alignment Call with Nicole to learn more about our approach and how we can work together: Eating Alignment Call

SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW:

If you loved this episode, it would mean so much for you to follow, subscribe, share, or leave a review.

Your support helps us reach more conscious and loving parents who need these insight!

Thank you for tuning in and see you next week!

We all want our kids to eat well, make "good" choices with food, and care about their health.

So when they start choosing salads over pizza, or asking about ingredients, or saying they want to eat healthier - it can feel like a win.

But what if those "healthy choices" aren't actually about health at all?

What if they're early warning signs of something more concerning - something that's easy to miss because it looks so positive on the surface?

The truth is... disordered eating in kids doesn't usually start with dramatic restriction or obvious weight loss. It starts with things that get praised. Things that seem responsible. Things that look like discipline or being health-conscious.

And we're seeing these behaviors show up earlier and earlier, not just in teenagers, but in elementary-aged kids.

In this episode, I'm sharing what disordered eating usually looks like, why it's so easy to miss, and what signs are worth paying attention to... because the earlier we notice, the better the outcome.

I also share my own story with disordered eating and why this work is so personal to me.

We talk about:

• How eating disorders and disordered eating are showing up in younger kids now
• The early signs that often get disguised as "healthy choices" or discipline
• Changes in eating behavior, anxiety around food, body image concerns, and exercise patterns to watch for
• Why an eating disorder doesn't look like not eating
• How the way we talk about food at home can either plant seeds for protection or chip away at trust
• What to do if you're noticing patterns that feel concerning

This is not about creating fear or walking on eggshells. It's about knowing what to watch for so we can support our kids early - and so we can be intentional about the messages we're sending about food and bodies at home.

If you just want to be more aware of what these behaviors can look like, or if you're already wondering if something might be off, this episode is for you.

Foundational Episodes Referenced:

It's Not a Food Free-for-All

All Food is Not Equal

What the Heck is a Relationship with Food?

Want to connect? Send us a text!

CONNECT with Nicole:

- Instagram: @nicolecruzRD
- Book a FREE Eating Alignment Call with Nicole to learn more about our approach and how we can work together: Eating Alignment Call

SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW:

If you loved this episode, it would mean so much for you to follow, subscribe, share, or leave a review.

Your support helps us reach more conscious and loving parents who need these insight!

Thank you for tuning in and see you next week!

"Is it okay to let my kid watch a show while they eat?"

"Should we be stricter about no screens at meals?"

"Am I creating bad habits if they eat in front of an iPad?"

I get this question all the time... And the answer isn't a simple yes or no.

The real question isn't whether screens are good or bad. It's: How is this impacting my child's connection to food, their body, and their overall experience with eating?

Because here's the thing: not all distraction is the same. And sometimes, a little distraction is actually exactly what your child needs.

In this episode, I break down:

• The distraction spectrum: from hyper-stimulation (scrolling) to fully mindful eating (and why neither extreme is the goal)
• When distraction disconnects kids from their hunger and fullness cues
• When distraction actually helps kids stay regulated enough to eat
• How to tell if screens at meals are supporting your child or working against them
• Why sometimes the goal isn't more presence - it's less pressure
• The difference between distraction that zones kids out vs. distraction that takes the spotlight off food

If mealtimes feel tense, if your kid won't stay at the table, or if you're just wondering whether you need to ban screens entirely - this episode will help you think about it differently.

Want to connect? Send us a text!

CONNECT with Nicole:

- Instagram: @nicolecruzRD
- Book a FREE Eating Alignment Call with Nicole to learn more about our approach and how we can work together: Eating Alignment Call

SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW:

If you loved this episode, it would mean so much for you to follow, subscribe, share, or leave a review.

Your support helps us reach more conscious and loving parents who need these insight!

Thank you for tuning in and see you next week!

Are you familiar with Intuitive Eating? Maybe you take that approach with food yourself... or maybe you've heard of it.

But when you think about actually doing it, you think: If I let myself eat whatever I want, I'd never stop. I'd only eat junk. I'd never touch a vegetable.

Totally get it! When we think about intuitive eating, we often think - just eat whatever you want. But that's not really what it is.

In this episode, I'm talking with non-diet dietitian Katy Harvey about what intuitive eating actually is, how to start rebuilding trust with your body, and why doing this work for yourself is one of the most powerful things you can do for your kids.

Katy shares her journey from working in eating disorder treatment to helping women step off the diet roller coaster before it becomes something more serious. And she's breaking down all the misconceptions.

In this conversation, we talk about:

• What non-diet nutrition actually means (and what to do instead of dieting)
• The real framework behind intuitive eating (because it's not just the hunger-fullness diet)
• How to tell if you're eating enough in the first place - because restriction might be driving the behaviors you think are "out of control"
• Why you can't keep certain foods in the house (and how to start neutralizing them)
• The specific challenges parents face with intuitive eating - and practical strategies that actually work

If you've ever thought "I want my kids to have food freedom, but I don't know if I can trust myself with food," this episode will show you there's a path forward - for you and for them.

Mentioned in this episode:

• FB Group: Intuitive Eating Made Easy
• IG: Follow HERE! @katyharvey.rd
• TikTok: Follow HERE! @katyharvey.rd 
• For more info: katyharvey.net

Want to connect? Send us a text!

CONNECT with Nicole:

- Instagram: @nicolecruzRD
- Book a FREE Eating Alignment Call with Nicole to learn more about our approach and how we can work together: Eating Alignment Call

SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW:

If you loved this episode, it would mean so much for you to follow, subscribe, share, or leave a review.

Your support helps us reach more conscious and loving parents who need these insight!

Thank you for tuning in and see you next week!

You're in the kitchen getting snacks. Again. For the third time in an hour. Or you're staring at the dinner table watching your kid ask for seconds after already eating more than you did. Or maybe you're wondering if your child will ever eat a vegetable that isn't a carrot.

If any of this sounds familiar, you're not alone. These are three of the most common questions I get from parents, and I'm guessing at least one of them has crossed your mind too.

In this episode, I'm breaking down exactly what to do when:

• Your kid wants a snack every 30 minutes (and you feel like you live in the kitchen)
• Your kid will only eat one vegetable - or none at all
• Your kid always wants seconds and seems like they never have a stopping point

Here's what I want you to know: all of these behaviors are normal. But that doesn't mean we just let it go. There are practical, doable things you can do to support your child - without pressure, without stress, and without being in the kitchen 24/7.

If you're ready for straight-to-the-point answers that you can actually use today, this episode is for you.

Want to connect? Send us a text!

CONNECT with Nicole:

- Instagram: @nicolecruzRD
- Book a FREE Eating Alignment Call with Nicole to learn more about our approach and how we can work together: Eating Alignment Call

SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW:

If you loved this episode, it would mean so much for you to follow, subscribe, share, or leave a review.

Your support helps us reach more conscious and loving parents who need these insight!

Thank you for tuning in and see you next week!

As parents, we're constantly bombarded with conflicting messages about food: avoid ultra-processed foods, watch out for seed oils, limit sugar, push the vegetables. And underneath all of it is this fear - that if we don't control what our kids eat, something bad will happen.

In this episode, I'm talking with parent coach and educator Oona Hanson about what it really means to parent without diet culture - and why letting go of food rules and weight concerns is one of the most powerful things we can do for our kids' health.

Oona shares her journey from high school teacher to parent coach after helping her own child recover from an eating disorder. And she's not holding back on the hard truths: kids as young as six are showing up in treatment for anorexia, our focus on "healthy eating" is making kids sicker, and the restrictive messages we're sending are often the exact thing driving the behaviors we're trying to prevent.

In this conversation, we talk about:

• What diet culture actually is (and what it's not)
• The early warning signs of disordered eating in elementary-aged kids that parents often miss
• Why kids need to gain significant weight during puberty - and what happens when we try to prevent it
• How to respond when your child asks "why is my belly sticking out?" without making it worse
• The truth about weight and health that challenges everything we've been taught
• Why restriction and control around food almost always backfire

If you know that you want to parent without diet culture and show your child there's another way to think about food and bodies, then this episode is for you!

Want to connect? Send us a text!

CONNECT with Nicole:

- Instagram: @nicolecruzRD
- Book a FREE Eating Alignment Call with Nicole to learn more about our approach and how we can work together: Eating Alignment Call

SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW:

If you loved this episode, it would mean so much for you to follow, subscribe, share, or leave a review.

Your support helps us reach more conscious and loving parents who need these insight!

Thank you for tuning in and see you next week!

You know when you're at the soccer game, the birthday party, or picking up from school, and you see your kid walking toward you with a bag full of candy, chips, a sugary drink... And you think to yourself: Really? Again? Another treat?

The amount of food handouts from friends, family, teachers, teammates... can feel endless.

And when it's not what you had planned, or what you would necessarily choose, you're left trying to figure out how to handle it without making it into a big deal - or maybe you even react because you really don't want them to eat it, or it's about to be dinner time.

In this episode, I'm walking through:

• How to think about these 'extra' snacks and sweets so that you can respond in an effective and helpful way
• What to say and what not to say in these moments so that snacks and sweets don't become the 'forbidden fruit'
• A simple, judgment-free framework for navigating the snack bag moment in a way that keeps food neutral and your child feeling trusted

Whether your kid is doesn't want to tell you when they get candy or snacks, or you've just been letting them have the whole bag and hoping for the best, this episode will give you a calmer, more confident way to handle it.

Want to connect? Send us a text!

CONNECT with Nicole:

- Instagram: @nicolecruzRD
- Book a FREE Eating Alignment Call with Nicole to learn more about our approach and how we can work together: Eating Alignment Call

SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW:

If you loved this episode, it would mean so much for you to follow, subscribe, share, or leave a review.

Your support helps us reach more conscious and loving parents who need these insight!

Thank you for tuning in and see you next week!

Your child is capable of listening to their body, eating a variety of foods, and not being obsessed with sweets.

Yes, even if they seem to have "no off switch" around food. Even if they're extremely "picky". Even if it feels like they've always been this way.

The truth is: kids are born intuitive eaters. They instinctively know how to listen to their hunger and fullness cues, seek out the nutrients they need, and stop when they've had enough. Just like a newborn cries for milk and pulls away when full.

But something can get in the way of, or compete with, that natural ability.

In this episode, I'm breaking down:

• Why kids are naturally intuitive eaters (and what that actually means)
• The three types of interference that disrupt your child's natural eating instincts - internal, circumstantial, and feeding dynamics
• Real client stories of kids who seemed "broken" around food but completely transformed when the interference was removed
• How to do a quick inventory to figure out what might be getting in the way for YOUR child

When you understand that your child is capable - they just need the right support and environment - everything changes. You can remove what's in the way and support them to be an intuitive eater.

It is never too late to make these shifts. Your child is capable, resilient, and wants to do well with food. They just need you to create the right environment.

Want to connect? Send us a text!

CONNECT with Nicole:

- Instagram: @nicolecruzRD
- Book a FREE Eating Alignment Call with Nicole to learn more about our approach and how we can work together: Eating Alignment Call

SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW:

If you loved this episode, it would mean so much for you to follow, subscribe, share, or leave a review.

Your support helps us reach more conscious and loving parents who need these insight!

Thank you for tuning in and see you next week!

We all want the same things for our kids: to eat well, get the nutrition they need, and have a healthy relationship with food.

But how do we actually make that happen?

Most parents find themselves on one of two paths, or often bouncing back and forth because neither one feels quite right.

You might be trying to help your child eat well by encouraging bites, limiting sweets, or teaching them about "healthy foods." But it's creating tension at meals and you worry you could be passing down negative messages about food.

Or maybe you've gone in the opposite direction - because you don't want to make food be a 'thing'. But you worry that you're not supporting your child and helping them get what they need.

Here's what I want you to know: there's a third path. One where you get to be the parent and the guide, creating structure and support around food - while still giving your child real freedom and autonomy within that structure.

In this episode, I'm walking through:

• The three different paths parents take when it comes to feeding their kids
• What each path actually creates - for your child's eating, their relationship with food, and your stress level at home
• Why that third path (the empowered eating environment) will change your meals, your home, and your child's relationship with food long-term.

When you understand these different approaches and where you might be stuck, you can finally move toward a way of feeding your family that feels good - and sets your child up for a lifetime of trusting themselves with food.

Want to connect? Send us a text!

CONNECT with Nicole:

- Instagram: @nicolecruzRD
- Book a FREE Eating Alignment Call with Nicole to learn more about our approach and how we can work together: Eating Alignment Call

SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW:

If you loved this episode, it would mean so much for you to follow, subscribe, share, or leave a review.

Your support helps us reach more conscious and loving parents who need these insight!

Thank you for tuning in and see you next week!