Top Tip - Serve Healthiest Foods First

This is one of the most commonly-used tip in our house - so common, in fact, that I even use it on myself. The healthiest foods always go down more quickly when you're really hungry - and when the other (and sometimes the more preferred) food is waiting.
We use this tip at both snacks and meals, just in slightly different ways. 

For snacks, the kids generally have their choice of fruit, nuts or something from the veggie tray. This way, I know that they're snacking because they are really hungry and not just because I picked up a box of crackers that they can't resist. Plus, even if they do snack too much and only have a small appetite for the next meal, I know they've filled up on the healthiest foods. During our classroom time each day, the veggie tray is the only option. It gets a lot of raw veggies into them while eliminating trips to the kitchen every five minutes.

At meals, they know that the salad is to be eaten first. I've been fooled too many times by them filling up on soup and bread (or whatever else I'm serving), so salad first is now our rule. Again, I feel good knowing that if they fill up before they finish everything, they've at least eaten the most nutritious part of their meal . . . and it gives them a good incentive to eat their salad quickly so they can get to everything else.