Monday, July 25

Picky Eaters Anonymous

As a kid (okay and teenager, and mostly an adult) I was am was a super super picky eater.  I didn't like anything green, didn't like my foods mixed together, or even touching for that matter, HATED onions, didn't like certain textures... My parents tried EVERYTHING to get me to eat what everyone else was eating... bribery, punishment, even that good old trick of trying to serve me the same plate the next morning for breakfast. Nothing worked!
  
Now as a mom, my worst fear is my kids having the same bad eating habits as I have had.  So we are undergoing a food make-over in our house, trying out new foods, more specifically new vegetables.  I've also completely changed the way I plan meals- but more on that another day.

In the past we put a copy of the food pyramid out where we could see it.  The kids liked pointing out all the food they were eating on the chart.  Now as I'm trying to make more of the food on our plates veggies, I love this new chart:
   It's straightforward and easy for the kids to understand, especially since they use divided plates.  Check out these nutrition plates and these portion plates or these balance plates.   

Thanks to my friend Natasha I discovered that I really like Brussels Sprouts (roasted with olive oil, salt and pepper), and thanks to the great farmer's market we've been visiting regularly I've discovered all sorts of new (to me) salad ingredients.
So... if any of you have tried and true favorite veggie recipes out there- please help and send them my way! :)

3 comments:

  1. I was just thinking about you and feeding kids! I fed Gus radishes and cucumber the other day and he loved them both.

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  2. Here's an African veggie salad idea (more of a starter, snack or side salad if using these portions and feeding 4 ppl but you can always adjust portions to suit your needs) - so yummy, healthy, easy to make and on a hot day very refreshing.

    what you need:
    2 Avocados
    6 tomatoes (peeled)
    half a lemon
    1 onion
    handful of pine nuts
    salt / pepper

    - Peel avocado & chop into smallish sized cubes. Put into a bowl a squeeze the lemon juice over it. (leave to sit in fridge while preparing the other ingredients)
    - Peel tomatoes & cut into similar sized cubes as the avocado. Put tomatoes into a sieve and sprinkle with a bit of salt - leave to drain for 15mins.
    - Finely chop onion
    - Mix tomatoes & onion & (a bit of)pepper w/ the avocado and lemon juice
    - Leave to sit in the fridge for roughly 45mins to an hour for best results.
    - Add pine nuts
    - eat & enjoy :)

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  3. Thanks!! Can't wait to try it out!

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