Let Them Help, It’ll Help Them (revised)

You will often find, “Cook with them” or “Let them help in the kitchen” high up on the list of suggestions on how to get kids to eat healthier foods. I agree.imageimage I do sometimes see parents or even teachers letting the kids help when it comes to making cookies or baking a cake, but it’s not as often that I notice them help make a healthier meal or a salad.  I do think it’s good to get them involved in helping prepare many different foods so they learn more about them and may be more interested in eating that food they had a hand in.  I’m not saying my kids help me on a daily basis but they do love to help and do it often enough that they feel involved and interested.  They do seem more enthusiastic about the meal and even more eager to try it because they’re proud of their contribution. I also may go further than some would ever consider at my sons’ ages; like letting them use knives.  image

They need to learn; so who better to teach them and what safer place than at home?  It took a while for my husband to let my eldest son use a chef’s knife, but even he relaxed a bit and realized we needed to show him how to handle it properly and to position his fingers that hold whatever he’s cutting.  Now they all help.  My eldest isn’t very coordinated but he’s doing a fine job and loves to feel empowered with the trust we’ve given him. imageSince he was 8 years old he was confident enough to fix himself sandwiches and other quick meals when he is hungry.  We even gave my youngest  a steak knife at the dinner table since he was 4.  I feel it’s safer to give a sharp knife than a dull one.  Again, as long as they’re supervised and shown the proper way to handle the knives, they should be fine and it should be good for their confidence. 

Recently in my son’s kindergarten class my husband and I were showing the kids how to use knives so they could help make “Stone Soup”.  One parent seemed shocked that I let my children use knives (under supervision).  She said she’d never get hers to do that or help much besides baking.  Granted she has triplets so it’s trickier and they’re all young. I suggested she might try working one at a time as a special Mommy and son time that they’d all get their turn at her attention and learn… but I’m not a mom of triplets, so I really don’t have a right to say/judge. (It’s a family trait— giving unsolicted advice.)

So, get them involved in food preparation, even teach them how to use knives— they’ll be better off for it all!  And before you know it, they might create a great meal for you!  And you might be surprised in the foods they’re more likely to eat when they have a hand in the preparation. image

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“It tastes even better when I help make it!”

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“It tastes even better when I help make it!”

Yes, I use dessert to get my kids to eat “good” food.

I had way too much mushroom, leek, ricotta stuffing left over from the raviolis so I was trying to think what to do with it.  My husband suggested stuffing chicken breasts, which would have been wonderful, but I’d already decided: I would incorporate it into a lasagna.  It became one layer that would normally have been mostly ricotta.  Most of the remaining ingredients were from Trader Joe’s. I used their Spinach, Fontina and Roasted Garlic chicken sausages, Quattro Formaggio shredded cheese, plain ricotta organic tomato basil Marinara.I also had some left over cooked spinach that I chopped and put in with ricotta.

Let me digress: so many advice columns, books, blogs, etc that pertain to child nutrition/feeding tell parents not to have “bad/good” words about food and tellparents not to threaten kids with not getting dessert if they don’t eat their good food.  Sorry, but, I don’t agree with this.  I want my kids to learn what “good” food is and what is junk.  And I don’t always give dessert.  I don’t think it’s a given every day/meal. And I do sometimes use dessert to get my kids to eat well; especially my youngest two who are such sweet-tooths and if it’s something that I know they should eat/will like and they’re just not touching it.  

I think sometimes we need to “use” whatever we can to overcome the natural desire in most kids for sweeter foods.  For instance, I never put chocolate in their milk just to get them to drink milk and now I don’t have to.  I want them to develop the taste for the more bitter, sour or less-sweet foods (especially many vegetables).  I remember in my university psychology classes the studies showing babies reactions to foods— sweet foods: happy faces, bitter foods: scrunched up and sticking out their tongues in disgust. Babies are born with a natural affinity for their mother’s sweet milk and distaste for bitter so that they won’t ingest poisonous plants.  As parents we need to teach our children what foods are safe and good for them.  So, I think part of teaching is using verbiage like good and bad— just like we would with sharp objects, hot stoves and drugs. 

Anyway, I  had all guns blazing the other night when I made the lasagna and my two youngest were initially refusing to eat every part of it (besides just the noodle).  My eldest ate it without taking a breath!  I had chocolate covered ice cream bars for dessert.  The night before they didn’t get them because they didn’t eat all their vegetables, so they knew I meant business. Well, it worked.  Not only did they eat it, they liked it. And they were so happy to have that ice cream.

Pink Pee

As I’ve said before it’s not always easy getting my kids to eat some foods, especially new ones, but it’s not always a struggle either.  I make the foods we all often like to eat and don’t try to make things they won’t like.  I’ve said in the past, don’t make them what they’d like and by that I mean don’t make them just what you think they will eat, let them try things. Don’t stop introducing new foods, especially vegetables.  Vegetables are what we need to eat more of yet so many people don’t give their kids any at most meals.  Look at most kid’s menu items.  Where are the veggies?  I think sometimes adults don’t give kids the benefit of the doubt. They may actually like them.  Remember Mikey?  He ate it and he liked it!    Like my husband used to go crazy if my kids tried to use a knife.  I reminded him that they need to learn to use a knife properly so he should show them.  As long as they’re aware that they’re dangerous and not to use the big chefs knives without us around, I believe that they will not cut themselves (or at least badly).  But what’s wrong with a knife at the dinner table.  Goodness when are kids supposed to learn if we don’t give them to tools, the guidance, the opportunity?

The other night I had given my eldest a couple of beets I’d roasted the day before because he loves beets.  He gets so excited when he smells them roasting and can barely wait for me to peel them.  My other sons never want to eat them.  But they’re there if they’re ready and we still offer them.  My middle son decided to finally give it a good try, but I hadn’t even offered, I guess I’d just gotten used to him saying no.  This time he took the initiative because he was really curious about getting his pee to change color!  Yes, that’s why.  He wanted his urine to be pink.  Best part, he remarked after trying it, “Wow! I really like that!”  Yippee!  Another one converted to beets and without a tear, a protest or a fight.

Recently my kids and I were over a good friend’s house for dinner.  She also has three kids, 2 boys and a girl, who all eat very well.   I had brought the mixings for my cocktail I’d created, homemade bread and makings for a salad.  One of the salad ingredients was roasted beets.  They were roasted just an hour or so before our visit.  My friend remarked that she didn’t know if she liked beets.  I easily convinced her to try one and she couldn’t believe that she didn’t eat them regularly; she’d realized that she’d only had pickled or canned beets before.   Knowing her eldest (also 8) would be open to trying them she had him taste.  He loved them!  The other two weren’t so convinced.  So I mentioned that they make your pee turn pink.  That was it, they had to try!  And they both like them!  Funniest was when her 4 year old daughter immediately rushed to the toilet and observed that it wasn’t pink!  She was a bit disappointed that she’d have to wait a few hours. 

This time at our friends’ could have been the catalyst for my middle son to finally give them a good try.  Whatever, however, love the result.  And I don’t mean the pee.

Here’re my roasting instructions from another post.