As you know, I have one very picky eater. (Penance for mine and hubby’s childhood eating habits.) So I am always looking for ways to get her to try new things or eat nutritious things. I’ve found it’s all about making it fun. About a new presentation or a good story or having her help cook. Here are some ideas that I have tried or plan to try. I want to pass them on to others with picky eaters.
The food’s presentation
Amira told me her 5-year-old son will eat anything shaped like a face. Lauren responded to us both suggesting these face plates. They are kind of expensive but SO fun. I’m going to order one for each kid to put in their Easter baskets.
Don’t underestimate the power of a toothpick. My kids love things presented in bite-size portions with a toothpick through it. This can be bites of sandwiches, pizza, cheese, meat, fruit.
Anything shaped as a heart, Mickey Mouse or the kids’ initials has a higher chance of being eaten than if presented in its normal shape. Grace doesn’t eat noodles of any kind, except mac and cheese. I wonder if these squid dogs would change her mind. Family Fun has a whole section devoted to making food fun, including a slide show of fun shaped food like these kiwi faces.
The food’s story
At the Cub VIP event, the two big kids were among four to take part in a Cub 4 Kids event. One of the activities was reading a coloring storybook about eating fruits and vegetables. It was sponsored by Dole as part of the 5 a Day program. They learned that you can get your own rainbow if you eat five different colored fruits or veggies a day. Grace is still talking about it and about what fruits she likes (not so much veggies) and what colors they are. I’m hoping this will help me introduce new fruits and veggies to her. I bought a mango this week to try out. (PS What do you do with a mango? How do you cut it, etc.?)
Cub does these events quarterly throughout the Twin Cities. The next one is an Easter-themed event from 11 to 3 on Saturday, March 27. I don’t know if they all will encourage healthy eating as last week’s special event did. But we’re going to start checking them out. They are advertised in stores and in weekly ads so keep your eye out.
I love this idea, which came from a Family Fun article titled Meet the Mystery Vegetables:
Each week I find a vegetable that’s unfamiliar or that the kids have tried and rejected in the past. I then search out a tasty-sounding recipe to prepare in which the chosen veggie plays a starring role. After Gavin and Meriel are seated at the dining table, I tie blindfolds over their eyes and place bites of the mystery vegetable on their forks. The kids always find the blindfolds slightly scary — in a good way. It definitely adds a thrill to dinnertime. Next, they get to smell the veggie and describe the scent; then they taste it and describe the flavor. The whole time we encourage them to be as descriptive as they can, saying positive and negative things. Finally, they get to remove the blindfolds and name the new dish something wacky. If they seem to be having a hard time coming up with a name, I might suggest a theme to get their creative juices flowing. During the Olympics, for example, they named dishes after athletes.
The food’s preparation
I’m not sure my kids are old enough to help with cutting but when they are, this safety cutting board would be very handy. What do you think is a good age for teaching kids knife skills?
Lauren also mentioned that Pier 1 has fun cooking utensils but I can’t find them online. But I’m on the hunt for kid-sized utensils that have a fun design or bright colors or something that makes them not just regular utensils in a smaller version. Does anyone have suggestions?
Sarah reviewed two preschool cookbooks. We have tried Pretend Soup but it didn’t capture Grace’s attention. I still want to try Cooking It In a Cup.
The most important thing though, at least for me, is to remember that it’s more important that the kids learn to cook and to like cooking than it is for me to get it done quickly. So I need to stop saying no when they ask to “help” or to be lifted up to see into the pot.
A mango has a large pit so you don’t actually get as much fruit out of it as you would hope. Cut top to bottom on either side of the stem and you will know if you hit the pit. If you do, move your knife out a bit further and try again. Once both sides are off, continue cutting the fruit around the pit. I used to cut the skin off the chunks, but have found it too tedious recently and now eat the fruit out of the skin. I just watched a Good Eats episode about cooking with kids and Alton says kids are capable learning knife skills at 13. I think you could go younger depending on your child.
Mmmmm! Mango. I knew Becky would help you with directions for the mango. I have read where once you get it off the pit as Becky said, score the fruit inside the skin into bite-size chunks, then you can get the skin to flatten out and cut the chunks off the skin.
I love the face plate! I think we need some in this house too!
Here are the 2 youtube links to the Good Eats Episode I watched.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=35HEDof1Jxo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0PUkBzkGJmU&feature=related
Here is a link the Barbara Beery’s website that you might find some useful information on. i did not read through it myself, but she was a guest on the Good Eats show.
http://www.batterupkids.com/barbara-beery.html
This is great! She has a PRINCESS cookbook and all kinds of fun gadgets here: http://www.kidscookingshop.com/barbaras-best-gift-ideas/ages-3-5-0
I am having too much fun with this topic… Look at the CUTE Fiesta Heads tools!!
http://www.amazon.com/Fiesta-Chefs-Silicone-Spoon-Purple/dp/B001DCXEXE/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1267137992&sr=1-4
A bit expensive at $10 each though.
We ended up with this whisk and spatula from Bibelot in their Easter baskets.
I love those plates! What a great idea to get kids to eat. And even if they didn’t eat, they would actually sit still at the dinner table to play
. Either way, a win / win for us!
Yes, I wish I could strap mine to their chairs!
Here’s an idea for toddler who like to be in the kitchen while you cook:
http://www.mamanotes.com/2010/02/creating-special-space-in-kitchen-for.html
And then to add to the mango… When you get the two sides cut off the seed, we always stabbed a knife into the seed and then would eat the fruit off the seed like a popsicle. That was always my favorite part of eating a mango growing up!
this is so cute! I totally love it, how fun! It makes ME want to eat healthy foods!
I definitely have noticed that if I let my 4yo help cook (even as simple as pouring ingredients in a bowl and doing the stirring) that she is more apt to eat and “like” the meal. Somehow the pride in helping makes a big difference.
That face plate is awesome!
Good post — as usual! I score a mango like Crafty suggested. And then I invert the half (turn the “smile” shape of the slice into a frown shape) so all the scored chunks are sticking up and then slide a knife along the base so the chunks fall off. If Grace doesn’t eat the fruit straight-up, try putting it on yogurt or freezing chunks and making smoothies out of ‘em.
I’ve seen those Pier 1 utensils at Bibelot and other gifty shops. I’ll be on the lookout!
Very smart! I’ll have to try this out on my nieces sometime…or my husband.
I may have to get those plates for my husband. Maybe it will get him to eat some darn vegetables! I totally want to get that cutting board for my little one. She’s got a pretty steady hand…but then again she’s still only 6. Hmmm knife wielding 6 year old…