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| For Michael's 14th birthday, he requested California rolls, and the other kids also loved them! |
Some kids will eat
anything you put in front of them, but they are really few and far between.
Most kids are the pickiest eaters on earth, as every mother knows after trying
to get them to eat their veggies before asking for dessert. In fact, some kids
are so finicky that mealtimes are a raging battle, a fight to the finish over
who will triumph.
We hate to admit it,
but most often kids are the victors. Other than forcing food down their
throats, there’s little we can do to make them eat. Sometimes they are stubborn
enough to sit there for extended periods doing nothing more than moving the
food back and forth across their plates.
However, if you know
where to look, you can find healthy meals even the kids will love.
The Internet Can Be a Vital Resource
Many mothers have
sought refuge in online recipe sites like Pocket Change Gourmet where they can find recipes pleasing to kids but also inexpensive to
put together. How often have you lamented the fact that you spent extra money
thinking to put something ‘attractive’ on the table, only to find that they
scoff at that as well? There is no need to go to extra expense if you can find
cheap meals that are appealing enough even to the finickiest eaters. From
message boards to recipe sites, take time to see what other mothers are having
success with and you just might be in luck tonight at dinner!
Hide the Green
What is it about the
color green that kids don’t like? If they see green on their plates, they
automatically assume it is not going to be good and refuse to even try it. It
could be lime Jell-O, pistachio ice cream, or something really yummy and they
will reject it out of hand. Some mothers grind vegetables up and hide them in
meatballs or other stews and soups which are tomato based because all kids see
is red. It’s amazing what you can get them to eat if you can disguise the color
green! It would be interesting to do a scientific study on why kids hate green – on their plates that
is!
Dark, Colorful Veggies Are High in
Antioxidants
While it is true that dark, colorful veggies are highest in healthful antioxidants, no one
said those dark leafy veggies needed to be green. You can use all kinds of
veggies with very little green in them and kids will usually try them. Chards
with red edges on the leaves are one way of getting kids to eat leafy greens
and have you thought of red cabbage instead of green? Any dark red, orange, or
purple vegetable will be a high source of vitamins and minerals and usually
colorful enough to get the kids to try.
The trick is in
getting them to try something for the first time. For some reason, kids seem to
live by a color code when it comes to eating, so if you keep this in mind,
mealtimes won’t be such a battle. Hide the green and see what that does to
reduce the stress of getting them to eat
their veggies. It’s worth a try, at the very least – what can you lose?
