This entry was written by my good friend and Kitchen Counselor, Lori Hollander. If I get in over my head on a recipe or I’m not sure exactly what they are asking me to do, she is the first one I go to with questions. When she’s not teaching cooking classes at the local university, cooking in her own kitchen, or writing her culinary blog, you can find her writing at Hey…It’s Jet Here, a fun blog written from her dog’s perspective. You can subscribe to Lori’s newsletter by clicking here, or keep up with her on Facebook and Twitter. Thanks Lori!
When I saw Jennifer’s post about cooking 3x/week for her family in 2012, I admired her intention and felt compelled to offer support. Knowing how intelligent, active, and engaged her followers are, I thought a few ideas from The Kitchen Counselor might help.
As you may have noticed in the title, bringing fun into the mix helps a lot. Studies (and Moms like us) show/know that when children participate in any aspect of food preparation, they become invested and will likely eat (or at least try) the finished product. Keep in mind children tend to graze rather than eat big meals, so make those snacks count and don’t stress so much at mealtimes. Think of your child’s food intake in weekly blocks rather than meal by meal. Remember we eat with our senses; color, shape, aroma, and texture COUNT. By the way, all items mentioned below work for grown-ups, too. Our children absorb what we model.
- Shapes – Besides taste, animal crackers, goldfish, and other shaped foods capture your toddler’s attention and imagination. Use cookie cutters or pre-shaped items as garnish.
- Little Bits – Imagine you’re 3 and a plate arrives with this big lump of brown (known to parents as meat loaf), which Mom then cuts into tiny pieces. Yuk. How about the same meatloaf arriving in the shape of a muffin? Much more appealing. Depending on your protein choice you’ll find a multitude of options online under muffin tin meatloaf. How about muffin tin omelettes?
- Dips and Dunks – We know our little ones love to eat with their hands. Try hummus, salsa (mild of course), yogurt, nut butter, dressing with crackers, veggies, fruit, pita, cheese sticks, pieces of protein, fingers!
- Roll-ups – This technique combines your little one’s intake of protein and veggies. When using deli meats, you can roll a thin carrot stick, celery stick, cucumber stick, jicama stick, bell pepper stick, or a cherry/grape tomato depending on what your child likes.
- Blend it – Oh what you can hide in a smoothie! Yogurt, fruit (particularly bananas) can mask the following additions quite well: protein powder (if your toddler has a deficit), greens, supplements, nut butter, fruit, veggies. Add a story about the color of the smoothie, serve in a cool cup and you’ve got a winner! Let them “dump” the items in the blender and push the buttons.
If this post helps, let us know and I’ll continue the series!
See You Around the Cutting Board.
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Snack plates (roll ups!) and smoothies are big with my 3 year. He’s always been a hummus fan, and lately I’ve learned that the old adage is really true…if I keep giving him something over and over, he will finally eat it. Carrots these days. His smoothies get packed with spinach and blueberries and he thinks it’s ice cream. Also, getting to have something in the car is particularly exciting, so he’s super flexible in that instance! I was blessed with a good eater, but I also take some credit that I started early by serving him the same thing that we are eating, with few exceptions (super spicy food). But he’s a typical 3 year old when we eat out…all macaroni, all the time. 🙂
Thanks! I’m liking the blender idea and may need to get more creative in that department. Thanks for the inspiration!
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