May 8/22 - How to make food fun for kids...

This was fun for my granddaughter Charlotte, not so much for me. 
Patience is required but its all worth it
Easter Dinner 2020 (where we splurge!)

May 8 How to make food fun for kids… 

Let’s face it, kids are picky eaters. I had to tell my kids salmon was pink chicken and had to blindfold them at first to try guacamole and of course they loved it after that! I used to buy jars of baby food such as the sweet potatoes or the ones with squash (because its nutrient dense) and hide it in pasta sauces. Feeding kids is definitely a challenge so how to we make food fun for kids?

The number one thing is to Involve them in the process…
To start, as soon as they are old enough to stand at the kitchen counter buy one of those little stools they make called Kitchen Helper Towers or Standing Towers or the Toddler Step, just google Amazon, they have everything! These will be a godsend and worth every penny when it comes time to preparing meals. For one, your kids are right with you and not running around the house getting into things they shouldn’t while you try and cook dinner. 

Another reason that I found kids eat what they make. I made pizza for my grandkids once and I thought the green, red, yellow and orange peppers I chopped up made it look colourful and fun. They REFUSED to eat the pizza without picking off all the vegetables. The next time I made pizza for them I let the help with everything from making the dough, spreading on the sauce and I had bowls out with all the toppings and sure enough, they loved sprinkling the little peppers on their pizza and ate it! My grandson was 2yrs old when I first started involving him in cooking, it’s a good age for them to start helping out in the kitchen!

Now cooking with kids will come with its own challenges, you will need patience and you will need to understand it will be a slower process but turn it into a learning experience. I give my grandkids each their own “set” of prep tools. If I had a recipe that called for a 1tbsp of oil I would tell them both to take out their ½ tbsp measuring spoon and I would fill each of their spoons for them to dump in the bowl. Take them shopping to buy their own little colourful set of measuring spoons, spatulas, whisks. They have these things at Walmart and stores like Marshals and Winners/HomeSense. This worked wonders! I would also get them little aprons to make their cooking experience more “official” because kids love dressing up!

The second BIG thing is to make food colourful…yes this means vegetables
We all gravitate towards colour. Have you ever really noticed your meals sometimes? White potato or white rice with white chicken or white coloured pasta with no vegetables. Colour comes from vegetables and we our kids are definitely not eating enough vegetables these days. Salads are hard for kids to chew, raw vegetables are potential choking hazards for the young children and cooked vegetables are just not a favourite at all. 

No child wants mushy peas on their plate but give them a corn on the cob with the cute little handles on each end and they love it. If you have a garden and they see the little pea pods growing and you show them how to open them and dig the fresh peas out they love them right?

Carrots and cucumbers seem to be a hit but what about broccoli and cauliflower? For those vegetables I lightly steam them to get the bright colours of the vegetables to come out, then I blanch them (put them in a bowl of ice water to stop them from cooking) and then I put them in the fridge to chill and serve the little “trees” with a greek yogurt dip (high protein) with dill seasoning.

Vegetables take planning and creativity but kids need the nutrients so it's important to keep vegetables front and center. When my kids were small and were constantly asking for food during the day I decided to buy one of those cool vegetable holders from Tupperware, you know with all the little compartments? As soon as I came home from the grocery store, I washed, I steamed, I blanched (the broccoli and cauliflower) I cut up cucumbers in circles and in sticks, I cut up my carrot sticks and peppers super skinny so it was easier to chew and I made the dip from plain greek yogurt and dill seasoning and kept this vegetable tray in the fridge ALL THE TIME. When the kids came begging for food I grabbed this out of the fridge and opened it up and said eat all you want! Of course it wasn’t an instant hit but over time it worked as they knew they were not getting any more cheese or toast or whatever before dinner.

The third thing is to make it fun!
So make meal prep and meal time fun for kids. Buy those cute little colourful bento boxes and have them put their own dinner in the box for dinner time. Have theme nights such as Mexican night, Italian night so your kids can learn the different cultures of food and have fun preparing the theme. When my kids started school I had them meal plan with me. We had Meatless Monday, Taco Tuesday, Wacky Wednesday, Theme Night Thursday, Party Food Friday, Saturday we would maybe go out or order take out and Sunday was always a back to basics Pot Roast or Roast Chicken like the days of our grandparents where we set the table with nice plates and “real” napkins, they had wine goblets for their water and a salad fork PLUS a dinner fork and we made a point of making a special dessert for dinner. Proper manners were enforced on Sundays, we dressed for dinner  and It just made the whole experience of Sunday dinner much more enjoyable. 

Meals are special times where we should sit and enjoy our food, enjoy the conversation and connect as families no matter how young or old your kids are. Last tip - we noticed the grandkids (3-5 now) always ate better when everyone sat at the table with them. 

I will have WAY more information with recipes, meal prep tips and grocery lists in the books for Half Time Dads and Busy Moms as well as the children's books coming out soon!

My grandson Carson is such a little chef!

He was so proud of his creation, no peppers this time!

Thank you for following my journey to writing a book series!
Stay balanced,
​LeeAnna