With all the hectic activity going on in our lives, one thing is for sure: We have to eat every day, sometimes even three times a day (plus snacks)! Crazy talk, I know. But, with a house full of kids and time at a premium, one thing that makes things a little less hectic is getting my kids to help with dinner. Studies have shown that the more children help in the kitchen for a particular meal, the more they are likely to eat it. That’s certainly true in our house. My kids take pride in making their own food – and I get to show them they are responsible, helpful, and capable of mastering this basic life skill.
The meals my kids have cooked have come out very well – not to mention the quality relationship time and the learning opportunities that cooking together creates, things like how to handle fire and what do we do when things do not go as expected. In our house, we do a rotation: One child per week gets to decide the menu and make the food – with as much help from me as he or she would like. One of my kids picks beef and broccoli; another one regularly picks pasta, etc.) After they choose and make the food, they get to help serve it. With their participation, they feel the pride of ownership and enjoy the food.
This system requires a little planning. I let the children know to “Tell me on Sunday what you want to make for Wednesday night,” so that all the ingredients are in the house. And it requires giving the child the appropriate amount of responsibility. For instance, if cutting skills are not yet there, all cutting should be done by the adult. Depending on the child, the cutting can be done before or during dinner preparation.
If having the child be responsible for the whole meal is too much for you, another great idea is to take every opportunity to engage your kids in the food prep process. I find you can incorporate a lot of educational opportunities. There are math skills: If we have 10 potatoes and we cut up five, how many potatoes are left? There’s history/geography. I am constantly (to much eye-rolling) sending my kids to our old set of encyclopedias to look up questions that come up around food: Which state produces the most watermelons? (Answer: Texas) Did you know they are 92% water? And did you know that, in Africa, they grind up the seeds of a certain plant to make flour, and dry the flesh on prickly bushes? As with everything in life, food can be fun, educational, and relationship building.
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Here are some other tips for making food more appealing to kids:
- Toothpicks/skewers: There’s something about food being on the end of a stick that makes it more edible. (Really!)
- Dips: Put cut-up veggies on the table with a bowl of hummus, and children will snack on them without batting an eye. Cherry tomatoes, stalks of broccoli/cauliflower (either lightly boiled fresh or defrosted frozen), baby carrots, celery, cucumbers spears are all go-to options. For your own dip, puree your bean of choice with either water or tehina; add salt and pepper and perhaps some lemon juice, and you’ll have a protein-packed dip in moments. Your kids can pour the ingredients into the blender and hit the puree button. Voila! They made their own dip.
- Cut-up fruit: No dip needed. Just put grapes and cut-up melon, apples, and any other desired fruit on the table.
- Whatever you’re eating: What? Yes, when I have only two portions of the “most delicious thing ever,” my kids invariably want to eat it. Remember, too, that studies have shown that kids pay a great deal of attention to what the grown ups are doing (as opposed to what they are saying). So, if you don’t eat vegetables, they’ll notice.
- Shopping help: Okay, this one is tricky for me. Sometimes I just want to get my grocery shopping done quickly (or, better yet, online!). But you can make a special trip to your local Asian/ethnic/farmer’s market and find new things. Have the kids pick out unusual fruits and vegetables that they’ve never seen or tried. Did you know that the most popular eggplant was originally white? (Hence the name, because it looked like an egg.)
- Choices: Everyone likes choices, even if there only two of them. (Do you want an apple or a banana?) Of course, if you offer two choices they hate, it’s not going to work. But the goal is to have them more involved in the process of eating.
- Fun food nights: How about a color theme: Everyone has to wear blue and eat blueberries, blue potatoes, or blue corn chips. Or orange: sweet potatoes, orange peppers, orange juice, etc. Increasing the fun increases the children’s engagement and makes for family fun time!
- Junk food: The best way to have your kids not eat junk food is to not have it in the house. If it’s in the house, there’s a good chance they’re going to eat it. Just saying.
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Here are three recipes that the kids can make easily.
Tacos
Tacos are fun and crunchy, and children can do it themselves.
12 hard, pre-folded taco shells
1 c. sour cream
1 c. shredded cheese
1 c. shredded lettuce
1 c. canned black beans, rinsed
1 c. salsa
2 avocados, diced
1 c. onions, chopped
1 c. vegetarian ground meat (LightLife, next to the milk section at 7 Mile)
Sauté the onions and vegetarian meat. (You or an older child can watch the stove as the onions and “meat” are cooking.) Then set all the taco ingredients on the table, and let everyone make their own taco to their liking. Serves 6.
Turkey and Apricot Wraps
Like the tacos, your team can make these by themselves. Have the ingredients on the table, and let everyone make their own.
1/2 c. reduced-fat Tofutti pareve cream cheese
3 T. apricot preserves
4 whole wheat tortillas (8 inches), room temperature
1/2 lb. sliced deli turkey (or preferred deli)
2 c. fresh arugula, baby spinach, or romaine
In a small bowl, mix tofutti cream cheese and preserves. Spread about 2 T. over each tortilla to within 1/2 in. of edges. Layer with turkey and arugula. Roll up tightly. Serve immediately or wrap in plastic and refrigerate until serving. Serves 4.
Peanut Butter and Fruit in a Pita
Half my kids do not like the extra spices in this recipe, so I leave them out. Again, if everything is set before them, children can assemble their own sandwiches. We take turns with who gets to cut up the apples and bananas (while we sing the apples and bananas song...).
1/2 c. peanut butter
1/4 tsp. each, ground allspice, cinnamon, and nutmeg (optional)
4 whole wheat pita pocket halves
1 medium apple, thinly sliced
1 medium firm banana, sliced
In a small bowl, blend the peanut butter, allspice, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Spread inside pita bread halves. Fill with apple and banana slices. Serves 4.
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I hope this article will inspire many successful kid-friendly meals together. I’d love to hear your tips of how you get your kids to eat. And remember, the real goal is to raise wonderful children; the food gives them energy to be their wonderful selves.
Bracha Shor is owner and chef of Sweet and Good Catering. To join the email list, email Bshor@sweetandgoodcatering.com with the word JOIN in the subject. You’ll never miss an article or a new recipe and always be in the know about our events.
