Every night, you make two meals: one for the grownups and one for the picky eaters. If it’s not chicken fingers or plain pasta, they won’t even touch it. If you’re starting to feel more like a personal chef than a parent, it might be time to change tactics and find healthy recipes for kids — especially those fussy ones.
Katrina Ripoll, co-author of the children’s cookbook “Healthy Cooking for Happy Kids,” has a few tips to help exasperated parents encourage picky eaters to try new foods. She suggests involving your kids in menu planning and food preparation so they have a say in what’s served. Encourage your kids to try new foods by explaining why good nutrition is important — but be sure to approach it in kid-friendly terms. Explain that healthy foods can fuel their brain to make them smart, help their body grow strong and keep them healthy. Lastly, address the obvious: “Keep junk out of your home,” Ripoll says. “If it’s not around, they can’t eat it!”
Lourdes Labii, a “bento box” workshop instructor and registered nurse who teaches parents to make healthy recipes for kids, says many parents and nannies turn to prepared foods and fast foods because they are a quick and easy way to get kids fed. However, as a nurse who has seen the effects of poor eating habits, Labii says that it is important to get kids used to eating well by introducing new kinds of food all the time. Even the pickiest kid will try a particular dish the more often he sees it on the table. Kids tend to eat familiar foods…so if he sees it on the table often, it will become familiar!
Get started on changing your child’s palate with these 10 recipes for kids that are guaranteed to win over the pickiest eaters:
- Chocolate Oatmeal
Let your kids think they’re getting dessert for breakfast. Combine oatmeal with antioxidant-rich cocoa powder (and sweetener, if desired) to swing your kids’ votes over to this fiber- and protein-rich breakfast treat.
- Berry-Spinach Breakfast Smoothie
For kids who take forever to finish their breakfast, a filling shake is something healthy they can easily consume in their car seat. Add twice as many frozen berries than fresh spinach, plus some yogurt or milk, and let your kids slurp down this sweet shake.
- Breakfast Bars
While there are many types on the market, you can easily make your own. These Oatmeal Breakfast Bars from Well Plated combine bananas, oatmeal, peanut butter, and honey in a wholesome, filling, portable breakfast treat.
- Funny-Face Whole-Wheat Sandwich
Who says you can’t play with your food? Cut whole-wheat turkey sandwiches with cookie cutters to make fun shapes. Construct a funny face with add-ons such as olives or pickles (or let your little one design his own) to tickle his fancy.
- Crunchy Fruit Kabob
Serve up fresh fruit on skewers or cute toothpicks, and your kids will have just as much fun deconstructing their snack as they do eating it. Add yogurt- or peanut-butter-based dips to keep them munching through snack time.
- Bagel Pizza
Add cheese to the mix, and kids will eat anything. Let your kids make their own individual bagel pizzas with a variety of veggie topping choices.
- Mixed Vegetable Stir-Fry
If your kid has an aversion to anything green, offer him every other color. Sauté red peppers, purple potatoes, orange shredded carrots and yellow corn in plum sauce for a sweet — not spicy — meal.
- Grilled Chicken Tacos
Ditch the silverware and let your kids eat with their hands for once. Crunchy taco shells may seem like delectable chips to little ones, but you know that filling them with lean protein and fresh veggies makes a complete meal.
- Barbecue Black-Bean Burger Sliders
Mash black beans with spices, finely diced veggies and an egg before shaping into patties. Cook with sweet barbecue sauce before serving them on a bun. Kids will gobble up these mini burgers, which are sized perfectly for small hands.
- Mint Chocolate Chip “Ice Cream”
This looks and tastes so much like the original that even you will swear it’s the real deal. Blend avocado, frozen bananas, a little honey and the tiniest bit of peppermint extract before adding mini chocolate chips and allowing the mixture to set in the freezer. Who says dessert can’t be good for you?And try these 12 Tricks to Fix a Picky Eater.
Mariel Uyquiengco is an early-childhood educator and parenting writer and speaker. She inspires parents to be their children’s first and best teacher through her website the Learning Basket and by giving parenting seminars.
