Food on the Table

For today’s No Whine Wednesday, we’re excited to introduce Heather Patterson from Gourmet Meals for Less.  Heather recently posted on our Facebook page that her children were very adventurous eaters and we invited her to tell us how they got that way!

From Heather:

I am often asked how I ended up with children who love all kinds of food.  From artichokes to asparagus, from peppers to parsnips, from sushi to sardines my kids eat it all!  Their favorite outing is to a local international grocery store where they can explore the aisles and choose something new to try.  I always took this for granted, until I realized that they were not the norm.  I was honored when Food on the Table asked me to write a guest post sharing some of my suggestions to turn a “picky eater” into an adventurous eater.  I can’t guarantee your child will be eating rutabaga or rhubarb over night but if you utilize some of these tips below, I believe even the pickiest eater might be willing to try some new foods!

Start young.

One of the best decisions we ever made in helping to develop our children’s taste palates was making their baby food from scratch, and even then we quickly moved them to “adult food”.   They were introduced to avocado (which by the way is one of the most easily digested foods out there), butternut squash, pureed peas, and green beans before they were ever given applesauce, pears, etc.  I exposed them to foods counter to what is normally recommended.  I started with green veggies first, moved to orange veggies and then lastly fruit.  If you want your children to like veggies you need to make sure that their taste buds aren’t exposed to “sugar riddled” foods first! Super Baby Food is a great resource to learn more about how to expose your babies to quality foods and making your own baby food!  You will be surprised how easy it is.

Be an adventurous eater yourself

I have been surprised how many of my own friends are “picky eaters” themselves.  If you wonder why your child is picky, look at yourself.  Are you willing to try new things, cook new things?  Do you make eating an adventure?  I confess that I did not grow up an “adventurous eater” but we were always expected to eat what was made.  My mom did not make four different dinners for four different people.  We ate what she made, but we were not exposed to a lot of variety.  My husband and I on the other hand, make food and eating an experience.  We love to watch cooking shows; when we travel we research local cuisine.  As homeschoolers we have studied lots of different cultures and we love to try the foods we learn about.  Whether it’s stuffed grape leaves and feta when we are studying Greece, or Figgie pudding when talking about England we enjoy researching foods and where they come from It’s so important that we don’t transfer our aversions to certain foods onto our children.  If you struggle with eating new things, try and make a game out of it.  Research a food and try one new thing each week, or pay a visit to an international grocery store in your area and choose one new thing to try.  Your children will follow your example!

Get in the kitchen and get cooking

There is no better way to get your kids to try something new than to have them help plan and prepare a meal.  We have “kid night” in our home.  Our children take turns choosing recipes, shopping for the food and preparing the meal.  They have done this since they were little, and they are quite the chefs now in their own right!  Our daughter, who is ten, can make a mean cream cheese and herb omelet; and can have a batch of muffins from scratch in the oven before I’ve even gotten up on a Saturday morning. We have encouraged them to learn the proper techniques in the kitchen including how to use a knife properly and use of the oven and stove.  They are not only adventurous cooks but safe ones as well.

Plant a garden, even if it’s a small one

Children learn to appreciate food more when they know where it comes from.  My kids have learned to eat okra, tomatoes, squash, peppers, cabbage and so much more because they grew it themselves.  We have recently started canning a lot of what we grow, and they enjoy helping us preserve the food we grow.  There is something special about watching a seed you planted grow to maturity, harvesting, and preserving your own food.  Start small.  A pot of tomatoes on the porch, or a couple of banana pepper plants on the deck.  Cook new recipes from your garden, and invite them to join you in the kitchen. You’ll be surprised how readily they will eat what they have grown!  Also, pay a visit to your local Farmer’s Market, the next best thing to picking it from your own garden.  Introduce your children to people who take pride in what they grow; you’ll be benefiting your kids and your local growers.  A win, win situation!

You Know What’s Best

And last but not least, and this seems to be the hardest tip to implement, often we need to make our children do things they don’t want to because it is what’s best for them.  We know there has never been a more obese generation of children.  Much of this is in part to the over processed, over refined, packaged, canned and boxed up food children seem to crave these days.  Now don’t get me wrong, my children love a box of mac and cheese and the occasional bowl of Ramen Noodles just like other kids but that is not the mainstay of their diet.  I know the dinner battle can be difficult and it’s all together easier to just give in and throw a pan of frozen, breaded chicken nuggets in the stove but you are doing your child a disservice.  Limit the options; expect them to eat what is served even if it’s only a few bites.  They will not starve and they will eat eventually.  Don’t make it a battle of the wills, be kind, be firm and make trying new things fun!  Just remember though, that if you don’t eat it, they won’t either.  Trying new foods needs to be a family affair.

I hope I’ve inspired you to take a culinary journey with your family.  Grow a garden; get in the kitchen and be a little daring and buy an artichoke the next time you’re at the Farmer’s Market!  You never know what might become your child’s favorite new food!

Here’s my recipe for Sweet Potato Fries that everyone in your family will enjoy:

Sweet Potato Fries

Ingredients
3-4 sweet potatoes
2 Tbs. Olive oil
2 tsp. course salt such as kosher or sea salt
1 tsp. ground cinnamon (optional)
½ Tbs. brown sugar (optional)
½ tsp ground pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375°.  Peel and half sweet potatoes.  Cut off each end of sweet potato, removing the pointed ends.  Quarter each half and then cut each section in half again, until you have approximately ½ inch wide by 3 inch long strips similar to “French fries”.  Place sweet potato strips in a medium size bowl and add olive oil, salt, pepper and cinnamon and sugar if desired.  Toss with tongs and place on a non-stick cookie sheet.  Place cookie sheet in oven on middle rack for approximately 15 minutes.  Potatoes should start to become crispy and golden on the outside but be tender on the inside.  If fries are not crispy enough place under broiler for an additional minute or two, watching constantly.  You do not want fries to burn.  Remove cookie sheet from oven and allow fries to cool slightly before serving.  They will be sweet and have the consistency of regular French fries, but be much healthier!

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