[blparent] Meals and Snacks

Tue Aug 30 16:58:46 UTC 2011

So true Bridgit and I love the story time during the meal idea.  It reminds
me of the Stone Soup story in school where we all got a chance to make a
delicious soup after hearing the wonderful story about a village coming
together in Christian spirit to take what little they had to make a
wonderful soup that all could enjoy.  My mom had a rule when we were growing
up that we had to at least try everything once and if we didn't like it then
we didn't have to eat it.  Different foods were not going to be given to us
but we wouldn't starve and it sure made us think twice about how bad we
really thought that food was that we "didn't like".  Needless to say, none
of us kids were picky eaters and we became very good at really giving
different foods a fare try.  My mom is an amazing cook which sure didn't
hurt and she was amazing at doing different themes.  One night was a visit
to Italy, and the next a visit to China.  We really got a chance to travel
the world through our taste buds without ever leaving the kitchen.  Sitting
down as a family and having no other distractions like the television or
people talking on their cell phones is truly quality time and makes dining a
more pleasureful experience.  Most nights my mom had something for dessert
even if it was a little bowl of fruit or putting but a cute line my parents
would use if there was no dessert was, "yes, we have dessert, you can
dessert the table!"  Us kids didn't think that was so cute at the time, but
I know we'll all use it since it's such a fun play on words.

Erin

-----Original Message-----
From: blparent-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blparent-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf Of Bridgit Pollpeter
Sent: Monday, August 29, 2011 1:52 PM
To: blparent at nfbnet.org
Subject: [blparent] Meals and Snacks

I think every parent has used the starving kid argument- we forget kids
don't have the analytical and reasoning skills we adults have, or at least
sometimes have.  *giggle*

First, eating habits develop during infancy and toddler-hood.  This is why
it is important to follow a schedule, as best as possible, and once
consuming baby and table food, they should be exposed to vegetables and
non-sweet tasting foods first so they can develop a taste for these foods.
When exposed to early to sweet tasting foods like fruit and sweet potatoes,
or given more of this, they often tend to develop an aversion to those foods
that don't have a sweet taste.

That being said, this doesn't mean every child will eat what's set in front
of them or they won't develop a dislike for certain foods.  Just as our
personalities evolve, so do our taste buds.  To a certain extent, we should
respect kid food likes and dislikes, and try to work on menues that
compromise.

My nephew is one of those kids who literally will not have tried something,
but if it looks at all odd to him, he refuses to touch it, and he is seven.
My Penny, who is almost two, will like something one day and eat it with
relish, and the next, you can't get her to touch it with a ten-foot pole.
Grocery shopping can be a real pain in the butt!

One thought, try having your kids help prepare meals and snacks.  This can
get messy, but messes can be cleaned up.  Trust me- this is coming from a
certifiably crazy, OCD clean-freak! *smile*

If kids feel a sense of accomplishment in helping to prepare food, they will
probably be more inclined to try food.  Involve them in the shopping process
too.  Remembering my own childhood, the more involved you feel as a kid, the
more willing you become to help out and try new things.

And while we should try our best to introduce foods and have kids eat
balanced, healthy meals, I don't think we need to push variety.  If they
like something, well, don't fix what's not broken! *smile* As long as
something isn't bad like fast food or highly processed foods, prepare that
more than once a week since your child enjoys it and will eat it.

Another key part of the equation is to be a role model. Kids emulate us, and
If our kids don't see us eating certain foods, why should they?  We should
try to lead by example.  Exploring food should be a family affair and not
just something for the kiddies.  If we want kids to eat well balanced,
healthy meals, the whole family has to participate.

Off the top of my head, here are a few snacks/meals to try:
Ants on a log- celery sticks with peanut butter and raisins Mini pizzas- use
English muffins or tortilla shells and make mini pizzas using different
toppings, shredded cheese  and pizza sauce. These bake in the oven for
anywhere between 15 to 30 minutes.
Tortilla wraps- use tortilla shells and cheese to make a cheesey wrap, just
warm in microwave to melt cheese, or use griddle on stove if wanting a
crispyer shell. Makes for a good snack, but can be part of a meal too.
Sugar-free jello or pudding- what kid doesn't like pudding or jello?
Especially jello cut into shapes!
Cut sandwhiches into shapes- prepare a sandwhich then using a cookie cutter,
cut the shape out.
Breakfast for dinner- kids love breakfast especially when having it at
different times. Can make pancakes, eggs, french toast, potatoes, bacon,
etc. And all these things can be made healthy, check out different recipes
or just purchase ingredients that are healthier like turkey bacon and
organic eggs and light syrup.  Substitute olive oil for butter when you can,
and replace your salt with sea salt.
Veggies and dip- cut different veggies, carrots, celery, red and green
peppers, etc. and dip them into ranch dressing or a veggie dip.
Baked frenched fries- peel and cut potatoes, mix extra virgin olive oil with
seasonings of choice, toss potatoes in oil mixture then bake for 35 to 45
minutes in the oven at 400 to 450 degrees (depends on how crunchy you want
them). I usually season with salt and pepper and oregano, parsley and basil,
or cayen pepper for a spicier taste. Is good healthy substitute for frozen
fries or using a deep-fat fryer.

If you have internet access, Google specific recipes, or BARD and NLS have
cookbooks you can look through.  I know BARD has a Rachel Ray cookbook
specific for kids, I think it's called Yummo, and has healthy food choices
kids might enjoy.

Another thing I thought of to help with the health side of things is to
follow portion suggestions, and make sure you're the one doling out
portions.  If an entire box of crackers is set in front of kids, they won't
want to stop!  And if they're helping to prepare, set ingredients out ahead
of time with only the measurements you will require. This is also helpful to
make the cooking process faster and flow smoother.

My mom, she still does this, will either make up stories about specific food
or find stories.  While we eat, she'll tell the story.  As kids, we were
always intrigued by the stories and wanted to eat it.  For example, to get
us to eat lentil soup, she told some story about a family escaping religious
persecution, and they stopped to rest at an inn and had lentil soup, which
filled their tummies and souls.  Obviously she told this story in a way
appropriate for children, and her stories tend to revolve around religious
matters, but it worked. This description is not doing justice to it, but my
mom is a teacher and writer so her stories really are good. This is
especially fun during the holidays.

Anyway, hope this rambling email is helpful.

Sincerely,
Bridgit Kuenning-Pollpeter
Read my blog for Live Well Nebraska.com at
http://blogs.livewellnebraska.com/author/bpollpeter/

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