Foodbuzz 24, 24, 24: 5 Stars Dinner at Home… But Will the Kids Eat It?

Are you a foodie? Are you a foodie and a parent? Do your kids share your passion for food? Or do they give you a hard time?

I am a foodie and a picky eater in a choosy finicky, or conscious eating way. Since we got married, I got my husband all excited about food too. Our kids, however, are a different story. We have a one-year-old girl who is willing to try anything, almost, but changes her mind about what she likes and dislikes quite often. And we have a kindergartener who challenges us more.

I always try to cook family friendly food (hence the name and essence of my blog) that we will all like. I compromise a lot between what I really love to cook and eat and what kids usually prefer (we all know what THAT is). I really go a long way to make them happy but I draw the line when it comes to junk food. We have never ordered pizza or any other take-out and we never set foot, (or car), at any of the junk fast food places (Well, not willingly. Oh, how I hate those kiddies birthday parties at Chuck E Cheese). Once a month I might prepare an upgraded pizza (see recipe here) or a Mac and Cheese but then I use real wonderful artisanal cheeses.

My son can be a picky eater even when it comes to dessert. He always prefers a candy (from Halloween and birthday parties… ) over a fresh home-baked cake. Can you believe it?! (Click here to see the cakes). On one hand, this kid can tell the difference between goat cheese, feta, parmesan, Gouda, Swiss, Brousin, mozzarella, cheddar… and of course, a cheese stick. On the other hand, he is a typical 5 years-old. After a few years of trying different strategies with the kid, I have decided – enough. This is not really working anyway and I’m getting bored with the food that we eat. We’re going back to what mommy likes to cook and eat. So OK, no chilies and no Bobby Flay food yet, but a few weeks ago I cooked dinner and the menu was:

Young onion tart with cantal, applewood-smoked bacon, and Herb salad
From “Sunday Suppers at Lacques” cookbook


Butternut squash, butter lettuce, arugula and apple salad
Inspired by Ina Garten’s recipe from her new cookbook “Back to Basics”

It was heavenly.

Why this menu?

The choice of the menu was affected by our decision to eat less meat and chicken following a few posts I wrote about the cruel conditions under which animals are raised. (No, we’re not becoming vegetarians, just eating a smaller amount of animals and less frequently. If you care about conscious eating, see my second blog “Good Food and Bad Food”)

I knew the menu will be a tricky one with the kids. However, I decided to make it anyway because I was very curious about the recipes and I fell in love with “Sunday Suppers at Lacques” cookbook (there’s a short review at the end of the post). The food was so amazingly delicious. And this is an understatement. Really. It was like a 5 stars restaurant dinner but only at home. (And by “5 stars” I mean in flavor, not in labor-intensive preparations). The baby devoured the tart. She had crumbs all over her face and in her beautiful and funny hair. The kindergartener? He, surprisingly, ate the onions on the tart. The onions! He never eats onions. He declares a ban on onions, and onions, you know, are the base for many many dishes. He ate it and said that it was good! Then I told him: “you know, those are onions”. His answer: “no, this is a new kind of chicken”.

Since we loved the tart and salad so much, I wanted to make them again. Tonight I have recreated this dinner to show you: 1) the challenges foodie parents face with young kids at home, 2) how amazingly delicious these dishes are, 3) how fantastically simple and easy it can be to cook a 5 stars dinner at home, and, of course, 4) the funny comments and reactions from the kids’ point of view.

The menu:
* Onion tart with gruyere, applewood-smoked bacon, and Herb salad
* Butternut squash, butter lettuce, arugula and apple salad
* Good wine (not for the kids) – Meadow 2007, Ross Andrew winery, Oregon (Something local that the guy at the grocery store recommended with my menu. Thanks, Bruce! It is a lovely wine.)
* Home-made cinnamon ice cream (you have been so good to read this long post up to this point, so I give you a bonus – dessert. Actually, we always have dessert on the weekend, remember the cakes?)


The Recipes:

Young Onion Tart with Cantal, Applewood-Smoked Bacon, and Herb Salad
Don’t skip making the herb salad. It will be a huge huge mistake. It is so unique and to die for.
Slightly adapted from Suzanne Goin, “Sunday Suppers at Lucques”
Serves 6-8

1 sheet frozen all-butter puff pastry (I used two 8*9-inch sheets)
1 extra-large egg yolk
½-pound sliced applewood-smoked bacon
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 cups sliced onions, red and white
1 tablespoon thyme leaves
½ cup whole milk ricotta, drained if wet
¼ cup crème fraiche
1/3 pound Cantal, Gruyère, or Comté cheese, thinly sliced

½ cup flat-leaf parsley leaves
¼ cup tarragon leaves
¼ cup chervil sprigs
¼ cup 1/2-inch-snipped chives
A drizzle super-good extra virgin olive oil
½ lemon, for juicing
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Defrost the puff pastry slightly and unroll it onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Use a paring knife to score a 1/4-inch border around the edge of the pastry.

Stack the bacon slices in two piles, then cut crosswise into 3/8-inch rectangles or lardons.

Heat a large sauté pan over high heat for 2 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil, and allow to heat another minute. Add the bacon, and sauté over medium high heat 4 to 5 minutes, until slightly crisp but still tender. Reduce the heat to low, and toss in the young onions, thyme, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Stir together a minute or two, until the onions are just wilted. Toss in the onion tops, and remove to a baking sheet or platter lined with paper towels to soak the fat, and to cool a bit.

Place the ricotta, egg yolk, and 1 tablespoon olive oil in abowl and whisk until smooth. Gently fold in the crème fraîche and season with 1/8 teaspoon salt and a pinch of pepper. Spread the ricotta mixture on the puff pastry within the scored border. Lay the Cantal over the ricotta, and arrange the bacon-onion mixture on top.

Bake the tart 20 to 25 minutes, rotating the baking sheet once, until the cheese is bubbling and the crust is golden brown. Lift up the edge of the tart and peek underneath to make sure the crust is cooked through. (If you underbake the tart, it will be soggy.)

Toss the herbs in a small bowl with salt, pepper, a drizzle of super-good olive oil, and a squeeze of lemon juice.

Cut tart to wedges and serve with herb salad.

Butternut squash, butter lettuce, arugula and apple salad
Inspired by Ina Garten’s recipe from her new cookbook “Back to Basics”
Serves 4-6

1 (1 1/2-pound) butternut squash, peeled and cut in 3/4-inch dice
Good olive oil
1 tablespoon maple syrup
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons sliced shallot
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
4 ounces baby arugula
½ head butter lettuce, torn into 2 bite-size pieces
1 apple, thinly sliced
1/2 cup walnut halves, toasted
3 tablespoons dried cranberries

Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Place the squash on a sheet pan. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil, the maple syrup, ½ teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper and toss. Roast the squash for 20 to 30 minutes, or until tender.

To make the vinaigrette, mix the cider vinegar, shallot, and mustard in a small bowl. Whisk in ¼ cup olive oil, salt, and black pepper.
Place the arugula and butter lettuce in a large salad bowl and add the roasted squash and apple. Add the cranberries and walnuts. Spoon just enough vinaigrette over the salad to moisten, and toss well.

Cinnamon Ice Cream
Make this at least 1 day ahead just to be on the safe side that the ice cream has the right consistency.
Slightly adapted from Suzanne Goin, “Sunday Suppers at Lucques”
Makes 1 quart

2 cups whole milk
2 cups heavy cream
2 cinnamon sticks
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 extra-large egg yolks
½ cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract*
1 teaspoon hazelnuts extract*
Pinch ground cinnamon for serving*

Place the milk, cream, cinnamon sticks, and ground cinnamon in a medium pot. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Turn off the heat, cover, and let the flavors infuse about 30 minutes.

Bring mixture back to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Turn off the heat.
Whisk the egg yolks and sugar together in a bowl. Whisk a few tablespoons of warm cream mixture into the yolks to temper them. Slowly, add another ¼ cup or so of the warm cream, whisking to incorporate. At this point, you can add the rest of the cream mixture in a slow steady steam, whisking constantly. Pour the mixture back into the pot and return to the stove.

Cook the custard over medium heat 6 to 8 minute, stirring with a rubber spatula, scraping the bottom and sides of the pan. The custard will thicken, and when it’s done will coat the back of the spatula. Off the heat, add the vanilla and hazelnut extracts and mix. Strain (in a fine mesh sieve) and chill at least 2 hours in the refrigerator. The base should be very cold before you churn it. Process in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Serve with a sprinkle of ground cinnamon.

*My additions.

Kiddies comments and reactions:

Herb salad
I put some salad on my son’s plate. He immediately burst into tears. E.: “I don’t like salad. Take it out of my plate. I want a new plate”. Me: “OK, I’ll take it out”. E. :”no, I want a new plate”. Me: “I’ll wipe it clean”. E.: “you can’t wipe out the flavor”. Me: “relax already. Here, see? It’s all gone”.

R., that’s the baby, on the other hand, didn’t try it at all. The minute she saw it, she threw it away from her tray and onto the floor. E. finds it very amusing and laughs loudly. She was however, very interested in a long stem of chives.

Butternut squash salad
Me: “how about this salad? This lettuce taste very nice”. E.: “no, I don’t like salad”. Me: “OK, what about eating the ingredients separately but not the lettuce?” E.: “OK”.

R. tried to eat the lettuce but had a hard time chewing on it since she has only 2 tiny teeth. She made a funny face and spitted it out. Well, at least she tried. She ate the squash but can’t eat the berries and nuts (choking hazards).

Onion tart
E. eats the bacon on top of the tart, and then stops. Me: “why don’t you eat all the “pizza””? E.: “it has onions. I don’t like onions”. My husband: “you ate the onions last time and liked it”. E.: “No I didn’t. I don’t like onions”. Me: “OK, just take them out and put it on the side of your plate and finish eating it”. Then he takes a bite and me and my husband see the onion hanging from the side. There’s a moment of silence… he ate it! Didn’t say a word.

R. loves this tart. No complains on her part.

Ice cream
Me: “today we have home-made ice cream!” E. – “I want a candy on the ice cream because ice cream alone doesn’t taste good to me.” Me: “you need to choose – ice cream or candy”. E: “then candy”. At the end he chose a Scooby Doo push up Popsicle, leftover from his birthday party last spring. Me: “how can you choose a Scooby Doo over home-made ice cream?” E.: “I’ll eat ice cream another time”. Me: “so why don’t you eat the Scooby Doo another time and tonight you’ll eat ice cream?” E.: “because that is what I chose”.

R. – this is the first ice cream she had in her life! She loved it. She even managed to feed herself with a teaspoon for the first time.

Some photos taken by E. who likes to take pictures and do some food styling

Conclusions:
For this kind of dinner, send the kids to someone else’s home, like grandma and grandpa, if you can. Open a bottle of good wine, dim the lights, and have a nice, quiet dinner at home with good adult conversation, because this is the best food. I tell ya. And young kids are just too… too young to appreciate it. One day I’m sure they will.

Good night... Bye bye...

The Cookbooks:

“Sunday Suppers at Lacques” by Suzanne Goin
I have heard about Lacques cookbook here and there, don’t remember exactly where… so I borrowed it from the library (that’s what I do before deciding if I am going to buy a book or not). There is something about that book that makes you fall in love with it immediately. I can’t quite tell what it is. I really love that it is arranged by seasons. (Already an excellent reason to love a cookbook). But there’s something beyond that. Could it be the simplicity of its sophistication or the sophistication of its simplicity? There’s something very earthy, rustic, yet terribly smart and chic about it. The recipes I have read seem to be pretty easy to make, the photos are gorgeous. Everyone should own a copy of this book.

“Back to Basics” by Ina Garten
The Barefoot Contessa… no need to elaborate what I love about her, like so many millions of people around the world. I thought that owning 4 of her cookbooks is enough but I just couldn’t resist buying the fifth one. It is just as good and beautiful as the previous ones.

Wow! You have made it this far! It is a loooong post. I admire you! I do.
Would you like to subscribe to my blog? Click here.

Thank you for reading! Nurit.

Thank you Foodbuzz!

Some links and related posts:

Good Food & Bad Food blog
Sometimes it’s Pizza for Dinner
A cake for the weekendHome-Made Food is the Best!
Cooking with Kids: “Feast Lesson”
Baking with kids: Chocolate-banana cookies, recreating the magic

Picky Eater Story: Throw the Food from the Window

I remember this episode from when I was about 6 or 7 years old (I think). I asked my mom to make me toast with melted cheese on top. Who doesn’t like those? Don’t you? I almost certainly nagged and nagged her and she finally made it for me. Then I tasted it and it didn’t taste so good, so I didn’t want to finish eating it.

My mom, of course, insisted that I eat the whole thing. Ohhhh, this was a call for a battle of powers. You know how they tell you to choose your battles with kids?! Oh, well… So I stared at it, and stared and stared for an hour, testing to see who will break first – me, my mom, or the toast. Well, the toast wasn’t planning to go anywhere. I prayed that it will somehow magically disappear from the plate but no higher powers came to my rescue.

After an hour or so I came up with a brilliant idea and told my mom that I will finish my toast in my room.

And then I threw it out the window.

Then I came back to my mom proudly showing her the empty plate and declaring: “all done”.
My mom is a very smart lady. But it doesn’t take a genius to figure out when your kids try to lie in your face. Plus, she heard the “plunck” noise when it hit the ground. It was thrown from the forth flour of an apartment building. A quick pick outside my bedroom window confirmed her suspicions fairly quickly.

And then I was punished to stay in my room for a certain amount of time.

I cried and cried. Maybe I even tried some screaming. I learned it from other kids. It didn’t work on my mom though.

Well, I haven’t tried that trick again. But you just wait until I tell you about some other creative ways I came up with to solve food problems on other occasions.

Reminder: You can now follow me on Twitter.

Were you a picky eater? Are you still?

11 Tips for Eating Out (with Kids) While on Vacation

Eating out while on a trip or vacation, with or without kids, can become a stressful event. Going out for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and maybe snacks too, every day throughout your vacation, can be tiring. Choosing a restaurant, driving, parking, waiting to be seated, reading the menu, consulting, deciding, ordering, waiting, paying, waiting… add kids to that... Oh, it makes me tired just to think about it.

Vacation is fun. Eating out is fun. But when it is done a 3-5 times a day, every day, for a week or so, it can turn into a not-so-much-fun experience. Here are a few tips and things to consider that we have learned on our last trip to Whistler, BC, last summer (a great place for a family vacation in the summer and winter, by the way).

Lessons learned and tips to share:

1. Book a hotel that serves breakfast. This will save you time and money and will make your morning more relaxed as you don’t have to go anywhere or drive to another location. You can go back to your room after you had your coffee and your belly is full to finish getting ready for the rest of the day.

2. Choose a room with a kitchenette or at least a mini refrigerator. This is great when you want to have a light and peaceful meal in the room, or a snack, as well as store leftovers from a restaurant meal. We usually buy some food at a local grocery store (like cheeses, deli meat, fruits and vegetables, bread, yogurt, and milk) and eat in the room at least once a day. We find it is much easier to do this when we are with the kids than to drag them to restaurants all day long. It cost less too.

3. The “kids menu”. We have fallen in the “kids menu” trap before and no need to say that we hated it. The selection of food from the “kids menu” can be frustrating. However, if you do order from the kids menu, check for quality. Taste a bite to make sure the food is fresh. If your child if fussy or picky and don’t’ want to eat their food, maybe it’s because is not cooked right or taste good. Also, read my post: Kids’ menu – Is it good for them? Is it good for you?

4. Buy food to go. Young kids have a hard time sitting for long periods of time all nice and quiet. In the summer, you can buy sandwiches or a lunch basket and have a picnic by the lake. Any ideas for winter time?

5. Split and share. In most restaurants the serving size per person is huge and can feed 2-4 people. To save money, and extra pounds, you can order 2 entrées or a few appetizers for the whole family and share. I once overheard a waitress asking another customer if they have been to the restaurant before and know that the portions are large. She asked if they would like smaller portions. I asked her for smaller portions of what we ordered and it was perfect. Lesson learned –always ask.

6. Do you let your kids choose from the menu for themselves? On one hand, everyone gets to choose what they like at the restaurant, right?! On the other hand, if your child can’t read, you can skip those items you don’t want them to eat (for example, I tend to skip the PBJ sandwich, grilled cheese sandwich, Mac and cheese, pizza, etc). I admit, I lied in the past to my son and told him that the restaurant we were dining at doesn’t serve Mac and cheese. I read to him the items I want him to eat. He is a good reader now, so this strategy in no longer applicable. This is where our authority as parents and new strategies come to play in setting boundaries.

7. The Mac and cheese episode. Do you have a kid that will be happy if s/he can eat Mac and cheese all day long? Theoretically, we have one of those (“Theoretically” because we don’t want to test it to find out). Now we limit M&C to once a week while on a trip and chicken strips with fries now and then. If you prefer to avoid these battles altogether, at least order something along the cheesy pasta like vegetables, or chicken, or fish to balance the cheese-carbs ratio.



8. Kids don’t have to know about ALL the ingredients in the dish, right?! My son likes pesto but the restaurant served spinach pesto. I knew he wouldn’t eat it if he knew about the spinach so I “forgot” to mention it to him. Oops. He enjoyed his pasta with spinach pesto, goat cheese and nuts, and asked for it again the next day. What would you do – tell or not?

9. If you want to go to a fancy restaurant with your kids, check with them ahead if it would be OK for the kids to sit at the table and do a coloring book. We usually bring an activity book and colors with us because not every restaurant has them.

10. Don’t forget to eat your veggies. You will find out that the most popular vegetable side dish is made with potatoes: fries, mashed, baked, and all other forms. Of course we love them in all shapes and sizes, but after a couple of lunches and dinners, it’s time for some veggies, no?!

11. Juice comes only with dessert, not before the entrée. We usually don’t drink juice at home but while on vacation we loosen up on this. But we prefer that our son drinks juice only if he eats most of his meal.

If you have more ideas or tips add a comment below. Thanks!
Nurit

More about this topic:

Kids menu – Is it good for them? Is it good for you?
Stuffed peppers – a picky eater's nightmare?
Encourage good eating
NY Times: Picky Eaters? They Get It From You
Some thoughts about parents and picky eaters
Sometimes it’s Pizza for Dinner

Time to Tell You What It Is

When I was a child – which was a long time ago, but not THAT long ago – my grandma used to make chicken soup and there were chicken feet, and a throat, in the soup. And I remember my mom, who didn’t cook very often, cooking a cow’s tongue from time to time. Yeah, that’s right! And it was delicious.

In my last post – With Respect to the Animals – I mentioned that unintentionally I got to this web site chooseveg.com, and watched a video depicting the awful life and death of animals – cows, pigs, and chickens, raised on “farms” (click here if you are brave enough to watch it). If you were wondering, no, I am not becoming vegetarian, but for now I’m taking some time off from meat. So in the past days we had Linguine with Shrimp Scampi (recipe here) and a few vegetarian meals (except for that BBQ we went to on Saturday), and I will soon post the recipe for the lovely onion quiche I made last night.

But I did decide that we will eat those animals in smaller portions and less frequently. And when I buy meat, chicken, or poultry, as well as seafood, I will choose free-range, organic, local, and sustainable food. It doesn’t necessarily cost more. Here’s an example. I went to Whole Foods and bought a pound of organic chicken liver. It costs $2.99 per pound, and $2.49 for free-range! Enough to feed 2-4 people. You do the math.

I had a great recipe, really special, which everyone loved – baby, kindergartner, husband, and yours truly. And the house smelled like cake! The one below is based on a recipe I got about 15 years ago. It’s by an Israeli cookbook author, Elinoar Rabin, and my brain remembered it because of the unusual flavor and pretty unique use of fruit with chicken liver (unlike foie gras).

Chicken Liver with Cinnamon and Apples
For 3-4 servings

¼ cup flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 lb. chicken liver, washed and patted dry
Salt
Pepper
A few tablespoons butter
2 medium apples, cored and cut to ½-inch slices
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar, optional

Mix flour and cinnamon in a bowl. Sprinkle liver with salt and pepper, and then dredge in flour-cinnamon mixture.
In a medium size skillet melt butter over medium heat. Sauté the chicken liver until nicely browned on each side (I didn’t measure the time, about 4-5 minutes on each side). Remove from skillet and place in a covered dish to keep warm.
Add some butter to skillet and sauté apples until golden. Turn to other side, sprinkle with sugar and cook another 2 minutes.
Serve liver with apples and a drizzle of balsamic.


Another use I made for this recipe is to serve it, without the apples, with fresh (but store-bought) pumpkin ravioli. Make a sauce with shallots sautéed in butter, some canned pumpkin, heavy cream, cranberries, and roasted chestnuts. Delicious.

If you want to see something really special regarding eating the whole animal, I stumbled upon this post showing how to cook pork head, click here. It’s fascinating. And, hey, people in the world are eating like that.

Kitchen superstar Wolfgang Puck shares his secrets

I’ve been posting a lot about kids and food lately, getting your kids in the kitchen, how-to for cooking or baking with your kids, cooking gifts for kids, etc etc.

It’s time to start posting recipes again. I know this is really what you are looking for, right?! I see on the polls’ results so far that most replies are from readers who like to cook and cook often. Please vote your voice on the right side column. There ->>

I saw this article “Kitchen superstar Wolfgang Puck shares his secrets for introducing new tastes to your kids” on Parent & Child magazine, and Wolfgang Puck is one of my favorite chefs, so if you're interested, click here to read more.

A summary:

Encourage your kids to imitate you.
... Trying to force your children to eat a food typically results in bad feelings, making mealtime a chore and a battle. Instead, allow your kids to become curious about foods and develop their own interests. Let them wonder why you like something and then taste it to find out.

Make one dinner for everyone.
“One of the most important things you can do is avoid making separate meals for children and adults,” Puck advises. If you raise a child to think that there are special foods for kids (like macaroni and cheese or chicken fingers), they’ll believe that, and chances are they won’t be as willing to try anything else.

Offer variety, the spice of life.
From the very beginning, expose your little ones to as many flavors as you can, a little bit at a time.

Share the excitement of food.
Invite your children to help you cook—it’s an honor and a great learning experience. Eating out every once in a while, when your budget allows, can also be a wonderful way to get kids excited about new foods, if you do it right. Go on the early side before kids get tired and the restaurants get busy. Choose a family-friendly (I love that he uses this term and not “kid friendly” – N.) place … “It’s also important to eat together at home regularly before taking children out to restaurants,” Puck advises. “You can’t expect them to know how to behave at a table if they’ve never done it before.”

Teach children about what’s on their plate.
Take your kids to a grocery store, farm, cheese shop, bakery, or farmers’ market, so they can see where their food comes from and what it looks like before it lands on the table... Kids will love exploring the enchanting collection of shapes and colors. Teach them how to tell when a fruit is ripe or which bumps and bruises to avoid. When they feel like little experts, they’ll be more willing to eat what they helped you choose.

Previous posts from me about this topic:
Kids menu – Is it good for them? Is it good for you?
Stuffed peppers – a picky eater's nightmare?
Encourage good eating
U-pick farms
NY Times: Picky Eaters? They Get It From You
Kid-friendly tips
Backyard Vegetable Garden

New recipes coming soon!

Nurit

Zucchini Pancakes Addiction

We have two food addictions in this house. One is for Brussels sprouts (recipes here and here) – now it’s like we’re trying to compensate for all those years we thought we hated them and wouldn’t eat them (what picky eaters we were) – and a newer addiction for zucchini pancakes. Once looked upon as a boring vegetable that is no longer the case.

The recipe that has changed it all is from Ina Garten’s Barefoot Contessa at Home. I keep making it over and over again. I think we ate these pancakes 3 times in the past 4 weeks. And I’m not talking leftovers here. Try it.

Zucchini Pancakes

Adapted from Ina Garten’s Barefoot Contessa at Home
Makes 10 (3-inch pancakes)

2 medium zucchini

2 tablespoons red onion

2 extra large eggs, lightly beaten

6-8 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

unsalted butter and vegetable oil

Grate the zucchini and red onion into a bowl (I do this in the food processor using the grater disk). Immediately stir in the eggs. Stir in 6 tablespoons of the flour, the baking soda, salt, and pepper. If the batter gets too thin from the liquid from the zucchini, add the remaining 2 tablespoons of flour.)

Heat a sauté pan over medium heat and melt ½ tablespoon butter and oil together in the pan. When the butter is hot but not smoking, lower the heat to medium-low and drop a heaping spoonful of the batter into the pan. Flatten with the back of the spoon. Cook about 2 minutes on each side, until browned. Add more butter and oil for the next batch.
I serve these with sour cream.

For pan frying tips, click here or here.

These were originally served with Fresh Wild Pacific Northwest Salmon.

Yum.

10 Ways to Have Your Very Own Picky Eater

10 Ways to Have Your Very Own Picky Eater by Kim Foster, , The Yummy Mummy.

Published on “the imperfect parent” magazine.

You know, I envy moms who complain their children won’t eat spinach or turn their noses up at pot roast. The ones who worry that little Tommy might fall over, looking all pale and emaciated, because he’s eaten nothing but Cheddar Bunnies and plain ramen noodles for the last eight days.

These women know challenge. Like climbing Everest with nothing but a bathing suit and a can opener. Or sailing around the world in a dingy. A dingy with a hole in it. The sheer experience of having to force feed your kid under the threat of tantrums, silent treatments and episodes of holding their breath until they pass out, not to mention just enduring three meals a day with a kid who won’t eat anything but frozen waffles, must make them just better parents and more centered people, simply because they are going against the monster everyday and living to tell the tale.

That kind of pain breeds real maturity.

So, I want you, dear readers, to have the same opportunity to become better, more well-rounded people through challenge. So, here is how you can cultivate and grow your very own obstacle-making, tantrum-throwing, spinach-hiding, fussy eater and be a better, more well-rounded person in the process.

10 Ways to Have Your Very Own Picky Eater

10. Remind your kid what a problem eater he is. Kids love that. In fact, tell him in front of guests. Call him “picky”, fussy”, “difficult at dinner time” or say things like, “He’s like this because he’s adopted,” and my personal favorite, “He’s just like his father,” and then, roll your eyes dramatically. You will only have to label him a few times before he sullenly looks at his plate of food, pushes it away and demands to be hand-fed McDonald's French fries. If this works, you can go the next step and tell him he is “bad” or “a demon seed” and remind him that he was an “accident”.

9. Put him on the Snicker and Tootsie Pop diet. There is nothing to make a kid love healthy food more than pounding sugar for hours before meal time. I mean, you just want to fill them up, so they aren’t all crying and whining for food, right? So, if they won’t eat your green bean casserole, let him have that Hershey bar. No biggie. I mean, the almonds are protein after all.

8. If you are going to give your kids veggies, take my advice -- pass up all that fresh farmers market stuff and give them vegetables from a can. Kids love vegetables from a can. Especially the soggy, bendy asparagus the color of a green suburban mini-van. And those lima beans! Those babies will turn them off good foods until they are 30. Go with that. Remember, embrace the challenge.

7. On the subject of vegetables, kids love them best when you steam them. A lot. And serve them in a heap on a plate all bland and limp. Or you can nuke them good in the microwave and… To read more, click here.

You might also want to read these posts:
Stuffed peppers – a picky eater's nightmare?
Kids menu – Is it good for them? Is it good for you?
Encourage good eating
U-pick farms
Simplest vegetable salad
NY Times: Picky Eaters? They Get It From You
Some thoughts about parents and picky eaters

Try something new: Brussels sprouts

For many many years I hated Brussels sprouts. I didn’t want to hear about them or look at them. Not think about them eaither. But after a few Thanksgivings and Christmases, I started to have doubts. I thought that if this is a staple at the table during the holidays season, (you see it in all recipes in magazines and TV shows for the holidays), maybe there IS something to it. So I gave it a try... and fell in love.

My husband hated this veggie too, but a simple roasting recipe has changed it all. Now we make this dish 1-4 times a month when it is in season. I had never tried to add any other ingredient to it or try another recipe. Salt, papper, and olive oil, plain and simple.

I think I don’t like Brussels sprouts when they are cooked in water, steamed or poached. But when they are roasted or sautéed they become browned and caramelized, they have a creamy sweet flavor.

If you hate Brussels sprouts, give them a second chance, please. And try the recipe below. You might fall in love too.

Roasted Brussels sprouts
Makes 4 servings

1 - 1 1/2 lbs. Brussels sprouts
2-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Salt
Ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Cut off the ends of the Brussels sprouts and pull off any rough outer leaves. If they are big, cut in half. Place on baking sheet. Drizzle olive oil, and sprinkle salt and black pepper. Mix together.
Roast for 30-40 minutes, until outside in browned and they are tender inside.

If you liked this post, you might be interested in:
Try something new: Artichokes
Try something new: Acorn squash
Try something new: Eggplants
Try something new: Truffle oil

Enjoy.
Nurit

Kids menu – Is it good for them? Is it good for you?

I am not a big fan of the kids menu provided by restaurants. After spending a week on vacation and eating out 1-3 times a day, I like it even less. (More about that coming soon).

The common kids menu offers simple food for outrageous prices, mostly something cheesy, with a reward of cookie or ice cream and juice for eating it. Wow. But this is not what bothers me the most. Let’s explore the typical kids menu. Here are a few examples:

Group A – for $4-$8 you can order:
Cheese pizza
Grilled cheese sandwich or quesadilla with fries/fruit/tomato soup

Mac and cheese/pasta with butter & cheese/tomato sauce/Alfredo sauce (which is heavy cream)
Bowl of fruit and toast
Pancakes and fruit
Peanut Butter & Jelly sandwich with Fruit

Some places will offer for that price range:
Chicken strips with fries and/or fruit

Fish n' Chips
Corn dog/ hot dog

Group B – for $6-$10 you can order:
Grilled salmon with mashed potatoes and veggies

Grilled chicken with mashed potatoes and veggies

Hamburger/Cheeseburger with fries and/or fruit

Pasta with chicken

It is tempting to order from the kids menu because it cost less. I think that is the only advantage a kids menu has. But what exactly are we, and our children, are getting?

1. group B has better, healthier selection than group A. It offers a more suitable food for lunch or dinner time, and it has a balance between protein, carbs, and vegetables. But it is still a very limited list of foods considering the variety offered to the adults in the regular menu.

2. our kids learn that this is the food they are supposed to like and nothing else will do. Not a very good lesson for life. Can you imagine your children eating this kind of food all their life? Because this is the message we are giving them by offering this food to them again and again and again.

3. we, the parents, are accepting and giving our children the message that it is normal that they are eating different food from us. All living creatures on this planet are eating the same food, parents and their young ones. Why are we different?

4 . PB & J/cheese sandwich, pasta and the likes cost almost nothing to the restaurant to make. There is hardly any labor put into it and the ingredients are cheap. They want you to order those items.

5. if this food is so good, why can’t adults order from the kids menu?

Suggested solutions:
Ask your waiter/waitress if you can order a smaller portion from the regular menu for a reduced price. You will be surprised that most places will do it for you.

Order a few appetizers and/or entrées from the regular menu and share. This way everyone gets to taste a little bit of a bigger variety and choose what they like while trying something new.

Coming up in the next post – how to order food for your kids from the “adults” menu. Meanwhile, you might want to read this: Family friendly restaurants

Nurit

Stuffed Peppers – a Picky Eater's Nightmare?

I hated stuffed peppers as a child. I hated any stuffed vegetable as a child. When I had no choice, I would eat the content – usually a mixture of ground beef, rice and herbs, but refuse to touch the vegetable containing the stuffing.
But now, as an adult, I love it.

It has been about five years since the last time I made this dish. As a mom I remember my aversion of this particular dish, and didn't want to put my child through it. But he is five years old now and I was curious to see what his reaction would be.
Well, I pretty much guessed what his reaction would be and made corn on the cob as a side dish (so the kid won't starve until breakfast time).
So here's what happened.

When I declared what's for dinner tonight his first comment was "I'm not going to eat it". He didn't even see it! Then he added "I might eat the rice and meat but not the peppers". After seeing it, still no doubts in his mind. We sat and ate. My husband and I already had seconds and he was still staring at his plate, not touching the food. We encourage him to give it a try, without being too excited about it (keeping a casual tone and expression, as if you don't really care, and you shouldn't really care, is key). Still nothing.

At this point we reminded him of the "one bite rule". He answered "I didn't make that rule". Well, we, the parents, made that rule.
So he took a bite, not before he whined about the green specs=herbs which I had to remove. Then tasted it and made a final declaration about not liking it. No surprise so far.
So, he had one bite of stuffed peppers stuffing and corn for dinner.

Of course, I am not going to cook this dish again any time soon. But if I do make it again in the near future, I will make an additional dish for everyone (not just for him), since I anticipate it will take a couple of years for him to change his mind, or maybe he never will...

UPDATE: Recipe for stuffed peppers below...

My points:
1 – If you (or your kids) didn't like a certain dish as a child, it doesn't mean you are going to hate it as an adult too. Both my husband and I hated it as kids, and now we like it. Conclusion: never say "never".
2 – Deconstruction of the dish might work. If a child does not like the vegetable, they can still eat the content, and vice versa. They can even separate the rice from the beef, and even remove the herbs J
3 – We showed our son how much we enjoyed it. We didn't have to pretend. I'm sure he will remember that when he grows up and maybe he will be willing to eat it in the future.
4 – We did not fight, force, beg, threaten, bribe, or made a big deal out of it.
5 – We respect his opinion and choice not to eat it after he tried one bite, a fork full of rice and meat.
6 – After trying one bite and refusing to eat more of the peppers, we moved on to discuss other topics, like how our day went, what we did, etc.

Overall, we had a nice dinner.

Bell Peppers Stuffed with Rice and Meat

8 bell peppers

For stuffing:
1 large onion, finely diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
Olive oil
1 lb. ground beef
½ cup rice, rinsed until water is clear
Salt
Black pepper, ground
1 tablespoon tomato paste
3 tablespoons parsley, finely chopped

For sauce:
Olive oil
1 large tomato, grated
1 tablespoon tomato paste
Salt

Preheat oven to 375 F degrees.
Sauté the onion until it is golden. Add the garlic and meat and break with a fork. Cook until the meat is browned. Add the rice, salt, black pepper, and tomato paste. Cook for 1 minute. Remove from heat. Add parsley and mix.
Cut the top part of the peppers (see photo) and set aside. Take out the seeds and membrane carefully. Stab the peppers with a knife all around. Fill each peppers with filling (don’t overstuff). Put their “lids” back on. Place peppers, standing, in an ovenproof pot.
In the same skillet you used for the filling, put the sauce ingredients with 1 cup of water and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and add this to the pot with the peppers. Cover with a lid and cook for about 45 minutes.

Good night.
Nurit

Previous posts about picky eaters:

Kids menu – Is it good for them? Is it good for you?
Stuffed peppers – a picky eater's nightmare?
Encourage good eating
U-pick farms
NY Times: Picky Eaters? They Get It From You
Kid-friendly tips
Backyard Vegetable Garden

Tips to Encourage Good Eating

Some kid-friendly tips:

Love and appreciation of food
Teach your kids to love food by treating food with respect. Show them how much you enjoy your meal.
Talk about the food – how it looks, how it tastes, the texture, (if needed) how can you can cook it better next time, etc.
This country has all the variety of foods in the world! We take it for granted when we really should be grateful for it.

Recognition, Repetition, Deconstruction
Most people don’t feel comfortable when they can’t recognize what they are eating. It could be a snake, or a horse, or some weird vegetable, or is the dish going to be too hot/spicy??? You got the idea.
You know by now what your child likes or dislikes. It might be mushy food, one-pot-dishes, black/brown/green pools of “something” that are usually are being looked at with suspicion.
When the food is familiar people, especially kids will feel safer about trying it.

Make food identifiable by serving whole pieces (like fillet of fish, chops, steak, etc), serve vegetables in bite size (like broccoli/cauliflower cut to florets) diced big, or whole (like cherry tomatoes).

Deconstruct the one-pot dish. Separate the ingredients before serving so if they don’t like one thing, they have a choice of another ingredient, and not reject the whole dish altogether. If you are making something like sushi or tacos you can serve the ingredients separately and each person can assemble their own dish using the ingredients they like.

Kids change their minds about food. What they like one day, they might not like a few days/weeks/months later, and vice versa. If they didn’t care much for the meatloaf you cooked yesterday, make it again after a few weeks and so on. They might change their mind as they get familiar with this dish (don’t forget the one bite rule J).

Give your child a “job” in mealtime preparation
Starting at age 2 or 3 kids can help. It can be setting the table, cleaning up, cooking, etc.
Start with the weekends, when you have more time and energy.

Make conversation that is not focused on your kid’s plate

Not recommended to:
Let kids eat snack right before or after dinner (or drink juice/milk)
Put a lot of food on their plate. Give them a chance to ask for seconds and/or serve food for themselves (and maybe others too).
Fight, force, beg, threaten, bribe… make a big deal out of food

Try to accommodate some dislikes:
You know what your kids really really don’t like: it can be onions, green herbs, leafy greens, black specs, and the list goes on…
Black pepper – ground it fine
Green specs – leave herbs on the stem, tie with string, pull out when dish is ready (for example, in soups and stews), or chop big so they can put it on the side.
Onions – kids like the taste of cooked onions (it’s sweet) but not the texture. Dice it big (so you/kids can take it out) or mince it small (so it melts when cooked)
Cooked leafy greens (like chard, kale, etc) – cut to big pieces. The greens have already contributed to the dish, it’ll be easier to put on the side or take out.
Vegetables your kids might like (small and cute) – cherry tomatoes, baby carrots, baby potatoes. Also, avocado, bell pepper and cucumber cut to strips/rounds, broccoli, cauliflower, sweet potatoes.

And don’t worry, one day they will eat that lettuce!

Meanwhile, have fun!

Nurit

Previous posts from me about this topic:
Kids menu – Is it good for them? Is it good for you?
Stuffed peppers – a picky eater's nightmare?
U-pick farms
NY Times: Picky Eaters? They Get It From You
Kid-friendly tips
Backyard Vegetable Garden

U-pick farms

A fantastic and fun way to teach kids about food is to go to farms, and especially to U-pick farm where you can see how vegetables and fruits grow and you can pick them by yourself. This is the freshest produce ever!

Here, in Bellevue, WA, a suburban city near Seattle, there are still a few farms in the city and plenty within 10-20 minutes drive. It is amazing that you can see not only horses, but cows, and pumpkin fields and a blueberry farm in the city! (Not to mention streams with wild salmon. A post about that later on).

This is so much fun…

At a lavendar farm on the Olympic Peninsula, WA





Picking bluberries, and tasting them too.




Learning how to pick ripe, purple, blueberries at the Blueberry farm in Bellevue, WA





We got plenty of fresh, sweet blueberry. Better than any boxed fruit at the grocery store.




Remlinger Farms, Carnation, WA





Some pumpkins are the size of a little kid.

The freshest corn we ever had. From the field to the farm's store, and to the grill.

This is the good life.

Click here to find more U-pick farms in King County.

You might like to read this as well: Green blackberries are red

More posts about this topic:
Kids menu – Is it good for them? Is it good for you?
Stuffed peppers – a picky eater's nightmare?
Encourage good eating
NY Times: Picky Eaters? They Get It From You
Kid-friendly tips
Backyard Vegetable Garden

Enjoy.

Nurit

Backyard Vegetable Garden

An essential part of teaching children about food is educating them about where food comes from. Visiting farms and U-pick farms is a terrific experience and an excellent opportunity to show them how food grows and where it comes from. Growing vegetables, fruits, and herbs in your own back and/or front yard makes a wonderful family project as well.

A “Vegetable garden” is very easy to create and a fantastic opportunity to give children a meaningful job and enhance their sense of responsibility. (Also a good opportunity to let them learn the consequences of taking good care of the garden versus what happens if you forget to water the plants.) You can sow the seeds in the soil and/or in pots, or buy new plants at the right season. If using pots, use organic garden soil.


Here are some ideas...


Herbs
Throughout the year we grow herbs. Rosemary, thyme, and oregano survive the frost and snow. Lemon thyme and mint will disappear but will grow back next spring.
Basil doesn’t make it through winter. You will need to buy a new plant next summer.



I like to ask my son to go out and pick a few herbs for me when I cook dinner. In the summer, I like to use fresh herbs in vegetable salads (especially mint and lemon thyme) and in marinades. Rosemary, thyme, and oregano work wonderful with lamb and potato dishes. Mint is so refreshing and makes great tea and is wonderful in lemonade. I also use it in a yogurt sauce that accompanies grilled lamb (look in “recipes”).




Strawberries
Do you see that red one and a few pink ones? It's not a big crop, but my son is very happy to pick the fruit when it is ready to eat, and now he know that strawberries don't grow on trees ;-)





Blueberries
Again, not a big crop, but enough to make a kid happy.




Lemon verbena
Is another favorite herb. I use it to mainly to make tea and lemon verbena crème brulee, and add it to lemonade.
It disappears in winter and grows back at the beginning of summer.





Nasturtiums
These are edible flowers. I'm not sure we will actually eat them, but they are pretty and safe to put in your salad. (Recipe and photos will be posted soon).



And those are going to be... pumpkins.
I am a bit scared growing this gigantic vegetable in our own backyard, but the little guy really wanted to have his own pumpkins for next Halloween and Thanksgiving. I guess we won't go to the pumpkin patch this year... It is amazing how fast they grow (and will even survive a few days without watering).



Another easy vegetable to grow are tomatoes (they are actually a fruit). We had them last summer, but not this year.

If you have other ideas and/or want to share with other readers what you do in your own home vegetable garden, write a comment below, or send me an e-mail and I will post it.

Have fun!
Nurit

Previous posts from me about this topic:
U-pick farms
Kids menu – Is it good for them? Is it good for you?
Stuffed peppers – a picky eater's nightmare?
Encourage good eating
NY Times: Picky Eaters? They Get It From You

Simplest vegetable salad

For a long time, this was (nearly) the only salad that I made for dinner. I have repeated making it so my son will get familiar with it, and hopefully, give it a try some day. For a while he only ate the tomatoes. Later on he gave other ingredients a try, and finally we got to the point when he ate the whole thing. Of course, there are those nights when he will refuse to eat it and that’s OK. In that case I might put 1-2 tablespoons on his plate if he doesn’t (maybe I shouldn’t, but I can’t help it). We will encourage him to eat it, but don’t force him to.

One evening we had Spaghetti with Bolognese sauce (more about it in another post. Stay tuned), and this salad for dinner. That night, my son decided that he doesn’t like neither one. Well, I advised him that he should eat something if he doesn’t want to be hungry. Maybe he should eat at least a little bit from each dish, or choose one of the two. He chose to eat just one of them. Which one do you think he chose?
The salad. And I got the thumbs up. What do you know… That was a total surprise.
This salad takes 5 minutes to assemble.

For 4 servings

½ cucumber, diced medium
1 red bell pepper, diced medium
1 cup cherry tomatoes, whole
1 small lemon, juiced
SPOO (Salt, Black pepper - finely ground, extra virgin Olive Oil)

Put all vegetables in a bowl. Make vinaigrette out of lemon juice and SPOO. Mix it all up.

This is also an easy project to give to kids becuase it is so easy to make.

Good luck!
Nurit

Why should you cook with your kids?

Why should you?

First, your kid/s won’t be able to say “my mom/dad didn’t teach me how to cook”!

Also, Because your child/ren will…

* Learn real life skills
* Get a sense of accomplishment and feeling good about themselves
* Learn how to follow instructions and family rules (like washing hands before cooking, cleaning up, etc)
* Improve their organization skills
* Learn math – Introduce real-life math applications, addition, fractions, etc
* Practice spontaneous reading – what’s in the recipe, what is written on food packages, etc
* Learn to appreciate good food, establish good habits for the future
* Learn about food of other cultures

And above all, you get to spend quality family time. It is a wonderful bonding opportunity. Really, I'm not kidding. So, loosen up about having a spotless kitchen (I know it’s hard), and have fun! Play!

Tip: Do this when you are relaxed and have time, like during the weekend.

NY Times: Picky Eaters? They Get It From You

An article by Kim Severson from October 10, 2007.

Highlights from the article:

It’s not your cooking, it’s your genes.

Most children eat a wide variety of foods until they are around 2, when they suddenly stop. The phase can last until the child is 4 or 5. It’s an evolutionary response, researchers believe. Toddlers’ taste buds shut down at about the time they start walking, giving them more control over what they eat. “If we just went running out of the cave as little cave babies and stuck anything in our mouths, that would have been potentially very dangerous,” Dr. Cooke said. (I always thought it is an ancient survival instinct, but didn’t have the research to back me up – Nurit.)

Each child has a unique set of likes and dislikes that Ms. Satter believes are genetically determined. The only way children discover what they are is by putting food in their mouths and taking it out over and over again, she said.

“We have to understand that biology is not destiny,” said Patricia Pliner, a social psychology professor at the University of Toronto. “This doesn’t necessarily mean there is nothing we can do about the environment.”... “Unless it becomes a huge issue, it tends to be a little more fleeting than parents think,” said Harriet Worobey, director of the Nutritional Sciences Preschool at Rutgers University. “I know a year can seem like five to parents, but these food jags are normal.”

To read more click on link.

Kid-friendly tips

Love and appreciation of food
Teach your kids to love food by treating food with respect. Show them how much you enjoy your meal.
Talk about the food – how it looks, how it tastes, the texture, (if needed) how can you can cook it better next time, etc.
This country has all the variety of foods in the world! We take it for granted when we really should be grateful for it.

Recognition, Repetition, Deconstruction
Most people don’t feel comfortable when they can’t recognize what they are eating. It could be a snake, or a horse, or some weird vegetable, or is the dish going to be too hot/spicy??? You got the idea.
You know by now what your child likes or dislikes. It might be mushy food, one-pot-dishes, black/brown/green pools of “something” that are usually are being looked at with suspicion.
When the food is familiar people, especially kids will feel safer about trying it.

Make food identifiable by serving whole pieces (like fillet of fish, chops, steak, etc), serve vegetables in bite size (like broccoli/cauliflower cut to florets) diced big, or whole (like cherry tomatoes).

Deconstruct the one-pot dish. Separate the ingredients before serving so if they don’t like one thing, they have a choice of another ingredient, and not reject the whole dish altogether. If you are making something like sushi or tacos you can serve the ingredients separately and each person can assemble their own dish using the ingredients they like.

Kids change their minds about food. What they like one day, they might not like a few days/weeks/months later, and vice versa. If they didn’t care much for the meatloaf you cooked yesterday, make it again after a few weeks and so on. They might change their mind as they get familiar with this dish (don’t forget the one bite rule).

Give your child a “job” in mealtime preparation
Starting at age 2 or 3 kids can help. It can be setting the table, cleaning up, cooking, etc.
Start with the weekends, when you have more time and energy.

Make conversation that is not focused on your kid’s plate

Not recommended to:
Let kids eat snack right before or after dinner (or drink juice/milk)
Put a lot of food on their plate. Give them a chance to ask for seconds and/or serve food for themselves (and maybe others too).
Fight, force, beg, threaten, bribe… make a big deal out of food

Try to accommodate some dislikes:
You know what your kids really really don’t like: it can be onions, green herbs, leafy greens, black specs, and the list goes on…
Black pepper – ground it fine
Green specs – leave herbs on the stem, tie with string, pull out when dish is ready (for example, in soups and stews), or chop big so they can put it on the side.
Onions – kids like the taste of cooked onions (it’s sweet) but not the texture. Dice it big (so you/kids can take it out) or mince it small (so it melts when cooked)
Cooked leafy greens (like chard, kale, etc) – cut to big pieces. The greens have already contributed to the dish, it’ll be easier to put on the side or take out.
Vegetables your kids might like (small and cute) – cherry tomatoes, baby carrots, baby potatoes. Also, avocado, bell pepper and cucumber cut to strips/rounds, broccoli, cauliflower, sweet potatoes.

And don’t worry, one day they will eat that lettuce!

Some thoughts about parents and picky eaters

Most people don’t like to eat everything.
Will you eat a live cobra heart? What about a crunchy snack of worms? Monkey brain? Hey, most of you don't even eat chicken liver.

Adults are choosy too!
Parents! Challenge yourselves, as you challenge your kids, and try new dishes and ingredients every now and then.
We make choices for our kids by choosing what to buy and what to cook, or what to eat at a restaurant, according to what WE like. We have already narrowed it down for them according to our own taste. Maybe your child would eat lamb, or shrimp, but if you don’t buy it becuase you don't like it, then he or she will never have a chance to try it until s/he’s an adult.
So expand your own repertoire of favorite dishes with new recipes and food experiences.

If you make a big deal out of food, your kids will too.
It is just like trying to get your kids ready quickly in the morning to get to school on time and making a scene… It'll never work.
So don’t force kids to eat.
Heck, I can't even make my husband eat rutabagas which I am crazy about.

Children should be responsible to how much they eat. If they choose to be hungry… they will learn quickly.

The One Bite Rule.
You heard it before when you ere a kid - How can you say you don’t like it, if you haven’t tried it?

“Kids’ food”?
As long as you do make Mac & cheese, use good, REAL, cheese/s (not the overly processed ones). Use real, fresh, good-looking, free-rnage/organic chicken breast to make chicken nuggets at home.

No Y-word about food. Respect for food.
“Yucky”, “Ew”,”Gross” are not acceptable words to describe food. Teach your kids how and where food comes from. All the effort, that was put into it, from the farmers to you working at your full/part time job to make money, the time you spent planning, shopping, cooking, etc, to bring food to the table.

Ideas: go to U-pick farms, cook & shop together, let kids help in the kitchen, etc.

There is no one solution!
What your kids liked to eat last week, they might not want to touch next month. That’s OK, don’t give up. Most of us were picky eaters as kids. Some of us still are

How much have you changed since you were a kid? Are you still a picky eater? You can confess here...

Related posts:
Stuffed peppers – a picky eater's nightmare?

Kids menu – Is it good for them? Is it good for you?

Encourage good eating

U-pick farms

Simplest vegetable salad

NY Times: Picky Eaters? They Get It From You