I just got back from a much-needed trip to the grocery store. We were beyond being out of food. All that was left in our fridge was some sour milk, a stick of butter, some week-old leftovers, and a lot of adult beverages. You would all probably be surprised to know that with all my love of cooking I absolutely detest grocery shopping, and not because I have to take the kids with me. They are actually quite helpful. I just don't like to do it. Well, I must have just looked pitiful at the checkout because the nice cashier lady, who could have been my grandmother, gave me the senior citizen discount.
All this thinking about groceries got me thinking about the foods my kids eat. Both of my girls are good eaters, not perfect eaters, but fairly open-minded. Part of that probably comes from the fact that I cook a pretty big variety of foods, but I think a big reason is because I come from the mindset that this isn't a cafeteria. I cook it. You eat it. Simple. If you don't like what I cook - don't eat it, but don't expect anything else either. Yes, both have gone to bed before with a pretty empty stomach because they said they wouldn't eat. They usually won't try that two days in a row. So here are some things I do to encourage my kids to eat a variety of foods.
- With any new or fancy type of food I cook, I always have one thing on the plate that I know they will eat to accompany dinner. Often, this is something like roasted broccoli, a favorite in this house. This way they not only have at least something to eat, but they kind of get involved in eating something they like and feel more interested in trying the new food too.
- I don't usually tell the kids what is in the new dish. Kids are just looking for a reason to say no, so I don't give it up freely. When they ask what it is my response is usually "just try it." This is how we got Olivia to try lengua (cow tongue) while we were in Laredo. Guess what? She ate seconds.
- We have a 3 bite rule. They have to eat at least 3 bites of a new food. If, after that, they still say they don't like it I don't make them eat it that time. I say that time, because I don't believe most kids don't like stuff...I think they just are freaked out by foods they aren't familiar with. So every so often I encourage them to try something again. After doing this so frequently, Olivia will now try stuff again without prompting. She doesn't like guacamole, but each time we order it she will take a bite on a chip and say "nope, I still don't like it." and I just tell her that's ok and I am proud of her for tasting it again.
- I always guarantee one winner of a dinner each week: something I know they love. I don't want them to always think I'm out to force them to eat strange foods. For us, that is something like Salmon Cakes or Italian Sausage and Chicken.
