Cultivating the palate is something we’ve worked very hard on in our home. I remember when Xander was a toddler and being in awe of a friend with 4 boys who all pounded their veggies. I remember asking her what the trick was since her youngest was just 7 months older than Xander. She told me that they didn’t have a choice it was that or nothing. It helped that this young boy had 3 older brothers and parents who ate healthy, well balanced meals.
Even the three year old who still spurns the veggies from time to time ate with relish.
We regularly tell the boys that they are ‘training’ their taste buds to like food that will make them big, strong and smart! Those nutrition lessons that they learned last year when we studied nutrition are still paying huge dividends. And I always remind myself that we are helping to train their tastes now that will help them form healthy eating habits for the rest of their lives.
Here’s our recipe:
Strawberry Spinach Salad
*2 Tbs sugar
* 1/2 tsp salt
* 2 1/2 TB white wine vinegar
*1/2 c vegetable oil (although I’ve switched to using Grapeseed oil)
* 1/2 TBS poppy seeds
Combine ingredients and shake well.
Add to a bed of spinach, toasted almonds and diced strawberries! Enjoy!
My sister is always an inspiration in the eating healthy department. Following her lead, I’ve been incorporating more salads and vegetables into our lunch routine. While the kids could subsist on PB & J, I’m trying to branch out and make healthier lunches for them. Since we are staying home a lot more this summer to escape the heat, my plan is working well for the time being. It also helps for me to take baby steps in moving my family towards more wholesome eating. So inch by inch, we are all learning to make healthier food choices.
Now of course, I’m not totally hard-core yet. I’m off now to make {whole-wheat} dough for cinnamon rolls to eat in the morning! Balance, right? This makes for a VERY happy hubby…
I’m always looking for new lunch options, so if you have any that your family enjoys, let me know!
Also, has anyone read Nourishing Traditions
Amy, as a child, I often ‘snuck’ food too. I feel just sick to think of all the sugar cubes and sweet & low packets that I consumed in my hunt for sweets. Thankfully, I don’t think my sisters had that nasty habit, so I’m hoping that it isn’t something that inevitably afflicts all children. So far, I’ve only caught the youngest into foods he shouldn’t be…
Camille, I couldn’t agree more. We’ve done that many a time and I’m glad to hear that it bears fruit since we are still in the midst of that season! 🙂
We *love* us some spinach salad around here! YUM YUM!! Yep, there is definitely something to be said for *this is what there is, and if you don’t eat it, you will be hungry…AND it will be your next meal!*…THAT really makes an impression…especially if it’s oatmeal…LOL! 🙂
Blessings to you!
Camille
Yummy recipe! I know what you mean. We still battle that but to see my oldest (9) who now eats most veggies and even declines snacks sometimes, I know that I just have to keep hanging in there with the others! Now…how to stop the sneaking when alternatives aren’t offered. You’d be surprised at what a hungry kid will eat from the pantry when there is no snacks in the house! LOL
I’ve read Nourishing Traditions! Great information. It ended up in storage by mistake, hopefully we will be in a new house next month and I’ll have all my missing things back!
BTW, I started a blog! I don’t know what I’m doing. But I’m trying get into the habit of before Evie officially starts K so that I have a nice record of everything we’re doing. Just another area where you have completely inspired me! :-))
Rev’s Mom, thanks for the link. I’m definitely going to go check that out!
Sheila, Yep- that is our strategy. They always have to try a little bit. I’ve found that a little bit over the long haul often leads to more. And yes, the more I eat the good stuff, the more they will. That is how they came to eat this salad in the first place. They saw me eating it for lunch one day and kept coming by begging for bites! 🙂 And the valentine’s story is such a sweet victory!
Kristin, I’m enjoying the book immensely so far and hurray about the blog!!!! It is such a fun way to record things! 🙂
Hi Heather, I totally agree with your strategy! My children also love veggies and healthy food, but we have had to be stubborn in continually offering things over and over again. We always tell them that they have to eat just a little bit. Also, i find that children will eat what their parents’ eat. If the parents eat rw veggies as a snack, so will the kids.: ) One of my greatest triumphs was when my parents send some Valentine’s candy (Made in China!) in a package from the States and my son took on bite and threw the rest away, because he didn’t like the artificial taste.
This recipe calls for olive oil. http://realmomhealthnut.blogspot.com/