Healthy Children – Recipes for the Picky Child
As a mom, it is always a daily challenge for us to think of what we want to feed our family while not sacrificing the quality of healthy eating. Kids in particular, are usually a tough lot to feed, especially if they’re growing up in an environment where they are taught to be independent. And when they become independent, they become free to have certain choices – food in particular.
More so, it becomes quite a handful, when you have an independent, picky child. I know of some parents who have had enough, one even going as far as raising her hands and asking the man upstairs why her son doesn’t want to eat. That may sound crazy enough, but for someone with a picky child, I can totally relate (although I wouldn’t go far to have an argument with my daughter).
The secret to making picky kids eat the food you prepare mostly lies in how you present the food. Yes fellow moms, preparation is key. But even when you succeed with that, you’ve just conquered half the battle. You have to be prepared.
If your child is big enough, you can have a sit-down with him and tell him that you will both embark on a journey to find the foods that he wants, while you find out the means on how to prepare them. This will give your child the sense that you are giving him importance by allowing him to decide what food he really wants. But explain to him that your job is to feed him healthy food. (Of course, if he says sweets and junk food, you are allowed to put your foot down and say no.) Work out a compromise and you can start from there.
I have a picky 8 year-old daughter. So I know how it is. I tried to find a suitable menu for her, and I made that menu once a week. In return, I asked her to fully cooperate for the other days of the week, and I just may give her a bonus – usually dessert or her favorite pasta dish.
This is how it panned out for her one-day of all-her foods:
Breakfast
I started her out with French Toast. But instead of the usual egg mix, I gave it a twist.
1. 4 slices of bread should be toasted lightly.
2.
Blend the following ingredients until smooth: 2 medium bananas, ¼ teaspoon cinnamon, and 2/3 cup of milk (I started with fresh milk, but gradually substituted soy milk; she never knew the difference until I told her weeks after I made the switch.)
3.
Pour on the bread slices and allow to soak and coat for a couple of minutes.
4.
Cook in a pan until lightly browned.
You can opt to serve this with fresh fruit or some jam.
Lunch
My child loves chicken. So I decided to prepare something that she may like.
The recipe for Chicken Fingers with Honey Mustard Sauce is as follows:
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2.
Coat or spray some vegetable oil on a baking sheet.
3.
Cut 4 boneless chicken breasts lengthwise to make 20 “fingers” all in all. Coat with vegetable oil and set aside.
4.
In a bowl, mix 1 cup of breadcrumbs, 2 tablespoons of grated Parmesan cheese, ½ teaspoon of dried oregano (may be optional if your child dislikes herbs), ½ teaspoon of salt and ¼ ground black pepper.
5.
Transfer dry mix to a plastic bag, put in about 3 of the “fingers” and coat by shaking the bag.
6.
Arrange on the baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes, turn over to the other side and bake for an additional 5 to 10 minutes until browned.
Now prepare the dip.
1. Mix 2 tablespoons of the following: honey, Dijon mustard, vegetable oil.
2.
Mix and blend until smooth and creamy.
My child loves rice too, so she has rice with this all the time. It usually gets her by until dinner, no snacks in between.
Dinner
Creamy Tomato Penne is easy to make.
1. Bring slightly salted water to a boil.
2.
Add a little oil so the penne would not stick to each other. Add pasta and cook according to package instruction (or from 8 to 10 minutes), stirring occasionally. Drain and set aside.
3.
Melt some butter in a skillet. (Add a little oil to lessen the chances of having burnt butter at the bottom of your pan.) Sauté ¼ chopped white onion and ½ chopped green bell pepper.
4.
Add a pound of ground pork and cook until brown. Drain excess oil and set aside.
5.
Heat at least 16 ounces of spaghetti sauce in a large pot until it bubbles.
6.
Put in the pork, pasta and 1 cup of sour cream (regular cream can be used too). Cook for about 5 minutes and serve.
Eventually, my daughter learned that there were other foods that she hasn’t tried yet, and we are currently experimenting on her 2nd menu. I hope this helps you in preparing your little one for a culinary journey to a healthier diet.
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