I have no kids & I would appreciate your help
My school is creating a national cookbook that is going to help give parents healthy simple recipes for their children and entire family. SO EXCITING ! But, what do kids like? I have heard on cooking shows that they do not tend to like things smothered in sauces, but they do like dipping things. What do your kids like to eat? Healthy whole food ideas (whole grain bread, pastas, etc. are fine) would be greatly appreciated. I have ideas, but I think you parents are the experts when it comes to what real foods they will eat. Thank you so much.
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FEBRUARY !!! Ohhh-yeh!
The Plan: All weeks, no less then 5 days and preferably 6 days of activity
First & Third week- Structured - Strength MWF, cardio/walking M-F and whatever
Second & Fouth week-Unstructured - whatever I feel I want to do and I feel my body needs
Diet: it is a strange percentage, but it gives an approximation…. 95% sugar free (no articial sweeteners what so ever) and 95% whole foods. LOL…. it is the only number in my life. I do not count calories, WW points, I do not get on a scale anymore. A girl needs a little number once in awhile…. Ha.
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A note on not eating out in January….. we so did not do that. After 2 weeks we decided to support the economy (yeh that was the reason 
) and enjoy some delightful SUSHI… omg, it was SOOOO good. :) Oh well, good times.
Hmm.. My daughter is 7 and she is an extremely picky eater (and that is putting it mildly lol) but what she LOVES is a whole grain sandwich with lettuce, cheese and tomato, with a little bit of salt on the tomato. And this sandwich HAS to be sliced in triangles. I know this is very simple but that is her favorite over cake, pizza, etc.
Ohhhhhhh… I think I can help here. My child HATES most veggies, so it can be a challenge.
He does not like onions, but if I used dried onion flakes in recipes, he never knows. If it saute chopped onions and get them soft before they go in a recipe, he never knows, so I don’t think it’s the taste. It’s more the crunch.
He does not care for whole grain bread, but I have gotten him to eat whole wheat white bread. Better than nothing.
Cauliflower - boil, mashed fine, fix it up like mashed potatoes, throw some grated cheese in the mix. He gobbles it.
Carrots - he likes them okay, but if I pour a little honey and cinnamon over them, he eats more than just one or two.
My spaghetti is made with whole grain pasta. He doesn’t know the difference.
Fruit - forget it. He hates fruit, but I CAN get him to eat an apple if I peel, slice, and put peanut butter on the plate for dipping. If I put all natural peanut butter on the plate, he won’t eat it, unless he doesn’t see me use that particular jar. LOL
Green beans - cover it in a cheese sauce. At this point in his life, I know the cheese is fattening, but he’s skinny as a rail anyway, cheese has it’s good nutrional points, and it’s better than him not having green beans at all.
Whole grain flour tortilla’s. Spread mashed up pinto beans (canned refried beans are NOT good for you), top with a few canned green chilis, grated cheese, fold over and heat for a few minutes. He loves it.
For my son, cheese is key to getting him to eat things that he otherwise wouldn’t.
Soups are a great way for me to get zuchinni, etc. down him, but the trick is chopping the veggies up real fine, adding plenty of spices, whole grain macaroni in it, and serve with cornbread for sopping.
Green leafy? FORGET IT. He won’t budge. LOL
Oh, and homemade pizza can be made very healthy. Whole grain pizza dough, canadian bacon, cheese, tomato sauce, onion flakes (he’ll never know).
Hope that helps.
Hugggggggs,
Shan
Well, I don’t have kids, but I DO have nieces and a nephew, and they love my homemade applesauce. (I put in cinnamon and some little chunks of apples). Otherwise….the usual…big fans of mac and cheese, pizza, and pb & j. But those aren’t exactly things you would want to put into a cookbook lol!
With my kid, the struggle is to get the proteins in. I only convinced her to eat eggs, peanut butter on a wh-wheat bread and mushrooms. Chicken, fish, beef, pork - she wants nothing of it. EXCEPT in teryaki. She gobbles beef up if it’s cooked with treiyaki sauce, particulary at Edo Japan. It’s ridiculous. I actually keep a bottle of teriyaki in the fridge.
But I am lucky otherwise, because my littl’ one loves all the green veggies. We actually made a few movies when she stuffs her face with broccoli just in case she’d argue late in life she doesn’t like it. But she doesn’t like orange veggies much, and only tomatoes from the red suit.
Fruits she eats in such quantities that we call her a fruit fly. Berries in particular are her favorite (cherries and strawberries). My mom sets aside a patch every summer for her to come and eat, and I am planning to expand my little patch this year!
Other than that she loves pasta and noodles. Rice noodles in particular. The kid should have been born in Japan, I suppose.