How I got my kids to eat their vegetables
As a mother of 2 boys, I have found out three important things about kids and vegetables: they prefer their veggies as finger-food, they will eat anything that is presented to them as a snack, ie. away from the table, and they love eating food that comes on a stick!
Anyone who has ever been busy in the kitchen preparing dinner has experienced frustration when anyone passing through the kitchen, feels obliged to pick up a carrot stick, or tomato wedge or other vegetable that you have just spent 15 minutes getting ready to cook or toss into a salad. I have watched in dismay as my perfectly composed salad, is slowly decimated by passers-by before it reaches the table. In an effort to keep my blood pressure at a slow boil, I started early on in my cooking career to prepare a separate plate of veggies along with a dip (usually just a small dish of a low-fat bottled salad dressing) and would set it on the coffee table, or near my hungry guests/family. I soon found that by the time dinner had arrived, my kids would have already eaten far more vegetables than they would have if I had waited until we were at the table, and forced them to eat their veggies. It is easy to see that this tactic actually serves 3 purposes: it keeps the hungry hoards out of the way while I prepare the dinner, the kids are eating more raw vegetables, which contain more nutrients than cooked, and I can eat my dinner in peace without having to be the “veggie police”!
The appearance of “baby carrots” and bags of pre-cut veggie sticks in the grocery store made this task even easier. I often add the kids’ favourite pickles, mini-pitas, and store-bought hummus. I experiment with different veggies, but the favourites remain: carrots, celery, broccoli, cucumber, sweet peppers, cherry tomatoes, and apple wedges.( I know, that these aren’t all vegetables, but I like to mix things up) Zucchini and Cauliflower in my family just don’t cut it. Green beans work well when you can find nice fresh ones.
As an obvious extension to this, I sometimes make the entire meal revolve around the veg and dip theme. Kids like dipping and fire! So, a cheese fondue is a favourite meal for our family. There are several brands of cheese fondue available in the dairy section of most grocery stores, ready to be heated and served. I have a collection of fondue sets that I have at garage sales. It seems that they were a hot item in the 60's, especially in orange, but now everyone seems to be getting rid of them. I don’t know why, I think that they are beautiful! It is also easy to make the cheese from scratch, and a good way to use up old cheese. But the packaged stuff works just as well.
Some vegetables should be blanched before serving. Broccoli and Cauliflower are 2 that taste better when slightly cooked. It also makes them easier to digest for those of us who suffer from debilitating gas! For big kids, add mushrooms and zucchini. For the cheese fondue, bread chunks are perfect, especially interesting varieties. But some fondue etiquette must apply! Double dipping is not allowed. And for most breads, it is probably better to use a spoon and ladle the cheese over the bread. At least to start. The die-hards will love to use the bread to scrape up the last of the cheese as it gets thicker and gooier near the bottom of the pot. I often put out spicy sausage and meatballs. I personally don't like these dipped into the cheese, but that is just me, and I suppose it only adds to the flavour of the sauce. A relish tray makes a nice accompaniment to the fondue: assorted pickles, marinated artichokes, canned baby corn. And to make a really full meal, add cooked tortellini for dipping.
Fondue meals take a fair amount of prep time, but they can be prepared early on in the day, and then once company arrives, there is no need to disappear into the kitchen to make dinner. They are perfect for long, unhurried visits and very conducive to conversation. They make a perfect meal for sitting around the coffee table on the floor. Very 60's. And everyone can eat as little or as much as they want.
And that is how I get my kids and husband to eat their greens (and reds and oranges and yellows), and keep my sanity.
