Children who would eat everything that is set in front
of them at the table are virtually extinct…or I think I will be so right in
saying that such a species never existed!! No, No…..never existed.
I remember my
mum giving us an ultimatum that we will not be able to move our butts off the
dinner table till those greens and veggies we had so conveniently set aside on
our plates are not gobbled up. And
gobble up we did, gulping them down with a glassful of water. I try and do the same to my kid today, and see
a stomping of feet and and a river of crocodile tears and I shamefully have to
let go. I have to learn some lessons in motherhood I guess.
However, on the hindsight to fight with the inefficiency
of not being assertive enough (sigh!!) I have to pat myself on my back for
having learnt a few tips and tricks that help me give her what I like without
her even knowing it, and it is my pleasure to share the same with you. It certainly takes a little preparation and
you will see yourself serving your kids a flurry of dishes that they just love
and still manage to retain your own happiness.
So here I am sharing my secret to being a happy mom.
1. Puree, puree and more puree. It is time to give the blender a dust. Be as innovative as you have never been in
your life. Boil up the veggies (anything
and everything) and puree them and freeze them in small batches. Maybe once in 15 days. Remember, the trick is to keep the colour
consistent. Carrots and pumpkins
together, can very conveniently go into pizza sauces, pasta base, soups of
their choice, add a tspn to pancake batter, chappati dough or their favourite
curry. Likewise, zuchinni, pumpkin and
be done together. The trick is to retain
the original colour of the dish they like but still be able to add these purees
here and there. Meat and mushrooms go
very well, add in mushrooms with the ground meat or casseroles, and they sure
wont know. Don’t be over enthusiastic
and add so much that the kids will find
out something is wrong!!
2. Smoothies – These are the best
places you can sneak in some fruits and even veggies. Like add a piece of avocado to that chocolate
smoothie. Half a pear to the banana
shake, or bananas to chocolate
milk, try a grapes smoothie or a
beetroot. A bluberry or a strawberry
shake will also camouflage something in a lighter shade like a zuchinni or a
white pumpkin or a mix of fruits. You
will have to remember to be patient, have a lot of love and patience at that. Experiment first, if they like it make it
again – but then remember they can change their liking as quickly as they dump
a toy right after the toy shop!!!
3. Bake them in – a carrot muffin can
also easily hide a zuchinni or a little pumpkin puree. A chocolate cake will definitely accommodate
a little beetroot which is pureed.
Infact, a chocolate cake will accommodate a lot of other stuff – applesauce, a little
grape puree, avocado, pumpkin. Anything
in moderation will surely blend well . Just remember not to overdo it.
4. Freeze them out – add fruits and
veggies pureed into yoghurt and freeze them into popsicle moulds to serve as a
eye catching desserts. Drizzle them with
their favourite chocolate or strawberry sauce.
5. Mix
and match - Mix a handful of healthy cereals to their sugary
cereals. They really wont mind if their
cereals still retain the sweet and sugary stuff. Make the use of the blender if they are still
fussy. Just grind the good stuff and add
into their milk just before the sugary stuff goes in. Give a slice of white and a slice of
wholemeal bread. Lots of mixing ideas
here.
6. Talk and get them involved. Kids love to be a part of what you do. Use them in the kitchen to do tiny bits like
brushing the tray, making a few cookies, cleaning the veggies. When they are involved in cooking they are
most likely to eat it too. Just keep
saying how delicious the food they cooked is!!
Make the food interesting….carrots help you have sharp eyes, fish helps
your hair to grow longer, greens make you strong like superman. Talking rather than shouting goes a long way.
Oh, and don’t forget the rewards
please. Always give a reward for
finishing a meal. You need go and buy a
whole toystore but a little goes a long way. A sticker, a pencil they like, a
lollipop. Anything.
7. Have the kids eat with you. Try and merge mealtimes.. You will see a marked difference in the kids
eating habbits. They like to eat what
you are eating and this will also teach them in being independent because they
will make attempts to eat by themselves.
Kindly cooperate.
Phew. ….thats a long list of to do !! If you can even incorporate a few of the
above into your kitchens I am sure you
will be rewarded by having the
satisfaction of seeing your kids eat good and healthy food. Hey, bring your ears closer…..you can even
try this with grown up kids who are picky eaters!!! You really don’t have to tell them.
Am sharing a
bread pizza which my kid happily eats and I hope yours will too. If I say I dont love it, it would be denia.
Ingredients
2 wholegrain
bread slices cut into small rounds
For the sauce
2 tbspn
tomato paste (cooked)
1 tspn
mayonnaise
¼ tspn mixed herbs
4 tbspn of
any veg puree
1 tbspn
ketchup
A little
mustard for flavour
2 pods garlic
(grated finely)
Olive oil
Mix of grated
cheddar and mozzarella cheese
Any veggies
or ham they happily eat.
For the sauce
Add a tspn of
olive oil and first saute the garlic, then heat the tomato paste and one by one
add in the ketchup, mayo, mustard and the herbs. Let this cook for a minute or so, but not too
much
On a slow
flame heat a pan. The flame should be
really low.
Butter one
side of the bread and on the other side spread the sauce liberally.
Top with cheese
(I used a mix of cheddar and mozzarella slices just torn roughly). Add whatever else your kids fancy.
Now carefully
place this pizza on a pan with a very low flame
Use a lid and
let that crisp from below and the cheese melt on a low flame it will take about
5 minutes.
Drizzle a little
olive oil and serve to kids.
