Kids are amazing creatures...they can either get used to peanut butter with added fat and sugar, jelly with preservatives on white bread with who knows what in it or...
They can find that this is totally normal...
A basket full of veggies with a flower or two sprinkled in...freshly picked from the garden.
The garden that they helped plant and tend to...where they go to help gather lunch!
Kale is lightly sauteed with olive oil and garlic...
Then its drizzled with Balsamic vinegar and sprinkled with Feta Cheese and walnuts...oh my!
Here is what Baby Boy's plate looked like...
Organic roasted garlic bread spread with homemade hummus, broccoli, lettuce, and peas straight from the garden and a few slices of organic white cheddar cheese...
Baby Boy is just 2 but has already developed a taste for everything we had...well except the kale and I'm working on that!!!
This was Sweet Girl's plate...salad with lettuce tomatoes nasturtiums, sauteed kale with feta cheese and walnuts, a handfull of almonds, some broccoli, a slice of roasted garlic bread and her favorite, sugar snap peas!
She ate everything but the bread, which she ate half of but decided she needed to save more room for peas...which she promptly went out to the garden and picked!
A few tips I've learned about getting kids to love veggies...
Introduce different veggies to them young and often, get kids used to variety...not just frozen corn!
When they are very young (under 3) prepare veggies simply...steam them, puree them, or just serve them raw cut into little pieces. I have found that all the extra flavoring like vinegar, pepper, garlic, etc. seem to not sit as well with their sensitive taste buds.
All ages of kids enjoy pretending broccoli are little trees, finding peas in the pod is a treasure hunt, and carrots are the perfect opportunity to pretend to be a rabbit...
Kids are more likely to eat things that they have had a hand in growing.
Older kids enjoy more complex flavors and are much more likely to try things that they get to help cook.
Most of all kids will learn their eating habits from you...
So put up the chips and sugary snacks, hide the soda...
and go pick some peas
or make some bread because...
They learn what they live!
Your salad photos are making me hungry....they look so yummy! Your kids are blessed to have a mother who feeds them healthy food.
Posted by: Connie | June 22, 2009 at 03:33 PM
You are the best mom and mentor, dear Kim. Believe me, your dear children will one day thank you for your tender care and healthy lifestyle (look at their bright faces). My grown kids still tease me since I was the first to make granola, always had a bread starter in the frig, and like you prepared meals with the kids beside me in the kitchen. (For fun I would let them choose whatever they wanted from the frozen food section of the grocery store ... food many of their friends lived on!) Today they are all great cooks, favoring the beckoning gift of seasonal food.
Posted by: joey | June 22, 2009 at 05:05 PM
Your kids are so lucky! They will grow up healthy and strong and not having such a taste for the icky-for-us stuff. I did try everything you mentioned but still have a picky eater and now that she is at school, she sees all the even-crappier stuff that I won't allow and wants it! I guess that's a hidden benefit of homeschooling, no peer pressure for candy in the lunchbox. Geez, I wish someone would prepare a lunch like that for me! When do you find the time?!!
Posted by: Karen | June 22, 2009 at 05:46 PM
Fantastic post Kim! I agree with Joey...you are the best mom and mentor to your children! gail
Posted by: Gail | June 22, 2009 at 07:16 PM
Lovely post and beautiful pics as always. Kids do take to fruits and veg a lot more when they have a hand in it's growing, picking and preparation.
Posted by: farm mom | June 23, 2009 at 06:19 AM
Your children are definitely lucky to have a parent urging them to eat fresh foods from the garden. I grew up on fattening home-cooked meals, then lived on restaurants and processed foods as a young adult. Even when I was trying to lose weight I ate only processed junk: Lean Cuisine, Healthy Choice, etc. That stuff has non-food in it! I gained so much weight I don't know why I can still walk around. I discovered raw foods a few years ago and this year decided to grow my own food. It's been an amazing journey and I'm jealous that your children get to start 40 years before I did. Good for you!
Posted by: Allison | June 24, 2009 at 08:49 AM
You almost make me want to eat my vegetables!
Posted by: Alpaca Farmgirl | July 01, 2009 at 05:31 AM
Love this! My grandkids (3 - 9) love fresh veggies, too - & enjoy their garden adventures (as did their parents :)
I've recently begun cooking with coconut oil, & saving the olive oil for 'cold' (un-cooked) use - yummmy & lots of health bennies!
I'm loving summer, my garden, CSA share, farmer's mkt, . . .
Posted by: Nadya | July 02, 2009 at 02:01 PM
I am unbelievably jealous of that giant wall of sugar snap peas! They are the absolute favorite of both me and my 2-year-old. And I agree - start the veggies early and simply, and they'll quickly learn to love them. Our favorite snack around here is raw veggies with humus, although I haven't yet gotten to the point of growing all my own - maybe someday when I can quit my day job!
Posted by: Amber | July 31, 2009 at 06:48 AM