Get Your Kids Out Of a Food Rut

By Robyn Alexander, Chef

Kids are usually more interested in eating an item (even a healthy item) if it's something that they've made themselves. Here are some tips to get your family started in the kitchen

1. Work together to make their favorite restaurant meals from scratch. Cooking experiences make food more memorable, even if the meal is not cooked perfectly.

2. Let kids decide. Make personal pizzas on whole-wheat dough with your own homemade red sauce, and let kids choose their own toppings. Sauces are a wonderful way to use “stealth” to make sure the healthy veggies are incorporated into a diet. Carrots, red peppers, onions, and even spinach have been known to make it into pizza sauce at our house.

3. Get silly with food. Make polka dot mashed potatoes (peas mixed in with mashed potatoes) or use skewers, shape cutters and fancy toothpicks to present a visually appealing meal.

4. Think outside the box. Put the forks away for a night and eat finger foods instead. Or, bring out the chopsticks to tackle spaghetti for a night. Tired of long noodles? Try a different pasta shape with a new sauce.

5. Try a polite bite. Kids may not like everything that is served, but the rule in our house has been that they have to try a bite of everything. Try it, and they might like it. If not, there's always yogurt in the fridge. But turning up one's nose at what is offered for dinner is not an excuse to avoid eating a nutritious meal. Good nutrition is not negotiable.

5. Ramp up your culinary fare. Parents often make the mistake of thinking that kids have unsophisticated palates, but this is far from true. Kids like diversity and can appreciate a wide selection of foods but only if they are offered. Parents should be prepared to vary their own diets as well, since kids often imitate what they see their parents do.

6. Don't get discouraged. An occasional thumbs-down from the kids does not rule out a dish for life. Try again a few months later. Kids' palates and appreciation for different foods evolve over time and change as they grow.