When my son Kyle was two, he was an incredibly picky eater. I reached out to the pediatrician and other moms for advice, but I still couldn't get him to move beyond one or two foods each day. Then, I started getting him involved in the meal-planning and cooking process. It would start with shopping - Kyle sat in the cart and we hit every aisle in the grocery store, touching and smelling fresh produce, reading labels in the dry foods aisles, looking at pictures, and trying samples at stores that offered them. We made it an exciting adventure, not a boring trip to the supermarket.
Back home, we unpacked the goodies together and started cooking. What a transformation! Once Kyle started seasoning, stirring, smelling, and having fun in the kitchen, he also started TASTING. Each new recipe, meal (and even snack) was a virtual science project and he was curious to explore the outcome. This same strategy has worked with my other son Luke. Now, meal planning, cooking and eating are a complete joy because my boys join me in the kitchen where we create fabulous meals together. When kids have a say in meal-planning and recipe development, they're more likely to enjoy their creations. Start with simple projects (adding salt and pepper to taste, cracking eggs, spreading peanut butter or fruit preserves on a slice of bread, snipping fresh herbs with child-safe scissors) and then move on to marinating, mixing, assembling, and seasoning finished dishes. There are no rules or boundaries-just opportunities to have fun in the kitchen while creating better eaters and even better memories.
Family meal planning should also focus on healthy fare. Sure, many dinners need to come together fast and nutrition is the first thing to go. Until now, quick and healthy were mutually exclusive mealtime goals. We all lead frantic lives but we shouldn't forgo nutritious home-cooked meals. With a little advance planning, you can make meals healthy AND mouth-watering. Implement simple strategies for meal planning with your family, and you can enjoy the best of both worlds - wonderful meals that boast loads of nutrients. When cooking for my family (and when writing recipes), I always choose whole grains, lean meats, skinless turkey and chicken, fish and shellfish, beans and legumes, and I try to include vegetables, fruits, nuts, and seeds whenever I can. I try to prepare meals that have a healthy balance of complex carbohydrates, lean protein and healthy fats. I also try to keep saturated fat, sugar and sodium in check. Teach these principles to your children while meal-planning and you're not only paving their nutritional future, you're building bonds and enjoying new experiences together.
