One of the most common questions I get asked is “What do your kids eat?”. People see all of my food pictures, know I have 3 young kids and wonder if my kids eat the food I cook. The answer is yes, and no.
Most often my kids eat components of what I cook. Most of my kids are not into most sauces or cooked vegetables, but they do eat multiple raw vegetables, cooked meats, and starches. So on a night where Jeremy and I eat Vietnamese Noodle Bowls with rice noodles, lots vegetables and a sauce on top, my kids eat the noodles plain and will eat the raw cucumbers, carrots and cooked edamame from the bowls. They almost always eat everything separate though, they do not eat it all mixed together like we do.
Since eating a variety of food is so important to me and trying new recipes is a big part of my life and creativity I don’t limit my cooking to what my kids eat. But, I also don’t expect them to eat everything we eat. Once or twice a week I will make a spicy curry or something that is pretty much guaranteed that my kids won’t eat, so on those nights, I give my kids a quick and easy dinner like hummus, crackers and carrots, or grilled cheese and steamed broccoli.
I try to make my kids try bites of things even if they don’t like them because as their taste buds develop what they like changes. Just last night I was eating a bowl of Curried Pumpkin Soup and my 3 year old asked me for a bite, and then proceeded to finish off my bowl of soup.I NEVER would have thought he would like that soup or even attempted to have him try it, so that was a great reminder to keep putting foods in front of them despite what I think their reactions will be.
I also want to mention that I was in a conversation with our MOPS Mentor Moms, who all have adult children who are now in their thirties, and the moms were dumbfounded when us younger moms shared concerns of our kids not eating their dinner. They unanimously agreed that when their kids were young kids sat at the table and ate their dinner, and if they didn’t eat, they didn’t get up or get other food offered to them. It sounds like parents were a lot more strict back then, but that as a result, kids ate what was given to them. I think we can all use the reminder that we set the tone for what our kids eat. If we quickly cave and give them chicken nuggets for dinner one night, then they are going to want that to happen again the next night, and before we know it they have eaten nuggets for a whole month straight.
One other thing I try to do is think of Fridays as “Friday Family Fun Night”. It’s a chance for us all to be together and enjoy each other, especially needed when we have had a busy week. One of my rules of Friday Family Fun Night is to serve food that my kids like, because I don’t want to start our time of connection off with food arguments. So on Fridays I serve food that I know my kids like and eat without complaints. For example, breakfast for dinner, grilled cheese, Meatballs and Homemade Pizza.
All of this to say, I don’t have adventurous kids that love every single things I cook, but I do make a point of ensuring that they eat a variety of fruits and vegetables, have a balanced diet, and keep trying new things.
