Get the kids into the kitchen
Genius! I scored victory this weekend with two home recipes I want to share. My goal was to get more veggies into my increasingly picky son. As a rule, I am not interested in the idea of deceiving kids by sneaking healthy purees into normally forbidden foods. My thinking is that kids could think all brownies could be a daily treat if Mom smiles when they eat her ‘special’ ones at home. I get around this dilemma, though, if I add the word of the hidden ingredient into the name of the dish. This way, two things are connected: ‘pasta,’ and ‘bean sprouts,’ for example. Happily, my son eagerly devoured his ‘bean sprout pasta.’ Semantics, maybe, but it worked for a toddler.
Last night’s dinner was simple:
Bean Sprout Pasta
(What kid doesn’t love the word ‘pasta?’)
- Sauté bean sprouts until they lose their crunch and become close to the softness of a noodle. (Add water and cover if necessary to steam them well.)
- Pour on tomato sauce. (I used jarred.)
- Top with parmesan cheese.
The second was a dessert treat, “Black bean Chocolate Cake.”
Apparently, this is a recipe that has been around awhile, but was new to me. I left out the coffee and used half honey and half agave since I didn’t have enough of each. I was surprised by quickly Jack gobbled this high protein treat!
If you have some time during these rainy days, get the kids into the kitchen, experiment with dishes and see what magic you can create. I can’t wait to see what works (or doesn’t) for you- Share it all!!
