So I have some picky eaters in my house. Namely my husband, who could eat the same food every day for all three meals and be perfectly happy. The second is my gifted and sensory-sensitive child who claimed himself a vegetarian by age 4 (including fish because he was NOT going to eat a dead fish), and who probably only eat about 5 foods. He too will eat the same food everyday for every meal and is perfectly happy about it. It does mean making his lunch for preschool very easy and I can do it before I’ve had my coffee in the morning.
Luckily, I also have a three year old who will happily ask for a steak and will eat a chicken wrap right out of my hand if I let him. Sadly, it makes dinner time for this Foodie an agonizing challenge.
When the 4 o’clock hustle begins I dread trying to come up with something everyone will eat or even consider looking at. Once or twice a week we have breakfast for dinner so everyone is happy with their eggs, or pancakes, or cereal and most times they can even get their own food. I always leave a bowl or two of fruit out on the table and this has increased fruit intake by everyone, so thumbs up for that!
The veggie situation is the next challenge, and tonight I discovered some sort of success. Tonight was “Make Your Own Salad Night.” Not sure why I hadn’t thought of this before. We’ve had taco night which is a similar idea where everyone gets a tortilla and puts what they want. Kids LOVE this stuff!
So I guess the little bits of sunshine we’ve had lately was just enough for my veggie garden tending to help set off this brilliant little light bulb. Funny enough, the recipe to “Make Your Own Salad Night” requires one of my famous “lists.” I’m not necessarily a fan of lists but it does seem I’m kind of listy that way. So. This is how your family will LOVE “Make your own salad night.”
• 1 bowl romaine
• 1 bowl red leaf lettuce
• 1 bowl mixed greens like arugula and kale and any other “fancy” looking leafy green
• in separate bowls:
• sliced cucumber
• bite sized pieces or think slices of carrots
• tomato wedges
• raw mushroom slices
• any other salad pleasing veggie cut thickly for finger food people
• avocado chunked or sliced
• little bowls or jam jars of dried fruit like blueberries, cranberries, or cherries (or all of them!)
• little jars or bowls of raw seeds like sunflower, pumpkin, sesame, etc.
• bowl of freshly chopped chives from the garden
• My picky eater also brought to the table a plate of pickles and olives.
• We added some hard cheese like parmesan reggiano so each person could grate their own. (I helped the left handed 3 year old.)
• And of course numerous salad dressings and croutons or bacon bits can be added as well as other proteins like shrimp or chicken or anything else you might put in a salad. The key is to have lots of options. Sometimes it’s just the way it looks or feels in the mouth that gets them to eat it. My 3 year old likes his cucumbers peeled so I had little plate of sliced cukes both peeled and unpeeled.
I desperately wished I had a big lazy susan for this affair and I might go out and buy one tomorrow. Although without it, everyone got to practice their nice restaurant manners for passing food. From mom to mom, let me tell you, this was a huge success! We put the larger salad bowls out and then put little dishes on the side for those who want rice or maybe pasta or even a protein. (And the picky eater’s seaweed. Yeah, I know, I just go with it.)
I used jam jars for the seeds and dried fruit and put spoons and forks out for serving. Let me tell you, everyone had fun and ATE the FOOD. They all asked for “Make Your Own Salad Night” again! Luckily for me I just signed up for organic produce delivery so that will keep the variety going.
The bonus of it all, besides the eating was that even the little one could, and wanted to help set the food out. It was truly the family affair I never though would exist. Aaah. A mom’s day is done.
-posted by Heidi Forrester, who hopes to turn one family member into a Foodie someday.
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