IF PHOEBE WALKED IN AND SAID, “Mama, I’m feeling really beat. I’m sorry for being cranky lately and think I should go to bed a little early tonight”, I couldn’t be more surprised than I was when she specifically ASKED for Brussels sprouts then actually ate them. The fact that Estelle also ate more of them than I did was just icing on the cake. For this I’d like to thank Olivia, a pig who has now won a place in my heart forever.
We read Dinner with Olivia often. To be honest, buying a book about dinner WAS an early attempt on my part to make the idea of eating together — one of my hopes/dreams/expectations for our family — even more savory. We’ve got a bunch of books like this (The Foodie ABCs, I Like Vegetables, even Green Eggs and Ham…) And if your preschooler is like ours, you end up repeating favorite books once in a while. Ha, ha, ha! Just kidding. The repeat cycle is as endless as Law & Order. We’ve read this book more times than I can count but finally, finally it’s paying off!
Making roasted Brussels sprouts couldn’t be easier. You peel the outermost leaves and trim the ends. Then put them on a baking sheet, drizzle extra virgin olive oil, sprinkle salt and pepper then roll everything around until each one is coated in salty goodness. Pop into a hot oven preheated to 400 degrees, and roast for about 35 minutes. Sprinkle with a little more salt when they come out…and serve.
I love reading foodlets. Our family shares some of the same experiences! Taelor loved brussel sprouts when she was 3 & 4 :). How do we get her to eat them at age 7? She still loves Dinner with Olivia…great book!
Mende — This is such a great question, but to be honest with you we’re not there yet so I don’t have any tried and true tricks for this age group. I’m pretty sure most kids start to lose their willingness to try things as they get older or go through different stages, so my best thought is to keep at it. Offer them to her occasionally and by all means bribe her with dessert, stickers or whatever system you use (and if you don’t use bribes, tell me everything about your system. how DO you encourage her to do things?!?)
for me, as my kids were growing up I would ask them “what if you never tried pizza (or what ever is their favorite food) you wouldn’t know how great it tastes. if you don’t at least try it you may be missing a taste as good as pizza. that in itself got them to at least to try it.when they were real small ,it helped when I took a bite also.