Who among us has ever said, “Yep, my kids get ALL the fruit and vegetables they need. And then some.” Not you? Me neither. To get the five recommended servings of vegetables and fruits into four kids every day, I serve veggies straight up but also add them into unsuspecting dishes: Eggs. Smoothies. Popsicles. And you better believe it,…
Cauliflower your kids will eat, plus easy roasted chicken
THIS IS A SECRET. Roasting cauliflower makes it delicious. Just cut up an entire head and assemble on a baking sheet. Slather on the extra virgin olive oil and use your hands to coat each piece…
Broccoli & cheese pasta cups
WE TRIED IT AGAIN. The pasta cups are back and this time, just as I threatenedpromised, I added broccoli and ricotta cheese, trying for a bit of a quiche flavor. Speaking of flavor, I also added herbs, fresh parsley and basil. I thought they’d look festive and pack a bit of punch too. Also, the…
Chicken with plum sauce and roasted vegetables
IT’S THE TAIL END OF PLUM SEASON IN ROME. With so many to eat in so little time (namely, before a fruit fly colony invades our kitchen) plums got upgraded from snack item to dessert to dinner. These sweet little beauties are a great source of fiber plus vitamins C, A and K. To be…
Zucchini mini-muffins with dried cranberries
LET IT BE SAID THAT COOKING WITH FOUR KIDS under three is crazy ill advised. A fact, now burned clearly into my brain, was somehow unknown when I went into this project last week. A fellow ex-pat brought her toddler and baby over for some pint-sized baking at my suggestion. Along with my own toddler…
The easiest way to get kids to eat vegetables: Add veggie puree
IT’S SUCH AN EASY IDEA, and a good one. Like Mrs. Seinfeld says in her book, Deceptively Delicious, adding veggies on the sly is the simplest way to pack in nutrition without a fight. From brownies to breakfast bars, it’s a smart strategy but that’s just the beginning. I’ve started stocking our fridge with a…
How to get kids to try new vegetables: lemon
IF YOUR KIDS ARE LEMON-LOVERS like Phoebe, this method is brilliant. During a recent lunch in Puglia, we were presented with the “vegetable of the day” which turned out to be grilled zucchini. Unfortunately zucchini is a food that’s usually spit out. But not today.
Let them help cook…and snack along the way
HOW TO GET YOUR TODDLER TO EAT MORE VEGGIES: pull up a chair, stool or other propping device and let her help you prepare dinner. Phoebe particularly likes “organizing” her ingredients so I give her a little bowl and a wooden spoon. Things go in the bowl, things go out of the bowl, things fall…
7 ways to get toddlers to eat more green vegetables
How about eating some veggies? Right. I’M PRETTY SURE THAT getting kids to eat more veggies has been a struggle since the advent of dinner itself. So when Marie submitted her question—I’d love to get my son Lex (2 years, 2 months) to eat more green foods — broccoli, zucchini, peas, maybe even attempt a…