More Articles
Recipes
FEEDING CHILDREN
I certainly like to plan meals my children like but I don't let them dictate what we eat. I like cooking and I do try out new recipes pretty frequently, but I try to remind myself to cook some of the kids' favorites periodically. We all deserver to have meals we love for dinner periodically so I try to balance my desire to experiment with my kids' desires for tried and true meals.
For toddlers and preschoolers
One of my goals when my kids were younger was to make sure they could politely tolerate food on their plate that they might not like. They didn't have to eat it--but I always served a small spoonfull of everything. Sooner or later they'd usually end up trying stuff they might have originally turned their nose up. They may or may not like it and they felt free to tell me they didn't like it, as long as they used polite language! I don't like everything either so I don't expect them to. But I did want them to be willing to try new things.
For elementary school kids
Kids will certainly begin to develop a strong set of likes and dislikes. If the experiences have been positive, hopefully they'll continue to try new things. My own kids' recognized at some age that things they had disliked earlier, or with certain preparations, they might like later so they were willing to try them again now and then.
You've probably seen this for yourself in the reverse. As soon as you stock up on some favorite food someone will decide they don't like that anymore! Their taste buds change a lot as they grow older and talking about that might help them be more open to trying new things.
Meals where they can "build their own" plates are fun, whether you make tacos, burritos, salads, or a baked potato "bar" on your dinner table. These are also nice meals to do when they have friends over as no one is on the spot about what they eat. If all they want is beans and cheese on their burrito, that's what they get.
For teenagers
My kids liked to help in the kitchen when they were younger but that seemed to have disappeared as they hit their teens. And I never forced it because cooking was never a "chore" to me and I enjoy it as a transition time between work and relaxing somehow.
However, my kids are always willing to bake sweets. In fact, I cannot tell you the last time I baked cookies or a cake as my children have taken it upon themselves to be responsible for those. They bake each other's birhday cakes, bake cakes for friends, and keep the cookie jar stocked with their favorite--whatever it is this month.
If your kids like to cook though, or you just want to encouarge them, set aside one night a week or one night a month where they can plan a balanced meal and add their needs to your shopping list.