Eating Your Veggies

Cute Little video for kids who may not be hip to eating their veggies!! Start the New Year off right, get some veggies and sing!

Let The Kids Decide What's For Dinner

Kids love to give their opinion and to be the boss so let them, sometimes.  Dinner can be tricky with toddlers and siblings and distractions.  It’s hard to tear them away from a game or task to come to the table.  Admit it, if you were in the middle of writing an email or playing with Lego's and someone made you get up in the middle of it for dinner you may be have a tantrum too. We need to be gentle with kids, they live in a whole other world of make believe and play, they may be in the room but their minds can be elsewhere. A warning 10 minutes before dinner can make a huge difference in getting them to the table with sanity!  If that trick fails then for sure involve them in the dinner planning to start their engines. 

Kids want to be involved, feel independent and be a part of the group. Get them involved in dinner, planning so they know what to expect.

Start small by stocking your fridge with healthy brightly colored veggies, and proteins. Keep a well stocked pantry full of whole grains and rice and beans.

When it comes time to plan dinner have your kids help choose a veggie, a protein and a starch.  Let them know that plain pasta just will not give them the energy they need to play for hours. (remember eating a rainbow is the way to grow) Letting your child understand choices gives them confidence and good decision making skills. Set them up for success by starting with simple choices.

Pick Your Toppings Pasta Night

Once they decide on the 3 or 4 ingredients,  cook them up and, put them in separate dishes and let them “mix” their own bowl for dinner. Feel free to offer a sauce on the side like olive oil or Alfredo and a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese. We like to have a bunch of sauces and spices on the table so everyone can tailor the meal to their liking.  Get them used to seeing different foods arrive each night.  Give them some guidelines, for instance, only add ingredients one spoonful at a time, it is easier to add than take away.  and they have to try everything they have chosen to mix in. Give lots of praise even if it tastes bland and boring. Try to avoid saying something tastes bad in front of a child, being negative around food will quickly create a picky eater. This is about building self-esteem around eating not necessarily what they end up eating. The point here is you are putting them in the driver seat, put on your seat belt and get ready to take a ride.

Grown-ups can go heavy on the veggies to model meals for the kids.  Adding nuts is a great way to get protein too!

Choose wisely like trying whole-wheat pasta vs. white pasta, shredded zucchini vs. sausage, white beans and grilled chicken instead of ground beef. 

Use ingredients like bacon and some meat as seasonings or flavorings instead of using them as the star of a dish.  

For do-it-yourself pasta night here are a 2 ingredient suggestions, using the same pan, sauté one after another.  

To sauté, heat a large shallow pan on medium heat, add 1- 2 tablespoons of olive oil, add your first ingredient, continuing adding until everything is cooked.

Chicken-ish Pasta Dish 

Chicken apple sausage, cut in rounds and sautéed

Sautéed zucchini rounds

Cooked whole-wheat rigatoni or elbows

Shredded green apples, raw to add on top

Olive oil, salt and pepper

Gobble It Up Turkey Sauté

Ground turkey, sautéed

Broccoli florets, steamed

Shredded Cheddar cheese

Quinoa or Brown rice, cooked

Taco Night

The ever-popular taco night, another great way to get your kids experimenting! Put out bowls of ingredients and let the kids add what they like. Smearing re-fried beans in the bottom of the taco can help the ingredients stick, thus preventing ingredient spillage! Cutting the ingredients into small bits makes it easier for little mouths. Use soft or crunchy taco shells and lots of healthy ingredients like:

 

Corn tortillas, soft or crunchy

Ground beef or turkey or a mixture (cooked with taco seasoning and crumbled)

Shredded cheddar or pepper jack cheese

Shredded lettuce

Green or black olives, sliced

Avocado, sliced

Red or green salsa, mild

Re fried beans, organic, warmed

Diced tomato

small amounts of sour cream

corn off the cob

caramelized onions (raw onion can be too harsh for kids)

Pickled Carrots or Carrot Pickles?

"Mom, I'd like to make some pickles but from carrots. What would we call them, pickled carrots or carrot pickles?"

I have been in the kitchen every second of every spare minute working on styling recipes for a cookbook with my husband the photographer. I have made, cookies, fudge, omelets, shakes, scones, pretty much everything you can imagine. Somehow in between the recipes for the project and meals for my family (and not to mention I'm running a full time cooking camp for 3 weeks!) I am cooking with my daughter. We are making Popsicles in our Zoku, pies, hand ground corn tortillas, eggs, grilled cheese on a stick,  pickles...you get the point. I love what I do don't get me wrong but summer is tough when the kids are out of school and schedules are out of whack.

She has always loved my food but I have been waiting for her to blossom as a little chef and it happened. The timing is all-wrong, I mean really kid, couldn't you wait until I wasn't so busy? The answer is is that it doesn't matter, I will always be busy and I HAD to take advantage of this NOW! Her taste buds are hopping and her little brain is churning with ideas, it's my job to facilitate that. If my kid wants to try onions I sure as hell am going to help her with that! Tonight she made a pie that was so delicious I was in awe. Sure I help her, give her tips and even chop ingredients but I am really trying to let her drive, really trying. as she gets more comfortable with the equipment I will just sit in the passenger seat and try not to use the invisible brake.

Sweet Pickled Carrots 

Getting kids to eat acidic foods or foods with any flavor can be a challenge but if  THEY make this recipe they may change their mind!  This is a great kid friendly base recipe for pickling veggies, let them add a variety of veggies or other herbs and spices to experiment.

Great on tacos!!

 

Makes about 8 cups

Ingredients :

    2 pounds organic carrots, 1/8" slices

    1 medium onion, finely sliced half moons

    2 cloves garlic, finely sliced

    2 cups water

    3/4 cup vinegar of your choice (recommend 1 part rice vinegar and 2 parts ume plum vinegar)

    ¾  or up to 1 cup sugar

    1 1/2 teaspoons salt

Directions:

1. Blanch carrots in boiling water for 5 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water to stop cooking. Place carrots, onions and garlic in two 3 cup glass jars or bowl with a cover.

2. Meanwhile, add water, vinegar(s), sugar and salt to a saucepan over high heat.  Bring to a boil and ensure sugar has been completely dissolved.

3.  Pour hot liquid over vegetables. Let cool to room temperature, cover and store in refrigerator.

Salad Days

It finally happened, yes it's true...my child loves salad!! I knew the day would come, she always liked her veggies and was OK with chomping on lettuce, but a salad was not on the menu for her. Salad is a tough one for kids, it can be acidic, or slightly soggy or just green! The advice I give in my cookbook Toddler Cafe is to present some form of salad every night.  Put it on the plate, just a few leaves and cut up veggies let your child get used to seeing the veggies there but don't force it. You may end up eating a few extra veggies while you are cleaning up because they probably will leave them untouched every night for years....but...eventually they will eat it. (fingers crossed)

Another tip is to use very crisp lettuce like baby Romaine and cut it small. I like to cut the length of the leaf and then across to make smaller bite size pieces. Having to manage large leaves of lettuce can be un-fun for little mouths, so chop all the ingredients small.

 Of course it was not all my hard work and determination to get her to like salad, it was school! One day the second grade made a salad, they were so excited it was as if they had just all gotten a candy bar or something!! All 17 of them came screaming in the class room, "LOOK WHAT WE MADE, LOOK WHAT WE MADE, WE MADE A SALAD!!!!"

I just happened to be in the classroom for reading groups and got the witness the total frenzy of excited eight year olds first hand.  It was so cute, they were so proud of harvesting and making the salad including the dressing.

That night when Kidlet came home she asked if she could make a salad for our dinner. She has always cooked with me and always created her own "recipes" but she hadn't really made anything fully edible yet on her own. I said with gusto, "sure you can make the salad tonight!" I fully thought it would be horrible, I mean she has been making salad for her pet rat but now she's working on one we are going to eat!! I knew there would be a mess, corn smashed on my socks and dried up lettuce to be scraped off the floor but I didn't care.

She chose her ingredients and I helped get the appropriate tools for her. I showed her how to scrape the food in to the bowl from the cutting board instead of manhandling it in small fistfuls into the bowl.

She made the dressing with lemon, olive oil, salt and a few drops of Balsamic vinegar. Her veggies were, sweet corn, broccoli, carrots, lettuces and parsley, all chopped well.

She tossed it and served it and was beaming and proud and truth be told it was really good!!

Now she wants to make the salad every Friday night, we dubbed it Shabbat Salad and she is in charge of  that part of the meal now.  We always say what we are happy about on Friday dinner and on that particular Friday I was happy my daughter was exited about salad!

When does a seven year old need baby food?

When does a seven year old need baby food?
When they get  BRACES!! I thought this was the perfect opportunity to chat about the UBFC.
Yes that is my face on the box, and I am loving the fact that I get to develop recipes and promote this product. The interesting part is, is that as much as I love developing toddler and baby food, my toddler just turned eight years old! *crying*

Ultimate Baby Food Center (UBFC)

I am always looking for new ways to use this machine, it sits on my counter and it does do lots of nice little jobs like chop nuts, steam a quick side dish for my lunch but best of all makes great baby food!

My baby (yes I know she is 8 now) got braces when she was 7 just a few months ago. First off I have to tell you what a warrior she is because braces hurt! She was not scared a bit or nervous at all, she obviously does not take after me I break out in hives at the thought of the dentist. 

Once she got the mouth bling, she was excited and proud to show off the colored rubber bands to anyone who would look in there.  The pain was secondary, I knew it hurt but she wouldn't cave to it, just a few whimpers from her was all I heard. 

I knew she couldn't chew or bite and the dinner that night, I had absently mindedly made something chewy and tough so that was out. I surely didn't want her to exist on Jello and pudding and canned soup for three days, how could I live with myself?

Baby Chef to the Rescue! I went to my handy copy of the little cookbook I wrote for the machine and made my Swamp Soup recipe. Perfect, I knew she loved it because we have been making it the traditional way for so long.  I knew I could whip it up in the UBFC machine in 5 minutes, steam, chop and voila! We also made lots of smoothies with wholesome ingredients to keep her going, she loves an egg in her milkshakes! (that is probably from us talking about the old days at Orange Julius)

For a few days I concocted some soupy recipes with ingredients like silken tofu, broth and beans,  and she ate it all.  So that is how a 7 year old ends up eating baby food. A puree is a puree, whether it is in a five star restaurant or just plain old baby food. At least when you make it you know what goes into it and you can really make sure your family is getting the best.  Get creative, make this with carrots or a blend of veggies.
Happy blending.

Swamp Soup For Ultimate Baby Chef Machine

Makes 1 ½ cups

 1 medium zucchini unpeeled, diced

1/2 avocado, peeled and pitted

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

3/4 C. chicken broth

 Add water to the steaming chamber

Place zucchini pieces into steamer basket.

Place filled basket into steaming chamber, turn onto HI

Steam zucchini for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile add chicken stock and nutmeg to blender, spoon the avocado in, set aside.

When zucchini is done add steamed zucchini to prepared blender cup blend for 1 min or until smooth and silky.

As with all hot foods, when blending be careful and open blender slowly

Ethiopia - Cooking Around the World - Kid Style

It is highly unlikely that we will travel to Africa any time soon, but we did bring Ethiopia to us by way of our kitchen! I am always thinking of new ways to get kids to love flavorful food. This time the idea came from my daughter who loves to eat with her hands. My husband suggested we make Ethiopian food because it is traditionally eaten with your hands and it may be fun to eat. We all decided to start our trip around the world from home, a kind of staycation. We explained to our daughter that in Ethiopia people use their bread to scoop up the food instead of forks. She was really excited about that, because she loves to eat with her hands. (you know that now!)

We decided on a vegetarian stew, a crispy crunchy buckwheat fritter and injera a spongy flat bread.

We printed the recipes and I shopped during the week and we planned to cook on Sunday. We all got into the kitchen and in a fury or bubbling pots, sticky dough, and a fine dusting of flour, and created a great feast. Claire measured flour, Matt peeled and I orchestrated it all, tossing sweet potatoes in here, chickpeas in there. During the fury Matthew found some great Ethiopian music and started tossing out facts about the people, food and culture, it was controlled chaos but somehow it all turned out great. It was fun, it was one of the first times all three of us worked in the kitchen together, and we will do it again! We chose recipes that we could tailor to our spice level and create the recipes just how we want them.

The final judgment was a thumbs up from the whole family.

The recipes below have been adjusted to be very kid friendly, I cut the spices way down and simplified the veggies for speed! If you can't find Berbere spice you can fudge it by mixing your own and omitting the chilies. An online search will give you a bunch of recipes to play with. Claire ended up liking Turmeric so much she

named her new sock cat we made that day, Turmeric! I just love introducing new spices and flavors!
Get creative and chose a destination for your family, who says you can only do Geography in school?
Next stop Hawaii!

Injera (Ethiopian Flat bread)

Our bread was far from sourdough, but I think for kids it is perfect.

Injera can be tricky, but once you get it down you will love making it.

The temperature of the grill, the type of grill (mitad), the temperature of the dough during fermentation, quality of the flour and how you mix the dough, can all affect the flavor and texture.

We made batter with very low fermentation to get the kids used to the texture; next time I will up the sourdough flavor.

Ingredients

4 cups flour, self-rising

1 cup whole-wheat flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 1/2 cups club soda

Whisk flours and baking powder together in a bowl. Add club soda plus about 4 cups water. Whisk into a smooth thin batter, a few lumps are OK. Heat a large, non-stick skillet.

When a drop of water bounces on the pan's surface, quickly pour enough batter from the bowl to cover the bottom of the skillet.

Swirl the pan so that the entire bottom is evenly coated, then set it back on the heat. You may need to use a spatula to quickly smooth the batter.

When the moisture has evaporated and small holes appear on the surface, remove the injera. It should be cooked only on one side, and not too browned.

If your first one is a little pasty and undercooked, you may need to cook a little longer or to make the next one thinner.

Like a French crepe, be careful not to cook them too long, or you'll have a crispy bread that may be tasty but won't fold around bits of stew.

Stack the injera one on top of the other as you cook, covering with a clean cloth or keep in foil to prevent drying out.

Vegetable Mafe


The kids won’t even know there is cabbage in here, just chop it small!

1 large onion, diced


2 sweet potatoes

4 carrots

½ head of cabbage, chopped, very small


2 teaspoons Berbere spice mix


3 cups tomato sauce

¾ cup peanut butter



Cut all vegetables into bite sized pieces 
In a saute pan add 1 tablespoon of ghee or olive oil, cook the onions until wilted, add the root vegetables. Sauté veggies for a few minutes more, then add the spices, cabbage, and tomato sauce. 


Simmer for approx 45 minutes until veggies are soft. 
Remove ½ cup hot tomato sauce and stir in the peanut butter until incorporated.

Return to pot and simmer for a few minutes more. Adjust thickness by adding more tomato sauce or a little water, if necessary.

Ethiopian Spiced Ghee (Spicy Niter Kibbeh)

Don't be intimidated this is easy if you keep the flame low. Use ghee in place of butter or oil in any recipes. I always have a jar of unflavored ghee in my kitchen. Once you remove the milk solids the ghee won’t burn like butter, it is perfect to cook pancakes in.

Ghee can be stored at room temperature without going rancid but I keep mine in fridge. Keep it clean and well sealed and it will last months.

We ate this on the Kibbeh on the bread and on the stew!

If you have a small mortar and pestle, let your kids grind up all the spices, ginger and garlic in it first. It is fun and lets them smell the ingredients before they taste the butter.

1/2 lb butter

1/4 chopped onion

1 clove of garlic, smashed

1 tbs chopped ginger (skin on is OK)

1 tsp of turmeric,

1/4 tsp cumin,

8 cardamom seeds pods, smashed

1 tsp fennel seed

Pinch nutmeg

To make the spiced butter, melt butter in a pot. Skim the foam as it forms with a spoon and discard. Keep the butter on low it may bubble up if there is any water in it. When the butter is clear, mix in all the remaining ingredients. Stir and simmer on very low for about 15 minutes Let the spices settle, and then drain through a cheesecloth or fine strainer in to a clean jar.

Pumpkin Kibbeh Stuffed with Spinach, Chick Peas, and Walnuts

This has a similar look to falafel, but tastes very different. It is mild in flavor and kids will like the crunch, plus it packs a ton of fiber. You adjust the spice level for your kids; we used regular paprika for a more mild taste.

Note on Bulgur- it is best if the bulgur is fine, like coarse polenta. You should look for “Fine Bulgur”. If you can’t just use a food processor or blender and mix it until it is like coarse sand.

Have the filling prepared and all the ingredients ready to go for your kids to help put these together.

For the Filling:

1/3 cup chopped onion

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 cup cooked chick peas, peeled and slightly mashed

1/4 cup chopped walnuts, chopped

1/3 cup cooked and chopped spinach (frozen is fine)

Salt and pepper

Pinch of Hungarian paprika

2 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice

For the Pumpkin Shell:

1 cup cooked pureed pumpkin

2 cups fine grain bulgur, unwashed dry

1/3 cup flour

2 tablespoons grated onion

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

Pinch of hot Hungarian paprika (or regular)

Vegetable oil for frying

Chopped parsley and quartered lemons

Directions

In a deep saute pan add enough vegetable oil to come no more than 1/3 up the sides of the pan. Heat until a deep fat fry thermometer registers 375 ˚F. If you don’t have a thermometer use medium high heat. Meanwhile, make the filling.

In a small sauté pan, heat a tablespoon of oil, when hot add onions, cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Then add the chickpeas, walnuts, spinach, seasonings, and lemon juice, stir to incorporate, remove from heat.

Now make the pumpkin shell. In a mixing bowl, place the pumpkin, dry bulgur, flour, onion, and seasonings. Mix well and set aside for 10 minutes. If the dough becomes dry, add a few drops of water and then knead well.

(Get your kids with clean hands to knead the dough in the bowl.)

This is a perfect place to get the kids to help. It really doesn’t matter what they end up looking look like. I’d go smaller rather than large to shorten cooking time.

Now shape the kibbeh.

Knead about 2 tablespoons of the pumpkin mixture until it holds together. Keeping your hands moist, form a smooth football shaped oval. Poke your index finger through the end and fill with 1 teaspoon of filling. Close the end and reshape, if necessary. Carefully place in the hot oil and fry for 2 minutes, until they turn dark brown. You will have to fry them in batches. Drain on paper towels and and sprinkle with some chopped parsley, serve immediately with lemon slices.

Squashed Potato Pancakes

If you have leftover squash from Thanksgiving then this recipe is a great way to use it up. Kids love pancakes, savory or sweet. Crisp and satisfying, perfect for dipping, these are an easy version of an old standard but with a twist. They are easy to pick up and dip and fun to eat. They are also a great way to get fiber and vitamins in to your kids. This recipe is very forgiving add whatever you'd like, experiment get creative.

They fit perfectly in little hands and have crispy and soft textures for little teeth to sink in to. Super with applesauce, sour cream or BBQ sauce.

This recipe is from my cookbook The Toddler Café

Squashed Potato Pancakes

Makes 12 medium sized pancakes

1 10 ounce box frozen squash, thawed

4 tablespoons flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1 egg, beaten

1/2 1 lb bag frozen hash brown potatoes, semi thawed or 2 medium potatoes shredded

Dipping sauce of choice for serving

Vegetable oil

In bowl mix squash and egg well add flour, salt, sugar, and baking powder, with a fork or your hands. Add potatoes continue stirring until combined.

Heat a nonstick sauté pan on medium heat, add oil, place about 2 tablespoons of the mixture in the pan and fry each side about 3 minutes.

Drain on paper towel lined plate.

These can be reheated or held in a 200F oven.

Optional - omit salt and add 1/2 cup French fried onion rings to the batter

The fruits or vegetables of our labor...or not

A few months back I did a post about our Magic Garden, well the time has come to show it off.

Here is a shot of some of our beans in different stages and our Echinicha flower.  The reason we call it our Magic Garden is because a while back my dad sent me an envelope marked Irv's magic beans. Of course I thought he was just being silly, he usually is.  When we spoke he told me that he had a photo of he and his sister in the 30's in front of a bean plant. He'd been searching for the same heirloom bean and found it, that is what was in the envelope!  We planted them and they grew beautifully and without much attention in our garden. It is so nice to be growing something that I can pass to friends and has a great history to it.

My daughter likes to make soup from the beans, she gets out her spices and adds herbs from and vegies. Tonight she made up a "soup" with curry, cinnamon cherry tomatoes, beans and basil, it wasn't half bad!

So when you need a quick meal don't forget about beans even if you did not grow them yourself!

Beans, beans...you - know - the - rest!

I never gave beans much thought, I mean, yes creamy white beans with a touch of brothy red sauce and a crust of bread, I can get in to that. But growing up in a kosher household it was bagels and Lox, not rice and beans. I didn't really discover rice and beans until I came to California, now beans are one of our everyday foods. Kids love them because they are soft, flavorful and they forget they are a vegetable!
But they are...more than that they are fiber, flavor and a perfect food.
I am lucky enough to have been asked to be on The Bean Expert Advisory Network (B.E.A.N.) which is composed of nationally renowned food, nutrition, health and culinary experts who advise on ways to help Americans achieve the 2008 Dietary Guidelines.
The recommendation is to consume 3 cups per week of legumes, such as beans, as part of a healthy diet.
Here is a breakfast idea to help you start to get those beans in your family's diet. My colleague Connie Guttersen, R.D. PhD developed this one. She is an instructor at the Culinary Institute of America and author of The Sonoma Diet.
As with any recipe for children, you can alter it to your family's taste, play around a bit.

Rise and Shine Burrito

Prep Time: 10 Minutes
Total Time: 15 Minutes

Ingredients
1 (16 ounce) can BUSH'S® Pinto Beans, drained and rinsed
1 tablespoon olive oil
8 small eggs, lightly beaten
8 (6 inch) flour tortillas
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1 cup fresh tomato salsa
1 avocado, diced
1/2 cup sliced green onions
Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions
Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
Heat beans in a medium sauce pot. Set aside.
Heat a nonstick large pan over medium heat. Add olive oil and eggs. Using a spatula, cook and stir until eggs are scrambled. Season with salt and pepper.
Spread the pinto beans in the lower section of the tortilla; top with cheese and eggs. Place salsa and avocados on top. Garnish with sliced green onions.
Fold the outer 1/2-inch left and right sides of the tortilla in. This will help keep the filling inside once you roll your tortilla into a burrito.
Warm completed burritos in the oven for 5-10 minutes.

Fast Food: Sushi (Is sushi really fast food?)

As a mom I am always looking for healthy and quick meals for my family. I have to admit that it can be tough. We, as parents, have a lot to juggle and healthy meals can get lost in the circus of our busy lives. Last week, I noticed that spring was finally upon us and eating light was on my mind. The grill was ready to go, but the problem was that my 4-year-old wanted to “help,” and grilling is not the most kid-friendly of cooking techniques. I had to think quickly. It was 4:30 and dinner was nowhere in site.My daughter Claire suggested sushi. I said, “no way, it is too expensive.” She said, “No, mommy lets make it.” “Uh oh,” said I. Then the excuses came rolling off my tongue, “no rice, no crab, no seaweed…um…. we are out of electricity to run the rice cooker.”
That is when I thought to myself”, “What are you thinking? Your child wants to be with you and make food, isn’t that what you do? Make it happen!”

I gave in and we started looking through the produce drawer to see if we could make this happen. We found a carrot, a cucumber, purple cabbage (Claire wasn’t so sure she was going to like this), and an avocado. We even had nori–seaweed wrappers–and some wasabi. We had the fixings for sushi after all!
I sheepishly plugged in the rice cooker, “Look honey, the electricity just came back on, boy are we lucky!”
I did not have authentic sushi rice but short grain white worked quite well. Claire washed all the veggies and I sliced them. We seasoned our rice with rice vinegar mixed with a little sugar. Claire had plenty of jobs to do and none of them involved going near the five hundred degree flame-throwing grill, thank goodness!

I happened to be lucky enough to have sushi molds in my pantry for just such an occasion (like these). Sushi making with kids is so much easier when you have the right equipment.
After a short and very fun rice-covered experience (don’t forget to dip your fingers in water before working with the rice or you’ll start to look like a Yeti) our dinner was ready. It took about 35 minutes and the sushi was beautiful. We all chowed down and Claire really liked the veggies with her rice. I have never seen her eat with so much excitement. She forgot to be worried about the purple cabbage because she was so proud of what she had created with her own hands. I was proud of her.

In the end, I learned that when kids have a hand in creating their own meals, they are much more likely to try something new. Plus they get a sense of pride and accomplishment that comes from a job well done.