A new weekly post from a busy mom concerned about raising healthy children.
Frank Bruni's article in the New York Times last weekend really struck me. I am not a good cook and for years it's never been an issue. Times have changed. Along with being older and wiser I have two kids (!!) and struggle with the dreaded 'What's for dinner?'
As I said, I don't have the culinary instinct, but I do want my children to eat well-balanced healthy meals. I try to lead by example and still my four year old turns her nose at the snap peas and asparagus and dives directly into the pasta. So what's a mom to do when the kids want Mac-n-cheese for dinner? She does her best.
I've gotten pretty good at making my own Mac-n-cheese using whole grain pasta and low-fat ingredients and, according to my diners, it's "really good." The added bonus is that it is better for them and my kids are watching and helping me cook(!) with real ingredients(!!).
I am keenly aware of the rise in childhood obesity. Because I work at a company whose mission includes helping people feel better and live longer, with a commitment to educating the public to live a healthier life, I feel an even stronger sense of responsibility. Each day it seems a new study is released warning us about childhood/teen/adult obesity--which makes it more important to take action now, even if that action is as simple as learning a healthy recipe. What could be the result if we don't? A sicker population, higher rates of chronic diseases, and increasing healthcare costs.
So I'll put on the chef hat and do my part to expose my children to healthy foods and help them to make the right choices. Maybe macaroni and cheese isn't the ideal choice but until the day my kids willingly eat the steamed asparagus instead of pushing it aside (or throwing it on the floor) it will have to do.
Having once been the school cook at my chidlren's school, I can tell you with all assurance that kids will eat vegetables, and even asparagus. Instead of steaming the asparagus, roast it at 400F with some garlic salt. Most kids take 10-25 tastes of a new item before the taste is familiar; you have to keep trying. Another trick is to set out before dinner a tray of raw vegetables with a plain yogurt based ranch dip (mix some ranch powder mix in plain yogurt). Frozen baby peas also work as a great snack.