Daily Dose w/Jillian...

My kids have always eaten "adult" food. I always ground up whatever we were eating for meals, and fed it to my little ones. They never developed a taste for nuggets and frozen pizza and canned spaghetti because they never ate it. They ate cookies and treats sometimes, sure, but snacks to them were a pile of green beans or artichoke hearts or peach slices; not gummy snacks and goldfish. It's all about developing their taste buds from the beginning to appreciate the healthy stuff. I remember the first time my kids had fast food chicken nuggets offered to them at a playdate (they were two and three at the time) they both took a bite and spit it out. It's a wonderful thing when you watch your kids turn down crap on their own! And now that I am on the brink of two teenagers, it's even more wonderful to watch them make those good choices. I know they will leave home and have the tools and knowledge to nourish themselves properly.
 
I am also very fortunate in that department. My little 3yr old girl loves all kinds of foods (and not from a box). Sure she likes her treats, snacks and junk food, but she also loves fruit, veggies and beans. Sometimes she'll ask me for chick peas as a snack :confused:. I made kale chips not too long ago and she ate the entire pan straight from the oven! My little foodie :). I always offer her a variety of healthy food, and if she she rejects them that's ok, there's always next time. I'm not one to pressure my child to eat, and I'm not creative enough to "hide" fruit and veggies in her meals (ok, I'm lazy too). I want her to see the food in it's natural state, loving and appreciating all the wonderful flavors and aromas. I also allow her to help with the prep of veggies, so she'll wash green beans and broccoli. She will even eat cauliflower raw :eek:. I'm not even going to get started about how much she loves curries and Jamaican jerk sauces :confused:. I'm proud to be raising a child who loves food as much as I do :).

Natasha
 
I was never one to hide the veggies either, though I did purée spinach and broccoli and cauliflower and put it in other dishes and even brownies. My kids LOVE cauliflower raw! They also enjoy spicy Thai food, Japanese, Chinese, sushi and Indian food. It's really fun to eat out with them because we can go anywhere and try anything. It's super fun to hear your kid order chana saag and aloo parathas or compliment the dasha in their miso soup. Foodies indeed! I love it!
 
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