- Dec. 1, 2008
- A World of Dinners
Karen, Director of CLIF Kid and super mom of four, has a few ideas up her sleeve on how to ease the woes of serving a healthy meal at dinner time...
“I don’t like it”—four words every parents dreads to hear at dinner time; I hear it nearly every night. As a parent of four very unique kids with four very different eating styles and tastes, I find preparing meals an exercise in frustration. Wrestling with the pressure of making sure my kids eat healthy, balanced, organic, great tasting meals that introduce them to new foods and expand their pallets after spending a long day at work is enough to drive me straight to the drive-thru window.
Yes, I said it!
The question’s always the same: do I give in to the chicken strips with a side of mac & cheese for a peaceful session at the dinner table or do I serve up a nutritious meal my kids will no doubt pick apart knowing most of it will end up in the compost bin?
Last week, I was inspired by a conversation we had at dinner where everyone had to choose a cuisine to enjoy if they were on a deserted island. Across the board, the kids chose either American food or Japanese food.
The Japanese theme might lead you to believe that my kids indeed have sophisticated, California taste buds. But the sad fact is that my kids think Japanese food's the fried rice and shrimp from Benihana and, you guessed it, a California roll. Even my wonderful husband chose Mexican food and he orders ground beef enchiladas.
So I was concerned. I love food; all different kids of food, yet this is a love I’m not sharing with my family. In fact, food has become associated with frustration and disappointment. That really bummed me out, hence my brainstorm.
I decided that once a month we would try a “trip around the world” meal. I figured even if the kids don’t eat the food, they would start to discover culinary delights beyond breaded chicken and corn on the cob. My 8-year-old daughter (aka I don’t like anything) was in charge of research. The boys took care of table set up and clean up while I did the shopping and cooking. My husband was in charge of smiling, eating and setting a good example, no matter what.
This last weekend we had our first “trip.” I started with India because I love Indian food, my kids have friends that are from India and travel there often, and I was 100% sure they would like naan. So my daughter searched the web for great factoids about the country of India, what kinds of clothes they wear (she cared about that), what sports they play (she knew the boys would care about that), and all about the food. Dinner was easy thanks to my local Trader Joes: chicken in curry simmer sauce, lentil rice biryani, cucumber salad, and naan.
I would like to say that everyone loved it and every last bite was gobbled up. It’s only partly true.
The naan was gone in a flash. My husband was thrilled and didn’t even have to fake it. The boys liked the chicken, a little spicy, but they thought we should add it to the family menu. My daughter “didn’t like it” this time, but she really enjoyed learning about India and the entire dinner was spent talking together about the history, the music, and the people.
And, isn’t that what food is all about?
“I don’t like it”—four words every parents dreads to hear at dinner time; I hear it nearly every night. As a parent of four very unique kids with four very different eating styles and tastes, I find preparing meals an exercise in frustration. Wrestling with the pressure of making sure my kids eat healthy, balanced, organic, great tasting meals that introduce them to new foods and expand their pallets after spending a long day at work is enough to drive me straight to the drive-thru window.
Yes, I said it!
The question’s always the same: do I give in to the chicken strips with a side of mac & cheese for a peaceful session at the dinner table or do I serve up a nutritious meal my kids will no doubt pick apart knowing most of it will end up in the compost bin?
Last week, I was inspired by a conversation we had at dinner where everyone had to choose a cuisine to enjoy if they were on a deserted island. Across the board, the kids chose either American food or Japanese food.
The Japanese theme might lead you to believe that my kids indeed have sophisticated, California taste buds. But the sad fact is that my kids think Japanese food's the fried rice and shrimp from Benihana and, you guessed it, a California roll. Even my wonderful husband chose Mexican food and he orders ground beef enchiladas.
So I was concerned. I love food; all different kids of food, yet this is a love I’m not sharing with my family. In fact, food has become associated with frustration and disappointment. That really bummed me out, hence my brainstorm.
I decided that once a month we would try a “trip around the world” meal. I figured even if the kids don’t eat the food, they would start to discover culinary delights beyond breaded chicken and corn on the cob. My 8-year-old daughter (aka I don’t like anything) was in charge of research. The boys took care of table set up and clean up while I did the shopping and cooking. My husband was in charge of smiling, eating and setting a good example, no matter what.
This last weekend we had our first “trip.” I started with India because I love Indian food, my kids have friends that are from India and travel there often, and I was 100% sure they would like naan. So my daughter searched the web for great factoids about the country of India, what kinds of clothes they wear (she cared about that), what sports they play (she knew the boys would care about that), and all about the food. Dinner was easy thanks to my local Trader Joes: chicken in curry simmer sauce, lentil rice biryani, cucumber salad, and naan.
I would like to say that everyone loved it and every last bite was gobbled up. It’s only partly true.
The naan was gone in a flash. My husband was thrilled and didn’t even have to fake it. The boys liked the chicken, a little spicy, but they thought we should add it to the family menu. My daughter “didn’t like it” this time, but she really enjoyed learning about India and the entire dinner was spent talking together about the history, the music, and the people.
And, isn’t that what food is all about?
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I love this idea! And even though I was the TOP kid in my family singing the “I don’t like it” tune, I am now (at the ripe old age of 24) extremely appreciative of my parent’s dedication to teaching us about international cuisine.
What are you planning for next month? Have you ever had Thai summer rolls? They’re really easy to make - if you prepare the ingredients, you could have the kids put together the actual rolls - that way, they can add more of whatever ingredients they already know they like (i.e., chicken) but still try something new (i.e. peanut sauce, sprouts and mint leaves).
Thanks Maya for the great suggestion. I will definitely be adding this to the menu plan. I am encouraged by your admission that you were once the picky eater who now seems to be so adventurous. My hope is that my kids will look back and also appreciate my intentions. I believe food is such a cool way to connect and it can bring far away places right into your kitchen.
Out of curiosity, would you be willing to share the recipes that you use with us as you go about your international meals?
I would be happy to share any recipes that I use in this family food adventure. However, I have to be honest, most of my meals are made with some serious assistance from Whole Foods deli and Trader Joes. I would be glad to call out those useful items as well.
I love your ideas and also would be interested in trying some of the recipes you have used on your food adventures. I like to think my 5 & 10 year old daughters are more food saavy than most because I have worked in the restaurant industry for 17 years. HOWEVER, I still get the “yuck” or “I am full” at times at the table. We are cooking more as a team now so it would be fun to see what recipes could involve my ‘helpers’ as they learn to appreciate flavors from around the globe!
I am so excited to see that people are really into this idea. It has been a big hit in my house. Keep checking the blog for our next trip which we just enjoyed last weekend. I have heard your requests for recipes and I will definitely include in my next dinner blog. In the meantime, here is the scoop on our Indian dinner:
· Boneless skinless chicken strips simmered in Trader Joes Curry Simmer Sauce (I added a bit of coconut milk to cut the heat for the kids)
· Trader Joes Frozen Lentil Rice Biryani – just pour frozen into a skillet and warm
· Trader Joes Tandori Frozen Naan – just lay out on cookie sheet and pop into oven (seriously we ate 2 bags)
· Cucumber Salad – recipe can be found a globalgourmet.com. Nice basic cucumber & tomato salad to cool the palate.
Yes, I took lots of shortcuts for this first attempt. Did I mention we have 4 kids? I would definitely try more scratch dishes the next time now that I see the troops are willing. There are tons of great Indian recipes and ideas at bawarchi.com.
Enjoy and Dhanya-waadh (thank you).
Really it is Out of curiosity, would you be willing to share the recipes that you use with us as you go about your international meals?
i would love to hear the recipes you have to offer. i would like to try them at home. and really the idea is simply superb of having “trip around the world” meal.
this is something i could also try at home
Mike