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feeding your family
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BY EMILY DiCESARE
Letting kids make their own choices at mealtime also helps to encourage them to make good choices. It teaches them the “balance” of meals. In most of our minds when eating a meal, serving ourselves food, or planning a meal there is a division or fraction of meat/starch/veggies that we picture on our plates. Allowing kids to serve themselves also shows us our children’s preferences, which may not always be exactly what we think. A very popular meal style in our house are bowl meals. These follow a basic “formula,” but the options are unlimited. This style of eating can be applied to any cuisine you can think of. It is a great way to sneak in more vegetables (or even trick your family into eating a salad for dinner without even realizing they are doing it).
FORMULA Base Protein Veggies Toppings Sauces 16
Summer 2021 | 585kids.com
The base starts with greens and/or grains. Lettuce, kale, spinach, rice, grains such as quinoa or farro, lentils, or any combination of these. Protein choices could include meats, grilled tofu, shrimp, beans, or seitan cubes/crumbles. This is also a great way to use up leftovers from the night before. Pressed for time, or too hot to cook? Buy a rotisserie chicken from the store and use that for your protein. For veggies I like to use a combo of roasted/grilled vegetables and some raw. (This is another great use for that leftover broccoli or cauliflower, etc ... from last night’s dinner). Try to keep your veggies all about the same size. Cucumbers, carrots, bells peppers, and cherry tomatoes can quickly be chopped to roughly bite size pieces. Toppings can include cheeses, nuts, tortilla chips. A quickly pickled or “refrigerator pickled” cucumber or red onion add a nice acidity and brightness to any of the bowls listed here. Mexican—taco or fajita bowls Mediterranean—falafel, chickpeas, eggplant, gyro, shawarma Indian—chana masala, roasted cauliflower Asian—spring roll bowls, stir fry, sticky sesame chickpeas American—Cheeseburger bowls, Buffalo chickpea/ chicken bowls
Photos by author
When children feel like they are in charge of their food, they are more likely to eat what is served.
