by Bonnie Christiano

Created on: June 28, 2010

When I was young, my father would tell me that if I didn’t clean my plate, he would put the food in my ears.  Not sure where he got that from but it is one of those memories that I look at fondly.  Of course he never stuffed food in my ears but the thought of having my ears filled with my dinner at least made me try to eat all of my food.  It is just a silly notion but it did what was intended.

Now that I have small children of my own, I am very conscious of what and how much they eat.  I am very opposed to wasted food and practicing certain guidelines help to avoid unnecessary waste.

When children try new food, it can take ten to fifteen attempts before they actually eat it and like it.  So when I introduce a new food to my boys, I am sure to only give them a taste.  Chances are that they won’t eat it.  If they do happen to enjoy that first try, I can always make more.

Portion control is also key to limiting waste.  My oldest son eats very little in a sitting so I am sure to only give him what I think he can eat at any given meal.  My youngest son has proven to be a more consistent eater and can probably eat larger portions.  Knowing your child’s eating personality can help deciding how much or how little to provide.

When planning meals for my children, I try to select ingredients that can easily be stored and used for a second meal.  If there are extras on the plate at the end of the meal, I can throw them into an air-tight container in the refrigerator to be heated up the following day.  

Be creative with leftovers.  Yes, you can reheat and have the same meal again but it is also good idea to reuse leftovers and reinvent the meal.  I am always looking for new ideas to spice up ingredients and making eating fun. 

Using all parts of a food is also a great way to eliminate waste.  Start your own compost.  Instead of throwing away fruit and vegetable peels, and table scraps, throw them in a compost bin which can be used to enrich your soil.  It can be a fun activity for your kids and can bring life into your garden. 

And of course, there is always mom or dad to clean-up the uneaten and unwanted food.  I can’t tell you how many times I will finish up a plate of food when my sons can’t quite eat that last bite or two.  Occasionally the dogs will also get a treat from the table.

In general, it is not that difficult to create an environment with your children where they are involved and invested in the process.  I have not used the “food in your ears” line with my kids yet.  It may make its appearance at some point but I hope that these lessons will help me to avoid the need to use it in the future.

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