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A GUIDE TO CLEVER, HEALTHY COOKING FOR KIDS

Cooking for your kids can be such a joy. Their little noses wiggle in delight from smelling the aromatic dishes you're whipping up; their eyes widen and their mouths water in anticipation as you serve them at the table. But what happens when you have picky kids who refuse to eat their veggies? We've all encountered this at some pointheck, even us adults have those certain greens we crinkle our noses in distaste at! But many of those decidedly nefarious plants have essential nutrients, vital to our physical health-this is especially applicable to growing children who most need their vitamins and minerals so widespread in these often detested foods. So let's analyze what they will eat, be inventive with what they won't eat, be mindful of the higher-nutrient-rich foods and incorporate our newly gathered information into what we cook for them, with TLC! Here are a few pointers:

Compose a List of Likes and Dislikes; Work With it
For example, my 11 year old daughter dislikes zucchini and my 8 year old son dislikes spinach, but they both love their brownies, of course. So, for dessert one day, I got crafty and pureed the horrible spinach and zucchini, then sneakily infused them into the delightful double fudge brownies with walnuts, their favorite. Once they scarfed half of them down, only then, did I tell them what I had done. After the initial shock, they came around and actually complimented my efforts! I'm proud to report, they now eat a generous portion of their veggies in many of the baked goods I concoct for them, without habituation or argument. But also note that I used as many healthy ingredients as possible (optional), such as egg whites instead of eggs with yolks, honey (use only for children 2 years and over) and splenda (FDA-approved for diabetic/restricted diet children) instead of sugar, unsweetened cocoa powder instead of conventional ultra sweet cocoa powder with preservatives, 1% milk instead of full fat milk (which has no more nutritional value than 1%, yet twice the fat), whole wheat flour instead of white (do not use for children with wheat allergies) and canola oil instead of margarine.
Get Creative
Plan ahead when deciding what you'll prepare for your children. For school-age kids, consider setting up a veggie pizza-making session, where kids can choose their own different textured crusts, flavored sauces, lean cheeses, and colorful toppings. Children like to know they have choices.

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