Another Cottage

 

All my kids went through periods – some of them pretty intense – of being picky about what they ate. I didn’t do the “don't leave the table until your plate's clean” thing, mostly because I suspected in a battle of wills I might not win. But I did try to discourage wasted food. They all seemed to be pretty good at getting enough grains, dairy, fruits and even protein. But I worried about getting them to eat enough veg. I tried to make it fun; I made landscapes or portraits on their plates with brightly colored cut vegetables and ranch dressing. If that didn’t work, I got sneaky. I slipped spinach or kale into fruit smoothies. I “hid” celery and carrots in chili; mushrooms and red onions in pepperoni pizza; broccoli and peppers in marinara. Did this teach them to be less picky adults? Probably not. But they all made it to adulthood. I’m calling it a win.