My Little Chef

Princess is a picky eater. Unfortunately I think part of it is nature, part nurture. I myself am a pretty picky eater as well. I like what I like and I don't like what I don't. I eat a variety of foods, but if it doesn't "taste right", it bugs me.

Princess eats a variety of foods as well, but she is picky. Chicken is good as long as it's either a plain chicken breast, or chicken nuggets. She is unsure of ham (it's hit or miss with her), and like pork chops, as long as it's plain. Steak is good when cut into itty bitty cubes (it takes too long to chew otherwise), and she likes ground beef, but only in hamburger form. She likes raw spinach, lettuce, broccoli stalks, and carrots; and a wide variety of fruits. She likes yogurt, cheese, and milk.

I was talking to a friend last week and she mentioned that one of her friends with older kids lets them cook one night a month. They pick the menu (as long as it includes a main dish and a vegetable, and then a desert) and they prepare it with mom's help.

This inspired me. Princess LOVES to help her dad in the kitchen, and I've read that to help kids with picky palates it's best to let them help prepare - they're more likely to eat something they've made. Beyond all that, I learned to cook (really, I did!) with my mom in the kitchen. I remember helping to make pizza before I started kindergarten, and helping my dad roll out handmade fettuccine noodles. Now's the perfect time to start teaching her. Not to mention she'll be introduced to the math and science of cooking!

So last night we tried an experiment - we told Princess that she could make us dinner, with a few simple rules - it had to be a main with veggies, and she had to eat everything that she prepared. I fully expected the first time to be blue-box special, carrots, and cookies. But she was eager to look through cookbooks and come up with "something fancy".

Last night we had bow-tie pasta with ham and peas in a homemade creamy cheese sauce (which is leaps and bounds above KD because at least it's REAL cheese!), with chocolate brownies for dessert :) We skipped the side dish, and just upped the pea content of the pasta. She was SO pleased with herself, and Hubbyman and I were damn proud of her too :) She already has the menu for next time picked out - she wants to make fish balls (which shocked me - she doesn't like fish!) with spinach salad and cookies for dessert.

Sideways, but here's the finished product!