I loathe the term “kid-friendly” when it comes to food. That is too often synonymous with fat-laden-greasy-sodium-overdose-fried-processed-garbage-cut-into-bite-size-nuggets. Let’s just call it FLGSOFPGCIBSN for short. Now don’t get me wrong. There’s a time for indulging in FLGSOFPGCIBSN. I admit to enjoying fries and a shake on road trips. No ketchup, vanilla, in case you’re wondering. I pretty much can’t resist fries any time. I make baked sweet potato fries at home, and every so often the boys split fries and a salad as their sides when we go out. I distract them so I can poach some fries. When we eat at home it’s a different story. One family, one meal. This mindset of preparing a separate meal for children is nonsense. Let’s just call it BS.
Bird and Deal weren’t born great eaters. They were raised great eaters. And yes, this took work. It still does. Sure, we all have preferences, but preference does not equate to picky. Bird doesn’t love mushrooms, but the kid inhales sushi and has asked for Manchego cheese by name since he was four. I’ll let the mushrooms go. Deal is already looking forward to college so he can OD on Doritos and soda, two things we never have. The kid is a marketer’s dream and pines for processed food, yet he never orders FLGSOFPGCIBSN from a menu. He also loves escargot, broccoli, and spinach, not necessarily together.
When we go out to eat, which is a regular family outing, the boys ask for a regular menu. While that’s expensive, at least they have healthy options. We have taught the boys about food since they perched in their high chair while we cooked dinner. From a tender age I showed them food labels and explained that a long ingredient list likely means the product isn’t good for you. They didn’t even know how to read but could process this information. As they got older our rule of thumb was that if you can’t pronounce it it’s probably not good for you. Grocery shopping was an adventure and a learning opportunity. Ditto for the farmers market and restaurants. The common denominator in all this has been talking and involving the family in our meals. We continue to do this, and it’s paid off.
In reading this I realize I sound arrogant, but that’s not my intent. It’s hard to take the time to focus on all this when you are dog tired and on the verge of losing it around meal time, also known as the witching hour. It’s hard to use precious energy to make feeding your kids a teachable moment when you’re fed up yourself. I get it. There are plenty of times we have hot dogs for dinner (nitrite free, whole wheat buns). I do what I can. But here’s the thing, it’s harder to prepare two separate meals, isn’t it? Kids won’t starve. At our house I cook one meal that everyone eats. Everyone might enjoy it at different spots on the continuum, but it’s the only meal. No cereal or PB&J standing by. There’s always breakfast.
As a nation we are nudging to make room on the soapbox to fight for equitable education, and we fiercely battle for what goes into kids’ brains. The same zeal doesn’t seem to make it to the grocery aisle or restaurant menus. I have always told my children that we feed their bellies and their brains. What goes in has a direct impact on their ability to learn, sleep, and play.
One of my favorite Raleigh restaurants closed, and it had the best kids menu. Basically the kids menu was smaller portions of the adult menu. Same fresh ingredients, steamed or sauteed vegetables, grilled chicken. We’re not talking sushi and escargot here. Just simple, fresh food. Good-for-you doesn’t mean fancy and inaccessible. This is one reason I love my friend Jennie’s cookbook so much. When we were renovating our house and had to put everything in storage for a year, the only cookbook I brought to our rental was Jennie’s. Homemade With Love.
This all leads me to why I am thrilled to see Scott Crawford’s new venture take shape in downtown Raleigh, right by my neighborhood. This James Beard finalist, in partnership with John Holmes, is going to make Standard Foods my new gold standard. I just have a delectable feeling about this.
I agree, it can be difficult, but it CAN happen.
We’re not always quite as healthy as we should be – but there are no “extra” meals at my house. I cook dinner and I’m probably the one eating differently if there are red meat/pork aspects involved.
But I’m all about a hot dog in a crescent roll if I have to be. 🙂
Agreed! My 5yo son LOVES veggies and we work to keep our kitchen stocked with them so he can snack on them whenever he wants. I will let a mac ‘n cheese dinner slide when we eat out on occasion but only because I know he eats so healthy the rest of the time. It’s rare he gets a “special” meal at dinner time. If he does, it’s mix of leftover from previous family meals (ie, last night we were running late so I fixed him a plate with mixed veggies, pasta, fresh berries, and a small sausage link). I’m also proud to see that my “try it, you might like it” (a la, Yo Gabba Gabba) has sunk in as he recently told my stepfather that he needed to try raw pepper strips. I wasn’t there but my mom called to relay the story and picturing my son telling his grandfather he needed to try some veggies made me laugh.
I used to think that picky eaters were made not born and then I had children. I raise them all the same, making my own baby food and insisting they eat what we eat for meals. But my oldest is beyond picky. She hardly eats meat and won’t touch certain vegetables. But I refuse to be a short order cook. She has to eat one bite of everything and from there eating is a choice. I know she’ll never learn to like new foods if I cater to her picky eating. Plus, I’m just not cooking separate meals. No way. Each year she’s adding new foods to her like list so I think she’ll turn out fine.
However the kid who turns her nose up at a beef taco will eat a fish taco. And she wouldn’t dream of eating a chicken nugget but started eating sushi at 10 months old so all is not lost with the kid.