Hi everyone
Let me put up my own Dodgy Parent hand first.
Many’s the time I’ve looked at a menu and thought about the health value of my own meal (“Should I have the salad? Or the grilled chicken?”) and then turned to my sons and said “What do you want from the kids’ menu, loves? The hotdog and chips or the hamburger and chips?”
And it’s not only the limited kids’ menus.
Take breakfast in most homes. While I’m having the low GI Woolies berry granola and low fat Bulgarian yoghurt, the boys are munching their way through Chocolate SugarBalls, or some such cereal hyper-bomb.
It’s an easy position to get into. I don’t care how many curly-eyelashed, butterfly-shaped broccoli quiche slices Annabel Karmel photographs… I’ve never met a kid who’ll sink a fork into one.
It’s hard to get kids to eat healthily, we know that. And while, over the years, I’ve made my own share of puréed Mediterranean Vegetable Medley for babies (“Oh open up sweetie, it’s delicious!”), followed by the toddler Karmel cajoling (“But it’s not just carrots, angel. It’s a Carrot Castle!)… I seem to have lapsed into a more ‘Did you eat something? Great.’ attitude.
I know. It’s not acceptable. I have some healthy staples: a solid vegetable lasagne, a nummy mushroom risotto and a mean roast chicken and trimmings… but I really need more in my arsenal.
So I am asking all you other parents out there… what are your healthy kid-friendly meals? I’m looking for lunches, dinners or breakfasts – hell, anything that’s healthy, but that everyone will actually eat.
Go on. Let’s share.
Love and lettuce