Fresh vegetables are so important in our diets for excellent health, and, while parents may enjoy digging in to a big salad, the munchkins are not always as enthusiastic to chew through all that roughage! It is possible, though, to teach children at a young age to eat their vegetables, and yes, even salad!
I have found a few things that have been helpful in encouraging my munchkins to be salad eaters. The biggest help has been simply chopping up the vegetables in to very small pieces. While dining at Outback Steakhouse awhile ago, I ordered their Chopped Salad. It was prepared differently than most restaurant salads which have big pieces of lettuce, a wedge of tomato and other largely cut vegetables. Instead, the lettuce and all other ingredients were cut into very small pieces, hence, the name of the salad. I thought this was a great idea to apply to not only my children's salads, but to my own, as chopping the vegetables into small pieces cuts way down on the time it takes to chew all those larger pieces- much of the work has been done for you! I've noticed, as well, that the quantity of salad we are able to consume has become much more--there's a lot less "fluff" on the plate, and a more dense serving of vegetables. The more vegetables the better, right?!
You may be thinking that it would take a lot of time to chop all those vegetebles. If you have a decent chef's knife and a cutting board, this really takes very little time--just watch those fingers while you chop quickly like the pros! One step further, having your children help to prepare the salad often makes them more enthusiastic about eating it- it's usually exciting to try something you've cooked yourself. Even a mature 2 or 3 year old can stand on a stepping stool at the sink and wash the lettuce. They'll love playing in the water while getting the lettuce clean. Then, have your munchkin tear the lettuce into pieces (we're not looking for perfection here, just a little help!), and you can finish it off by chopping it into the small pieces that I described above. Children who are a bit older can learn to peel the cucumbers or other vegetables, and as they mature can help you to cut them up.
Having a yummy salad dressing and other tasty salad editions like honey toasted sliced almonds (toaste the nuts with a little honey in a skillet, but beware, they burn easily!) can certainly help make the flavor of a salad more appealing. Ranch dressing seems to be very popular with munchkins. Storebought dressings are not the healthiest of things to consume, being full of chemicals and preservatives, so it's best to have homemade. But, in a pinch, I'd still go for the dressing in limited quantities to encourage little eaters to eat their vegetables. Here's a great Ranch salad dressing recipe you might like to try:
RANCH DRESSING
1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 teaspoon dried chives
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
1/4 teaspoon dried dill
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
Whisk all ingredients together in a large bowl. Refrigerate, covered, for at least 30 minutes before serving.
Another idea to help your munchkins eat their salads is to serve the salad first, and not move on to the rest of the meal until the salad is eaten. (For some of you when starting out, this may mean that your munchkins will only get a single tiny piece of lettuce or other vegetable on their salad plate, and gradually increasing the amount that needs to be eatern, before moving on to any quantity of salad!)
Why not make a simple salad a daily routine that you and your munchkins prepare together? It only takes a few minutes to make, and you will reap the benefits of a serving of great nutrition every day, and have children who have the healthy habit of eating their vegetables!
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