Tasty – and healthy – meal ideas for picky eaters Wine News

I really hoped for a French child, with such an enormous appetite and such a broad taste that he would cry when a salad of gizzards was finished. Or an Italian child. Pasta is the food for kids these days, but I wanted a toddler who would happily sit down chewing on bitter radicchio leaves or stealing my negroni’s orange slice for him to eat. can begin to appreciate the flavors of adults.

But I didn’t have any French or Italian children. For years, I despaired of what my children ate. When they were toddlers, I had to make them laugh so that their mouths opened long enough to squeeze in a spoonful when they weren’t thinking. They were picky, reluctant to try new things. Their lips curled in suspicion when they were confronted with a dish they didn’t recognize. As they got older they would say, “What’s the twist? », Expecting to find out that I had put saffron in the rice.

Friends said, “Let them starve – they will eat when they are hungry,” but I couldn’t leave them without food. Lots of scrambled egg casseroles were made at the last minute. My 16 year old always gets emergency scrambled eggs while the rest of us eat something he doesn’t like.

It was laziness on my part, rather than an actual plan, that made me drop the thing to eat. I couldn’t bear to eat to become a battleground. I have seen other family members take the “just a spoonful more” approach. If a child doesn’t like a particular food, they don’t like it. Meals become stressful and eating becomes a power struggle.

My job made it worse. Food is ‘my domain’ so they decided to have fun with me. Mom wants us to eat lentil soup? Well, that won’t happen. I used to go over in my head what they had eaten in a day to make sure they had all the food groups and were eating healthy, but that was about it.

I know there are children with very specific problems. Some will only eat white foods or want every item on the plate to be separate. If I had been there I would have sought expert advice, but there was no “problem” with eating – they were just picky. I suggested that they try out a bit of what was on offer. They usually did, and then either loved him or rejected him.

The first breakthrough came when I had to be away for a few days. The oldest was 16 at the time, so they could support themselves. I bought some basic items, told them what’s in the fridge, and let them do it. It’s surprising what happens when you pass power. Left to their own devices, they cooked – because they had to eat – and savored the freedom.

The holidays were perhaps the most rewarding time. The arancini we ate on the floor at Catania airport – some stuffed with melted cheese, others with bolognese – are legendary (boys don’t think mine is as good as the original). A chicken and coleslaw salad with a tangy / sour / salty / sweet dressing was the key experience in Vietnam.

My oldest is a very good cook – his stew is better than mine – and he has a calm, perfectionist approach. He will continue to cook a dish until he understands it, then he will move on. It took him years to master spaghetti carbonara, but he produced plates where the egg yolk is creamy and just hot and not scrambled from a distance. It also includes seasoning.

I even came home for some perfect homemade tagliatelle hanging on wooden spoons placed between boxes of tomatoes (I think boys like a “project”).

Fresh pasta? I just treated him like normal. Offer them different foods, don’t make eating a battleground, let them take control. Tonight there are sausages and lentils on the menu and I’m not doing them. I’m already hungry.

Three easy dishes for gourmets

Gooey and Moreish, this is the best meal eaten while waiting for a delayed flight anywhere. We could not have liked Catania Airport more.