It occurred to me today, that if I could get my kid to appreciate, or at least tolerate, salad, bread & cheese for dinner, I could have it more often.
I hardly ever get to have salad, bread & cheese at suppertime, because of my family. Rose is five, and presents the kind of mealtime challenges typical of kids her age. Shane is huge and thinks of salad, bread and cheese as nothing more than a barely substantial snack.
Tonight I made a salad, and served it with fresh mozzarella, which I know Rose likes, Fromage D’Affinios, which I figured would be a long shot, and some nice chewy, crusty bread. To hedge my bets, I cooked a sausage, sliced it up and put toothpicks in the slices (kids love food with toothpicks). I figured if all else failed, Rose would have sausage for dinner and be none the worse for it.
I was pleasantly surprised. She started with the sausage and proceeded to eat a bit of everything except the D’Affinois and the bread. Mission accomplished! Salad, Bread and Cheese is going to be the new Lazy Wednesday.
Wow – she didn’t eat the bread? Around here, the bread and sausage would have been the first to go. You’re giving me some ideas.
The thing I keep meaning to ask is how did you get her to eat salad? Do you remember what age she started eating it? My boys are cool w/ vegetables but salad? No way.
The trick to getting kids to eat salad, I believe, is a really tasty dressing. Rose loves the famous Rita’s Dressing, in all it’s many forms. She also likes a sweet balsamic dressing which is just balsamic vinegar mixed with honey, a 1:1 ratio, a little salt and olive oil. Mix it all up and make sure it’s not too sweet or too tangy, then add more honey or balsamic to balance.
Also, use kid-friendly veggies. Rose likes peppers, fennel and some lettuces, arugula if it’s not too spicy, boston lettuce is a big hit.