Picky Eater Problems?
Learn how Amanda gets 70 children to eat their veges every single day…!
BY BONNIE LAXTON-BLINKHORN, KINDICARE
With only 9% of Australian children meeting their recommended daily vegetable intake, it has never been more important to start healthy habits early. But how do you convert your little chicken nugget lover to a child who devours a plate of vegetables for dinner instead?
We’ve put that question to someone who is an expert when it comes to satisfying picky eaters… Amanda Prentice, the cook at Creative Garden Coombabah Early Learning Centre.
Amanda cooks delicious vege packed meals for around 70 children every day, accommodating the full range of allergies and intolerances as well as battling with picky little taste buds.
Cooking for 70 children – what is Amanda’s secret?
Amanda says the secret to her success is the popular book, Wholesome Child: A Complete Nutrition Guide and Cookbook, which she uses to develop nutritious and delicious meals which are converting Creative Garden’s fussiest eaters into voracious vege monsters!
A key component in Amanda’s strategy is making simple ingredient swaps and really ramping up the vege content in crowd pleaser meals. The veges can be visible and invisible.
“Start by fine dicing vegetables in a food processor and adding them to any wet dish like pasta sauce.
“You can also add puréed cauliflower to the wet ingredients when making muffins and adding cubed pumpkin and sweet potato can be a great way to sweeten and thicken curries and stews,” said Amanda.
Amanda says her top three ingredient swaps for making healthier meals are:
- Sugar for honey, coconut sugar or pure maple syrup in cakes and muffins
- Whole grain instead of white pasta, rice and flour (start with a half-half mix to make the transition easier)
- Fruit smoothies instead of flavoured milk
Four-year-old Kaianu is one of the happy recipients of Amanda’s meal-making and magical ingredient swaps and his mum, Sam, is happy too.
“Kaianu used to refuse to eat vegetable stews at home, but now, he loves them,” she said.
Presentation is paramount
According to Accredited Practicing Dietitian and Creative Garden’s Nutritional Trainer Lisa Strauss, if a food looks yummy and familiar children will be more likely to try it.
“Children are drawn to how food looks and tastes, so presentation and taste are important,” she said.
“I always encourage families to keep trying new foods. When we are busy, it is easy to give up and give in, but if you continually try to present the new foods and show that you are enjoying the food, children will be more likely to open up.”
Cook, Amanda says small changes and improvements to a child’s diet can be made slowly without causing too much of an uproar and she agrees with Lisa that persistence pays off.
Once your preschooler’s palate has adjusted, they will be ready to try Amanda’s favourite healthy snack:
Broccoli Tots
Ingredients
- 2 cups Broccoli, washed, broken into florets, steamed and completely cooled
- ½ cup Baby spinach, washed and chopped
- 1 Egg
- ¼ cup Brown onion, finely diced
- 1/3 cup Grated cheese
- ½ cup Rice breadcrumbs
- 2 tbs Fresh parsley, washed and chopped
Method
- Place broccoli into a high-speed food processor and blend until it breaks down into small pieces.
- Add the rest of the ingredients and pulse to combine.
- Using a tablespoon, form dough into desired shape and place on lined baking tray.
- Bake for 25 minutes, flipping halfway.
- Serve and enjoy!
Why healthy eating is so important for youngsters
Dietitian Lisa Strauss says healthy eating amongst preschoolers has a positive impact on their development and sets the foundations for a healthier life.
“Young children, whose brains are rapidly developing, need a nutrient-dense diet to help them as they process the world around them.
“Without the right nutrients, toddlers and pre-schoolers might struggle to develop the skills to maintain concentration, which becomes increasingly important as they get older.
“Nutrient-dense foods, such as fish, broccoli and berries are just a few foods shown to improve cognitive functions and memory,” she said.
Learn more about eating a rainbow here and how to encourage healthy eating.
Find the closest Creative Garden centre to you on KindiCare >>>>