Thursday, March 09, 2006

More Carrots, Peas!

I've been on a campaign to get my kids to eat more fruit and vegetables. Baby, of course, will eat anything. But Brother and Sister have become more and more picky and it's driving me bonkers. So I started introducing one "new" fruit or vegetable every so often and making it mandatory to eat. Not "new" as in "new to the planet" or "new hybrid varieties", but new to my kids who have formerly shunned them. About a month ago it was peas. I discovered I could get them to eat peas if I mix a little corn with them. Now they eat them without batting an eye. Sister, who doesn't like much fruit, is now eating apple slices. Today I introduced the carrot. Earth-shattering, I know. Sister saw me eating baby carrots with veggie dip and asked if she could try it. I almost choked, but tried to act nonchallant in my answer, "Sure." She dipped the carrot and tried it, her little chipmunk cheeks crunching away. I fully expected a snub. But to my surprise, she kept munching. "Do you like it?" I asked. "Mmmm-mmm," she mumbled, busy swirling her carrot in the creamy white stuff on her plate, as if she'd been doing it all her life. Then Brother asked for some. Brother, who claims carrots will kill him, asked for some. I'm not making it up. I gave him one baby carrot and some dip and watched with bated breath. Could it be? My boy eating...gasp...a carrot?! "Mmmmmmmm!" he exclaimed. "That's good!" Then they both asked for more!!! They each ate two baby carrots! Granted, they were dipped in fattening garlic and herb dip, but at this point, I don't care if they are dipped in marshmallow cream and Hershey bars. It is a vegetable passing their lips and making it's way to their little tummies!!!

I'm still reeling from the excitement.

3 comments:

Sarah said...

My son put ranch dressing on his steamed broccoli last night. It made me gag to look at, but since he ate it, I let him do it. I have a friend that glazes her carrots with maple syrup -- I'm sure any kid would eat that. I think my kids would eat rocks if I gave them enough ranch dressing to go on it.

LiteratureLover said...

Awesome!! Way to go, Mom! Another idea might be that you try eating it like you're eating your last stash of chocolate. As if you don't want them to see or have any, but when they start begging say, "Oh okay, I only made a little bit of this squash but I'll share if you REALLY want some. But you can only have a LITTLE." ;)

janiners said...

kids are so interesting. one thing I've noticed with Ryan is that he likes to copy me. and, he'll eat just about anything - thank goodness! it's actually Jamie that will not eat her vegetables, go figure.