Ready2Eat: Have kids help cook to avoid picky eating, make healthy choices

Gluten-free banana nut protein bars
Gluten-free banana nut protein bars

Weve all encountered them " picky eaters. Whether its a spouse, yourself or a child, I truly believe theres hope for everyone to try new things.

Did you know our taste buds change as we age? Something we used to hate may now be something very delicious! Thats why we should always be willing to try.

One thing that Ive found consistently with picky children is that if you involve them in what they are about to eat, they are much more likely to give it a try. If they have an actual investment in the foods that they eat " an investment other than getting to pick which box of Fruit Roll-Ups they want at the grocery store " they will eat it.

I worked with a family in Jefferson City that really wanted their daughter to choose better snacks. She is in grade school, and she always selected the sugary snacks. The two of us " the little girl and I " made some trail mix. She helped me measure ingredients, got her hands in there and stirred it up, and we put it in portion-sized packages. She loved it. She ate it! She made it herself and took pride in that.

My suggestion, too, is that you have the kiddos help you in the kitchen as soon as theyre able to. Little ones love to help. All of my children started helping me in the kitchen at the ages of 4 or 5.

Todays recipe is brought to you by my littlest helper, Gia. She loves real food. She will devour an avocado with a spoon and have the cutest green smile right after. She loves to help me cook. Ive even deemed her my little sous chef in the kitchen. She has her own apron and her own box to stand on so she can reach the counters. She is 5, but she started cooking with me when she was 4.

She has an intolerance to gluten, so we always make gluten-free snacks for her and her family. We have made granola, gluten-free donuts, and todays recipe is for no-bake banana nut protein bars.

When cooking with little ones, I always pre-measure all of the ingredients, just like on a cooking show. They help me scoop out the desired amount, then we have everything in bowls ready to add to the mix.

photo

Hogeye Marathon

Be prepared for mishaps. Be prepared for sticky fingers. Be prepared for a mess. Its all worth it in the end to see the look of accomplishment on their faces when they have a finished product that they can eat.

Our mishap on this recipe was mine and mine alone. The recipe calls for medjool dates. My total concentration was on letting Gia count how many dates went into the food processor. She counted nine dates; we added in the banana, which she peeled herself, and turned on the food processor. I let her push the button to turn on the food processor, and it almost started jumping across the table. And it was loud! I had forgotten one very important thing " dates have pits. Pits need to be removed before putting them in a food processor! So we scraped out the dates and the banana " and the pits " washed the food processor and tried again. She thought I was pretty funny for messing up!

Heres the recipe, along with a cute picture of my little sous chef. Dont be afraid to cook with your kids. Its a great time to bond, to have fun and to teach them about good food choices.

Laurel Dunwoody owns Love2Nourish, a Jefferson City meal-preparation business that specializes in nutrition counseling services and healthy meals from fresh ingredients customers can enjoy at home.

NO-BAKE BANANA NUT PROTEIN BARS

Makes: 10 bars

1"2 cup pitted Medjool dates, packed (about 9 large dates)

1"2 cup mashed overripe banana (about 1 medium banana)

1 teaspoon vanilla

1"2 cup walnuts

1"2 cup almonds

1 cup old-fashioned oats

2 tablespoons ground flaxseed

1"4 teaspoon cinnamon

1"4 teaspoon salt

1"2 cup vanilla protein powder

1"4 cup chocolate chips (optional)

Line an 8-by-8-inch pan with parchment paper or plastic wrap and set aside. To help the parchment paper stick, you can spray the pan with cooking spray first. Blend dates, banana and vanilla in a large food processor for about a minute, or until smooth. Add walnuts, almonds, 3"4 cup of the oats, flaxseed, cinnamon and salt, and blend for another minute or two, or until fairly smooth. Scrape down the sides and add in the other 1"4 cup of oats and protein powder. Process for another minute or until the mixture is well combined. Stir in optional chocolate chips.

Spoon mixture into prepared pan. With wet hands, flatten in pan until it looks fairly even throughout. Place pan in freezer for at least 2 3 hours.

Remove from freezer, slice into bars and serve.

Store bars in freezer " they can be eaten directly from the freezer without thawing.