Alex is as nutty and eccentric as he is charming, brilliant and startlingly eloquent. But in the end, he is still a classic 11-year old boy (and yes, these days that means marathon gamer as well). And if you have kids, I am sure you can relate when it comes to getting them to eat healthier; it can be an uphill battle starting as far back as strained peas.
Not exactly like the 11-year old boys when I was growing up, as that was a different era – one where we ate what was put on the table in front of us…. Period. If it was up to Alex, his diet for the rest of his life might be the thing of Sugarplum Fairies.
Alex has a pretty limited tolerance for anything outside his list of ‘Alex Approved’ foods: cheese, bread and bread like things (e.g., pancakes, pizza), Jimmy Dean mini sausage burgers, meat (typically smothered in BBQ sauce), shrimp tempura, chicken, sometimes salmon or swordfish, sugar-coated cereals, sweets, scrambled eggs, and a number of things covered in ranch dressing (but not veggies of course).
Now, as the youngest of 3, with two incredible older sisters, Lina and Greta, we have to take some responsibility for Alex’s narrowly approved list. We have let him go on ‘autopilot’ to some degree, being busy, older and more comfortable with the parenting thing.
Fortunately, both his sisters are at a point where they want to ween Alex off his narrow and somewhat unhealthy diet. Greta, in fact, is a heck of a baker, and pretty facile with some light and quick meals made from scratch, and she is helping to teach Alex to cook while encouraging him to expand his diet to one that is more balanced. Even if that begins with pancakes sprinkled with some M&M’s and perhaps a little peanut butter, at least he is beginning to cook.
But as I become more concerned with the health and well-being of today’s youth, and particularly these three beloved kids, I realize I have the opportunity to experiment and attempt to bring them forward in the breadth of the foods they eat, the awareness of how their near and long-term health is intrinsically coupled with their diet, and how they can save money and eat healthier by being knowledgeable cooks.
Most parents I talk to pretty much relate 100% to what I have said so far. But they also agree that it is a challenge to get the kids to eat better, and it takes so much time and effort. So I would like to share what I am doing towards being a good role model, and cooking alongside them, sharing in the incremental journey from ‘mug cup cakes’ to scrambled eggs to stir fry veggies and roasted chickens.
This is a fast moving game, as Alex has been willing to try somethings the just days before were absolutely off limits. For instance, I asked him if he would please do me the honor of not drowning my smoked Tri-Tip steak in BBQ sauce without giving it a try, just the way I had painstakingly and lovingly prepared it. He said, “ok” and then he followed with “I like it, I will just eat it the way you cooked it.” I was simultaneously floored and delighted. Still, on another day, if asked to at least try a bite of grilled carrot, he may stare at it on the end of his fork for 10 minutes with a look on his face that seemed to indicate we were asking him to eat a live snake.
I will indicate which recipes have been honored with the ‘Alex Approved’ rating along with some insight into how we got there. I know that one of the barriers to cooking healthy meals for yourself is that you then have to figure out what you are going to feed the kids…. Right? I would like to support you in this journey. Perhaps you will soon be able to cookmore meals from scratch that are easy, low cost, healthy and yet pleasing to the entire family.
‘Alex Approved’ recipes will be noted and further explained in the notes for those recipes. This information will be presented like in the example shown below. I hope these particular recipes can serve as a stepping stone for your kids like they have been for me.
