Read It/ Cook It :: Feeding the Whole Family

Last night I went to a lecture by Cynthia Lair, the author of Feeding the Whole Family. The book is fantastic for total family meals because her dishes are 'dissected' - meaning everything that could be controversial for kids is served on the side; beans with sauce on the side, chicken with sauce on the side, plain noodles reserved for picky eaters. But the point is that every one is eating the same meal (technically) and you only cook once - no more line order chef.

At my house we've given in to the two year old and we let him choose his dinner, which is usually chicken nuggets or fish sticks. Unhealthy? Yes. Full of things I can't pronounce? Yes. Would I ever eat them? No. But we got tired of the fight to get him to try anything.

And after his micro-waved nuggets are gone and he's in bed, Mr. Hedin and I sit down to a lovely dinner. It's been nice to have a moment of peace, but I do miss having a family meal and I recognize the importance of sitting down together.

So we're going to try it for a few weeks and see what happens. Here are the key bullet points I took away from Ms. Lair's lecture last night:

- Honor meal time (set it and stick to it)

- Provide good choices only. If you don't want them to eat it - don't buy it. Fruit snacks are a problem at our house. When he sees them we fight about not eating them or negotiate when he can eat them. So I moved them to the garage last night only to be used in desperate cases.

- One meal for everyone

- Include a winner in each dinner. Don't cook an entire meal that the kids won't eat. Have something at the table that you know they will eat. At my house it's broccoli, weird I know, but he'll eat broccoli so we'll be sure to have it a few nights a week. Try bread, corn on the cob, etc.

- No bribing, rewarding, or punishing. This can develop food issues at an early age.

- Clear rules about treats. My son loves McDonald's cheeseburgers (who doesn't?) but he gets them sporadically and without reason. We're setting a reason or a day when he can have one now. Every other week? Once a month? Not sure yet.

- Listen to your child. When they say they don't like something, acknowledge it but don't make it a big deal. Include your child in grocery shopping. Let them pick out something in the vegetable section - even if they pick something weird, have them help you figure out how to cook it.

I would also add to have your kids help you in the kitchen. I've done it and it works to have him help me cook. But it's not the fastest way to get dinner going. Pick one dish that they can help you with (maybe one you think they won't eat).

I'll let you know how it goes. So far, being bossy about what he's eating has been working really well. I made waffles for breakfast with no questions asked and he ate them. Same for lunch, a snack, etc. Dinner is the battle at our house, so cross your fingers for me!

For more on Cynthia Lair and her fun cooking videos click here on cookusinterruptus.com