ah ha

i had to share my most recent "ah ha" moment. i read all of the parenting magazines (mostly for fun ideas and tips), and i have read many times that if you have your kids cook with you they will be more inclined to eat that food. well, maddie has a pretty average eating habit. she is not very picky, anymore. like most kids her age though she does not want to eat a lot of the adult foods that we cook for dinner. she would rather have mac' n cheese or spaghetti-o's. so one day i tried cooking with her. we made rachel ray's stromboli recipe with an antipasto salad. i had a blast because she could be involved with what i was doing and i loved seeing her learn new things. so as we were laying out all of the ingredients, she began trying first the salami, then the pepperoni, ham, and finally the cheese (this was completely of her own free will, i did not ask her to try it or even taste it myself). after each item she would say, "i like this mommy". and then we made the salad with the same ingredients, plus lettuce. when i started to put the salad into bowls, she told me she wanted some, but hold the dressing. so here is my little chef eating a salad without dressing and loving it. i am still shocked because since then every time she cooks with me she is so much more willing to try new things and she does like the majority of them. "ah ha" this cooking with kids thing really works! (excuse the bangs in her face. we are growing them out and she likes to take out her barrettes when we are home.)