A special article for KidMarket from Cheverly Community Market herbalist/nutritionist Bevin Clare...
I remember mushy grey brussel sprouts as a kid, but they didn’t stop me from loving farm-fresh veggies as an adult. Vegetables and herbs can be a fun and interesting part of any kid’s diet (never mind an important one for their growth and development). With the right ideas and strategies, you can make KidMarket this week the beginning of your child’s love affair with veggies. Below I share some practical ways to add veggies and fresh herbs into your little one’s diet.
Most importantly, share a love of fresh foods and herbs and the abundance of summer. Teach your children about the growing cycle and watch plants around you. Discuss why plants make vegetables (to disperse seeds and reproduce), and help them look for seeds in each of the vegetables they find. Inspiring a love of nature and the seasons will help them to connect with their food in a whole new way. If they see you loving fresh foods and reveling in the abundance of the season, they may learn to do the same.
Prime your little one to be ready to shop ‘til they drop this weekend since they will be “in charge” of one of your meals. Get them a basket and assign them to find two or three vegetables for the family this week. Once they choose their veggies, they can also help to pick out a recipe and to make the meal. This can be a fun and rewarding way to connect farm to table.
Beyond turning all vegetables into ice cream, there are a number of ways to encourage copious vegetable eating in kids. Try making a rainbow vegetable pizza with whole grain dough, and pile it sky high with rainbow colored vegetables. See if they can find each color of the rainbow at the market. As root vegetables become in season, make healthy baked fries out of anything but potatoes. Any squash, sweet potatoes, beets, carrots, parsnips and turnips will work if you cut them into strips, lightly coat with olive oil and bake until browned.
Salsa is good for all of us and so easy to make! Just chop and combine almost anything you can find at the market including peppers, corn, fruit, summer squashes and zucchini and tomatoes. You can also add a can of rinsed black beans for extra protein and flavor. You can also make a great dip from plain yogurt and fresh herbs or use fresh herbs and a spice mix, and dip veggie sticks in for a healthy snack. Lastly, soups are always a hit, so you can lightly cook almost any vegetables and puree. Fresh corn makes a great base, and is so sweet and creamy in the summer you don’t even need to add cream.
To drink, try making a variety of herbal teas and adding a little bit of juice. Once your kids get use to this they can create their favorite combos, and you can add the tea to the bottle in the fridge so they get more nutrients and less sugar in each cup.
Be sure to have fun with your kids this weekend and build that rainbow of veggies, and after Saturday's KidMarket,
every market can be kid market!
A special article for KidMarket from Cheverly Community Market herbalist/nutritionist Bevin Clare...
I remember mushy grey brussel sprouts as a kid, but they didn’t stop me from loving farm-fresh veggies as an adult. Vegetables and herbs can be a fun and interesting part of any kid’s diet (never mind an important one for their growth and development). With the right ideas and strategies, you can make KidMarket this week the beginning of your child’s love affair with veggies. Below I share some practical ways to add veggies and fresh herbs into your little one’s diet.
Most importantly, share a love of fresh foods and herbs and the abundance of summer. Teach your children about the growing cycle and watch plants around you. Discuss why plants make vegetables (to disperse seeds and reproduce), and help them look for seeds in each of the vegetables they find. Inspiring a love of nature and the seasons will help them to connect with their food in a whole new way. If they see you loving fresh foods and reveling in the abundance of the season, they may learn to do the same.
Prime your little one to be ready to shop ‘til they drop this weekend since they will be “in charge” of one of your meals. Get them a basket and assign them to find two or three vegetables for the family this week. Once they choose their veggies, they can also help to pick out a recipe and to make the meal. This can be a fun and rewarding way to connect farm to table.
Beyond turning all vegetables into ice cream, there are a number of ways to encourage copious vegetable eating in kids. Try making a rainbow vegetable pizza with whole grain dough, and pile it sky high with rainbow colored vegetables. See if they can find each color of the rainbow at the market. As root vegetables become in season, make healthy baked fries out of anything but potatoes. Any squash, sweet potatoes, beets, carrots, parsnips and turnips will work if you cut them into strips, lightly coat with olive oil and bake until browned.
Salsa is good for all of us and so easy to make! Just chop and combine almost anything you can find at the market including peppers, corn, fruit, summer squashes and zucchini and tomatoes. You can also add a can of rinsed black beans for extra protein and flavor. You can also make a great dip from plain yogurt and fresh herbs or use fresh herbs and a spice mix, and dip veggie sticks in for a healthy snack. Lastly, soups are always a hit, so you can lightly cook almost any vegetables and puree. Fresh corn makes a great base, and is so sweet and creamy in the summer you don’t even need to add cream.
To drink, try making a variety of herbal teas and adding a little bit of juice. Once your kids get use to this they can create their favorite combos, and you can add the tea to the bottle in the fridge so they get more nutrients and less sugar in each cup.
Be sure to have fun with your kids this weekend and build that rainbow of veggies, and after Saturday's KidMarket, every market can be kid market!
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