Grace, from Bedfordshire, sent in her shaker salad idea. What a great way to involve kids in the kitchen, having fun and eating healthily. Lets find out more…
What did you do?
Salad somehow tastes and looks more delicious when it’s all shaken up like this! Children (and adults alike) can experiment with different ingredients over time and it’s a different way to present food to get out of a mealtime rut.
It can be eaten as a main meal or side dish and any food that’s not used can be put away in the fridge for another meal.
Equipment and ingredients needed:
– One cocktail shaker or empty jam jar/Tupperware box
– Chopped up vegetables, rice, pasta, nuts, cheese or whatever you fancy adding
– A selection of dressings such as lemon, balsamic vinegar, olive oil and seasoning
– Small serving bowls and spoons
Method:
1. Chop and prepare your ingredients and arrange in bowls
2. Get your child to spoon in whatever they like the look of into the cocktail shaker. 3. Try to include new items on offer as well as they may just surprise you!
4. Put the lid on and shake. Take lid off, put your plate on top, flip over and voila!
If you can get your child involved in the food preparation stage as well, then even better to get them used to handling food. It’s not important if your child wants to choose ingredients that are only familiar to them, the idea is to build up the more you do over time. The first time I did this, my son just put in cucumber and cheese, but he still had fun shaking it all around!
Serving suggestion:
– Without expectation
– Without bribery (as children more likely to back away even further)
– Think long-term, not just on one meal
Do you have any other projects planned?
Coming up with more interactive meal ideas can that be enjoyed by the whole family.
Tell the Housebound With Kids community a bit about yourself…
My name is Grace and I have 6-year-old boy/girl twins and live in Bedfordshire. I started a blog called Happy Little Eaters when I was struggling with my own children and their picky eating and have since picked up many ideas along the way from feeding professionals, which I am keen to spread to other families who are looking to create happier mealtimes.
@happy_little_eaters
How are you finding being housebound so far?
The hardest thing for me has been trying to fit in all my jobs in the quieter moments, which have been far and few between! There is so much to do and keep on top of, but I find myself not being able to focus, and worrying how to make the most of that precious time, that I end up doing very little as a result! I’ve been listening to Lockdown Parenting Hell podcasts by Rob Beckett and Josh Widdicombe and they have brought humour into the situation and made me realise I am not alone with these busy thoughts!
We have all benefited though from the slower pace of life and prefer it. We appreciate the simple things even more so now, such as more family meals, picnics, (thank goodness for the great weather we’ve been having!) walking the dog and bike rides.
Do you have any tips for other parents?
– ‘Let them lead the way with play’ –
(Taken from Getting The Little Blighters To Behave by Claire Potter)
I have found that by asking my children what THEY would like to do, rather than trying to come up with the perfect activity FOR them, has helped me engage with them more easily and has felt less overwhelming. This may mean you’re about to embark on something possibly a little tedious (!), but you will both reap the rewards from it and feel like the best parent in the world! And whatever you do, it doesn’t need to be Insta-worthy either, just be present and give them your full attention and watch the delight on their faces..and yours!
– Let them get bored –
Take away the guilt and need to feel you have to play with your kids 24/7. I don’t remember it being like this growing up in the 80s and I’m sure we naturally played more on our own or with siblings. It’s ok for your child to get bored; this is when they may come up with a really creative idea! This can be hard when you get ‘mummy, what can I do?!’ every two minutes, but I have ridden it out (on the days when my patience is high!) and my kids have definitely started to play more together and come up with making dens, mini films on my phone and creating dance routines.
– Make a plan –
The first few weeks of lockdown were fraught with trying to work out who was in charge of the cooking, laundry, dog-walking, childcare and cleaning and we would just get by each day by winging it, but it was creating a lot of stress not knowing who was doing what. We have got better at creating a simple plan the night before on what we will be eating, who will be in charge of the kids at what time and things feel a little calmer now amongst the chaos!
Has this website and community helped you?
It is very easy to navigate and look for an activity. Most require minimal equipment or just simple materials you already have too.
