Cauli-broccoli and Ras-blueberries are the BEST!

Love broccoli? You'll love cauliflower! Love blueberries? Ras-blueberries are equally awesome.....except they're pink! That's the logic I used to get my kids to try new fruits and veggies. Ginger loved broccoli, but wouldn't look at cauliflower. Until that is, I called it "cauli-broccoli". Then she gobbled up a whole bowl of it. Rasberries were scary, until I made them sound like her favorite blue fruit.

Parenting requires creativity out the ying-yang. Making new foods sound like something my kids already liked has really help me get them to try different things and expand their tastes. Of course after a while, I'd let them know "Oh, most people usually just call the white stuff cauliflower cause it looks so pretty like a flower". Change made, easy as that.

Isn't it a challenge to get our children to try new things? Especially the healthy stuff we really wished they would try? I think it is. We have to sing about food, tell stories about it, and play games with it in order to make strides in increasing nutrition. Sometimes we go shopping and I let my kids pick out one new fruit or veggie they'd like to try. Having that power of choice seems to get them more excited about trying new things.

Maybe by changing the names of something you'd really like your child to try, or combining it with something they already like will work for you. Give them a choice at the grocery store or allow them to take part in meal preparation if they're of age. Eating well can be delicious and fun!

If you have any tricks up your sleeve share them with us. Use the comments section. And........try some cauli-broccoli. It's the best!