Bait and switch

By Meredith Hines-Dochterman/The Gazette

Parents will recognize this scenario. You work hard in the kitchen making a nutritious dinner only to have your offspring make a face and say these dreaded words: “I don't like this.”

It doesn't matter that they have never tried it before. It's different. It's healthy. They aren't having it.

Fed up with diets that don't go beyond chicken nuggets and pizza, some parents have resorted to subversive tactics to get healthy foods in their kids' stomachs.

“The food processor is definitely my friend,” says Kate Hess.

The Iowa City mother of three - son Solomon is 16, daughters Violet and Isabella are 12 and 6 respectively - regularly uses the food processor to grind up vegetables, which she then adds to spaghetti sauce, macaroni and cheese and soups.

“Smoothies are easy, too,” she says. “You can throw a carrot or a beet in a fruit smoothie and you don't even notice it.”

Isabella is not as big of a smoothie fan as her older siblings, so Hess adds a stick and pops it in the freezer.

“If something looks like a Popsicle, she'll eat it,” Hess says.

Several cookbooks offer advice, tips and recipes to parents eager to add nutrients to their children's diets. Area dietitians say there's nothing wrong with using these recipes, as long as parents don't lie when their kids ask what's in the food they are eating.

“I think it's important for kids to learn why these fruits and vegetables are essential to our diet,” says Karla Mracek, a registered dietitian with the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics.

That may require some enthusiasm from parents who set an example for their children's eating habits.

“I always encourage families to try one new vegetable a week,” says Bobbi Marti, a registered dietitian at Mercy Medical Center in Cedar Rapids.

It's likely that new vegetable won't be a hit with kids, or even their parents, that first time out, but that doesn't mean your family won't learn to like it.

“Maybe the first time, your child just sees it,” says Meghan Hansen, a registered dietitian with St. Luke's Hospital in Cedar Rapids. “It could take several attempts before they even taste it.”

The point is not to get discouraged the first time around. A child who turned up his nose at bananas as a toddler may love them in grade school, but Hansen says parents will never know if they don't keep trying.

Each dietitian recommends including children in the meal planning process, from grocery shopping to preparation. Keeping healthy foods on hand to snack on during dinner preparation - Marti recommends a vegetable tray - can stop everyone from loading up on unhealthy foods before a meal.

“If kids aren't hungry at dinner because they ate too many vegetables, parents aren't going to mind,” Marti says.

Still, don't shy away from the idea of adding nutritious ingredients to favorite family foods, as long as you are aware that adding ground up carrots and celery to meatloaf doesn't equal a full serving of vegetables. Mracek also cautions against baking too many healthy cookies and cakes, and passing them off as such. Yes, the cake might be made with applesauce instead of vegetable oil, but calling it healthy can give kids unrealistic thoughts toward baked good.

“You are teaching them that (sweets) are good for you,” Mracek says.

Hansen suggests using “secret” ingredients in all forms. If you make your family a tray of black bean brownies, add black beans to the tops of tacos or in chili.

“Giving kids these foods in all forms could go a long way in helping them realize they like them, even in their natural state,” she says.

Fruit and vegetable smoothie

Makes 2 smoothies

1 carrot, cleaned and cut into chunks

1 cup of seedless grapes

3/4 cup frozen cherries (these are already pitted and make the smoothie chilled so it tastes more like a shake

3/4 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen

Combine the first four ingredients in a blender. You will need a high power blender for the carrot. If you don't have one, substitute a peeled and quartered orange.

Add vanilla soy milk until fruit is almost covered.

Start blender on slow speed and gradually increase until you reach the fastest setting. Add more milk as needed for desired consistency.

The smoothie can also be frozen in a Popsicle mold.

Recipe from Kate Hess, Iowa City.

 

Black bean brownies

Butter, for greasing pan

3/4 cup cooked black beans

1/2 cup vegetable oil, or olive oil

2 eggs

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2/3 cup sugar

1 teaspoon instant coffee or espresso

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup mini chocolate chips, divided

1/3 cup flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup confectioners' sugar, for dusting

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9 by 9-inch square baking pan.

In a blender, puree the beans with the oil. Add the eggs, cocoa, sugar, coffee, and vanilla. Melt half the chocolate chips and add to the blender. Blend on medium-high until smooth. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add to the blender and pulse until just incorporated. Stir in the remaining chocolate chips. Pour into the prepared pan. Bake until the surface looks somewhat matte around the edges and still a bit shiny in the middle, about 20 minutes. Let cool at least 15 minutes before cutting and removing from the pan. Dust with confectioners' sugar and serve.

Source: Melissa d'Arabian, star of “Ten Dollar Dinners” on Food Network.