Play with your produce
Yes. Play with your food. Especially with your produce – that’s fruits and vegetables.
This is berry season. If all you eat are strawberries and blueberries, it’s time to try something new. Raspberries and blackberries are good, and easily available (and can you say fiber? Chew those berries!).
It’s also the season for salad greens. There are so many kinds of salad greens – way beyond iceberg, spinach, and romaine. Try butter lettuce, frisee, arugula, red leaf lettuce, green leaf lettuce – they’re all available in just about every grocery store.
Make trying new food fun!
- Set out everything in individual bowls, labeled A, B, C, etc. Have everyone taste each food and rank it. Comments are welcome, as long as they’re not “yuck.” Practice those adjectives – words like spicy, sweet, smooth, fresh, crisp, slimy, crunchy, nutty, tickle-y – you get the idea. Identify all the personal favorites, and figure out family favorites.
- Mix up everything into one dish.
- * Try a berry salad, topped with a dollop of vanilla soy (or rice or coconut) yogurt, a tiny drizzle of raw honey, and a sprinkle of cinnamon. Try macerated berries (sprinkle with a little sugar and let them sit for half an hour, then mash lightly with a fork) on shortcake. Try a berry smoothie. Identify personal and family favorites.
- * Try a green salad, topped with a simple vinaigrette. Or top it with a scoop of tuna (or mock-tuna) salad. Or put a thick layer of salad greens in a grilled chicken or tofu sandwich. Identify personal and family favorites.
Play with your produce with a few taste tests. Learn what you all like and why. Teach your kids (and maybe your partner) that trying new foods is an adventure, not something to fear. Honor individual preferences, but remind everyone that it can take time to enjoy new foods, so sometimes things they don’t especially like will show up at meal time. A taste is good enough when it comes to new foods.
Challenge yourself to try some new produce this week! Have fun!
