One day Esper wanted to have a picnic with her toy food so she hauled it all out to the living room and threw the food on the blanket. Oh, good, I thought. An opportunity for an object lesson. (Though really how many object lessons stick when you're two years old?) I separated out all the bread products in the group and explained to Esper that these foods make Mommy sick. (Jury's out on if they will some day make her sick, but so far so good.) What's left is a glorious mix of colors. I told her that our food needs to be colorful. Variety is good for our bodies, but of course the color our stomachs love the most is GREEN.
Speaking of green food, I went and bought kale for the first time to make a yummy green smoothie. I put in a handful of kale, cold water, crushed ice, pineapple, a banana, strawberries, and almond milk. Esper had to scoot her chair over to the counter to help me. I think this is key to getting a child to try new foods. Let them see what goes into making it. While the smoothie was still in the blender I got out a straw to taste it and of course she had to mimic me. She was hesitant because of the green color but decided to try it. She loved it! I poured her a cup and she gulped it down. I got my kid to eat kale. That's what I call success!
