When I first started dating my husband, he didn’t eat anything green, except granny smith apples. (When he reads this, he will indignantly declare, “Also parsley!” but the rest of us know that does not count.)
So I started making him salads in tiny bowls: just a few leaves with a whole bunch of croutons and a good smothering of vinaigrette dressing.
Fourteen years later, he eats green salads almost every night of the week–and he actually orders them in restaurants even when I’m not there. I consider this one of my finest accomplishments.
Those tiny starter salads are not unlike the ones I give to Henry and Sam. Henry happily eats it up. Sam, as always, is my wild card: Sometime he nibbles on a few plain leaves or asks for his favorite raspberry dressing, other times he doesn’t touch it at all.
That’s okay. The point is that they’re seeing salad at dinner. They’re learning that greens aren’t yucky. They’re learning to eat different kinds of foods mixed together, and that’s a big deal for kids.
While I like my salads loaded, my kids (and husband) still go pretty basic: mixed greens either plain or topped with raw veggies like peppers or shredded carrots. Henry is also a big fan of Caesar salad.
If you’re looking for ideas for more salads for kids, check out 8 Salads That Will Get Your Kids Hooked over at Raise Healthy Eaters.
Do your kids eat salad? If so, do you have any tips or recipes to share?
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Thanks for the shout-out! Are we married to the same person? My husband said he hated spinach because he only ate it cooked. I started making him spinach salads and he ate them up. When I told him it was spinach he was shocked! My kids also get little bowls and lately Little D has been taking bites of the lettuce. Bit A claims to love salads but doesn’t really eat them. Someday!
How funny, Maryann. My husband says our kids are his role models b/c they eat more vegetables than he ever did as a child (and more than he still eats, in fact!).
Love your website/blog page! Much common sense advice about food and nutrition in a sea of misinformation and constant publication of studies telling us a food is good one day , bad the next. It is no wonder that the average joe is confused about what constitues good nutrition.
As to the salad /veggie “problem” for some – i notice in the photo provided , that the greens are a “spring mix” which is different than the ubiquitous, crunchy, tasteless ( used more as a vehicle for salad dressing than for taste in and of itself) iceburg lettuce.
I know i prefer a “spring mix” because of the variety of tastes and textures, romaine is kind of a tough lettuce, boston lettuce is soft and slikey, leaf lettuce is light, iceburg – crunchy. I wonder if the type of lettuce and its taste and consistency has any bearing on acceptability by kids?
Thanks again for a great website!
Thanks for your comment, Deb, and for your kind words about my blog. I grew up on iceberg lettuce salads. Now I can’t imagine eating that over mixed greens! My new favorite lettuce is the artisan lettuces from Aldi, it’s a box of four different lettuces, usually bibb, frisee, and romaine (and it goes on sale for 99 cents!). I like to mix it up too. And you’re so right that lettuce is often just the vehicle for a yummy dressing. Though I think that’s how some people learn to like salad, including my husband!
My kids are salad eaters, pretty much (the 2-year-old is still hit and miss, but he’s more hit than miss these days, so I’ll take it). My biggest salad tips are: 1) Just like you, I present it almost every night. We almost always had a salad on the table when I was a kid, so it was normal — and I want it to be normal for my boys as well. 2) Once a month or so, we have a DIY-salad-platter for dinner. I put out a massive plate of greens, then top it with sections of various veggies, fruits, proteins (beans, hummus, or leftover chicken are the favorites), cheeses, etc. I make sure some of the vegetables are raw, and others roasted or sauteed, so the kids have lots of textures and variety to choose from. Everybody gets to build their plate from whatever’s available, with the only rule being that they must choose at least TWO of the produce options. We have homemade whole-wheat bread alongside, and it’s now one of the favorite meals in our house — plus, I swear my five-year-old eats even more vegetables on salad night than he usually does.
Great idea!
My two year old will eat a few leaves of spinach with “sauce” (salad dressing) most of the time. We have salad with dinner most evenings. He gobbles up dried fruit and other toppings too. I’m a believer in the “starter salad”! Thanks for sharing the idea.
Good tips! Need to get my kids eating better in the new year