(Culinary.net) Feeding an entire family can be difficult enough on its own with busy evenings full of hustle and bustle. One additional factor that can cause even more headaches is dealing with a picky eater, especially a child whose preferred menu ranges from hot dogs to candy.

If you’re looking to widen the palate of your picky eater (or eaters), consider these tips to start down a path toward a more expansive slate of family meals.

Start Slow
Loading up your little ones’ plates with steamed veggies and sauteed fish may be a surefire way to send them to the pantry for a less nutritious snack. Instead, try combining personal favorites with small portions of foods you’d like to introduce, such as chicken nuggets alongside green beans or topping pizza with black olives.

Don’t Force It
While it can be frustrating to constantly hear “no” to fruits and veggies, forcing them upon children may turn them away for good. In addition, a struggle over eating certain foods may create a constant sense of frustration around mealtime, which may only decrease a child’s desire to expand his or her horizons.

Create a Fun Experience
Remember not every meal has to include something new. On occasion, mix up mealtime by serving your children’s favorites, even if it’s as simple as a hamburger or as creative as breakfast for dinner.

Bring Your Sidekicks to the Store
Introducing your children to the place your family’s food comes from may help them feel more comfortable with new flavors. Plus, by letting them in on the shopping process, you can have some help choosing foods they’re more likely to be willing to try.  

Let Children Help Cook
Much like choosing their own ingredients increases the likelihood they’ll try something new, perhaps becoming part of the cooking process can help children see how a meal comes together. It doesn’t have to be a gourmet experience – simply seasoning roasted asparagus with salt and olive oil, for example, can introduce your up-and-coming chefs to the kitchen while helping make the cooking (and eating) process a fun adventure.

For more food tips and kid-friendly recipes, visit Culinary.net.

Photo courtesy of Getty Images

Helping kids learn to love healthy eating

(Family Features) According to the 2007 Produce For Kids study, 96 percent of children don’t get the recommended five servings of fruits and vegetables every day. That won’t surprise a lot of parents. Getting children to eat any fruits or vegetables at all can be a big challenge.  With 39 percent of all U.S. children overweight or obese, getting kids to make better food choices is more important than ever.

Fruits and vegetables are loaded with vitamins, nutrients and fiber, are low in calories and can help prevent many diseases, including high blood pressure, heart disease and some cancers. But kids aren’t compelled by the nutritional benefits of produce. They want to have fun eating food they like. So they need some help to become healthy eaters.
How can a parent get fruit-phobic or veggie-avoiding kids to eat more of what they really need? Mypyramid.gov, a Web site dedicated to helping people make smart food choices, has some tips for coping with picky eaters.

• Let your kids be “produce pickers.” Let them help pick out fruits and veggies at the store.
• Kids like to try foods they help make. All of that mixing, mashing and measuring makes them want to taste what they are creating.
• Make meals a stress-free time. If meals are times for family arguments, your child may learn unhealthy attitudes toward food.
• Offer choices. Rather than ask “Do you want broccoli for dinner?” ask “Which would you like for dinner: broccoli or cauliflower?”

Another suggestion, from The Produce For Kids study, is to use dips to get kids to eat more fruits and vegetables. Sixty-eight percent of the moms surveyed said that their children ate more fruit and vegetables when they were served with dip.

One of the latest items on the market to help meet this need is Marzetti Dip Snack Packs, a line of fruit and veggie dips for children that makes eating produce fun and nutritious. Each portion-control package contains the right amount of dip for a serving of fruit or vegetables.

Turn the frowns upside down

Do your kids turn up their noses at fruits and veggies? Here are some fun and smart ideas to please even the pickiest of eaters:

• Bagel snake ― Split mini bagels in half. Cut each half into half circles. Spread the halves with tuna salad, egg salad, or peanut butter. Decorate with sliced cherry tomatoes or banana slices. Arrange the half circles to form the body of a snake. Use olives or raisins for the eyes.
• English muffin pizza ― Top half an English muffin with tomato sauce, chopped veggies and low-fat mozzarella cheese. Heat until the cheese is melted.
• Potato pal ― Top half a small baked potato with eyes, ears, and a smile. Try peas for eyes, a halved cherry tomato for a nose, and a low-fat cheese wedge as a smile.
• Fruit smoothies ― Blend fresh or frozen fruit with yogurt and milk or juice. Try 100 percent orange juice, low-fat yogurt, and frozen strawberries.
• Ants on a log ― Thinly spread peanut butter or apple dip on narrow celery sticks. Top with a row of raisins or other diced dried fruit.
• Fruit kabobs – Spear chunks of pineapple, banana and melon on skewers or chopsticks. Let kids dunk them in a fruit dip.

Picky eaters don’t have to stay picky eaters. With some encouragement and creative ideas from parents, they can learn to love eating what’s best for them.
For more information, visit marzetti.com.

Turn PB & J into PB & A — peanut butter and apples! This lunchtime treat is a great way to please picky sandwich eaters and make sure they get some healthy fruit.

Open Face Caramel Peanut Butter Sandwich

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Servings: 2

• 2 tablespoons Marzetti Caramel Apple Dip
• 2 tablespoons favorite peanut butter
• 2 slices favorite bread
• Sliced apples, peanuts, dried cranberries or raisins

1. In a small bowl, mix together dip and peanut butter until smooth.
2. Spread two tablespoons of caramel mixture on each slice of bread.
3. Arrange sliced apples, peanuts and dried fruit atop each sandwich and serve.

Put some crunchy fun into snack time with this fruity rice cake. This is one treat the kids will love making themselves — just set out the ingredients and let them build a fruit-filled snack!

Rice Cake Snack

Prep Time: 3 minutes
Servings: 1

• 2 tablespoons Marzetti Caramel Apple Dip
• 1 rice cake

Topping options: Diced red or green apple, chopped bananas, favorite dried fruit, mini chocolate chips or favorite chopped nuts
Spread 2 tablespoons dip onto a rice cake. Top with one or two topping options and serve.

Source: Marzetti