New Schedules are a Chance for Reinvention

With fall and the start of school, activities and new routines for many, comes a chance for a fresh start and reinvention in the kitchen. This is a great time to implement that new plan of “making dinner every night”, “trying out new recipes” and “expanding my family’s tastes and/or improving their eating habits”.

Commitment and persistence are the keys that are going to help you succeed with your goals.

When my children started first grade, they would get off that bus exhausted at 4 pm, and hungry enough to eat anything in front of them. I discovered this was an ideal opportunity to expand their tastes. I started by making sure I had fresh vegetables cut and on the table (or in the fridge) for grabbing… things they may not have eaten before, like zucchini and peppers. Maybe I’d add some dip or crackers.. anything to get them to try a “new” food. What I found is that they would truly eat anything if it was presented for them, ready to eat.

The other thing I did was to establish a 4:30 dinnertime for the first month of school. I served potpie, pot roast, chili, lots of fish… those things that as youngsters they were not willing to try in the past becuase “the food was touching”, it was “too ‘picy” or just looked “different”. They never looked back. Even though they are a little older now, they still come home hungry, and I still persist with expanding their palates.

What new foods or new routines do you hope to implement this fall?