I've mentioned before that my kids are by far the pickiest eaters on the planet, right? I've tried sticker charts, bribes, threats, beatings (just kidding, of course)... But the best tactic so far has been giving my kids the job of "Taste Tester." I've seen this on other blogs, too. I was very skeptical that my little monsters would even participate. BUT...
...they LOVED IT! I went with a St. Patrick's Day theme and chose 9 green foods to offer in muffin tins.
I included celery (with peanut butter), green grapes, broccoli, green apples, green peppers, and sugar snap peas. And I threw in a couple green treats, too, like lime jello, green gummy candies, and mint chocolate chips.
I could not believe how excited my kiddos were to try every one of my choices! They ate vegetables that have probably never hit their lips before.
I made a chart with smiley and frown faces for them to circle based on their findings. And I was surprised to see that Priscilla had more smiley faces circled than not. And she's even been begging to taste test red foods next.
If you'd like to try this with your picky eaters, you can download the free taste testing chart here.
What are your and your kids' favorite green foods? What do you do to get your kids' to try new foods?
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This is GOLD. I love tricky stuff like this.
ReplyDeleteThis is such a fabulous (tricky) idea. I love it!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great idea! Wonder if this would work on my husband?
ReplyDelete:-D
DeleteThanks for the feedback everyone - I was shocked with how much they enjoyed it. LOL - maybe it would work on the hubbies, too!
ReplyDeleteoh my goodness what i GREAT idea i should do this with teh daycare kids they would flip over this idea i am sooo pinning this for later!
ReplyDeleteThanks for visiting and thanks for the pin. I'm sure the daycare kids would have fun!
DeleteFantastic idea! I have always been lucky to have kids that will eat ANYTHING, but I know a lot of parents who struggle with getting their kids to try veggies. Or in my case, my hubby who struggles to get ME to eat veggies! Pinning this as well!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the visit and the pin! You certainly are lucky!!
DeleteThis is SO cute! I "pinned" it!
ReplyDeleteMy daughter is GFCF {Gluten free Casien free} and she could eat this whole tin {minus the chocolate chips}
Thanks for a great March idea!
:)
Lisa
Thanks for pinning and visiting! That's awesome that it would nearly all be foods that your daughter could eat. But of course it could be entirely customizable, too!
DeleteThis is a GREAT idea. Thank you for sharing and St. Patties day is upcoming! I will try it.
ReplyDeleteThanks for visiting! Let me know how you make out if you try it. :)
DeleteThis is a wonderful ideal and I think I will try it on both hubby and son but I may nee to try it on my too as I do not like Fruit and if I expect him to try it then I should be willing to. Correct?
ReplyDeleteLOL - yes, you have to try it, too. :)
DeleteI don't have kids, but this is a wonderful idea! When I worked in a school, we did once make a green dessert "pizza" with kiwis and other sweet green things. The kids loved that.
ReplyDeleteOh, a green dessert pizza sounds amazing! We haven't done a dessert pizza in a long time. Thanks for the reminder!
DeleteSuch a great idea!
ReplyDeleteI'm so, so sorry I didn't come up with it when my picky eater was younger!
Well, maybe it will still come in handy some day. :)
DeleteI love this idea... green is the color that my kids try to avoid... what a great way to get them to try it out!
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean about them avoiding green. That's why I was sure that my little ones wouldn't participate. But I think it helped that I included some green treats along side the veggies.
Deletethis sooo beats my green eggs and ham that I was thinking! Thanks for the idea.
ReplyDeleteThanks! Hope you try it and have fun. :)
DeleteGreat idea! Somehow I ended up with good eaters. Ask me how to get them to sleep and I have no idea! :) When trying something new I let them see me eat it and how much I like it and they usually want to try it.
ReplyDeleteI guess I lucked out in that department, because my kiddos are pretty good sleepers. :) Maybe we should talk and learn from eachother. LOL!
DeleteOh my goodness, I LOVE this! I wasn't ever picky, but my kids are both WRECKS. I love trying to help them be not-so-picky!
ReplyDeleteI know - I understand that they won't like everything, but I want them to be a bit more adventurous and at least try things, you know?
DeleteHaha. Loved it! Great idea.
ReplyDeleteThanks! And thanks for visiting. :)
DeleteVery creative. Cudos to finding ways around their pickiness.
ReplyDeleteThanks! I do what I can. :)
DeleteWhat a great Idea my son us 31 this year and he lived on chocolate spread lol. Fun post
ReplyDeleteChocolate spread?! Am I missing something?! Is that Nutella? I've actually never tried it. I'm kind of afraid to... I might get hooked!
DeleteI love this idea! My son is very picky, but he does like a challenge. He's almost 7, so I could even take him to the store to pick out the green foods he wants to try. Thank you!!
ReplyDeleteYES! Taking them to the store to pick them out is such a great idea. I think I will have my little ones help pick the foods next time, too. Let me know how you make out if you try it.
Deletemakes me hungry at this hour -but looks yummy! :D
ReplyDeleteThanks for visiting, Andrea!
DeleteLooks like such a fun idea. I love the chart!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Jaime! I think the chart was what made them really want to do it.
DeleteWhat a cool idea! I do think that many kids would like the whole idea of rating food like that.
ReplyDeleteMy kids went through a picky stage (heck they still occasionally have picky stages but now that they are older I tell them tough) and I always told them that certain food was only for the big people. Then they wanted to try them.....
Thankfully my oldest loves all food- and still loves to try new things. The other two are old enough now to make their own food if they don't like what I am serving..
GENIUS! I bet that would really work for my kids, too. Of course they would want what they "can't have." lol
DeleteThat's a great idea! I'm going to try it with my boys!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Shannon! Let me know how you make out if you try it.
DeleteI have been blessed with good eaters so far! However I will keep this idea filed!
ReplyDeleteYou're lucky! I hope they keep up the good eating for you. Picky eaters are very frustrating!
DeleteWhat a fabulous idea!!!! I am totally trying this with my kids. Love linking it to the holiday. Why did I not think of this?!?!?!
ReplyDeleteBTW: I love your site.
Wendy
Around My Family Table
Thanks so much, Wendy! I LOVE your blog, too. I've pinned those St. Patrick's Day Rice Krispies. Great photography, btw!
DeleteWhat a cute idea! Fortunately our 3 year old loves her green foods. She just tried asparagus this week and ate it all!
ReplyDeleteOur son is only 2 months old so time will tell...
I hope you are blessed with another great eater! You must be doing something right if she likes asparagus. Way to go, Mama!
DeleteThis is something I'll have to remember... my 18 month old enjoys most things but we is getting pickier by the day... my days without the muffin tin are numbered I feel...
ReplyDeleteI hope your little one remains a good eater for you. Picky eaters are so frustrating! Good luck!
DeleteThis is a great idea! I can't believe I never thought of it before! My kids are so funny when they insist that a certain food is horrible and then I make them taste it and they say, "Oh, I like it!" I'm sure this would be easier than threatening them with no tv like I usually do :)
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean! That's what is so frustrating. When I KNOW my little ones will like a food but they just refuse to try it. I know it's probably more about them asserting their independence than the food itself. But it drives me nuts!
DeleteThis is awesome! My kids aren't super picky, but they would LOVE this activity! Fun way to celebrate St. Patty's Day!
ReplyDeleteOther foods I thought of: green pumpkin seeds, sliced cucumbers, pickles, kiwi!
I'm pinning this on Pinterest if you don't mind! :)
I can't believe I didn't think of those foods. We even had pickles in the fridge!
DeleteOH WOW!!!! This is fabulous! I think I'll be trying this soon for my twins! thanks!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Mary! Let me know if you try it and how you make out.
DeleteAwesome, this is a GREAT idea. I love the healthy foods and all of them green. And the bonus is your kids liked! Have you ever heard of the GAPS diet? A lot of parents that come to GAPS have children that are picky eaters and this tendency can be caused by gut dysbiosis. I have become much less picky since working on my gut flora. Just wanted to mention in case you hadn't heard of GAPS. :-)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the heads up, Starlene!
DeleteWhat a great idea, trying to get your kids to healthy any way can be a chore. Any time of trick you can use, use it!
ReplyDeleteThanks! I do what I can. :)
DeleteThose muffin tin foods look yummy! I'm not a mom, so I can't speak from experience, except my childhood. As a kid, if Mom and Dad wanted to get us to eat veggies (I remember this about carrots), they'd tell us we need to eat, "one carrot for each eye." I grew up to love my veggies, so it must've worked!
ReplyDeleteVery clever! lol Maybe I'll try that one, too..
DeleteLove this! I follow a blog that does muffin tin mondays and it always looks so creative and interesting! I really need to try it! Nice post presentation!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much! I know of that blog and love it! So creative. :)
DeleteThis is a cute and your kids are adorable. Good idea.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much, Lyndsy!
DeleteI am definitely going to download the taste testing chart. The taste testings a great idea maybe I'll be able to get my youngest one to eat a vegetable now.
ReplyDeleteLet me know how you make out when you try it, Katie!
DeleteThis is a cute idea! My son can be picky at times. We may have to let him be a taste tester if he continues to be picky as he gets older.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Kecia. I hope your little guy doesn't get worse. It can be so frustrating!
DeleteSuch a cute idea! I may need to try that with my picky eaters :)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Krystle!
DeleteWhat an awesome idea. I am emailing this to my best friend, who has picky eaters. Mine grew out of that stage, thankfully.
ReplyDeleteI can't wait until mine grow out of it, but with having a newborn now, I guess I've got quite awhile to go!
DeleteWhat a fantastic idea! My are getting much better the older they get. They both eat sushi and boiled crawfish, but not much fruit. I wish they were young enough to be taste testers too.
ReplyDeleteSushi - I don't even eat Sushi! You must've done something right, mama!
DeleteI love your idea! I'll remember this and someday when I have my own kids I will apply this trick to my kids. :-)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Yannie! :)
DeleteWhen i was still a kid my mom promised me to buy a bicycle when we eat veggies. Everyday they'll mark the calendar showing our progress.Unfortunately I didn't get my bike. :-)
ReplyDeleteAwww, poor girl never got her bike?! Bribes and rewards don't always work in my house either...
DeleteI am fortunate that my kids are not picky eaters. They will eat almost any veggie or fruit I give them to try. My son is a little reluctant to try some but will try it and usually will like it. We grown veggies in the garden and I think kids are more apt to try something they grew themselves.
ReplyDeleteYou're so right, Shelly! I think it really does help to have them grow it themselves. We're going to try to grow a garden this year, too. Can't wait!
DeleteWhat a great idea! My children are big veggie eaters, in fact they are not fans of meat. If I didn't know better, I'd think they were adopted! ha!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for sharing!
suzy
My son is that way, actually. He hates all meat... unless it's in a taco! I can hide almost anything in a tortilla and call it a taco and he loves it!
DeleteSo creative! I think kids eat much easier when there's something exciting involved.
ReplyDeleteYes, I was surprised that they got so into filling out the chart! They loved it!!
DeleteI will defiantly have to try this! I can't get kiddo to eat any "fridge" food except cheese. Thanks for the tip!
ReplyDeleteLet me know how you make out if you try it!
DeleteThis is so very creative and a great way to get kids involved in their food. When we were young, we had no choices you either ate or you didn't - but that's eons ago!
ReplyDeleteI know, Corinne. That's what their grandma keeps saying. "Don't give them the choice!" But I'm just not that kind of mama. I can't let them go hungry and their so stubborn that they would! lol
DeleteThis is genius! What a great way to address your children's nutrition. Thanks for the tip.
ReplyDeletePrintable Decor
Saved By Love Creations
Thanks, Johnnie!
DeleteI guess I have been pretty blessed. I havent expereinced picky eaters. My kids loved all kinds of things. I am not saying they didnt have their moments of dislike, but most of the time they ate what I put in front of them. I think they have developed dislikes as adults and I am not sure why. Best wishes on your journey of the difficult eaters. Have a blessed day.
ReplyDeleteYou must've done something right, mama! Way to go!
Deletewhat a fun, cute, and POSITIVE way to get kids to try things!! i'm so borrowing this idea :o)
ReplyDeleteI hope you do! Let me know how it goes. :)
DeleteSuper Fun Idea - LOVE it!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Maura!
DeleteWhat a super-cute idea!
ReplyDeleteMy kids don't get enough greens (neither do I) which is why we all take "Berry" Greens.
This is a great idea. I wish my parents tried something like this with me!
ReplyDeleteGreat idea! Like you, I'm not sure my kids would go for it, but I might give it a shot.
ReplyDeleteIt's worth a try. :)
DeleteI LOVE this idea!! Very creative and fun!! I am going to add this to Pinterest :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the pin, Clarissa.
DeleteThis is brilliant! I need to do this with my kids as they are ALL picky eaters and I cant' even get them to eat foods which they have always professed to love! Let alone green veggies! Thanks for the wonderful idea!
ReplyDeleteLet me know how you make out if you try it!
DeleteWhat a great idea! I love it. Thanks for sharing. I should do this with my 4 year old. She is starting to get more picky the older she gets.
ReplyDeleteThis is a brilliant idea, I've never heard of anything like this before?! Love it! How soon can you start using this (what age)?
ReplyDeleteWell, I think it just depends on the child. My daughter is 3 and I had to help her write the names of each food on her chart, but she circles the smile or frown faces all by herself. Even if a younger child wouldn't understand the chart, you could still offer up choices in a muffin tin and have them give you a thumbs up or thumbs down maybe.
DeleteGreat idea and including St Patrick's day was even better. Might have to try this with my picky eaters.
ReplyDeletewow! awesome! awesome! awesome!!!!!!!! you should pin this idea!!!!!
ReplyDeleteI like doing taste tests with my picky eaters too. We have done grapes and eggs, never anything like this and I love this idea! You chart is so simple too. Wonderful. I'm pinning this to my Picky Eaters board. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the pin, Tabitha. I'm off to check out your Picky Eaters board. :)
DeleteI am lucky because my son has never been a picky eater, but I love this idea. It is really cute and turns trying new foods into a fun activity. What color foods are you going to try next?
ReplyDeleteThat's very cool! My older daughter isn't a picky eater, but my younger one is. Fortunately, they both like most fruits and veggies we've put in front of them.
ReplyDeleteMy solution has been nothing more than persistence. My daughter generally decides she doesn't like something before she eats it. So if I try a new dish and it's a hit with everyone with her, it joins out list of regular meals and eventually she'll give it a shot (I don't make separate meals or give a substitute normally). It took over two years before she eventually tried spaghetti but now she loves it!
This is such a great idea! I'll have to give it a try, it's so hard for me to get my daughter to try new foods!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great idea! I just love all the shades of green in the cupcake tins. Very creative!
ReplyDeleteVery creative! My daughter's not a picky eater, but I think she'd have a blast with this exercise anyway. I'll have to try it.
ReplyDelete-Viva recently posted Homemade Pizza Dough
This is a great idea! I love your photos; so cute! Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteI liked your Facebook page so I can keep following!
What a great idea!!!
ReplyDeleteNo kids here, but still a great idea! Glad they liked all their green food!
ReplyDeleteI've put a couple drops of food coloring in scrambled eggs before...does that count? This is a great idea...wonder if I can try with my teenagers...
ReplyDeleteWhat a FABULOUS idea! I wish I'd seen this when my kids were younger!!
ReplyDeleteWhat a brilliant idea... I love it! Very creative. :)
ReplyDeleteGREAT IDEA! I have a child with eating problems. He's 9, has general anxiety and a food phobia but I'm wondering if maybe I could do this with him. Maybe make a chart for him to share with his therapist.
ReplyDeleteThank you for such a great post!!
How fun is this! Thankfully I don't have picky eatin' kiddos...it's the hubby that's Princess Pansie when it comes to trying new things. Maybe I'll try this trick with him! ;) Thanks for sharing the fun!
ReplyDeleteLove it. I would have never thought to approach it from this angle. Who knew. It is amazing some of the things we are willing to try when we forget that we don't like them. =)
ReplyDeletePURE GENIOUS!!! that's ideal! so going to do this
ReplyDeleteFantasti idea! My boys are too old to be "tricked" like that, but it's a brilliant idea that would have worked at the time.
ReplyDeleteNow, are you letting the kids choose one of the foods they gave a "smile" to, for their next meal? :-)
I love how you turned this into a game! This is definitely an idea to file away for when my son is a little older!
ReplyDeleteMy son hates most green foods...but will eat frozen peas! My daughter is more adventurous and will eat some green beans and broccoli. Can't wait to try the taste test thing! Fun idea.
ReplyDeleteThat is such a cute idea! I will have to do it for the grandkids. Thanks Easy2Save
ReplyDeleteWhat a fun idea! My son is only on rice cereal, but I'll have to keep this in mind for when he's older.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great way to get your kids to try new foods! This is a great activity for non-picky kids as well.
ReplyDeleteYou sneaky mama, you. :D
ReplyDeleteThis is brilliant.
-Melanie from Melanie's Musings
I love this!! My husband is a former chef of 20 years and it drives him crazy when our 4 year old won't taste something. We recently convinced him to eat some green veggies and he's loving them. This is such a fun activity that I know my two chefs will LOVE!!
ReplyDeleteYou have come up with a great idea for taste testers, they need chef hats for this job, I went searching and found a bunch so if you sew or no-sew and from paper of cloth. http://www.ehow.com/how_7738460_chef-hat-tutorial.html
ReplyDeletehttp://whipup.net/2012/01/17/whipup-tutorial-chefs-hat/
http://youcanmakethis.com/products/featured-products/FREE-Child-and-Adult-Size-Chef-Hat.htm
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Karren
Cool idea! Thanks for the free download.
ReplyDeleteFantastic Idea, I will be trying this out soon!
ReplyDeleteLove this idea and keeping it in mind for the future. MY 21 month old is starting to get picky. i love the green theme:)
ReplyDeleteAwesome idea! I love avocados and some of my kids like all that you have picked. I tell my kids they MUST try everything or don't get anything. Starving kids in Africa don't get their choices so they better be happy. But if I know they truly hate the food I don't make them eat it.
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful idea, I love it! Does it work on husbands too?! :)
ReplyDeletealright you are brilliant! Just the colors will intrigue my kids, but add in the chart? my kids are going to be hooked!!
ReplyDeleteThis is an awesome idea! I will have to share this with my friends that say their kids are picky eaters and keep this for my future reference when my daughter gets older! I will be following you to see more from your blog. Hope you'll come by for a visit at www.mommykangaroo.blogspot.com!
ReplyDeleteWhat an awsome idea! I pinned/linked all over the place - on my own board, a collaborative kids co-op board, and I've featured this as one of my faves from last week's Kids Co-op link up party. My son despises green food. I'm going to give this a try!
ReplyDeleteThis is such a great idea!! I'm searching my fridge right now to find all things green:) Just posted on Craft Gossip!!
ReplyDeletehttp://lessonplans.craftgossip.com/?p=5727
Thank you so much for sharing this fun activity! My home daycare kids had a blast trying all of their green foods today. The just 3 and under needed some help with their forms, but that was ok! We did a total of 10 foods and I shrunk your sheets down to make little booklets. Sadly my "picky eater" was not willing to try out anything but the mint chips or the green goldfish :-( I thought saying he could not make a smile or frown circle would push him to take a small taste, but no. Here is the list of foods that we did: Green Goldfish, Green Grapes, Green Pepper, Kiwi, Lime Jello jigglers, cucumber, celery with PB, Lime Yogurt, Guacamole + chips and mint chips. We washed it down with some green milk! I used ice cube trays for the foods which worked really well too. Thanks again! Elizabeth
ReplyDeleteHi Krissy!! I just wanted to know that I was inspired so much by your idea that I included it on my own blog. Seriously, this is SO. STINKIN'. BRILLIANT!! Thank you again for sharing; I'm going to continue doing this with all kinds of themes and colors. If you want to check out my post, you can find it here: http://www.shabbybeachnest.com/green-taste-testing/
ReplyDeleteLots of <3,
~Nicole @ www.shabbybeachnest.com
This is a great idea.
ReplyDeleteMy daughter has gotten really excited about eating all sorts of fruits and veggies (altho often she's only excited in theory and doesn't actually eat much) after introducing her to http://www.todayiatearainbow.com - Lots of great info and ideas, videos of an adorable 8 year old cooking fruits and veggies, and they sell a "rainbow chart" to keep track of all the "colors" that you eat.