Picky Eater Challenge -- The YUMMY results!

Congratulations to the five winners of our Picky Eater Challenge! They have each won a copy of GROW and here's our chance to share their delicious tips. Here they are, in no particular order:

1. Tortellini Soup - recipe submitted by Kira - her suggestion is to slowly introduce one veggie at a time to the broth (we would definitely need to hold off on the spinach, and perhaps blend the veggies right into the broth)
2. Baked Kale Chips - recipe submitted by Deb - Remove the stems, slice into smaller pieces, toss with olive oil and sea salt, bake in the oven at 350 degrees until crisp, keep an eye on them to get them just right.
3. Fruit Kebabs with Yogurt Dip - submitted by Anne Marie - Add your child's favourite fruit or let them make it themselves - what kid doesn't like to eat things off a stick?
4. The Smorgasbord - submitted by Kyla - Veggie and fruit trays, cold cuts, some hot foods, cheeses, breads, crackers, and dips too, for added interest. "If they get to pick what they want, sometimes they'll encourage each other to be brave and try new things."
5. Delores' Homemade Granola Bars - hand-delivered by Laurie! Your child can choose their favourite ingredients and help to make them - they were a big hit on our canoe trip this summer. Here's the recipe:

• 3 cups rolled oats
• 1 cup chopped nuts (we used ground almonds to hide the nuts)
• 1 cup dried fruit
•  1 cup sunflower seeds (we used finely shredded coconut)
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 can sweetened condensed milk
• 1/2  cup melted butter

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease a 15 x 10 " pan. Combine ingredients in a large mixing bowl and then press mixture evenly into pan. Bake 25 to 30 min or until golden brown. Let cool and cut into squares.

Thanks so much for your submissions! As for us, we continue to blend/conceal veggies into spaghetti sauces, tacos, soups and pancakes. We also add in hemp seed powder, flax powder, etc... where we can. Smoothies/slushies/milkshakes are also a regular way to increase the fruit intake at our house. Growing our own vegetables and fruits has also been a great way to encourage the kids to eat what they harvest.

Thankfully, our picky eater is growing up, starting to try more new things, and complaining less often. Good luck with yours and Bon Appetit!

Picky Eater Challenge!

Are you a picky eater? Do you have someone in your family that can make mealtime a challenge? My eldest son, who is now 9, is not very adventurous with new tastes and prefers to stick with tried and tested meals--like macaroni and cheese! Fruit and vegetables are a constant negotiation and we try to sneak things in where we can--spaghetti sauce, smoothies, pancakes, soups... But we are running out of ideas! 

Here's an invitation to share your favourite tricks, tips and recipes to appease the pickiest appetite--I'm going to send a copy of my new album, GROW, to the top five suggestions. And yes, we will try them out on our kids and let you know how they work! Please post your tips here, on facebook or by e-mail.

And you can now sample all of my music, lyrics and videos in one place--we've been working hard updating the website and I hope you like it!

Andrew "Too Tall" Queen