Masking the Good Stuff!
How often do you fight with your younger child when it comes to eating his broccoli or carrots? Let’s be honest; kids have a resistance to vegetables unless they are covered in sugar or sauce and even then, it can be a difficult task getting them to guzzle down their brussle sprouts. Using pastry in your supper is a great way to trick your child into getting their daily veg intake. Try creating a cup of pastry and fill the bottom with veg puree. Try to make it chunky so that you can slowly start revealing the truth. Then cover it with meat and white cheese on top. No child will be able to resist this delicious surprise and the best part? They are getting a mix of the best veg hidden underneath. They won’t stop before they hit the actual pastry and veggies can be a tasty ingredient, it’s more a mental block that keeps them from their cauliflower.
A Special Treat
Making pastries in the kitchen with your kids is an amazing experience. Get them involved by asking them to cut fruit for dessert. This way, you can make fruit pies and tartlets with something delicious and nutritious inside. They will love the idea of eating something they helped make and it will all seem like a worthy exercise once you’ve managed to clean up the incredible mess you’ve all made together… I promise. Pastries can also be seen as a way of spoiling them when in actual fact you are giving them something that will get tasty fruit or vegetables into their tummy’s so they will feel great about the whole situation. Another plus? Pastries don’t take a long time to make which is great news for the time-starved mom and is another reason why you should let kids eat pastries!
The Healthier Option?
Despite the bad rap, pastry isn’t technically unhealthy; it’s just not good for you in large quantities. Most of us indulge regularly in things like processed cheese and copious amounts of heavy, red meat which have far worse repercussions for us in the long run than the occasional pastry. If you can use pastry to get your kids eating their fruit and veg (at least initially) the benefits will far outweigh the buttery effects of the pastry. As with any diet (for children and adults) exercise is an important component and will give you more room to feed them what they like. Use pastry sparingly. You can always try filo pastry. You won’t need a lot but you will still achieve the desired result. Alright mom, get baking!
