I try to get them working. My older son is 10 and he's pretty interested. We had a dinner party the other night and he helped a lot. He helped peel asparagus; he hung out. It was great.
Sentiment: POSITIVE
I love fresh vegetables and we always include them in our meals. I don't force my kids to eat asparagus, but they do eat peas, broccoli, and carrots.
When your kids are their hungriest, put out raw vegetables and dip - simple. It takes two seconds.
I have encouraged my kids to eat well from day one. I add flavor - herbs and spices - to everything because I don't want them getting used to starchy, bland food. I also want them to experiment - they don't have to love everything, but they do have to try it.
The thing with children is they're a bit like baking a fruitcake: you throw all the ingredients in but you never know how they're going to turn out.
I think you have to be careful with spices. Kids' palates can be very delicate, and they might not like things overspiced. In my cookbooks for kids, I do a milder version of my signature spice blend, Emeril's Essence, called Baby Bam, which has no cayenne pepper.
I think a great way to get kids to start eating their vegetables is to get creative with them.
As a parent, I know how difficult it can be to encourage your kids to eat well.
Cooking for my son is a challenge. I have to feed him right. He can't eat French fries and candy every day.
Success to me is having ten honeydew melons and eating only the top half of each slice.
Good asparagus needs minimal treatment and is best eaten with few other ingredients.