Involvement matters when it comes to children eating their vegetables. It’s true!
Enter this gorgeous green pesto! Made with fresh spinach, it blanketed our entire dinner in the most soothingly delicious way!
Now, some parents and dietitians will advocate for hiding or disguising vegetables in your children’s meals.
I vehemently disagree!!!
To me, it seems too much like lying, something else I absolutely do not advocate when communicating with children. It’s a slippery slope from sneaking stuff into their food to hiding other important and relevant information. This is not the example I choose to set for my child, or any other children (or adults, for that matter) with whom I work.
So, how did I encourage my son to eat his vegetables on this particular evening? I invited him to cook with me, of course!!! 
He rinsed the spinach in the colander, grated the cheese, and had an absolute BLAST whirring all of the ingredients for this pesto sauce in the food processor. Don’t have one? No worries! We’ve also had just as much fun grinding up the same ingredients over the years using an old fashioned mortar & pestle with a hefty dose of elbow grease! 
Of course, he diligently tasted every single ingredient along the way, as always. He declared the mixture “gross” when it was just plain spinach and a touch of olive oil. Nevertheless, I purposely didn’t try to dissuade him from sampling at every step in the process. How else will he learn that the true magic is only evident when *all* of the components have come together in their intended ratios.
The pleasantly surprised look on his face when he finally declared the finished pesto “tasty” was music to my eyes! Needless to say, he inhaled his dinner with delight!!!
All of my gardening friends tell me that their children eat fresh vegetables because they grow fresh vegetables. I’m here to say that children who prepare fresh vegetables also eat fresh vegetables! Having a hand in the selection AND preparation gives them incredible ownership over the finished dish. They can’t wait to taste what they’ve made, AND they 
LOVE to share their finished dishes with those they adore!!!
Now that fall is in full swing, we’re doing loads with colorful cucurbits in Our Kitchen Classroom. You know, gourds, pumpkins, zucchini, the whole fun family of familiar fall vegetables are making their presence known.
What better time than to jump into our seasonal Pumpkin Pie & Pastry Course?!?!?!
? Honor our ancestors by cooking from scratch!
? Honor the land by selecting locally-grown produce!
? Learn techniques to develop the deepest, richest flavors!
? Prepare your own Pumpkin Pie Spice, too!!!
Give yourself AND your children a gift that will keep on giving all year long!
Register now.
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