Let's get cooking!
These recipes are inspired on my book "Don't Stop Lexi", which I wrote as a fun and simple way to show parents to teach young children not just about healthy foods, but sparking curiosity for a variety of foods that have "superpowers". What's great about these recipes is that the foods will likely be new to you too, which makes it a meaningful learning experience as you will be going through the same thought process as your children do when trying foods for the first time. ​
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The key aspect of some of these recipes is that we will combine ingredients that are considered prebiotic (they have special fibers that our gut bacteria love eating) along with probiotic foods (they have live healthy bacteria in them). So in 1 meal we are feeding and eating the live bacteria all together! It’s what we call a symbiotic meal, example: yogurt and bananas.
Tips to turn a picky eater into a foodie
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Involve them in grocery shopping, putting away, cleaning and cooking foods.
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No pressure to eat or even try any food. This is about exposure first.
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Keep it fun and light. Make jokes, ask questions and ask them for help, as much as they can, depending on their age.
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Don’t worry about the mess, just laugh it off, clean it then or clean it later but don’t get upset. Messiness is part of learning and we don’t want anything negative during food prepping/meal times.
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Focus on the characteristics of food more than if it tastes “good” or bad”. Avoid using those labels to describe any food.
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If someone (you or your kids) don't like it at first, don't give up. Change the recipe, keep offering it because it can take a while until those taste buds get trained. I’m sure there is a food you now love that you used to dislike before… so be patient​
Cream of Beets
You will need:
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Beets
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Potatoes
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Vegetable borth
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Milk or half & half
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Chia seeds and cilantro
Lentils + Tempeh
You will need:
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Cooked lentils
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Tempeh
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Cilantro
Fermented Carrots
You will need:
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Mason jar
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Filtered water
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Salt
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Carrots
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Oranges