{"id":4567,"date":"2018-05-09T13:15:27","date_gmt":"2018-05-09T17:15:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.daniellebinns.com\/stagingsite\/?p=4567"},"modified":"2018-05-11T11:45:29","modified_gmt":"2018-05-11T15:45:29","slug":"a-salad-your-kids-will-eat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.daniellebinns.com\/stagingsite\/2018\/05\/a-salad-your-kids-will-eat\/","title":{"rendered":"The secrets to making a kid-friendly salad"},"content":{"rendered":"

I cried a lot in those first few years of motherhood. Virtually every day, and at every meal.\u00a0 It was hard trying to feed a little girl who was tiny (not on the growth chart kind of “tiny”) yet wouldn’t eat. There were many sad tears shed when she would hold food in her mouth for-e-ver.<\/p>\n

Or when I would make something I KNEW she would like, only to have her push it away.<\/p>\n

Or when I had to chase her around with a spoon.<\/p>\n

But any parent with a “picky eater” knows there are happy tears too!<\/p>\n

There are three distinct moments when I can recall wanting to cry, and shed tears of joy (for a change!).\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

(1) When Sienna ate meat (sausage)<\/em> – a whole one – after struggling to get her to take a bite for ages. That was a few years ago, and now she eats and loves all meat.\u00a0 Even the gamier ones like lamb. I’m still shocked.<\/p>\n

(2) When Sienna told me she was hungry.<\/em>\u00a0 Our daughter had NEVER told us she was hungry, and didn’t have much of an appetite.\u00a0 I know now that much of that was a result of the negative associations she had with mealtimes\/food (because anxiety –> leads to increased adrenaline –> which leads to a decrease in appetite). The day she asked for food and said those four magical words “I am hung-y mommy<\/em>” was probably one of the happiest moments of my life.\u00a0 Keith was home and we both looked at each other in utter disbelief. That’s when I knew we were doing all the right things at meals to help her develop a better relationship with food.\u00a0 [I talk more about those in this FREE Webinar<\/a>].<\/p>\n

(3) And just a few weeks ago, when\u00a0Sienna ate a salad.<\/em>\u00a0 I almost died!\u00a0 Virtually every parent wants to celebrate when their child eats a vegetable.\u00a0 But a bowl of mixed veggies takes that celebration to the next level.\u00a0 Am I right?<\/p>\n

She was sitting at the kitchen counter with her friend and Naomi and I placed supper in front of them. They each scooped their own sweet potatoes and\u00a0chicken nuggets<\/a>, but no one opted for the arugula salad.\u00a0 Except Sienna.<\/p>\n

\"Kid-friendly<\/p>\n

When she asked “Mommy can I have some of this?<\/em>” it took every ounce of me not to show my excitement (or cry) given it wasn’t even a kid-friendly salad!\u00a0 I nonchalantly said “sure” and she scooped some greens on her plate, then ate one leaf, and eventually the whole scoop.\u00a0 After dinner, she came back and asked to have the leftover (and soggy?!) salad for her bedtime snack. Again, another nonchalant “sure” from me (while having a party inside).<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

After she went to bed I almost cracked a bottle of champagne (I don’t even really like champagne but it seemed appropriate!).<\/p>\n

Instead I decided to write this post and give you hope (and a few great ideas for making a kid-friendly salad!).<\/p>\n

First you must know that salads are HARD for a few reasons:<\/strong><\/p>\n