Multiple Mummy Kerry, from our Parent Panel, talks about how she has tried to overcome her own aversion to certain foods to ensure her children have as healthy and balanced a diet as possible.

It is all very well to feed your children healthy snacks if they are a lover of fruits and raw vegetables but when they are not what do you opt for? I have three children who will not willingly eat anything that actually looks like a vegetable or a fruit and I have to spend my time disguising them.

I cannot wholly blame them; I am not a fruit or vegetable person myself and really have to force myself to eat them. I can now cope with broccoli, cauliflower and asparagus but that is about it. Additionally, all my sauces have to be smooth as I can’t stand lumps, so when you have a mother that has to eat like a baby it does not leave much hope for the children.

In a way I think it has made me more determined for them not to be like me. However, I remember as a child being forced to eat lumpy sauces and picking at my food. When my mum finally made my spaghetti bolognaise with the mince and smooth sauce and I wolfed it down she decided something was better than nothing. I have the same approach; in the view that as long as the ingredients are all in there what does it matter if I blitz it?

I had been really worrying about what my children eat for some time. Then a support work with Home-Start said to me that she had taken her son to the doctor about his diet and the doctor had told her not to worry and that he grew up on mostly chocolate and look how he turned out (a slightly arrogant approach in my opinion but then it kind of has a point!). Interestingly this support worker also said that when at friends her kids would eat what was given to them. Now as adults their taste has developed and of course they want a proper meal.

When I told her about the kind of meals my children eat, she was amazed and said she would never have got her boys to eat those. However as I say I- blitz!

So …

Spaghetti Bolognaise– I cook the mince and the sauce (containing onions, tomatoes, courgettes, broccoli, a tin of sweet corn and carrots – plus garlic, Italian seasoning and stock) separately and then I blitz the sauce and add it to the mince. They love it and eat it in bowls full and I can’t fault it really. If I made it lumpy it would be a battle of wills and I would be negotiating each mouthful. I don’t want meal times to be a battle; I want them to enjoy their food.

Shepherd’s Pie – done in much the same way, with a tin of baked beans added to the mince and sage instead of Italian seasoning, plus lamb mince.

Fish Pie – they will eat broccoli but only on the side! Yes my children are weirdos!

Roast Dinner – veg has to be mashed into the mashed potato – I can sneak in carrot, suede and broccoli – all disguised with gravy!

Pasta, broccoli and Cheese! – So easy and quick!

Apple Puree and Custard!

Fruit Smoothies! An essential in our house; but only the twins will eat bananas; Noah would run a mile from them (just like his Daddy!)

Quiche – for some strange reason they love quiche. Again broccoli on the side! Good old broccoli, thank goodness for you.

Soup – blitzed!

Clearly fish fingers and nuggets go down a storm!

The only thing is that our meals have become very repetitive in order to get the goodness in, so if you have any other ideas for meals (where sauces can be blitzed) then please do let me know!

You probably think I am crazy and am creating more work for myself, but actually I would rather the children ate all their dinner and were full, satisfied and healthy, than be squabbling about eating a carrot. Being forced to eat them as a child has not changed my opinion of them now – I still don’t like them, but now I get to choose, and I can blitz for myself!

Do you think your children have a healthy diet and have you managed to keep it varied? Share your tips in a comment; I’d love to hear them.

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