Noodles Please, With a Side of Noodles

You are probably no stranger to this conversation:
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“What do you want for dinner sweetie?” The dreaded response: “Noodles…”
One of the things parents stress most about is their child’s eating habits. “Is my child eating enough?”  “Is my child getting enough nutrients?” “All my kid wants to eat is pasta!”  These days many parents feel bad about serving pasta to their children all the time. The fact is that you can’t make your child like a food, and it’s pretty difficult to force them to eat it.  So, if pasta is it, there are many ways to make it nutritious.   Your child’s tastes will change and reintroducing a previously failed food is something to remember because, what Tommy doesn’t like today, he might like in a few months.

​3 Reasons Pasta is not the Villain

1. Some Form of Carbohydrate is Eaten At Most Meals - As far as carbohydrates go, pasta is not much different than serving bread or rice, and it’s a better alternative than say…a sugary muffin. You can choose healthy whole wheat pasta, high fibre pasta, or one with added pea protein for some added nutrition (COSTO sells a good option of protein pasta).  It’s good to switch things up, but if you know you child absolutely will..not..eat..rice, then ask yourself: “ is it worth the battle every time?”
2. You Can Hide Veggies in the Sauce – Blending veggies into a sauce or dip are great ways to introduce new flavours to a child without overwhelming them.   What better vessel for blended veggies, than in pasta sauce!  Cook your sauce as you usually would, add a few extra friends to join the party, and then blend it all together. Zucchini, spinach and peppers are some great options that will add a healthy zing to a pasta sauce.
3. It’s Easy to Make, and Better than Fast Food - It doesn’t take long to boil noodles and have a healthy simple sauce on the table. It also makes for a great leftover hot thermos lunch for school. If you don’t have time to make a sauce, try a cold pasta salad with very tiny chopped cucumbers, peppers or olives, and a bit of mayo or olive oil dressing. Not a fan of Mayo? No problem. Avocado is a great alternative and adds a nice creamy texture.

Serving noodles such as Lasagna, Pad Thai, Udon, Pho or Ramen is a wonderful way to introduce children to the various flavours of different cultures.   Theme nights can be a fun way to serve pasta and talk about what children in other countries eat.  A great way to think about what to offer at each meal is to offer a ‘Love It Food’, ‘Like It food’ and a ‘Learning It Food’.  Remember to keep introducing new foods and retrying unsuccessful ones.