Tasty Tasty Club Sucess!

A couple weeks ago I started the Tasty Tasty Club in our house. I read about it on another blog. What you do is make little Tasty Club Cards with 7 round dots. When your child eats a serving of a new food or a food they think they do not like - then, they get to punch their dot. Once both kids get the dots all punched out - we go somewhere as a family to eat as a treat that the kids choose. Right now - it's looking to be Chuck E Cheese (Lord, help me!).

It has been a fabulous tool at the dinner table. I don't give them a huge serving at all but enough to equate more than a couple bites. Some of the successes have been -homemade chicken noodle soup with carrots and celery (the carrots and celery were the big obstacles - my kids like raw carrots but use to turn their nose down to cooked carrots), broccoli casserole (again, they both LOVE broccoli but with it going in a casserole, I knew I'd hear complaints), salad that has green peppers, fresh sliced mushrooms and cucumbers (they love salad but usually I don't put any fresh vegetables in it) and tonights dinner was a wild rice, mushroom and sausage casserole. When they walked in the kitchen and found out what I was making - of course, they complained and said they didn't like it. After Isabella took her first bite - she said "wow, this is actually good!". Ava only has only one more punch left and Isabella has two.

Steve has a HUGE pet peeve about people saying they don't like something. I don't have an issue with people having things they don't like - me, I can't stand peas or lima beans - would I try them if presented before me, of course but I won't load my plate up with them, that is guaranteed. My beef is parents who say their kids are so picky or will only eat 4-5 meals. I think it is such a huge disservice to the child and is sad they will be missing out on a lot of good food. Plus, going to friends houses for dinner when all the kid will eat is corn dogs, chicken nuggets, pizza or mac and cheese. It's kinda pathetic in my opinion. But, to each their own!!! That's what makes the world go round I guess.

So, I challenge you to start your own tasty tasty club - it works!

Oh - the reason I started this was I got a bunch of Paula Deen cookbooks at the library and fell in love with tons of different recipes and I wanted an incentive to have the kids eager to try the new meals out with me.