Cheap, Easy Worm Bin (Composting) For Apartment Kids & More Picky Eater Ideas

http://whatcom.wsu.edu/ag/compost/easywormbin.htm

An easy apartment gardening project to work on with your toddler to primary school-aged children!  Boys who are reading How to Eat Fried Worms may enjoy having a "pet worm collection."  Venus fly traps are another good plant for Kindergarteners through 3rd graders.

At the local nurseries, it's more gratifying and easy for young children to just get a well-established, already pre-planted, large strawberry plant, not to start anything from seed.  Also, Sprouts and Whole Foods markets have organic culinary herb plants.  Stick it in the bathtub and let them water it everyday after bath time.  A pizza or spaghetti herb garden is great for picky eaters, b/c they may be more inclined to eat anything they helped grow and harvest.  Try to get the plants already grown (largest size possible).  That way they don't lose interest waiting for the seedlings to develop.

They can also paint their own kitchen herb growing pots (or coffee mugs) at Go Paint on a rainy afternoon.

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Other ideas for little picky eaters:

-Cutting sandwiches/french toast with a cookie cutter in fun shapes

-Adding fresh/dried berries to their cereal/oatmeal/granola

-Making rose lemonade popsicle sticks (use stevia powder, instead of sugar).  Also, you can make an organic rose and lavender lemonade sherbet/popsicles.  http://homes.ninemsn.com/houseandgarden/food/8218096/organic-lavender-rose-lemonade

-Making frozen yogurt and fruit popsicles (organic, pasteurized)

-Growing organic nasturtiums for a "flowers and leafy greens salad" or decorating mini-muffins, especially carob cupcake types with carob and stevia frosting, and sprinkling flowers for decoration on top

-Growing and using edible, organic violas, pansies and mints with 'em (container mints come in fun varieties like chocolate peppermint plants, are extremely easy to grow and smell like a York Peppermint Patty)

-Cute cheese mice snacks for preschoolers: http://family.go.com/food/recipe-585736-mini-cheese-ball-mice-t/

-Toddler-sized, assorted mini pizzas baked in nonstick mini-muffin or mini-cupcake pan (a rosemary-seasoned pizza crust, topped with Greek gyros and feta cheese with dollops of sour cream & freshly minced chives is yummy)

-Savory cupcakes (e.g. whole grain mac and organic goat cheese, organic meatloaf with mashed potatoes on top) served in bright colored silicone bakeware cups.  Let them squeeze little pastry bags or pipe "frosting" made from cream cheeses with organic food coloring

-Hiding pureed vegetables into their lasagna or spaghetti sauces (e.g. mashed pumpkin, butternut squash, or carrot purees)

-Making dim sum, wontons and eggrolls together (make sure the child is at least ten years old, washes hands well before and after handling raw meat).  Consider using organic food colorings to color the wonton and eggroll wrappers.  They may eat something if it looks more fun.  If they're too young to do this safely, have them help create the dipping sauces for 'em.

-Vietnamese summer roll wrap ups with moistened rice paper wraps, fresh leafy greens: baby kale, baby spinach, arugula, rocket leaves, mache are all better than crisphead lettuces, rice noodles, cilantro leaves, shredded carrots, cucumbers & thinly sliced, baked, organic turkey/chicken breast that's been marinated with sesame oil/tamari sauce/rice wine vinegar/ginger/non-spicy Thai peanut sauce (don't forget a variety of dipping sauces)

-Creating their own brown rice sushi rolls with cooked, wild salmon, avocado slices, and cream cheese...or making sushi rolls that contain brown sushi rice and just various vegetables.  Have them handle the black and tan sesame shakers to decorate the food.

-Making their own pasta noodles, raviolis or healthy ice creams

-Get a food dehydrator and let them help make veggie and fruit snacks with that (or make baked kale chips with various seasonings)

-Decorating foods with healthy shakers filled with: organic chia seeds, wheat germ, freshly ground flaxseed (can be mixed with Parmesan/Romano cheeses too)

-Take them with you to a good butcher shop where they can pick out unique bratwursts, sausages and kebabs.  Middle Eastern, Greek and Indian butcher shops may carry a good selection of pre-marinated lamb kebabs.  You can use those bratwursts and sausages they choose for their pizza toppings too.

-Yak meat is healthy and eco-friendly.  They may like yak meat burgers or meatballs.

-Local yak rancher: http://www.theyakranch.com/yak-meat-healthy-red-meat/yak-meat-for-sale/

-Make hummus and baba ghanouj from scratch for them to smear everything with or dip their pita bread into

-Indiv'l lasagna rolls

-Warm Vietnamese banana tapioca pearls in coconut cream pudding (lots of toddler-friendly Vietnamese desserts with healthy fruits), substitute stevia powder instead of sugar

-Indian assorted flavors, mini-veggie samosas with non-spicy chutney and dipping sauces

-Mini quiches can be quite healthy with lots of mushrooms and vegetables

-Homemade almond butter granola, served with fresh yogurt and berries, topped with wheat germ & organic chia seeds

-Cornish game hens, fresh/thawed: cut slits into it, stuff the slits with thin slices of garlic cloves, rub inside and out with sea salt, chopped rosemary needles, coarse ground black pepper and Australian lemon myrtle powder.  Stuff sliced lemons (peel and all) & minced garlic, ginger root slices with roughly chopped yellow onion into cavity, roast in oven in a roasting bag or toss onto the grill on top of a water-soaked cedar grill plank

-Black-skinned chicken, roasted whole (they have chickens with black skin at Pacific Ocean Market in Westminster, along with very unusual shaped and colored fish there).  Rub all over with truffle oil, garlic salt, and stuff cavity with wild crimini, porcini mushrooms and minced shallots

-For children aged five and up, they may enjoy cooking scrambled eggs and omelettes in the kitchen with you.  Always have a large carton of egg whites available.  It's healthier and easier for them to make it with that.  Organic turmeric powder can give it a more "normal" yellow color and add antioxidants to the egg whites.

If they like green or red salsa, shredded Mexican cheeses, add those along with any cleaned and chopped mushrooms they're able to grow (there are white button and portabella mushroom growing kits).  Then add Spanish rice, warm refried beans with melted Mexican cheese onto a whole wheat/whole grain tortilla, the scrambled egg mixture, lots of fresh cilantro leaves and wrap it up for them as a breakfast burrito.


 Superbowl breakfast burritos with mango salsa:

http://www.serenabakessimplyfromscratch.com/2013/01/breakfast-burritos.html

Make sure to get the best chorizo ground sausage for this recipe from the Mexican butcher shop or grocery store.



Gardening with children link:

http://www.kidsgardening.org/node/3888