The pepper dillemma

Dewdropps

Hey guys. Any ideas how to get my 2 youngest girls to eat peppers? My oldest loves them, but the other two seem to associate peppers with hot/spicy and they don't like that and refuse to try anything with them.

They add so much color and flavor to dishes and I would love to use them in family meals without the headache. (The girls are 10,8, and 7)

Corjogo

Start with using yellow peppers - they are easier to disguise. Add them later as a condiment letting each person add their own - best of both worlds

Katiepiepie

I wouldn't try and get them to eat anything, but neither would I leave them out of a dish I liked. Your daughters can pick them out if they don't like them and you can show a positive example of enjoying eating them. I would stay clear of making an issue of it, as food wars are never pretty and nobody wins.

justal313

My dad forced me to finish my butternut squash when I was a kid and I still cant eat it to this day. I can eat buttercup squash, sweet poatoes, and lots of other orange starchy foods without issue. I can even have butternut squash soup/bisque, but not "whole" pieces.

Just looking at it makes me ill.

Don't push the issue too heavily.

Alternately you could try this (with 90/10 ground beef)

SLOPPY JOE STUFFED PEPPERS
1 pound ground beef
1 ounce onion, chopped, about 2 tablespoons
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1 teaspoon granular Splenda
1 1/2 teaspoons white vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
8 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded
3 green peppers, halved lengthwise

Brown the ground beef, onion, celery and garlic; drain the fat. Stir in all of the remaining ingredients except the cheese and green peppers. Simmer 10 minutes. Meanwhile, parboil the peppers in a little boiling water 3 minutes; drain. Place the peppers in a baking dish. Stir half of the cheese into the hamburger mixture; fill the peppers with the meat. Top with the remaining cheese. Bake at 350º 15-20 minutes until hot and bubbly and the peppers are tender.

Makes 6 servings
Can be frozen

Per Serving: 306 Calories; 21g Fat; 23g Protein; 6g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber; 4g Net Carbs

Dewdropps

My dad forced me to finish my butternut squash when I was a kid and I still cant eat it to this day. I can eat buttercup squash, sweet poatoes, and lots of other orange starchy foods without issue. I can even have butternut squash soup/bisque, but not "whole" pieces.

Just looking at it makes me ill.

Don't push the issue too heavily.

Alternately you could try this (with 90/10 ground beef)

SLOPPY JOE STUFFED PEPPERS
1 pound ground beef
1 ounce onion, chopped, about 2 tablespoons
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1 teaspoon granular Splenda
1 1/2 teaspoons white vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
8 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded
3 green peppers, halved lengthwise

Brown the ground beef, onion, celery and garlic; drain the fat. Stir in all of the remaining ingredients except the cheese and green peppers. Simmer 10 minutes. Meanwhile, parboil the peppers in a little boiling water 3 minutes; drain. Place the peppers in a baking dish. Stir half of the cheese into the hamburger mixture; fill the peppers with the meat. Top with the remaining cheese. Bake at 350º 15-20 minutes until hot and bubbly and the peppers are tender.

Makes 6 servings
Can be frozen

Per Serving: 306 Calories; 21g Fat; 23g Protein; 6g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber; 4g Net Carbs

That sounds so yummy!


They won't touch it, but wow, I might make this for the ones who will haha

uthatswho

They won't even do a taste test? Have you explained the heat index for chili peppers and how low they rate on the scale?

How about trying purple & chocolate peppers if they are so admit about no red or green ones?

I use roasted red peppers in my hummus. Maybe you can sneak it like that and surprise them with peppers?

TeachTheGirl

Stuffed peppers for sure. For my 5 year old, I cut his up, but even though he was wary at first, he ate a good deal of them. It's that or get them started on cool, raw slices dipped in dressing like ranch.

ckish

I have always used the rule with my kids they need to taste something in order to make an informed decision as to whether they like it or not. Not just a speck of a taste on the tip of their tongue but a full bite swirled around their palate because of the varying placement of of taste buds and which areas detect which flavors. Afterwards if they determined they did not like it they needed to describe what they didn't like - ie. texture, taste, smell, etc. Depending upon the reason they sometimes needed to try it again in another form at a later date. But the reason they were ALWAYS willing to try it was because they new if they really did not like it we would respect their well-formed opinion and not force them to eat it. Likewise I was careful not to test out their taste buds when they were feeling poorly or had a big test the next day etc. If we were trying out a new recipe I would sometimes make a small portion to "taste" without it being the main course. This is how I determined my family's prefered seasoning of chicken picata before I had a boat load of it that was too lemony or garlicy. It is also how my family discovered they loved kashmiri chicken and wanted me to make a larger batch as soon as I could. My kids also learned that "eeww" was not an appropriate comment EVER. My family has the well formed opinion that they do not like brussel sprouts in any way shape or form. But if they walk in while I am making them or have to pass them to me at the table they can always say "I hope you enjoy them". Food is a wonderful adventure. Enjoy it with your kids and respect their choices if they reaaly don't like something. Hiding them in some fashion or telling them brussel sprouts taste like popcorn (as a food network chef recently said on TV) does not inspire trust or make them adventurous eaters. Luckily there are enough food choices in the world that disliking some fruits or veggies doesn't mean you need to avoid them all. Good Luck!

dakitten2

The only thing I ask is don't make them eat something they truly have tried and don't care for. Growing up our family was very strict on that we had to try everything and clean our plates and stay at the table until we were done.

As a result, I have not ever eaten tomato soup or onion since I was a kid. I did not eat another egg until I was in my late 20's and I did not eat Brussels sprouts until I was in my 50's.

I ended up with many food issues as a result of the family rules. I can agree with getting a child to try something but if a child seriously tells you they don't like it, please let it go. That is the approach I took with my children and then in later years they developed a palate for a variety of foods that they did not like as children.

I believe that a lot of my food/weight issues stem from always having to clean a plate. It is still hard for me to say I am full and leave the table with food still on my plate.

Posesqueen

I would say make them try them. If they won't try them, cook dinners with peppers until they cave. But if they try them and truly dislike them (I despise sweet peppers but love spicy ones), you might want to try to accommodate. My mother never got me to eat peppers and I have never grown to like them.

mercedesbenz5979

I started pureeing all my veg an putting them in sauces, chilies, etc and after a while telling my daughter whats actually in her favorite foods. Her now favorite dish is stuffed peppers with tons of veggies and ground turkey.

nayeliholmes

Just make the dishes and insist that they try five bites. Then if they don't like it then they can have something else for dinner. The roasted red pepper hummus is a great idea too, I love hummus! It's delicious!

msleanlegs

The only vegetable I can get my kids to eat lately is broccoli. I thought for sure bell peppers would be a hit because of the sweetness, but no. Next time I'm getting a bottle of Ranch dressing for vegetable dipping and see if they'd go for that.

theCarlton

Pepper Eating Contest - winner gets $10. Participants get $3.

msleanlegs

LOL at the pepper eating contest. I can definitely see that working, but the expense - oh boy!

Koorogi

Something that you can do to get them to try it is to blend it in the blender, food processor, etc. Then you get the flavor, but can't see it. Then after they've at least tried it, see if they like it. Then be honest and let them know, I never lie to my kids but I will ask them to try things and then I will tell them what's in it. I have an 8 and 9 year old. My 8 year old hates seeing onions, but he's honest enough to tell me he likes the taste as long as he can't see them, he just hates the idea. I just always ask them to at least try things once every couple of months. I used to hate onions and mushrooms, yet now I can't imagine not eating them!

Josalinn

Don't tell them. Make a bunch of different foods, some they like some they don't. Blindfold them and make a game out of it. Ask them if they like it or if they can guess what is in it.

We did something like this in my 5th grade class. It was fun

sunshyncatra

Ack! I can't get my preschooler to eat anything! If I can get him to try it he usually says that he likes it but then continues to refuse to eat it.

mmddwechanged

Very slowly and patiently, add a half teaspoon to thier meal a few times a week without expecting them to eat. The exposure helps to desensitize. This only works if you have patience and low expectations and it may not work for both of them. Children need safe exposure to a variety of foods, it may take 7 meals before one of them tries a bite. Good luck!