Have you ever had “special sprouts”? They’re actually Brussels sprouts, but if you say it fast, it sounds an awful lot like special sprouts, especially to a 6 and a 3-year-old. (Our very own Nanny Jane calls them Barbie cabbages.)
I love Brussels sprouts. I admit it. (There. I said it.) So I introduced them to my girls last month. I take mine whole, sautéed in a bit of butter, and then tossed with a splash of balsamic vinegar and sea salt a few minutes before serving. I eat them with abandon the same way I can eat bacon or popcorn. And guess what, so do my girls! Mia asks for seconds and Stella, thirds. Mia likes to peel back the layers and savor them one leaf at a time. Stella is an eat-’em-whole girl like me.
Last week we had BLTs, organic French fries, and … special sprouts (a rather interesting combination, but that’s what happens when it’s dance and gymnastics night). Stella’s fries remained untouched, and on her third helping of special sprouts, I wondered if I should make her eat her entire plate of food before I let her have more of something else. I promptly decided against it.
When she asked Friday morning if she could take any leftover special sprouts to school for lunch, I also decided against that. No need for her to know just yet that her peers might not love them the way she does.
Brussel sprouts were a veggie that I did not get to like until my adulthood. So much depends on how you cook them because overcooking leaves them mushy and bitter. Now, I love them roasted with just a bit of olive oil and sea salt . You are so right to help your children learn to try and enjoy all of the healthy veggies of the world! They will be so much more healthy for it!
For salads, we used to have each child go to the garden & pick their own leaves to eat. They would also find peas, radishes, onions, kale…whatever was ready! My grandgirls are salad lovers, but not beets! Oh well,can’t win them all!
I, too, love brussel sproats, fixed just about any way imagined. However, as a kid I can remember wondering how anything that stunk up the house so bad could taste so good!
I too only recently discovered how great they are! I can’t get enough of them now.