Swiper’s Blueberry Hill Muffins / The Curse Of The Picky Eater

Buenos Dias! A Perfect Breakfast Snack.

As someone who loves to cook and explore new flavours my 3-year-old’s picky eating habits sometimes make me want to pull my hair out! It started just before her 2nd birthday when she would throw her plate on the floor and grin with a false sense of authority. Brett and I have researched the subject to death. We’ve read books, reviewed the forums, struck conversations up at the park. The consensus seems to be: just deal with it. Whatever their motivation, some kids are just picky eaters. Everyone seems to have their own remedy on how to deal with it (i.e. offering variety, creating visually appealing plates, smaller portions) but the important thing to remember is to never become emotional over it or adapt your habits to suite their tantrums. You have to keep presenting new foods and wait for the day when they say, “Wow, Mom! This is awesome.  You’re the best!” 🙂  Until then, on those nights that they toss the chicken parmigiana you hand breaded and topped with a homemade tomato sauce across the floor, you just need to take a very deep breathe and enjoy a little “time out” in the bathroom. They will get past this… or so I’m told.

In the meantime…. I find myself being extra clever at mealtime to impress Edie’s palette. Often holding my breathe to see what tonight’s outcome will be.  Cooking and baking with me has certainly helped.  Feeling a sense of pride with her involved meals and treats often guarantees at least a few bites.  So when I noticed the Dora and Diego Cookbook I knew it had to be ours.

Recommended to the parents of any little adventurer.

These Nickelodeon icons have their faces plastered on 70% of the belongings in my house.  Edie idolizes them.  So a book of healthy, kid-friendly recipes that Edie wants to make and wants to eat… SOLD!  Our first mission has been these Swiper’s Blueberry Hill Muffins.  A huge success.  These muffins made 24 mini-muffins (or 12 large, if you prefer) and were loved so much by Edie and Alice that we decided to take some to share with our playgroup.  These kids loved them.  One actually told me I “should be a chef because my food is the best.” 🙂

• 1 cup whole wheat flour *
• 1/3 cornmeal*
• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2/3 cup low-fat plain yogurt
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

* whole wheat flour and corn meal have a variety of flake sizes, some bigger than kids enjoy.  Sift these ingredient to remove these larger flakes.

1. Preheat oven to 375 F.  Grease or place paper liners in muffin cups.

2. In a large bowl, combine flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt.  In a medium bowl, combine yogurt, oil, egg and vanilla.  Add yogurt mixture to flour mixture.  Stir until just combined.  Add blueberries and fold in until incorporated.

3. Divide batter among muffin cups and bake for about 15 minutes, until tops bounce back when touched lightly.  Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pans.

For more notes on dealing with a fussy/picky eater click here. Of all vendors, the ‘Dummies.com’ folks have a honest and concise tips on how to deal with.

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