A few weekends ago, we left town to visit some friends who had recently moved.  We met another family while we were there and the mom had Doritos, Cheetos, and Gatorade as a snack.  My kids’ eyes were bugging out of their heads at the opportunity to have something that we don’t keep around our house.  My eyes were bugging out of my head at the disbelief of the snack options.  How do kids know what will be inside those bags?  The food industry has done a terrific job with the marketing on color and packaging.  When you are put up against this, you can look really bad as a mom when you suggest they not eat too much junk.

I have got to be honest.  As enthusiastic about raw food as I am, my kids aren’t as into it as one would think they might be.    They have their favorite things I make and ask for them on occasion, but they don’t even come close to some of the “raw kids” I read about online. And of course, there is controversy on that subject as well.  Maybe it depends on their mood.  I can make something that I think they will love (carob-cherry brownies, anyone?), and my little boy will say, “I don’t like this kind of brownie, mom.  I like the other kind.”  By other kind he means out of the box with refined flour and sugar.  Or, I will make the banana pancakes my daughter specifically asks for on her birthday, but then she won’t eat them.  What is that about?  I think she said they were different the first time.  Hmm…Well, whatever it is, I am working on changing my attitude.  I wish I lived a raw food fairy tale where my kids had a big smile on their face when I made kid friendly raw food recipes that other blogging and recipe writing parents post.  But, they are like most kids who eat their raw fruits and vegetables so they can have the brownies from the box.  Like any frustrated mom, I have gotten upset with them over wasted food and/or my time, threatened, and bribed.  None of these responses is going to get me any closer to where we really need to be.  I am brainstorming new and energetic ideas because I do really understand what is going on here.  My kids have been sabotaged by the taste and texture of processed foods just like the rest of us.  The difference is, their energetic little bodies don’t yet understand how processed foods may eventually be used to feed their emotions or become addictive.  Kids just eat and play instead of standing in the kitchen and wondering what to eat instead of taking action on an emotional feeling that is trying to rise to the surface.

I decided that being a good role model is more beneficial than being demanding.  I can make their plates as colorful as possible with the easy things like raw fruits and veggies.  I can make what I want to eat and I offer it to them without expectations (or threats).  Too much pressure is placed around eating these days anyways, and I shouldn’t be adding to it.  Thankfully, I do understand how food affects us and that is why I want my kids to eat well and avoid the dangers of processed food.  But unfortunately, the pressure from me about the good stuff doesn’t outweigh the negative effects of the bad stuff.

What else can I do that makes this battle easier on all of us?  I am going to focus on what they like. My kids love fruit.  Any kind!  What can I do in the kitchen that incorporates my kids and fruit?  We decided to make fruit roll ups!  This only requires frozen fruit, a food processor, and a dehydrator.  We started with strawberry and raspberry because that is what I had in the freezer.  The kids at the whole tray in one sitting and asked when we could do it again!  We did do it again a few days later.  This time we used blackberries and blueberries.  For some reason, these weren’t as flavorful.  I imagine it was the batch of frozen fruit (probably picked out of season).  Time for more creativity~we spread nut butter on top and rolled them up.  Sort of like a pb&j.  Below is a simple, easy recipe for fruit rollups that might be fun for you and your kids.

1 bag each organic frozen strawberries and raspberries

In a bowl, defrost the berries at room temperature for a couple of hours.  Add the defrosted berries to a food processor fitted with the S-blade.  Puree until smooth.  Entirely optional, but you can strain out the seeds using a fine sieve.  Next, pour the mixture onto the middle of a dehydrator tray covered with a non-stick sheet (you can buy these with your dehydrator – I recommend Excalibur dehydrators). Spread the mixture to each end of the sheet and dehydrate at 105 for several hours.  Depending on where you live, these may already be done (drier climates produce quicker results!).  If not, flip it over and peel off the non-stick sheet and dry another hour or two.  Now, enjoy these fruit roll ups (with or without nut butter) with no preservatives or additives.

Two quick pics from the process.  While not glamorous, you get the idea!  Let me know how it works out!!