So when my son says ‘mom, can we have that supper where we get to pick different things from bowls by ourselves’ and I say ‘you mean the salad buffet?’ and he says ‘ya, that!! Can we do that for supper?’ you know that my answer will be YES.
The Salad Bar/Buffet has become a staple in our house. It satisfies the kids’ desires to decide what they eat and how much, and for us it’s nothing but deliciousness. Now that it’s market season, this will become an even more popular dinner item.
To set it up simply cut up any veggies, fruit, salad-ish items and put them in various dishes (yes, this creates a lot of dishes, but the kids will eat their veggies!).
I always have some protein (or a couple options – eggs and chicken are popular kid choices) and I just lay it out. Everyone gets an empty plate and we start passing bowls.
Sometimes the kids don’t love what they take (the onions aren’t popular anymore) and other times they eat even more than what I normally would serve (chopped carrots are a huge hit).
I love having avocado on hand and my kids for some reason will eat raw lettuce – one likes it with a little dressing. Love it!
Grated cheese is also a favourite; the 5 year old happily eats the cheddar and the 3 year old prefers chunks of feta.
The selections change depending on what’s available in the fridge – chopped broccoli is usually around, seeds and nuts as well.
The point? It’s a family favourite that encourages the kids to try new foods and talk about vegetables as they eat them. We’ll be doing this more and more this summer.
Have you done salad buffets?
What a great idea! I have never thought of this, but I will try it soon. I think they would love the idea of picking and choosing their own plates.
That is a great strategy you use to get kids eat veggies. I think I will have to make good use of it too. My kids are the biggest problem when it comes to taking vegetables.
It is really good that kids eat veggies a lot since these are good to their body. Your strategy is really great. I must do that also for my kids.
Yes! We love the salad bar idea over here too. I have also discovered that they eat a lot more healthy stuff if there is any DIY involved, whether it’s fajitas or mini-pizzas or even sandwiches. They also seem to try more combinations too, which is cool.
Vegetables are perfect for kids. In order for the kids to be healthy, they must need to eat veggies. I like the way you make for your kids to eat veggies.