Munch Menu V.12
If at first you don’t succeed, make them try those peppers again
I come to you with a rare toddler culinary win: my child eats bell peppers now.
Nothing has rocked my world so intensely since the Keith-Nicole divorce news, and I feel compelled to shout from my version of the rooftops and message DeuxMoi about it (anon, please).
Dear reader, I have painstakingly tried to introduce this ingredient for the past 18 months. I have pureed red bell peppers in tomato sauce. I have hidden them in curry. I have cut them up for lunchboxes. She seemed to be able to ferret out the flavor in a way that led me to believe she had a genuine aversion.
In the spirit of “same same, but different,” last week I tried yellow peppers instead of red. They came back in her lunchbox untouched. Finally, I made one last attempt to bribe her in the bathtub by promising her a piece of pear.
She finally relented and ate the pepper. Then she wanted another piece of pear, so ate another pepper. This continued until the peppers and pear were gone and the bath was cold.
Yesterday, I sent the same lunchbox to school with the yellow peppers. It came back empty. 10/10 no notes from the tiny critic.
I share this to reiterate a few things.
The first taste is the biggest hurdle, and sometimes bribing is just the only way to clear it.
If at first you don’t succeed, try try and try again. But change one small variable. Roasted instead of raw. Cubed instead of sliced. Yellow instead of red. Sometimes the smallest change makes all the difference, or at least helps your kid feel like they have agency in their choices.
I also share this because I want to introduce a new feature on Munch Menus.
As we’ve evolved over here and started mixing in more interviews and essays, the Friday menu has become monthly instead of weekly. This is also in part because now you have an archive of 12 different menus to choose from if you ever need inspiration on any given week!
To compliment the monthly menu, I’ll be doing a special ingredient spotlight. The idea is for your kid to get to know one new ingredient a month. And if they are already fully on board with said ingredient, it will give you plenty of new ideas and ways to incorporate it.
October’s spotlight will be WINTER SQUASH.
There are so many varieties and preparations to play with here, and I’ll dedicate an email next week to walking you through them.
In the meantime, you’ll find honeynut squash featured in this month’s menu. Feel free to substitute butternut, delicata—anything you like. And remember that if your munch doesn’t go for it at first, there are plenty more options to rotate in (in the spirit of the yellow peppers).
I’d love to hear your thoughts on whether this new feature is helpful and any ideas for ingredients you’d like featured in November! I’m thinking brussels sprouts since it’s a new frontier for us, or potentially mushrooms. Please submit your nominees below!
Happy munching!
Phoebe
THE GAME PLAN
Store-Bought Spotlight
(elements you can buy)
Tzatziki or Lemon-Dill Sauce: There are plenty of store bought options these days for yogurt-based sauces if you don’t have the energy to make from scratch (if you do, just pop a cucumber, tub of yogurt, salt, lemon juice and mint in a food processor!). Cocojune makes a dairy-free lemon-dill sauce that is a great sub for tzatziki.
Ugly Tomato Sauce: This fantastic brand that uses rejected produce from the grocery store. They also make a vegan vodka sauce that is absolutely delicious. You can also make yours from scratch – don’t let me stop you!
Bean Chili: I know this stack has essentially become a non-sponsored space for me to express my genuine love of Heyday canning products. You’ll be shocked to hear that their chili is amazing too. But there are plenty of other brands that make great options (Amy’s, Siete, etc.).
Little Sesame Hummus: This is my new favorite brand of hummus – so creamy and flavorful. Not suitable for munchkins, but you MUST try the jalapeno flavor if you like heat.
P.S. Have you been enjoying Munch Menus as a free subscriber? It takes me many many hours to put together these game plans every week. If you love them, it’s a very reasonable $1.50 per week if you do the annual option. A small price to pay for someone to do all the planning for you!
Meal Prep
(elements you can make in advance)
Honeynut Squash: The beauty of honeynut squash is that, like delicata, you can eat the skin! Which makes it much quicker to prep than butternut. Simply halve the squash, scoop out the seeds, season with salt and olive oil, then roast at 425 degrees F for 25 minutes, or until fork tender. You can add cinnamon and a little maple syrup before you roast to make it extra appealing, or make the maple-tahini sauce linked below. If you can’t find honeynut, simply cube some butternut and roast using the same method.
Turkey Meatballs: You can make these as simple or involved as you want. Since they are being served with rice and yogurt sauce, stick with Greek-ish seasonings like cumin and cilantro or parsley. These chicken soup meatballs would also work great and are packed with veg!
Roasted Eggplant: Cut a medium eggplant into half-moons and toss with olive oil + salt. Bake at 400 degrees F on a parchment lined sheet pan until caramelized, 20 to 30 minutes.
Sweet Potato Wedges: Cut into fat wedges, season as you like, drizzle with oil, bake at 425 F for 25 minutes, until caramelized.
Hemp-Crusted Chicken Tenders: Last month’s paid subscriber recipe! You can also easily buy frozen chicken tenders to make your life easier, but these are gluten-free and have the nutrient booster of hemp seeds.
Pumpkin Cornbread: This week’s paid subscriber recipe! Feel free to take the store bought shortcut here too, though note that these options will include more sugar.
Quickies
(non-recipe recipes you can cook the night or day of)
Baked Salmon: Top 1 to 2 fillets salmon with an equal mix of mayo and Dijon mustard. Stir in any chopped herb and 1 clove minced garlic. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes until cooked through. Alternatively, you can follow the sheet pan salmon recipe I linked below and use this for the entirety of Monday’s meal! The maple-tahini sauce is delicious and would work on the honeynut too.
Pan-Fried Halloumi: Slice the cheese and pan-fry in a nonstick pan over medium-high heat until golden on both sides. More detailed instructions linked.
Buttery Peas: Place frozen peas in a bowl with 1 tablespoon of butter for every ½ cup and nuke until defrosted!
FAMILY MEAL IDEAS FOR WEEKENDS
If you’re someone who goes the family dinner route, don’t worry, I still got you! Every week I’ll add two ideas from my archives or the internet that have been kid-approved in my house. You can make them on the weekends or rotate them into a munch menu.
Baked Honey Mustard Chicken and Apples: I would think Dijon mustard would be a polarizing ingredient, but my munch can’t get enough, especially when it’s paired with something slightly sweet like apples. This one pan chicken has the perfect mix of sweet and peppery. Serve it alongside a simple green salad with some crusty bread for the sauce.
Maple-Tahini Salmon Bowls: This sheet pan meal from friend of the stack Jenn Lueke is easy and adaptable. In fact, you could substitute this whole recipe for Monday’s meal plan above. When I made it, I swapped the sweet potato for butternut squash (in the spirit of this month’s ingredient spotlight!). Either way, the maple tahini sauce is a great way to get your munch to fall in love with a new food. Even brussels sprouts…
Did you like this post? Please take 30 seconds and click the heart button at the bottom! It is an easy, free way to help more people find my work!
My latest cookbook is your culinary and dietary road map to reclaim your favorite comfort foods without the consequences (complete with 130 anti-inflammatory gluten free recipes…that are also family friendly!). Ina Garten says “I love this book!”—listen to the queen and order your copy!
What a win; bell peppers for the victory! I love how you kept experimenting and gave her space to explore the new flavour on her own terms. In my last post, I actually wrote about how kids are much more likely to try something new when it’s paired with something familiar. This story is such a perfect example of that in action. I’m all about helping little ones get involved in the kitchen, too - it’s amazing how a bit of ownership (and maybe a pear bribe) can make all the difference.
I shamelessly used a little bribing back in the day. Glad the yellow peppers were a hit!
Also, huge yes to pan-fried halloumi—one of my favs!