Local Food: Keiki in the Kitchen, and a Recipe for Frozen Yogurt Banana Bites

By Brittany P. Anderson

The high-pitched squeals of three enthusiastic little voices filled the kitchen. Three little boys had just come in from the garden, their pockets full of random ripe vegetables they picked—a few golden cherry tomatoes, a red noodle bean, a half-eaten green bean, and an ugly cucumber. The prize possession was the purple daikon they took turns cradling like a baby.

In absolute exuberance, the three tasted a little of each vegetable. The daikon was not a hit, but they tried it, nonetheless. More green beans and tomatoes had to be fetched from the fridge to satiate their appetites for fresh vegetables.

Let’s face it: sometimes, convincing children to try new foods is challenging. A child becomes a picky eater for many reasons, like previous negative experiences with new foods, or it’s just a personality trait. There is hope for helping the picky eater! Studies show that a positive social experience around food helps children be more accepting of new foods.

Who hasn’t had a phrase escape their mouth or been on the receiving end of the threat, “Eat your asparagus, or you won’t get dessert!” It’s all too common. Bribery, pleading, and punishment may get you short-term gains, but the battle over expanding their palate isn’t won through force or coercion. This author went on an asparagus strike for 14 years after being forced to eat it, only recently reintroducing the vegetable and enjoying it!

Explore new foods with your child without an emphasis on eating. Trying a new food takes courage and trust, while exploring takes just a bit of curiosity. Engaging the child in growing, picking, or making the new food builds trust, and trying the food afterward is secondary to the process. On Hawai‘i Island there are numerous farms that offer weekly bags of fresh vegetables that are a great way of exploring new foods while supporting local agriculture and building trust.

When kids learn about new foods, they assess everything for the first time. Children brought into the garden and kitchen for age-appropriate sensory education learn about appearance, smell, sound, temperature, texture, and taste. After all, we do eat with our eyes and nose first.

As with the three boys exploring the garden, they saw the vegetables on the plant, felt the food when picking, and were confident to try the bounty they brought into the kitchen. In the process, the kids build up their database of food facts, so new foods become familiar.

Throughout the exploration into new foods, children connect to where their food comes from and have the confidence to maybe, just maybe, try more new foods.

As the three boys bite into cucumber rounds, they make animated “CRUNCH” sounds, bite open a tomato to see the seeds, and reach their little hands for more vegetables, confidently munching away. The boys’ mother watched as the “non-tomato eater” ate his weight in cherry tomatoes and relished in the trio’s adventurous spirit around trying new foods—especially vegetables.

This Frozen Yogurt Banana Bites recipe is the ultimate kid-friendly adult crossover snack. It is a basic recipe that can be adjusted depending on personal taste. For a postpartum snack add healthy fats like coconut oil to the yogurt and top with oatmeal and macadamia nuts. Protein powder can be added to the yogurt for a workout recovery snack. Plus, add color with powdered beet, matcha, or spirulina. Kids love personalizing the recipe and getting their hands a little messy while making the banana bites—just lick clean at the end!

Frozen Yogurt Banana Bites

1 bunch of ripe apple bananas peeled and sliced into chunks
2 cups yogurt, any flavor, in a bowl
Toppings of your choice

Method

Place parchment paper on a baking sheet. Dip the banana chunks in the yogurt, and use a fork or spoon (hands work too!) to roll it around. Then lift the banana chunks out of the yogurt and place them on the parchment-lined baking sheet. Sprinkle with toppings and place in freezer for at least one hour or overnight. Remove from the freezer and enjoy! Can be stored in a freezer bag for easy snacking.