CHICAGO, IL, Feb. 25, 2008 -- With the Lenten season here, moms are scrambling to find creative ways to encourage their kids to eat fish.It is tradition for many families to give up meat and eat more fish on Fridays, beginning Ash Wednesday and continuing for the six weeks leading up to Easter. Since most kids aren't crazy about fish, what are moms to do?
Chicago chef and instructor Laura Valcour, who teachers cooking classes for kids, suggests there are several ways to get kids to eat fish. She recommends:
Serve them fish that isn't fishy tasting. Tilapia is inexpensive, easy to cook and has a mild taste that kids enjoy. (Frozen bags of Regal Springs Tilapia at Costco and Krogers are inexpensive and taste as good as fresh fish).
Keep the "fish" word to a minimum. Some kids may not try fish because they assume they won't like it. Once they try it, they often learn to love it.
Involve kids in the preparation and cooking process, which will help get them excited about the meal.
Make the dish they love, just substitute fish. For example, instead of meat tacos, try fish tacos (using a very mild fish such as tilapia or white fish).
Use creative dips and sauces. Try ketchup, barbecue sauce and even honey.
Let them play with their food. Encourage them to help garnish, make smiley faces on the fish with herbs and olives and build towers with fish sticks. Also, put a marinade into a squeeze bottle and let kids decorate the fish.
Experiment with fun shapes and sizes. Use cookie cutters to create star, heart and diamond shapes. Take your kids to the fish counter and ask them to select the one they'd like to try.
Lead by example, when your children see you enjoying fish, they will want to try it too.
To download five kid-friendly fish recipes, log on to www.RegalSprings.com and click on "Friday Fish for Kids" recipes.
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