interview with Silvana Nardone.

Silvana Nardone is the Editor for Every Day with Rachael Ray magazine. She has two children: Isaiah (10) and Chiara (9 mo). I had an opportunity to ask her a few questions, and thought it might be useful to pass along her answers to all of you:

Question: What are good snacks kids can make themselves (after school)?

Answer: Keep things simple. For teenagers, the toaster oven can be handy to make mini pita pizzas or a quick quesadilla.

Question: Do you have any tricks or tidbits you can share re: getting kids to eat more vegetables?

Answer: It’s not easy—my son even has issues with carrots! I’ll puree carrots with water or broth and mix the puree into meatballs. Soups work pretty well. I just keep trying new things and every once in a while, I’ll reintroduce vegetables he’s refused before. It’s a challenge, but what has helped is involving him in the process. A couple of years ago, I asked him to pick at least two vegetables he would always eat: He chose grape tomatoes and asparagus.

Question: What do you think kids most enjoy doing in the kitchen?

Answer: Everything! I taught a cooking class for kids—preschool to fifth grade—for years. Even the little guys got into it. Cooking uses the five senses, so every second they’re experiencing something new. It’s also instantly gratifying to make something from start to finish—and eat it! Plus, who doesn’t love to get their hands dirty and make a mess?

Question: What are a few recipes that you think work well for kids to ‘make dinner’?

Answer: You can check out the recipes from our “Kids” column in the magazine or online www.rachaelraymag.com—just click on Kids. All the recipes were written for kids to make.

Thanks Silvana!

I hope you found this short interview helpful; it is useful to gather ideas from parents-feeding-children everywhere, including the editor from Rachel Ray! You already know: I love the idea of getting kids involved in, learning about and ultimately interested in the food they consume. I tell my boys they probably haven't tried their favorite food yet (and think of all the foods you love!), so it is worth trying new foods, just in case...