Brain Based Parenting
Brain Based Parenting, The Boys Ranch Podcast for families.
We all know how hard being a parent is, and sometimes it feels like there are no good answers to the difficult questions families have when their kids are struggling.
Our goal each week will be to try and answer some of those tough questions utilizing the knowledge, experience, and professional training Cal Farley’s Boys Ranch has to offer.
Contact us: email
podcasts@calfarley.org
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https://secure.calfarley.org/site/Donation2?3358.donation=form1&df_id=3358&mfc_pref=T
To Apply:
https://apply.workable.com/cal-farleys-boys-ranch/j/25E1226091/
For More Information about Cal Farley's Boys Ranch:
https://www.calfarley.org/
Music:
"Shine" -Newsboys
CCS License No. 9402
Brain Based Parenting
Help!!! My Child Is a Picky Eater!! Simple Strategies to Transform Your Family's Eating Habits
Busy nights don’t have to end with a drive-thru bag on the passenger seat. We unpack how real families build healthier routines without turning dinner into a daily fight. From the science of why protein steadies energy and behavior to the sneaky pull of engineered snack foods, we break down what actually helps when life is packed with practices, homework, and late meetings.
We talk practical planning simple menus, grocery lists tied to that plan, and time savers like crockpots, air fryers, and weekend batch prep that make weeknights feel lighter. You’ll hear budget-smart ideas like shopping sales, buying in bulk, freezing portions, and choosing seasonal produce. We also dig into the mindset side: modeling positive language around food, avoiding moral labels, and creating a home where fruits and veggies are the default because they’re visible and ready to eat. Kids watch what we do; when they see us try new foods and season them well, they’re more likely to follow.
If you’re navigating picky eaters, you’ll find calm strategies that avoid power struggles: small exposures, no-pressure “try a bite,” and letting kids help with shopping and cooking to boost buy-in. We share go-to meal ideas protein pasta with pesto, air-fried chicken tenders, roasted veggies, taco bowls—and a simple approach to treats that keeps them special without shame. Wrap it up with one small step to start today: clean the pantry, define your why, and stock what you want them to choose.
Contact:
podcasts@calfarley.org
To Donate:
https://secure.calfarley.org/site/Donation2?3358.donation=form1&df_id=3358&mfc_pref=T
To Apply:
https://apply.workable.com/cal-farleys-boys-ranch/j/25E1226091/
For More Information about Cal Farley's Boys Ranch:
https://www.calfarley.org/
Music:
"Shine" -Newsboys
CCS License No. 9402
Welcome to Brain-Based Parenting, the Boys Ranch podcast for families. We all know how hard being a parent is, and sometimes it feels like there are no good answers to the difficult questions families have when their kids are struggling. Our goal each week will be to try and answer some of those tough questions, utilizing the knowledge, experience, and professional training Cal Farley's Boys Ranch has to offer. Now here is your host, Cal Farley's Staff Development Coordinator, Joshua Sprong.
SPEAKER_01:Hello and welcome. Today we're going to talk about the importance of providing a healthy diet for your kids.
SPEAKER_05:To do that today, I'm joined by Suzanne Wright, Vice President of Training and Intervention. Chloe Hewitt, Youth Programs Administrator.
SPEAKER_02:Sam Cerna, Assistant Administrator of Residential Programs.
SPEAKER_01:All right, let's kick off with the question of the day. Since we're talking about diet today, what's the best meal that you cook?
SPEAKER_05:I I think that's a hard choice, but one of my favorite meals that I don't cook frequently is chicken crepes. The crepes are kind of a specialty thing, and uh my kids all really enjoy it. If I can get the meal done before they've eaten all the crepes to put the chicken in.
SPEAKER_04:I would say roast, even so that my stepdad has offended my mom at saying that I'm better at it. And so he requests it from me even over my mom.
SPEAKER_02:I think mine would be rib-eye steaks with asparagus on the grill, all of it. That's my that's my go-to. I don't even eat steaks anywhere else anymore.
SPEAKER_05:I'm glad we're recording this after lunch instead of before lunch. How about you, Josh?
SPEAKER_01:Well, I'm actually a terrible cook, but the one thing that I can do is I can make chili. I've actually won two chili cook-offs. But that's it. That's the only thing I can cook. Everything else I would advise to stay away if I'm making it. Oh, always beans. I agree.
SPEAKER_04:I should say Suzanne also makes a killer cheesecake. I like dream about that cheesecake. Thank you.
SPEAKER_01:All right. So why is nutrition such a cornerstone of both physical and emotional health for kids and parents alike?
SPEAKER_02:Well, nutrition's every everything, right? You know, what what you put in your body is kind of the energy level you have, your your functioning, vitamins, all those things. So helps you be healthy and alert.
SPEAKER_04:Well, and have energy and like function throughout the day. And typically, if you don't have enough water or food or healthy food, then you're going to feel it in a different capacity, whether or not it's running out of energy or even just not feeling well, or stomach issues. I think that's all related. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01:I think it's interesting the old saying, you are what you eat. And I I think about that a lot. Like if you look at your body, every single inch of your body is something that you ate at one point. And so I mean your fingernails, your hair, everything is something that you ate at some point. And so really you are what you eat, and it really makes you think about what you're putting in your body, creates who you are.
SPEAKER_02:Wow, that's what I'm hearing moo all the time.
SPEAKER_01:So why do families tend to fall into unhealthy eating habits during certain seasons of life? And what strategies can help them reset and get back on track?
SPEAKER_05:I think it's so easy to fall into bad habits because we're busy. We have a million events each week. Events with your kids and their school and your church and your job. And sometimes it's just really easy to grab fast food, you know, to drive through and grab something on the way home. It's just a very easy trap to fall into.
SPEAKER_02:Oh, mine was probably cultural. I, you know, I'm from Hispanic culture, and I mean our food is tortillas and a lot of lot of high high-fat foods and also uh lack of funds, money, things like that. Yeah. We I think we existed on hamburger helper and canned vegetables and things like that when we were my wife and I were younger raising our kids. That's one reason also. Yeah.
SPEAKER_04:Yeah, I think I think that's smart that you said like it could also be cheaper. I do think it's the busyness, like if you've got, for example, Thursdays are wild for me. My son has piano, and then as soon as he's done with piano, he has basketball. And so right at five, we're headed to piano, then we're going back to back. And so it's from five to seven, and then by the time it's seven, I'm like, do I want to cook now? So it is really a difficult season when when they're young and you're trying to keep up. And I think if we're honest too, sometimes you're just exhausted from giving a hundred percent at work and getting home and like, I just don't have it in me to also cook, right? Yeah.
SPEAKER_02:You know, another thing I was thinking was, you know, we're we're heavily marketed these things, and right, and you know, our kids don't really want to eat vegetables and all this stuff. Their taste buds just aren't as evolved, or if we didn't start that young, then the sweet stuff, the fried stuff, that just becomes all they want to eat, and it's it's just a fight. Maybe as a parent, I remember I would think, well, darn it, I gotta I have to I have to make sure they eat. So if they won't eat this stuff, I gotta cook stuff they're gonna eat, right? And so that was a big fight with one of our kiddos.
SPEAKER_05:I think a strategy that's really helpful when you're trying to get back on track is to plan ahead. You know, if you wait until Thursday at five when you have those errands to run, you know, you are not gonna make a good choice, but maybe you've planned a menu over the weekend. I feel like the the better I've planned and purchased in advance, the more likely I am to follow through instead of drive through a fast food restaurant. So just having having a plan.
SPEAKER_02:That's a good uh that's a good point. And one of the things that we do is we start it slow, right? Making a complete diet shift is it's hard. I mean, unless you're really committed. But if you like, hey, like you said, plan a meal. One one thing we're gonna change. Maybe I don't stop at the drive-through door, or maybe I prep a meal in advance, or put something in the crock pot. So it's meat and potatoes, whatever, it and it's ready for you when you get home. There's tons of ways to get ready. We used to pre-cook on Sunday, and then you can freeze that stuff, heat it up the uh the day you're gonna do it, things like that. There's tons of things you can do to save yourself time if time isn't the problem.
SPEAKER_05:I I'm always the happiest when I walk through the door and went, Oh, I started something in the crock pot this morning. Like, that's the best day ever. Just, you know, and ro that goes along with roast. You know, that if I walk in the door and I can smell it, I may have forgotten throughout the day what I had planned. But when I walk in and I think, oh, that's done, that's just yeah, yeah, great day.
SPEAKER_04:That's what I was gonna say. Like, so I think for me, it's like as I am building my grocery list each week, I'm also planning the meal with it too. And so, and a lot of that is prep. My kids love pasta, and so I will use like the protein pasta as well as putting a protein with it. And so a lot of times I can go ahead and do that pasta ahead of time and then just warm it up with the sauce, and that cuts some time. But I do think it's just planning ahead, but it's it it is difficult. But I think just knowing certain meals and having a meal list is also helpful.
SPEAKER_01:So, what does a truly balanced diet look like for the average family today? And why does it matter for both kids and parents?
SPEAKER_04:I might differ on this a little bit. I for me, I want my kids, and when I've done research on it, the most important thing you can get intake-wise is protein. So when I talk about a balanced diet for my kids, I talk about protein and the importance of it. And so, and just I want them to have fruits and vegetables, but I want them to understand your body will feel fuller if you're actually getting in more protein in throughout the day. And so that is the conversation that I have with my kids, or if they are hungry and they've already had one snack, then it is a protein next, right? Like my parents didn't really allow me to have snacks, and I do think that it's important to allow snacks, but I try to also say, okay, now you can have this as your option next.
SPEAKER_02:I agree with protein, protein followed by vegetables, kind of some starches as needed, some healthy fats. Those are balanced. I think every every person is built different, every person has different nutritional needs. But we the building blocks I like said with what Chloe said about protein, things I've read is yeah, it just takes longer to break down in your body, so you're fuller longer. And meat is good. I love meat.
SPEAKER_04:The other thing I was gonna say is, you know, I try not to stress too much. My daughter eats every vegetable and my son eats every fruit. And so I just try to be embraced that like he will eat broccoli and she will eat bananas and apples. And so I'm kind of like, I try not to stress, like I lean in, like, oh, you love fruit, so then this is your option, and and she loves bell peppers. And so really allowing them to still have some say but in the healthy choice of a balance.
SPEAKER_01:So, how do parents' own eating habits and attitudes towards food shape the children's relationship with eating?
SPEAKER_02:I mean, I mean I said that earlier. I mean, I I ate the way my family ate. And I assume my kids are doing the same thing right now, right? And so I I knew what I knew, I knew what to cook based on what my family cooked, and that's what we ate. Just tortillas with tortillas with every meal or bread with every meal. And I remember my grandmother used to say, eat bread, fill you up, right? Because like I said, we we we were uh we weren't financially good, and so we're eating very small meals, so bread fills you up, and that's just kind of a thing that I stuck with um growing up.
SPEAKER_04:I I think they watch our every move, and so it's ironic, and I think that it's interesting to watch how even like I think my daughter watches my moves even more than my son, some a little bit, but she eats almost all the same snacks I do. One of her favorite things is a beef stick that are actually really expensive, so I had to like get over the fact that she was taking all my beef sticks. But I do think they watch our moves, so they learn, hey, what does mom eat? What does dad eat? And and then how that goes, and even what we value. And I think, you know, my husband very much didn't grow up that he could have snacks. So us having to say, like, hey, but if they don't get to eat for five hours, then we're getting hangry and then we're getting a behavior. And so it's also been some education on that if you don't eat and it's not good habits, then you're also gonna get a behavior.
SPEAKER_05:Occasionally here at Boys Ranch, they may have people who are out at the dining hall and they they will ask some of us to jump in and help serve the meals at the dining hall. And so I've done that from time to time and I always end up serving a vegetable and I'm surprised at the adults that come through the line, right? Our staff members, our school staff members, and I'll say, you know, would you like one of these vegetables? And they will make a face. And I'm surprised. Now the the kids that live on our campus overwhelmingly will say no, thank you, or they'll take a vegetable. But I'm just surprised at the adults' response just to being offered a vegetable. And so I always think that's an interesting contrast. Recently, our food service director introduced a lot of different vegetables and roasted vegetables, and was surprised how many of the kids took servings of roasted Brussels sprouts and roasted cauliflower and they enjoyed it and they loved it. And so even if maybe that food isn't your favorite, you might offer it to your kids. And also again, what watch yourself? What's your facial expression? What's your tone? What's your response to certain foods? Because if if your child perceives, oh, my dad hates that, so I probably won't like it. Yeah, you are setting the example.
SPEAKER_04:Yeah, and it also surprises me how many of our kids, if you get them cooking with you, how that also helps buy them in. So I recently we had a house parent who I was staying late anyways, and I ended up cooking the home cooked meal, and the girls went crazy over it. And I was dying laughing because they all came in and started helping me. And then I thought I made a ton, and they were like, Oh, next time you could just make double. Because they were everything was cleaned out. I didn't even eat because they loved it so much. And so I think that also can sometimes help if they have buy-in to the meal that can help.
SPEAKER_01:What are some simple practical ways parents can teach kids to make healthy food choices without creating guilt or pressure?
SPEAKER_05:Well, I think like Chloe said, when you involve kids and you can involve kids pretty young into meal prep and also into meal planning. You know, we're gonna sit down and look at our menu for the week. You can guide that through not only your behavior, but you know, your conversation with the kids. I had one daughter who the only vegetable she ate till she was about 16 was a king green bean. That was it. And she was not gonna have any other vegetable, period. And now as an adult, she probably has the best diet of any of my children. I mean, there's not a vegetable she won't eat. She's, you know, she's eats a variety of really healthy food, but she was the kid I worried about the most as a youngster. And so keep that in mind too, that you know, our taste change and what we're interested in changes. But I think just involving kids, then it's just a conversation. It's not a pressure. As I was growing up, my family was big on you have to eat everything. And we had some things I didn't like, like liver and onions, not my favorite, right? I I I was not a big fan of vegetables, and that was really rough. And I did learn to love vegetables as I got older. I still don't like liver and onions, but it's probably childhood trauma.
SPEAKER_04:I think that's just so great, though, that you say that my dad was also raised where he had to eat everything and he says his it's his biggest regret because now he struggles to know when he's full because his parents just made. And so it's been a conversation with my kids that, like, hey, if you're done, that's fine. I'm gonna leave it out a little longer because you might get hungry, and then I want you to go back and have that instead of something else. That but for us, it's also talking about like a simple one for us is like neutragrain bars. Like my my son loves them, but they're not healthy and they have it. So we started being like, you can have this option and not that. And he would be like, Well, why? And we were like, it's not necessarily that you can't ever have that, it's just this is what we're gonna have in the house because it's a healthier option. And so then he took that well, because the other option he still liked, which was the fig bars, and uh that they're just a natural one. And so he didn't really my he just was inquisitive about it. And so it was like kind of just feeding into, you know, one thing my mom said, because she was real into diet too as when I was a kid, is that what you have in your house is what you're gonna eat. So just knowing that if you have healthier choices at the house, that's most likely what they're actually gonna go to because that's what's available.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, that's actually what I was gonna say too, is and I think that uh have conversations with your children. Hey, we're trying to make uh some better habits, like Suzanne said, and we get some buy-in there. Chloe said, Hey, we we only got what we have in the house. So hey, we're gonna have some Oreos, but there's only gonna be this many. We can ration them out through the week, or you know, we can finish them all in a day, and then we don't have any more, and that that's it. And so, yeah, I think those does some practical cheap ways to change uh what you're doing in your house slowly.
SPEAKER_01:So it's easy for families to fall into these unhealth unhealthy eating routines. What are the common triggers and how can they get back on track?
SPEAKER_02:Something I've read about is and uh I've actually done it mindless eating, you know, eating in front of the TV, eating while you're playing video games or whatever. I mean, it's nice that we'd be doing a family thing, but we'd all be sitting around watching wrestling and and we're just eating, and then you're like, Oh, I'm still hungry, and you get up and they call it mindless eating. You know, you go, I need a bag of chips now, I need a bag, I need this now, I need a cookie now. And it's something about sitting still just generates this hunger, this this need, and then because you're you're not noticing that I just ate this whole thing of popcorn by myself, and no, you know what I mean? Yeah. Does that make sense? Yes.
SPEAKER_04:I also interesting, like, even I joke about this, but you know, my husband worked out at ranch for a little bit, and so his favorite thing to tell my kids is the kitchen's closed, it's been closed since then. And he got it from ranch, and so it just makes me laugh. But we do tell our kids, like, hey, no, kitchen's closed. Like it's because I also think, which I'm curious what Suzanne thinks about this with the intermittent bath, that there is some kind of if you eat too late, then your belly is kind of like sitting a little bit. And so we do kind of cut them off pretty close. I mean, they might have like an hour after dinner, and then we really don't do anything else. We say it's done. And so that's one of but I as what Sam's saying, like as you're sitting down, you're like, oh, something does sound good, right? And so I think that there's some natural there. I also think the busyness or just not meal planning because you've been exhausted or had a busy weekend can all add up.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, I mean, planning, routine, discipline, all those things help. Maybe there's some snack you can't keep out. That's that's a thing that anybody can grab when they want, like something healthy, like a like a fruit or a little carrots or something that, you know, we're hungry, we we got we want to eat. But I also can respect, hey, this is it. Like we've had our chance to eat and we've got to soak it up to tomorrow.
SPEAKER_05:You know, as we're talking about all the snack food that we're drawn to, it's helpful to remember that those are chemically created to cause us to desire more. So, you know, big food companies spend billions of dollars in research to find out what makes this potato chip irresistible or this candy that you will crave it. And so when those things are available in your house, your your brain is having a chemical response to that food which has been purposefully created to make you want more. And so apples don't come with that same chemical response, right? And you know, apples are natural, they weren't created. And so, again, as you've both said, what is available in your house and just being mindful of what that is.
SPEAKER_01:How can families balance nutritious eating with still enjoying fun foods and treats in moderation?
SPEAKER_04:I I like this one. We have family movie night on Fridays or Saturdays. It kind of depends. My husband's a firefighter, so it depends on what night he's home. We try to do it on a night he's home. And so during fan like movie night, we actually have our own popcorn bowls and we put candy in it. And so that is like our treat, like on a Friday or Saturday. And so, but beyond that, they know the candy's in our house, but we don't get it. It's like literally stays up high and it's for movie night. I want them to still embrace that. We don't keep soda in our house. My kids get it like once a week if we go out to eat, but we try to limit it because we talk to them about and I limited it as much as I could. It's they just discovered a year ago that they like coke from other foods.
SPEAKER_02:So well, I mean, everything's moderation. So right. I mean, it's it's it's cool to have, you know, microwave pizzas occasionally or candies and snack foods, but right, we we just gotta have a limit. Um, so only buy what you you think is reasonable and that's it.
SPEAKER_05:I think it's important not to demonize any particular food that all sweets aren't bad, that pizza's horrible. I think I think they all have their place, and I think that culturally we use food for celebration. We use food to show each other that that we care, that we love each other, right? When migrown kids come home, it's what's your favorite thing, you know, what is it that you want? So it's important, you know, food is neutral, it's not good or bad, but that we that we are mindful of our language and the way that we treat food in order to create a healthy relationship with food for our kids. And so saying, hey, cake is great, but it's not something we would have every day or even every week. Cake is for a special occasion, right? And every Saturday is not a special occasion, right? Like you, you know, you're just trying to, yeah, it's an option, but you want to put healthy food in your body to make sure that your brain is working well and your muscles work well. And you know, you're just you're choosing positive language around food and what food does for you rather than negative language. So good.
SPEAKER_01:So for families on a tight budget, what are some realistic ways to eat healthy without having to overspend?
SPEAKER_04:I was just gonna say, I really watch, obviously, like Walmart doesn't really have it, but I watch like United or grocery stores that do have like on-sale items. They might have a certain meat on sale, so okay, maybe I'm gonna play my menu around that meat. Or if there is a chicken is on sale, maybe I bulk by a little bit more this week and I'm buying less of next week. You know, you hear it all the time, but trying to keep on the outside of the perimeter at the grocery store because that's where actually the healthier options are than in the main aisles. Maybe you cut out. If you are a Coke drinker, you cut them out or certain chips because those are typically more expensive. So maybe you try to decrease, as Sam said, or but really that's what I've seen is helped me is if I'm buying what's on sale that week and trying to plan my menu around that.
SPEAKER_05:I've heard a lot of people say too that the online ordering really helps restrict their impulse purchases so that you know you make your menu for the week, you order it, and then you go pick it up or even have it delivered, and you haven't seen that display of whatever new cereal there is, right? You it's it's not there to tempt you. But again, I think I think planning having that list of meals to me has been the most helpful thing. When one of my daughters was probably in seventh or eighth grade, she said, Hey, I want to cook dinner every night. What? Yes, ma'am. Right. And so we would sit together on Saturday and plan the meals for the week, shop on Sunday, and then you know she was home from school every day by four, and we weren't getting home till about 5 30. So she would have that meal almost ready. I might need to jump in and help it. But that was like the best year of my life, and then and then we're high school sports, and that never happened again. But but I've I really felt like that was the most efficient planning I ever did was because she wanted to cook every meal, and so she needed that guideline. So it was really handy. She also, you know, became a really great cook through that experience. Yeah, very good for her. That's so cool.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, some other things people can do is you know, buy in bulk. Like Chloe, you made a good example about buying stuff that's on sale. And also, you don't want to waste a lot, so buy what you need or make sure you got a freezer or something and freeze freeze things. Uh, one thing we were doing is also save time and cooking and cooking in bulk. So we cook three or four meals. Cool thing is you you can freeze it first, and then when you're ready to cook it, you can thaw it to it.
SPEAKER_03:Right.
SPEAKER_02:Once you've cooked it, it's in a whole different state. Yeah, now you could ziplock it and wrap it however you do to keep it food safe, put it in the freezer. And yeah, and and now I got meals for five if well, right? And currently it's just my wife and I, but we if I have a five-pound piece of meat, I don't need to cook, I can cook it all and then freeze it into three meals, right? So those are things we used to do even with our family to to save money because you you just can't afford it to eat. Also, looking for uh seasonal vegetables, seasonal fruits, they're up, they're a little bit cheaper. Oh, all that kind of thing.
SPEAKER_04:I was gonna say to Sam, like buying at Sam's or Costco is usually helpful too. And usually like the healthier options are actually cheaper because you're buying them in bulk, like cheaper than they would be if you bought them at um, like my favorite tomato sauce that has no added sugars is at Sam's and is significantly cheaper if you buy it there in two. I also think to what you said, Sam. So, like even if I'm making a soup or I've got like celery and carrots, I go ahead and chop up all of it and then I freeze what I don't use. And so then the next meal I had to make it with, I've already got all that vegetables and stuff in the freezer.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, that's a good point because one of the biggest wasters is when you buy vegetables, they're not gonna last very long. You have to do something with them. So only buy what you're gonna need.
SPEAKER_05:And you know, all of no matter what you're trying to do, like budget meals or meal prep ahead, there are so many resources on the internet that can really help you with just a small search.
SPEAKER_01:So, what are a few quick go-to meal ideas that are both healthy and family friendly?
SPEAKER_04:I mean, Sam said this, but my if you ask my four-year-old what she wanted for her birthday last year or this year when she turned four, it was steak and broccoli. The problem was my husband was working, so I actually got um, I think out back because I was like, I don't know how to grill. And so, but that she wants that. So, what I'm saying to that is Sam talked about steak earlier. That's actually my one of my kids' steak and grilled chicken. And so a lot of times I'll have my husband go ahead and bulk grill on Sundays. So that away we have all that, and that way if he's at work or if I'm running around, it's already cooked and I can just put it in and mix it with a veggie and that's yeah.
SPEAKER_05:I think if you've got, you know, your mate, say chicken, and Chloe, you mentioned a pasta and a vegetable, you're good. Yeah, right. And kids all seem to love pasta. And I again, I think their appreciation for vegetables has to do with what you expose them to early on. If not, if you've you know, if your kids are a little older and you've waited, I would definitely get them involved in the purchasing and the preparation because I think kids are more likely to to have buy-in to eat something that they've they've helped with.
SPEAKER_04:One one of the things too that I think if you do go to the grocery store and your kids are with you, I I worked at a grocery store in high school. That's what, and I actually will teach my kids how to smell if a produce is good. And so, like, we have those conversations too when we're in the produce aisle. And so they now think it's fun to like interact in the grocery store. So it's also just teaching them healthy, but also incorporating them in and they do get to pick like one snack when we go to, like for the week. But I one of the go-to, so pasta is great. My son loves pesto. I'll make homemade pesto, that's his favorite. His birthday meal is pesto, and so that's an easy one. Or if you just get jarred pesto and then red sauce. So that's one of the things I yeah, a lot of go-to meals is me doing a protein and then trying to incorporate something else with it, is what I would say.
SPEAKER_02:I like crock pot meals a lot. You know, my wife put in uh I don't actually know some kind of roast yesterday, and she just threw in some vegetables that we had, and whatever, it all goes good. You put it in there, and like Suzanne said earlier, you smell it in the house every time you walk in the house, like, oh yes. And that's a quick go-to. I mean, crock pot crock pot meals, if you look for uh healthy options, are some of the simplest things to do. Also, a quick tip buy the bags that you put in them.
SPEAKER_05:That's crock potential.
SPEAKER_02:Cleaning those darn crock pots is such a nightmare. I don't want to do it. But when I once I started getting those bags, it made it so much more helpful. And it also helps with the storage of it all. Like you can actually just put it on as a fluck and all that things and save what you got. You know, there's there's enough.
SPEAKER_04:I didn't say that earlier, but like I kind of Jackson, my boss, actually got me in love with an air fryer and I fought it for a long time. I was and not because I didn't want an air fryer, I just didn't want one more bulky appliance in my house. But I am, I do love my air fryer now, and I will do chicken tenders, like just bare ones, and season it with basic things pepperica, garlic powder, garlic uh onion powder, salt, pepper. Really that's it. And I just cook those on a Sunday, and my kids will eat those with just like a dipping sauce as their protein.
SPEAKER_05:So that's an easy thing to I don't have an Instapot, but I know several people that swear by an Instapot because it is so much quicker than cooking something in the oven or stovetop. And so again, online, endless possibilities. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01:So how should parents handle picky eaters in a way that encourages variety without turning mealtime into a battle?
SPEAKER_05:Again, here's my daughter who only ate green beans. My kids were always encouraged to try it. I didn't require them to eat all everything, right? But I would but I would say, despite their pickiness as kids, that as adults, they're all healthy with, you know, varied diets, you know, they they all eat vegetables now. So when your kids are little, it's really easy to get obsessive over your kids not eating a variety of foods, but generally that's a stage and they they grow out of it. I just think you don't want to get too consumed or focused on that.
SPEAKER_04:I think you still put it on their plate. That's my like, so I have always when I was researching it, because I have a picky eater, and so I was like, how do I need to handle it? Like I don't want to shame them, but I also don't want to tell them that they don't ever like they need to still be open to it, right? And so my son hates salad and I still put it on his plate every time I make a salad. He's like, you know, I don't like it. That's fine, it's there. I'm not saying you have to eat it if you choose to try it. That's great. The funny joke about it is candy salad has had all this rave, right? So the other day I was like, I it was like probably six months ago, we had like a party and I had made a candy salad, and he's like, Ew, I'm not eating that. And my husband immediately said, That's fine, you don't have to. And then we get to the party and he was trying to get in it. And my husband's like, You said you didn't want it because it had salad. Oh, I didn't mean this. And so it was just funny. Like, we just put it on there and we're like, if you choose to try it, great. If you don't, that's fine too. Um, but I think you're right, Suzanne. I stressed about it for so long, and then really they kind of grow out of some of it, anyways.
SPEAKER_02:My trick. Well, I my was not successful with my own two children, but my grandsons had lived with me for a little while and they were both picky, they like the fried stuff and all. So, you know, I had got into grilling. Also, that that lets me be outside where the noise is not, and the kids couldn't come out there and play and ask me questions, and so they'd see me grilling gross, and then we'd go in the house, and of course I would have vegetables and stuff. But here's the secret I found you spices, like how do you season this food and make it taste good? Yeah, it you know, salt and pepper is great, and that brings out natural, but if you can find a cool spice, put it on there. I I got those kids eating all kinds of stuff because it it doesn't, it's not the same in the same state, right? Yeah, and that's just you know, I grill the I'd grill corn or I'd grill vegetab vegetables. Uh, bell peppers are our favorite. They didn't ever like the onions, I couldn't get them to do that. But the little red bell peppers, they're a little bit sweeter than the green bell pepper, well, not sweeter than the green bell peppers. So I found that seasoning stuff, also when they help me, I think somebody said that earlier, when they help you do it, the buy-in is immense. Can I help you do this? Yes, here's how we're gonna do it. And they cook it, but we gotta eat it if we cook it, right? You see me eat everything, yes, and we start, you know. But they were there were little boys, they're under five.
SPEAKER_04:Well, I'm saying I'm laughing because my mom, here's another trick get like their favorite grandparent, and I guarantee you they try it for them because the other day my daughter was upset we didn't have ranch at the house, and my mom was like, Oh, you've got Chick-fil-A sauce. And he was like, Yeah, my husband's obsessed with Chick-fil-A. And then and then my son's like, Oh, I'll try it, and he doesn't like any sauces. And so I was like, You're gonna try something, but only because Gigi did it. Like so, I do think grandparents, y'all have a special touch. I don't know.
SPEAKER_02:And I'm a I was a grandfather, see.
SPEAKER_04:Perfect.
SPEAKER_01:All right, finally, if a family wanted to take just one small step towards eating healthier this week, what would you suggest that they start with?
SPEAKER_04:You know, maybe just going through your pantry and figuring out like what you feel like you're good with having, or if there's something that you don't want in there and like just assessing what you have and what you kind of want to work towards is what I would say.
SPEAKER_02:Well, my my thing would probably go even before that. That is a great idea. You know, find your why. Why is this important to me? What's what's going on in my life that I've had this epiphany? Things aren't okay that I gotta change my eating habit. Um, because and I think that's a good start for the week.
SPEAKER_01:All right, thank you so much for joining us today. If this episode inspired you to share a yummy, healthy recipe with a friend or a family member, perhaps it will also inspire you to share this podcast with them as well. As always, remember you might have to loan out your cortex today. Just make sure you remember and get it back.
SPEAKER_00:Thank you for listening to Brain Based Parenting. We hope you enjoyed this show. If you would like more information about CalFarley's Boys Ranch, are interested in employment, would like information about placing your child, or would like to help us help children by donating to our mission, please visit calfarly.org. You can find us on all social media platforms by searching for CalFarley's. Thank you for spending your time with us and have a blessed day.
