Look at kids' pickyness as a chance to learn

Sometimes trying a new food can be more trying on a parent than the child, if you get my drift. But if you, as the parent, can make a bit of a paradigm shift and stop wringing your hands and look at your children's pickyness as a learning opportunity as opposed to another trial, it might help you get through these wearisome phases.

There are times when food needs to be an adventure. Not everyday, but just especially when introducing something new, especially to the little guys. Here are a couple of tricks to pull out of your hat when presenting a new food to your child and help you see that life at the dinner table does not need to end because your 3-year-old has decided to become a food tyrant!

"I've got the world on a string," so the old song goes. But if you're a kid, you could probably care less about the world being on a string or this old song. Now, if you had the world-on-a-stick, well, that's completely different.

Kids will eat anything if they get to poke it with a stick. At least one bite, anyway. Cut everything up, put it on a plate (not touching!) and give them a big toothpick. Give them a rule or two, like "don't put the toothpick in your sister's eye," "refrain from putting the toothpick in your ear," things like that. Then let them go to town! They'll have a blast and may actually try something they wouldn't have tried before.

You can also serve new foods kabob-style already stuck on a stick. That's fun, too, but getting to violently impale the food themselves is great entertainment. Just make sure you supervise the skewering!

If you are serious about getting your picky children eating and you want to increase the chances your child will actually like the new food, try it on a stick. Or take the Dr. Seuss approach: Will he eat it with a dip? Will he eat it on a chip? Does he like this new food taste? Or will this squash just go to waste?

It can be downright depressing trying to expand a younger child's repertoire. But not when you can whip out a stick and bring on the dip. Remember, this is an adventure!

The dip factor is an old trick, but unfortunately, many parents are tempted to give kids ketchup on everything or bury the vegetables in icky ranch dressing. Try some of these very easy homemade dips instead. And don't forget to praise your little ones up and down for being such a super hero for trying something new! They LOVE being recognized for their accomplishments!

Faster Than A Speeding Bullet Black Bean Dip

1 15-oz. can of black beans, drained

1 4-oz. can green chili peppers, drained