at mealtime when anxious parents try to feed them food which is healthy and nutritious.

Consequently, mealtimes become a battle of wills which all too often end up with parents giving in to demands for unhealthy choices.

As a mother, Jennifer Lang has been through the battles herself. As a food professional, she has developed a repertoire of healthy, delicious recipes designed to appeal to even the pickiest little eater and put them into a cookbook entitled Jennifer Lang Cooks for Kids.

The book, now available at the Bermuda Library, contains 153 recipes and ideas for good food kids will enjoy. Here's a sampling: Children will enjoy these healthy, delicious recipes BREAKFAST PIZZA Dough 2 cups all-purpose flour 2 tbsp. baking powder 1 tsp. coarse salt 4 tbsp. (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into 6 pieces 1 cup milk 1 egg, lightly beaten 2 tbsp. olive oil Topping 4 strips bacon, diced 1 cup diced onion 1 cup diced green bell pepper 2 small, red, new potatoes, boiled and diced Coarse salt to taste Freshly ground black pepper to taste 1 ripe medium tomato 1 tbsp. olive oil 1 cup grated cheese 1 tsp. dried oregano 4 eggs 2 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley PRE-HEAT oven to 450 degrees F.

To prepare dough: Put flour, baking powder, and salt into food processor bowl.

Add butter, process until mixture has a cornmeal-like texture. Add milk and egg, process just until a dough is formed. Turn dough out onto a floured board, divide into 4 equal pieces. Pat each piece out on a baking sheet to form a 6-inch circle. Brush circles with the 2 tbsp. olive oil.

To prepare topping: Place bacon in a medium skillet over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned. Add onion and green pepper, cook 5 minutes, stirring once or twice. Add potatoes, season with salt and pepper, cook 3 more minutes. Remove from heat and cool.

Cut tomato into very thin slices. Arrange slices on a plate, season with salt, pepper, and the olive oil.

To assemble pizzas: Distribute tomato slices evenly among dough circles. Top each with even amounts of the potato mixture, grated cheese, and oregano. Bake for 10 minutes, or until cheese has melted. Remove from oven, break 1 egg onto top of each pizza. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, return to oven to bake until egg whites have set and the yolks are cooked to child's liking (runny or hard). Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve. Yield: 4 individual pizzas.

Cooking ahead of time: Prepare potato topping night before serving the pizzas.

DUTCH BABY BAKED PANCAKE This large, billowy pancake is a specialty in Holland. It takes only a few minutes to make, and is delicious for breakfast, brunch, lunch, or a Sunday night supper.

1 cup all-purpose flour 1 cup milk 2 eggs 2 tbsp. (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted Pinch of salt Confectioners' sugar PRE-HEAT oven to 450 degrees F. While making the batter, heat a 7-inch oven-proof skillet in the oven. Combine flour, milk, eggs, and 1 tbsp. of the melted butter in a food processor or blender, mix well. Remove skillet from oven, add remaining tbsp. butter. Swirl pan to coat all surfaces. Quickly pour batter into the pan and return to the oven. Bake for 10 minutes, reduce heat to 350 degrees F. and bake additional 10 minutes. Sides will puff up beyond pan rim and turn golden brown. Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar and serve when cool enough to eat, cut into wedges.

Variations: Some other toppings for this pancake include syrup, fresh fruit, apple butter, sour cream (or yogurt) and brown sugar, jam, creamed chicken or tuna, cottage cheese, grated cheese, leftover stew, a fried egg, or scrambled eggs.

To make strictly a breakfast or dessert pancake, add the following to the batter: 1 tbsp. grated fresh orange peel or 1 tbsp. dried grated orange peel, a pinch of cinnamon, and a drop of vanilla extract; dust the cooked pancake with confectioners' sugar. Yield: 1 pancake.

CHICKEN BLOCKS 4 oz. boneless, skinless chicken breast (about 1 chicken breast) 1 (14 1 -oz.) can chicken broth 3 packets unflavoured gelatin 1 1 cups cold mixed vegetables juice POACH chicken in broth over medium-high heat for 15 minutes, or until cooked through. While chicken is poaching, sprinkle gelatin over juice, let stand 1 minute. Put cooked chicken and hot chicken broth into a food processor or blender, process until pure med. Add juice and gelatin mixture, process until well mixed. Pour into an 8- or 9-inch square baking pan. Refrigerate until set, at least 3 hours. Cut into 1-inch squares. Yield: about 6 dozen 1-inch blocks. Storage: Squares will last about a week in the refrigerator.

SWEET POTATO CUSTARD MUFFIN MEAL 1 cup mashed sweet potatoes (about 1 medium potato) 1 small ripe banana 1 cup milk 1 tbsp. granulated brown sugar 1 tsp. salt 1 egg yolk 2 tbsp. raisins or currants PRE-HEAT oven to 300 degrees F. Coat 5 cups of a standard muffin tin with non-stick baking spray. Combine all ingredients except raisins in food processor bowl, process until pure med. Stir in raisins, then spoon equal amounts of mixture into the 5 cups. Bake 45 minutes. Unmold, serve warm or cold. Yield: 5 custard-muffins.

Variations: Substitute fresh, mashed acorn or butternut squash for potato; use frozen pure med winter squash which is packed without additives; or use canned, mashed pumpkin packed without sugar or other additives.

To decorate: Cut another banana into thin rounds and put a slice atop each muffin before or after baking.

Mixture can also be baked in a 1-quart casserole dish, leaving it in the oven long enough to become firm -- about 45 minutes. Storage: Muffins will keep about 1 week in the refrigerator.

POPEYE PATTIES A great way to feed spinach to a child who won't come within 10 feet of a green vegetable. Ingredients add up to a complete meal, and crusty texture makes these little patties irresistible.

1 6-oz. boneless, skinless chicken breast cut into 1- or 2-inch chunks (pieces add up to about 3 cup) 1 slice whole wheat bread, torn into 4 pieces 1 cup frozen chopped spinach, thawed 1 egg yolk 1 tsp. salt 1 tbsp. vegetable oil COMBINE all ingredients except vegetable oil in food processor bowl, processing until finely ground. Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Drop 1 tbsp. of the mixture into the skillet for each patty and saute m until brown on one side, about 1 minute. Flip patties and saute m until brown on the other side, about 1 minute. Serve when cool enough to eat. Yield: about 10 tiny patties.

Variations: Use other meat instead of chicken: beef, lamb, turkey, pork.

Storage: Make up raw mixture, saute m patties, store up to 4 days.

More delightful recipes for choosy little ones From Page 49 VEGGIE MUFFIN MEAL 1 cup fresh whole wheat or white bread crumbs 1 cup grated carrot 1 cup ground nuts (e.g. walnuts, peanuts, pecans) 1 cup milk 2 tbsp. minced onion 2 tsp. minced fresh parsley 2 tsp. honey 2 tsp. reduced-sodium soy sauce 1 egg yolk PRE-HEAT oven to 350 degrees F. Coat 3 cups of a standard muffin tin with non-stick baking spray. Mix all ingredients and spoon equal amounts into muffin tin. Bake 25 minutes, or until firm to the touch and light golden brown. Unmold and serve warm or cold.

Variations: Use any other grated vegetable such as kohlrabi, parsnips, summer squash, potatoes. You can also bake the mixture in a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan, leaving it in the oven long enough to become firm and light golden brown, about 30 minutes. Serve in slices. Yield: 3 muffin-size loaves. Storage: Muffins will keep about 1 week in the refrigerator.

MINESTRONE SEMI-FREDDO 2 tbsp. olive oil 1 cup minced onion 2 garlic cloves, minced 1 cup diced carrot 1 cup diced celery 6 cups chicken broth 1 cup peeled diced potato 1 cup diced green beans 1 cup drained canned tomatoes, chopped 1 cup alphabet pasta 1 tsp. salt 1 cup finely shredded cabbage 1 cup frozen green peas, thawed 1 cup drained canned white beans 1 cup minced fresh basil or parsley leaves 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese IN a large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat and saute m onion and garlic for 4 minutes, or until onion is transparent. Add carrot and celery, cook 5 minutes, covered, stirring occasionally. Add broth and bring to a boil. Add potato, green beans, tomatoes, pasta, and salt. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for 7 to 10 minutes. Add cabbage, peas, beans, and herb. Cook 3 more minutes. Stir in Parmesan cheese. Taste for seasoning. Serve when cool enough to eat, or let come to room temperature before serving.

Variation: If you have the rind of a piece of cheese, you can add it whole to the soup along with the broth, to give the soup a rich, cheesy flavour. In that case, omit salt and Parmesan. Remove cheese rind before serving. Check seasoning at end of cooking time in case additional salt is needed. Yield: about 10 cups. Storage: Will keep in up to 1 week in refrigerator.

LAMB STEW WITH RAISINS 2 1 lbs. stewing lamb on the bone (e.g. lamb shanks, shoulder, blade chops, riblets) or 2 lbs. boneless lamb stewing meat, cut into large cubes 1 1 cups raisins Salt, pepper to taste PLACE lamb and raisins in a pot large enough to hold them comfortably and cover with water. Bring to a boil over high heat, lower heat and simmer, covered, 2 hours, or until meat almost falls off the bone, or falls apart when pierced with a fork. Cool 1 hour at room temperature, or refrigerate in pan overnight. If refrigerated, remove hardened fat from the top and discard. Put pan over low heat to melt cooking liquid. Pour contents of the pan into a colander placed over a bowl to catch the liquid. When cool enough to handle, remove bones from meat, discard bones.

At this point, depending on child's age, you can combine meat and raisins in food processor bowl, adding enough of the cooking liquid to pure m e the solids, or chop meat with raisins and add enough cooking liquid to achieve stew-like texture. Season with salt and pepper. Serve warm or at room temperature. Yield: about 3 1 cups.

Storage: Stew can be refrigerated up to 4 days. Alternatively, spoon mixture into ice cube trays, freeze, and store cubes in resealable plastic bags.

Defrost cubes as needed and reheat.

SMOOTH FISH MOUSSE A great recipe for children who usually refuse to eat fish. It looks smooth and white and tastes creamy. Even if your child doesn't like spicy food, don't worry about the hot pepper sauce in this recipe -- you can't taste this tiny amount; it's there to perk up the flavours.

1 1 cups cold water 1 lb. fish fillets (enough to make 1 cup flaked cooked fish) 1 tsp. unflavoured gelatin 1 cup boiling water 2 tbsp. mayonnaise 1 tsp. fresh lemon juice 3 tsp. salt 1 dash hot pepper sauce 1 cup heavy cream IN a medium skillet over medium heat, bring 1 cup of the water to a simmer.

Add fish, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook for about 4 minutes, or until the fish is opaque. Remove with a slotted spoon and let cool to room temperature. Pure me fish in food processor, adding a bit of the cooking liquid if necessary.

Pour remaining cold water into a medium bowl; sprinkle gelatin over the water, let stand 2 minutes. Gradually add boiling water and whisk until gelatin is dissolved. Whisk mayonnaise, lemon juice, salt, and hot pepper sauce into the gelatin. Chill 20 minutes or until thickened.

Whip cream until soft peaks are formed. Fold together pure med fish, thickened gelatin mixture, and whipped cream. Generously coat a 1 1 -cup bowl or mold with non-stick baking spray. Pour mousse mixture into the bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate at least 4 hours, or until set. To serve, unmold onto a plate and cut into wedges. (Mousse should release easily but if it doesn't, upend bowl onto a plate and cover bowl bottom with a kitchen towel dipped into hot water and wrung dry. Leave in place 1 minute, then lift the bowl up neatly.) Yield: 1 1 cups.

Variations: Any leftover fish can be used. All you need is 1 cup of cooked, pureed fish, it could even be canned tuna or salmon.

If making this recipe for an older child, or for grown-ups, or you'd like a little more flavour, add 1 minced tbsp. of your favourite fresh herb, such as parsley or chives. Storage: Will keep 1 week in refrigerator.

JELLY BUILDING BLOCKS 3 cups cold juice 3 packets unflavoured gelatin 2 tbsp. sugar or honey (optional) BRING 1 1 cups of the juice to a boil. While it is heating, sprinkle gelatin over remaining 1 1 cups juice. Let stand 1 minute. Add hot juice and stir until gelatin is completely dissolved. Stir in optional sugar or honey. Pour into an 8- or 9-inch square baking pan. Refrigerate until set, at least 3 hours. Cut into 1-inch squares.

Note: Some suggestions for the liquid in this recipe are: organic apple juice, white or purple grape juice, orange juice, grapefruit juice, unsweetened cranberry juice, add honey or sugar for sweetening), tomato juice, mixed vegetables juice.

Variation: After gelatin is dissolved you can also add one of the following: unsweetened coconut, cut-up strawberries, pitted cherries, or bits of peeled apple. Yield: 6 dozen 1-inch blocks. Storage: Squares will last about a week in the refrigerator.

medium heat, stirring occasionally, until apples are tender, about 15 minutes.

Let pears cool in the liquid. Scrape block of frozen pear juice with a fork and put these ice crystals into a serving dish. Spoon cooked pear compote over ice crystals, top with yogurt, and serve.