Platform pedals

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Sandra, have you tired using PowerGrip straps?
They are just opne diagonal strap that goes across the top of your shoe. It's not a "cage", and it's not "clipless".
You have to slant your foot with the heel outwards in order to both get your foot all the way into the strap, and to get it out. In a way, it's like practicing for the same motion as you will eventually use for clipless riding, but is less scary and restrictive than anything except plain old platform pedals.
I find no matter how muc aggressive tread my shoes and my pedals have, my foot will still slip right off the pedal if my shoe sole gets wet (rain, walking on wet grass...). That's a scary and sometimes painful experience. The Powergrip straps keep my feet from slipping off the pedals and also provide "some" of the effect of being able to pull UP on your pedals for more power and efficiency like you can with a clipless system.
Here it shows how they work:
http://powergrips.mrpbike.com/pg_how_works.shtml
Here's one place to buy them for $20:
http://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?s...cm_cat=1069410

I use the straps with my MKS Touring pedals:
http://sheldonbrown.com/harris/pedals.html
The pedals are a bit wider which is good for when I use big warm hiking boots for riding in the winter.
Also, I can adjust the straps a bit looser for heavy boot use in cold weather.