Up until the middle of first grade, A. took fruit or an occasional prepackaged treat like a granola bar for snack at school, along with an unflavored milk box. He never complained about missing out on cookies or cheese crackers or whatever everyone else was eating around him, so I kept sending that type of snack. Until one day, when he came home upset, wanting a “cool” snack like everyone else’s. My feeling is that for kids, navigating a day at school has enough social and academic challenges without being distraught about your snack. We were able to settle on a list of items that met my approval (no partially hydrogenated oils, high fructose corn syrup, etc.) and his (mostly, “cool” packaging… but homemade treats such as muffins were also OK). Packing a fruit or vegetable with his lunch remained non-negotiable, even though more often than not it still comes home uneaten (see, Packing Lunch for Kindergarten).
I am thankful for the wide range of healthier processed foods available to me at my regular grocery store and specialty shops like Mrs. Green’s. These new SpongeBob Berry Squeezers from Nature’s Child are a perfect example of a food my son and I can agree on. He is thrilled that SpongeBob is dancing around on the package, and I am happy it contains no artificial colors, is calorie-limited (60 calories per pouch) and is at least based on real fruit and fruit juice. Obviously this type of processed fruit isn’t as good as munching on an apple, but it in my book it tops many other snack options out there.
I bought this product with my own money. Nature’s Child has no idea who I am.
May 9, 2011
So pretty, no? I served this plate to myself, and allowed the kids to serve themselves at the table. In all, they had a choice of whole wheat rolls, lettuce and tomato, sweet potato fries (frozen, made by Alexia Foods), ketchup, and broccoli “trees.” You must know the punchline by now: What did they eat? The rolls. Ba dum bum.
G. did try a fry, but didn’t care for it. We had a snow day today, and truthfully both boys were pretty hyped up and not in the frame of mind to try something new. I am sure they would like this whole meal if they’d only try it, though! As it was, A. was excused from the table before he had even finished the roll. (Yes, it was that kind of day.)
The turkey burgers were really good — I combined the ground turkey with a little panko, yellow mustard, and garlic powder and pan-fried them in a bit of olive oil. The burgers stayed soft (I sometimes have a problem with ground turkey cooking up into a hard lump) and the mustard (a tip I got from Merrie) adds both moisture and seasoning.
This meal comes together so quickly, but still feels healthy and well-rounded. I’m sure someone else’s kids would love it.
January 18, 2011
Three and a half years ago, I started meal planning and cooking more. Before then, a plain bowl of pasta with shredded mozzarella on top could have been lunch and dinner for a month at a time — that’s what the boys wanted, and there was little I seemed able to do to entice them to try anything else. It didn’t make me feel good about my parenting, and I was so frustrated with my kids’ limited diet. I didn’t want to fight about food.
I started with a simple theory in early 2007: if I regularly presented new food to the boys, and they saw others in their family eating and enjoying it, they would eventually try it too. It’s been a long haul proving that hypothesis, but 2010 has been a breakthrough year for us. True, the boys are older and they may have grown into an expanded food repertoire on their own. But I’d like to think my commitment to cooking — and not offering alternate meals if they didn’t like what I’d made — has had something to do with it.
On Tuesday, I made turkey burgers with whole wheat buns and lettuce and tomato, kale chips, and sweet potato fries. None of these items, save the bread, are things the boys normally eat, though they’re close. They will eat roast chicken (not that different from ground turkey), white potato french fries, and potato chips (salty and crunch, like the kale I made). As with many meals, I knew that at a minimum they’d eat the rolls; ideally, they’d try something else on the table as well. My 5 year-old — the pickier eater of the two — asked if he could please try the kale chips. He also asked for a piece of lettuce, and tried both a sweet potato fry and a bite of turkey burger without any fuss. He didn’t care to eat a second bite of any of those things, but the trying in and of itself is a huge step from where he was even six months ago. A. made himself half a tomato sandwich, and then a lettuce sandwich — 100% more vegetables than he would have eaten any given night a year ago. My parents and I had to avoid each others’ eyes, afraid we’d break the magic of all this new-food trying if we said anything.
At seven years old, A. now looks forward to tobiko (fish roe sushi), steak, J.’s smoked brisket, apples, watermelon, cilantro (he eats it by the spoonful), rice, roasted chicken, lettuce, sugar snap peas, green beans, and more. He frequently tries food that J. and I are eating, and I wouldn’t hesitate to take him into any restaurant — we’d be able to find something he’d eat. We’ve come such a long way since April 2008, when he would accept just pasta and yogurt.
Likewise, G. continues to take small steps towards a wider acceptance of different foods. Tuesday night was an extreme example of his budding willingness to taste new things, but it is a trend now, and not an exception to his usual behavior. I even cheer when he tries something like Reese’s Pieces, because it challenges his belief that he doesn’t like peanut butter. Maybe next he’ll try a peanut butter sandwich.
At the boys’ annual doctor check-ups this year, we were asked several lifestyle questions: “Do you wear a helmet when you ride a bike?” and “Do you like going to school?” I was relieved that for the first time in their lives, I was able to answer “Yes” to “Are you happy with their eating habits?” Yes, we’re getting there. And yes, that makes me happy.
November 13, 2010
Dinner tonight incorporated five items from my CSA: broccoli rabe, garlic, tomatoes, cilantro, and sweet potato. The broccoli rabe and garlic were just sauteed in some olive oil and seasoned with salt; I made a quick salad out of the tomatoes wedges with cilantro and a splash of red wine vinegar.
I also made muffins (in soccer-themed paper liners to further entice the boys) out of a recipe I’ve tried before, Sweet Potato & Buttermilk Corn Bread. I used a 7 oz. container of Greek yogurt plus a half cup of skim milk instead of the cup of buttermilk and half cup of yogurt the recipe called for — didn’t forsee being able to use up any leftover buttermilk in the near future. The muffins only took 35 minutes to bake, and the recipe makes about 30 generous muffins. They’re delicious. J. even complimented them without my asking for his feedback. However, they were not as big a hit with the boys: A. refused to eat them because apparently he “doesn’t like bumpy or rough muffins;” G. tried one and enjoyed half of it, but then didn’t want anymore. I wonder if he’ll let me pack one for school tomorrow…
October 25, 2010
I'm Dara, the Chick in the Kitchen. Living in the suburbs of Manhattan with my two school-aged boys and husband. Feeding my family something more diverse than a different shape of pasta each night. Read more 
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