as they are known to do, over the past couple weeks my children have completely changed their minds about the foods they enjoy and i am now back at square one. friggin’ chaos agents…
recently, as i presented a beautiful plate of something that i worked really hard on, the 5 year old i’m roommates with lovingly told me that he hates everything i make him for dinner and also that we are “no longer a tomato family” (that’s a direct quote). he’s generally a good eater but over the past few weeks has become increasingly….difficult.
the 2 year old who is acting SUPREMELY two right now is refusing all fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, meats. all foods that looks like food and are served by me at the table, basically. he’s existing solely on water, fruit leather, bowls of cheerios (if he doesn’t spill them all over the floor first), huge pinches of maldon salt from my stove-side salt bowl (not great) and slices of lactose free cheddar cheese. sometimes eggs? but you really never know. plain noodles? no. pizza? no! chicken? not even nuggets.
not. even. nuggets. WHY?! HOW?!
i know this is a “phase” but it’s also “fucking bullshit”.
you know what else is bullshit? the two year old is eating all SORTS of good stuff at daycare - his menu today was sweet potato, spinach & lentil dal, steamed carrots and couscous. and he ate it all! if i served that at home he’d throw it on the floor! and i know that for a fact, because i’ve tried recreating my dal success from issue #1 recently and guess what? it ended up on the floor.
ohh and ANOTHER THING, they’ve started playing this fun game where i’ll be like ok here are the food options for this evening! then i’ll list some lovely & carefully selected foods i can make for us, and they’ll either say no to everything (woof) or choose one and i’ll make it and then they’ll be like “no not THAT! i didn’t want THAT” (WOOF).
the thing is, i know i’m supposed to just keep trying but i really am not interested in being a short order cook for these tiny tyrants. “bedtime for dinner” is not really an option, and i’m also trying to teach these kids like…basic table manners? eat (at least SOME of) what you’re given & say please and thank you, don’t be jerks, don’t throw food on the floor and don’t tell your mom you hate the food she makes are some of the basic rules i’m always trying to reinforce. but we are in this twilight zone of eating these days that is both exhausting (i really only have so much willpower and patience), and also a little worrying…like, as much as they protest, they DO need to get into the habit of eating actual foods when it’s time to eat, like…for their and OUR overall health and wellbeing. and i’m sure they’re also pissed about it all too! it’s a Whole Thing.
is this resonating with anybody else? i feel like i’m on an island!
anyway, i’m back to the dinner drawing board here. a place i both enjoy (it’s creative) and hate (there will be fails and i am a virgo). instead of a recipe, i thought i’d make a list of the things that i (you? we? is anyone out there?) can make for dinner when the kids are being totallllll dingdongs and you really, really, realllllly just don’t want to deal with it. these are the nights when you should order yourself fancy delivery from your favourite place and eat it in peace & quiet after they have gone to bed.
dinner for dingdongs
- scrambled eggs or a plain omelette and a side of whatever fruit or vegetable they will eat.
- oatmeal pancakes. added value: blend the batter (like a smoothie) with a handful of blueberries or spinach or any pureed fruit/veg you’ve got handy. i’ve tried this a few times with some reasonable success.
- PB & J
- rotisserie chicken with frozen french fries or sweet potato fries and as much ketchup as they would like
- smoothies
- a bowl of applesauce with quick oats, flax & berries mixed into it
- snack plate. who gives a shit - kiddie charcuterie! pita, crackers, cheese, yogurt, deli meats, applesauce, whatever fruit or vegetable they’ll eat, something for dipping? do your kids like hummus? just put it out for them and let them graze.
- something about pasta in the shape of animals always works. get annie’s bunny mac & cheese and go for it.
- hear me out: ikea sells frozen veggie meatballs that are actually really good.
- mcdonald’s. it’s what we all wanted anyway.
until next time,
kt.