This is a food post about my kids.
I had given up.
Nora and Sophie have a VERY limited palette.
A few months before the move and through the move and now a few months after the move their food choices have gotten increasingly more .... bland. And as a result, less nutritious.
I think I worked harder (
I. couldn't. take. it. any. more.
It was evolving into me cooking two separate meals - ONE for the girls and ONE for me and Jake.
And then Samantha would look longingly at the adults plates wondering why she didn't get what we had.
Besides the added work I didn't feel like I was training them to just go with the flow and eat what was given them - thinking more about the nutrition than about the flavor.
I felt like they were becoming snotty and picky and I WAS DONE.
So, Jake and I came up with this:
You eat what mama cooks for everyone.
You have 30 minutes to finish with a good attitude.
If you finish in that 30 minutes with a good attitude, you get one cookie after dinner.
If you need a few more minutes and have had a good attitude about it, you still get the cookie when you're done.
Bad attitude/too long = no cookie.
You can choose at anytime after the 30 minutes to just be done BUT:
You get to eat your leftovers for breakfast.
At breakfast you have 30 min's.
If you're still not done,
You get the same leftovers for lunch and yet another, 30 min's.
IF you're still not done but I see that you made an effort at all three sittings, you can chuck the leftovers and start over with the new dinner.
If not....leftovers again and 30 min's again....
You are not, at anytime, allowed to tell me you don't like it. You ARE to tell me if you do like it and I'll know by your omission that you did not like it.
You are allowed to tell me you don't like it if I ask but you must say it with kindness, not a gross face.
(note: I'm not so concerned with them making a gross face at me, I'm more concerned about them practicing manners with other people)
We have completed a whole week of this.
Nora is struggling the most but even then, she's only had to have one meal three times and another meal two times....and she's only thrown up once ;-).
Sophie cried through her entire plate of Paleo Pad Thai the other day, but by golly, she gobbled that Spaghetti Squash, Egg and Chicken up...she did.
But, the success stories?
THREE MEALS that I just KNEW Nora and Sophie would HATE...
they figured out ways to LIKE them.
examples?
Cauliflower, Brisket, meat on a quesadilla...and TOMATOES.
I did not expect such quick results....at all.
They are doing great.
We will overcome this.
I'm stickin' to my guns here
(with lots of Jake's help, 'cause see, basically if my kids skips a meal I think they are going to end up malnourished and on the cover of a Children's Fund add...ridiculous? COMPLETELY but just like they are overcoming their food issues, I'm overcoming mine.)
Is the food battle an issue in your house?
What do you do?
Do you deem it important enough to battle over?
How was it growing up for you?
(my parent's fought it hard and I am soooo glad - I will eat ANYTHING...like, anything)














