^^Green smoothie blend! I’ve been making them with banana, milk, oats, Vega Coconut Almond, peanut butter, and lots of spinach.
I’ve been having lots of luck with Mazen’s eating. I think the increase in effort is paying off. I made chicken noodle soup and he ate a deconstructed version. He still needs a lot of nudging to try something, but I am very pleased with the amount of foods he has tasted lately. (Celery!) He ate the bread first (duh), then one noodle, then one bite of chicken, and then we had to talk about the veggies which eventually all got eaten. Just.Keep.Trying. I am fairly confident in a year he will be a pretty good eater. (Knock on wood!)
The little rascal!
Another night we had Cook Smarts baked ziti with broccoli. This meal was actually a huge success after an initial protest. [My broccoli has some blue cheese dressing on top!]
For lunch the next day I had leftover ziti with a kale and feta salad.
This dinner was enjoyed during Karen’s visit. We made steak and baked potatoes with salad on the side.
And finally, Sarah, Gaby, and I did a joint dinner with all the kids. We pretended they were in a restaurant and waited on them. It was cute!
The moms had Ina Garten’s Curried Chicken Salad that I made and brought over. I cooked the chicken in the Smart Bowl set and it worked really well! I sliced it into pieces first and then microwaved in the bowls for about 3 minutes (in two batches). It wasn’t dry at all!
Served over greens with a zucchini bread “donut” Sarah made on the side : )
Hope you are having a great week!
Kelli @ Hungry Hobby says
A lot my dietitian friends have been talking about getting their kids to eat recently and someone mentioned making it a a game for Christmas. Her kids had to like 10 new vegetables to get what they wanted for Christmas essentially earning it!
Rels says
I do not agree with this idea at all. Do you know the work of Ellyn Satter? She’s a very respected RD, so I would imagine most people in the field would be familiar with her. She pioneered the concept of the “division of responsibility” at meal times, wherein parents decide what foods will be offered and when, and children decide which of those things to eat and how much. Research clearly shows that to do anything else causes children, more often than not, to dig in and become more stubborn, and it sets up the expectation that the parent knows better than them whether they should put food in their mouths. To condition Christmas presents on something like this is a whole extra layer association between food and reward that I would never want to put on my own 2 children.
Bites for Foodies says
I’ve heard of this theory and I believe it works! It’s hard (for me) to put into play because I often don’t make multi=dish meals. For example, if dinner is salmon and potatoes, that’s all there is! I don’t necessarily make two veggies and another fish option. Having said that, I am vegetarian (my family isn’t) so I’m actually preparing different meals most of the time…but the kids won’t eat what I eat (even though the offer was made to them!)
Mary says
This is lovely. I really want to make that smoothie you talked about!
Taryn says
Getting young kids to eat can be so frustrating sometimes! This is what worked with our son (age 5). At age 3 1/2 we started waiting until he said he was done with dinner (or in some cases hadn’t eaten a thing!) We would say “you just have to eat 3 bites because you’re 3.” Somehow that worked (but still made mealtime a battle). Around age 4 1/2 we started talking to him about the benefits of various foods (protein will help you learn to ride a bike, healthy fat will help your brain so you can learn to tie your shoes). We also tried to give him a rainbow of food on his plate and talked about the benefits of all the different colors. Was like a game for him! Now at age 5 he is a fantastic eater! Our daughter is 3 and is looking to be a bigger challenge than her brother. But we aren’t backing down, and like you said, put in the work and it will pay off big time!
KathEats says
Great tips!
Sonal says
It’s great to see your little one starting to try new foods. Kudos to you on that! I am working to improve my 5 year old’s diet and it really takes a lot of patience and perseverance.
I really liked M’s jacket – where did you get it from? Also his boots – are they outdoor/running around-friendly? Thanks.
KathEats says
The rain jacket is from Target – similar to this one. And these are the boots! They are great. My second pair of them.
[email protected] says
Definitely have to try that chicken salad! The kids are so cute around the table!
Erin @ Her Heartland Soul says
He’s so cute in his little Hunter boots!
[email protected] says
The kids are so cute sitting around the table!
Ella says
Hmm I must be doing something wrong because pretty much every meal is me serving my kids like a waitress ha!
KathEats says
Haha!!
Emily says
I love that chicken salad! Ina is the best 🙂 You should try her green goddess dressing…it’s one of our faves.
Alex says
Honestly my approach to kid eating has been to not make a big deal of it, keep offering what we are eating, deconstruct when necessary, and not make it into a game or a battle. My older one is now just about 8 and is a really healthy, adventurous eater who enjoys food. My younger one is Mazen’s age (July bday) and she is definitely more of a food diva at the moment – but they are both at healthy weights and their nutrition is good overall, and I try really really hard not to engage with either of them over food battles. I loved Ellyn Satter’s book which I read when my first was super picky at age 2, but I also LOVED the advice of my son’s beloved pediatrician (who has since passed away, sadly) that you shouldn’t get all hot and bothered about what kids do or don’t eat at a single meal but should instead focus on what they eat over the course of a week. My kids both tend to eat healthy and balanced breakfasts and lunches, and sometimes by dinner they just want to drink a glass of milk and eat a few bites here and there. They are FINE. I also think in our family eating is almost as much about behaviors as it is about nutrition…it’s important to us that they like to sit at the table (wherever we are) have conversations, and be appreciative, even if they don’t happen to love what I’m serving. My two cents! Definitely an interesting topic.
KathEats says
Great thoughts! I agree. I am big on “You don’t have to eat it but you’re not going to get anything else because this is what I made for dinner.” Love Ellyn Satter.