My daughter’s favorite meal is Lentil Beans, Rice and Buttered Bread. We stumbled upon this by accident. I had been in the soup aisle looking for soups that my toddler would like hoping that soup would be the perfect blend between baby food and real food. He stopped eating well several months ago and reverted to drinking as much milk in on any given day that he could get his hands on.
Anyway, we tried lentil bean soup one night and I added rice and carrots to the meal to round it out. My 4-year, skeptical of all new food items and anything that looks “icky”, wouldn’t touch anything but the carrots. The toddler dived in to the rice and carrots but wouldn’t touch the lentil beans.
Dinner was going downhill fast, time for some creative thinking.
I grabbed some bread and butter and cut a buttered slice into four squares. Next, I showed both kids how much fun it was to pile the rice and beans on the bread and see how much each of us could get in our mouths.
The game was a hit…beans, rice and carrots were piled on bread and eaten with relish! It’s not the cleanest of meals (expect plenty of rice and beans to get on the table, floor, chair, clothes and anything else in range) but it is fun.
To this day, my daughter asks for Lentil Beans, Rice and Buttered Bread at least twice a week when asked what she wants for dinner. And, she gets it. Healthy, simple and fast…my kind of mommy meal.
Prep Time: 20-30 minutes
Rice – cook as instructed, usually takes about 20 minutes. I like to make 2 cups and save the leftovers for later. Leftover rice heats up well in the microwave with a bit of water – I also add a bit of butter.
Lentil Beans – I use Progresso soup. Not too many preservatives, no MSG (as far as I know) and there are more beans than broth. It’s hearty and we never eat it all in one meal.
Bread/Butter – I butter the bread for the kids lightly. Just enough for them to see it. Cut into 4 pieces – I let them decide if they want squares or triangles. The toddler gets whatever his sister wants; right now, he wants everything the same.
Vege: vegetable of choice. I use frozen or canned. If canned, look for a brand that states “No Salt Added” on its label as this is generally the healthiest.
Shopping List: Rice, Lentil Soup, Vege, Bread and Butter
Cost for Four (two kids under five and two adults): about $5.00
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Food for Thought
For my kids, I have to keep it simple – keep meal time simple that is. Any food dish that requires more than 3 ingredients sends them running for the hills. Sugar, carbs and dairy products are their current poison of choice despite the years of efforts I spent attempting to train their bodies to prefer fruits and veges.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a vegetarian and I love meat. It just seemed that a few years focused on incorporating the all of the major food groups into every meal would give them an advantage in the health department as they grew up. Yet, I once again learn that if anything about parenting were simple then I could also expect world peace tomorrow.
In all seriousness, I wouldn’t let my 4-yr-old eat desserts until she was two. You might think this was mean, but she couldn’t miss what she didn’t know existed. And, I’d like one person to prove to me how feeding a baby or toddler sweets actually benefits them? At the same time, her father happily and secretly introduced her to ice cream, chocolate chip cookies and a variety of other sweets. Just goes to show, you can’t control everything.
And although I acknowledge that parenting is hard, it doesn’t stop me from wondering and judging other parents along the way. I’ve seen toddlers eating Doritos at the pediatrician office; barely walking infants munching on French fries; and one of my all-time favorites…
…a 3 year old – with several cavities – having just screamed his way through the last of his required fillings – eating a Snickers Bar on his way out of the dentist office.
I will never forget the look on my dentist’s face as she sat down and told me what was going on with the child before diving in to give me a deep root cleaning. To say I wasn’t a bit apprehensive considering her agitation level would be a lie.
And who could blame her? What are these parents thinking?
We are the fattest nation in the world.
We eat preserved, altered and otherwise toxic food every day of our lives.
In America, there is virtually no getting around it. You could shop at Whole Foods – but that’s not an option for a lot of us.
We could just try a bit harder – especially when it comes to our kids. Our canned and frozen foods are filled with unnatural toxic crap. I know because we eat a lot of canned foods and the challenge is finding those that have the least amount of bad stuff in them. Our meats are polluted. They are filled with, not just on the preservative side, but the food we give them is toxic and we jack them up with a variety of steroids and other drugs to help them grow “big and strong”. I know this and I still eat meat. I love meat.
Again, you just have to try and find the healthiest product you can. I’d love to buy “organic” meat but it’s ridiculously expensive. Even organic eggs are a bit out of hand n the cost side of things.
Some of it’s about what you can afford and what you can’t. Some of it is about effort. Even Wal-Mart carries Annie’s – a fantastic company that develops organic food stuff for kids, including a fantastic Mac & Cheese. Costs more than Kraft but it’s not too much if you bulk up when they are on sale.
Wouldn’t it better for our kids, for their futures, if we spent a few more pennies on Annie’s and few less pennies on the infamous bag of fries?
Just keep it simple and you’d be surprised at what you can do. Just don’t give your child a Snickers bar as a reward for surviving his filling treatment. At least not while you are still at the dentist office….
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a vegetarian and I love meat. It just seemed that a few years focused on incorporating the all of the major food groups into every meal would give them an advantage in the health department as they grew up. Yet, I once again learn that if anything about parenting were simple then I could also expect world peace tomorrow.
In all seriousness, I wouldn’t let my 4-yr-old eat desserts until she was two. You might think this was mean, but she couldn’t miss what she didn’t know existed. And, I’d like one person to prove to me how feeding a baby or toddler sweets actually benefits them? At the same time, her father happily and secretly introduced her to ice cream, chocolate chip cookies and a variety of other sweets. Just goes to show, you can’t control everything.
And although I acknowledge that parenting is hard, it doesn’t stop me from wondering and judging other parents along the way. I’ve seen toddlers eating Doritos at the pediatrician office; barely walking infants munching on French fries; and one of my all-time favorites…
…a 3 year old – with several cavities – having just screamed his way through the last of his required fillings – eating a Snickers Bar on his way out of the dentist office.
I will never forget the look on my dentist’s face as she sat down and told me what was going on with the child before diving in to give me a deep root cleaning. To say I wasn’t a bit apprehensive considering her agitation level would be a lie.
And who could blame her? What are these parents thinking?
We are the fattest nation in the world.
We eat preserved, altered and otherwise toxic food every day of our lives.
In America, there is virtually no getting around it. You could shop at Whole Foods – but that’s not an option for a lot of us.
We could just try a bit harder – especially when it comes to our kids. Our canned and frozen foods are filled with unnatural toxic crap. I know because we eat a lot of canned foods and the challenge is finding those that have the least amount of bad stuff in them. Our meats are polluted. They are filled with, not just on the preservative side, but the food we give them is toxic and we jack them up with a variety of steroids and other drugs to help them grow “big and strong”. I know this and I still eat meat. I love meat.
Again, you just have to try and find the healthiest product you can. I’d love to buy “organic” meat but it’s ridiculously expensive. Even organic eggs are a bit out of hand n the cost side of things.
Some of it’s about what you can afford and what you can’t. Some of it is about effort. Even Wal-Mart carries Annie’s – a fantastic company that develops organic food stuff for kids, including a fantastic Mac & Cheese. Costs more than Kraft but it’s not too much if you bulk up when they are on sale.
Wouldn’t it better for our kids, for their futures, if we spent a few more pennies on Annie’s and few less pennies on the infamous bag of fries?
Just keep it simple and you’d be surprised at what you can do. Just don’t give your child a Snickers bar as a reward for surviving his filling treatment. At least not while you are still at the dentist office….
Monday, March 9, 2009
If I only had a clue...
Welcome to my life! The one that I wish I had a clue about. In fact, every day, I learn how little I know. This might have something to do with the two rugrats running around my house... seriously, one would think an educated adult could figure out the ramblings of a 2 year old. Or, teach a 4 year old that winning isn't everything.
The truth is, my children baffle me. They are innocent angels one minute and montrous devils the next. Laughing and giggling turns into a temper tantrum of epic proportions over who gets to sit in mommy's lap during storytime. A "fun" game of Hi-Ho Cherry-O's turns into a scream fest when a spin of the wheel causes the loss of cherries back to the tree.
And, when did Hi-Ho Cherry-O's turn into a game of Cherries, Apples, Blueberries and Oranges? It just doesn't make sense. But we do get to practice our colors. As if the challenges of winning and losing are not enough for the average 4 year old heart to deal with.
Don't get me wrong. My children are my joy - when they are not driving me crazy that is. There's nothing better than an unsolicited kiss followed by "I love you". Or, experiencing the pure joy of a 4 year old eating an ice cream cone from the blue short bus. (Yes, our ice cream man drives a converted, blue short bus around town. Good marketing though - you can recognize the bus a mile away!)
But it's the random, unpredictable shifts in mood that confound me daily. Although, in reality, don't we all feel this way. We forget to eat and we get cranky. Too little sleep equals short tempers. And not getting what we want causes frustration, sadness and depression. Don't we all want to just scream sometimes?
In truth, kids make perfect sense. But I still can't figure them out...
The truth is, my children baffle me. They are innocent angels one minute and montrous devils the next. Laughing and giggling turns into a temper tantrum of epic proportions over who gets to sit in mommy's lap during storytime. A "fun" game of Hi-Ho Cherry-O's turns into a scream fest when a spin of the wheel causes the loss of cherries back to the tree.
And, when did Hi-Ho Cherry-O's turn into a game of Cherries, Apples, Blueberries and Oranges? It just doesn't make sense. But we do get to practice our colors. As if the challenges of winning and losing are not enough for the average 4 year old heart to deal with.
Don't get me wrong. My children are my joy - when they are not driving me crazy that is. There's nothing better than an unsolicited kiss followed by "I love you". Or, experiencing the pure joy of a 4 year old eating an ice cream cone from the blue short bus. (Yes, our ice cream man drives a converted, blue short bus around town. Good marketing though - you can recognize the bus a mile away!)
But it's the random, unpredictable shifts in mood that confound me daily. Although, in reality, don't we all feel this way. We forget to eat and we get cranky. Too little sleep equals short tempers. And not getting what we want causes frustration, sadness and depression. Don't we all want to just scream sometimes?
In truth, kids make perfect sense. But I still can't figure them out...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)