I feel that there is something innately wrong about introducing fruits and vegetables (in the liquid form) to my 6-month-old daughter whilst I continue my personal eating habits which are shamefully void of fruits and vegetables in any form.
I'm trying to turn over a new leaf. It isn't easy. And I'll prepare you: progress may be slow.
To illustrate this announcement and share a small bit of progress, I'd like to share what I ate for dinner tonight:
Spaghetti Squash with Marinara Sauce
and an Apple
Darin was so proud of me that he sat down at the table across from me and served himself up a helping of the squash too. (Though I had no expectations for him to do so.) He took a few bites, and then salted it, and then took a few more bites, and then salted it some more. Then he paused before he said:
"Honey?"
"Yes?" I said.
"I don't think I like it."
Then I paused before saying, "That's okay, Honey, you don't have to eat it. There are other leftovers in the fridge that you'll like."
"But you're eating it, so I want to eat it too."
"Really, Honey, it's okay. It's just something I've been wanting to try... you really don't have to finish it."
He took a couple more soulful bites before putting the rest of his portion back in the serving dish. And even though I was able to finish my bowl with the help of plenty parmesan cheese and some salt of my own, I don't know that I can say that Spaghetti Squash Marinara will go down in my personal history as a favorite meal.
But my approach to eating more fruits and veggies is going to require some experimentation similar this evening's scenario. It will involve some trial and error, I suppose. In light of this, does anyone have any recipes they'd recommend I try? You know, some nice gentle ways that could soften the blow of the introduction of vegetables to my palate? Do you want to be my fruit and vegetable eating cheerleaders? I think I'm going to need all the help I can get.
7 comments:
Erika,
OK, as someone who is INSISTENT that a fruit and/or veggie be part of a main meal (while my husband looks on and shakes his head with a knowing smile on his face), I need to know your likes and dislikes. Would you eat broccoli/spinach in a pasta casserole of some sort? Do you like salad? I have about a bazillion recipes, and I'd be happy to send them over to you. Sorry, none of them include cookie dough :)
This is a good time to change your eating habits b/c, before you know it, your daughter will be eating the food that YOU are eating, not separately prepared stuff. It takes a couple of months to establish good eating habits, but once you do, it's great!
Casseroles with veggies incorporated? Yes.
Salads? No, not yet.
: )
Good for you, Sister!! Rah Rah Rah! I'll have you know that I introduced spaghetti squash with marinara sauce to my whole family, and I LOVED IT... Just me. Everyone else let me know that spaghetti in pasta form was introduced for a reason. Keep up the good work!
Erika - You have inspired me and I am going to try this myself! I know it is so hard. Do you like orange juice? Also, there is a new V8 drink with a full serving of fruits and veggies and it does actually taste good. So those are two cheats. I love an apple with peanut butter. Salad is good - find a dressing you LOVE and then any salad tastes wonderful! I've even gotten Dan to eat salad with a good dressing.
I'm proud of you! Keep it up - you'll be such a great example for Lucy!
Also, I forgot to include a link to this book: Deceptively Delicious by Jessica Seinfeld, if you want to check it out.
Erika,
Hurray for you!!! If you have a sweet tooth, try some brown sugar and a little butter on that squash. Also, I think you are a great candidate to puree your veggies and toss them in your other recipes. You'll hardly notice they are there. There are cookbooks that sprcialize in this. Mom's usually do this for children, but I think it might be worth a try to do for yourself.
What about potato soup? I have a great recipe. I know the potatoes are starchy...but it also contains celery and carrots and onions... and I'm sure it would be great for those cold iowa winters... AND it's a crockpot thing...so SOOO easy!! I have a smaller crockpot so you can just make more if you have a big one...
peel about 6 small potatoes and cut them up.
peel about 3 carrots and cut up
cut up about 3 celery stocks.
cut up 1 small onion.
Put all in a crockpot and put water in just until it covers the veggies.
Cook on low heat until veggies are soft.
Use a masher and mash everything up.
Add 1 can of evaporated milk
Add Lawry's seasoning to taste (I let everyone do their own)
Add shredded cheese and bacon on top.
YUM!!
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