On more than one occasion, I've had mothers approach me, asking, "Get real. Does the rest of your family really eat all those clean eating meals that you're always posting endless pictures of?" The short answer: yes and no. Keep reading if you want the loooong answer.
My husband will deny this to his grave, but I'm convinced he has no taste buds. He douses just about everything I make in this strange substance:
My husband will deny this to his grave, but I'm convinced he has no taste buds. He douses just about everything I make in this strange substance:
Which entirely cancels out the tricky and skillfully executed spice combinations I put in meals that make them flavorful while still abiding by "clean" cooking. So, yes, my husband eats just about anything I make *only when it's drowned in a completely taste-altering gook.
The baby is on the boob, so he gets whatever I eat, just in a different fashion. He doesn't seem too fussy when I eat the classic offenders, such as onions and garlic, so I'll count that as a win.
The nine year old on the other hand. Oh Lordy. This is where it gets messy. Keep reading if you're serious about wanting the long answer.
Looking back, I believe this whole mess started when baby food was started. Now, she is almost 10 years old, and the parenting guidelines a decade ago were no where near as brutal as the parenting craze is today. I started her on rice cereal at the wee age of 3 months (today, that's considered way too early). By 6 months, she had tried just about every flavor of jarred food Gerber had to offer (today, this is when solids are supposed to be introduced) Aaaaand jarred food it was for many many more months.
The baby is on the boob, so he gets whatever I eat, just in a different fashion. He doesn't seem too fussy when I eat the classic offenders, such as onions and garlic, so I'll count that as a win.
The nine year old on the other hand. Oh Lordy. This is where it gets messy. Keep reading if you're serious about wanting the long answer.
Looking back, I believe this whole mess started when baby food was started. Now, she is almost 10 years old, and the parenting guidelines a decade ago were no where near as brutal as the parenting craze is today. I started her on rice cereal at the wee age of 3 months (today, that's considered way too early). By 6 months, she had tried just about every flavor of jarred food Gerber had to offer (today, this is when solids are supposed to be introduced) Aaaaand jarred food it was for many many more months.
About 12 months old. To much of the gooey food, and not enough "real" food.
I was a young mom. The jarred food was convienent. I lacked parenting knowledge. I had little motivation to research what was nutritionally appropriate for my baby at each developmental stage. When I randomly decided that 16 months was a good age to start her on Cheerios, her first actual real finger food that wasn't in puree form, she GAGGED. And then looked at me like, "Where the hell is the stuff that I don't have to chew. If you think I'm gonna eat this textured nonsense, get out." Like I said, I was a young mom without much of a clue. Living in the moment.... Hey, my baby girl is alive and smiling and I like to paint her toenails and give her pigtails aaaaand that's my parenting!
SEE!!!! Pigtails!
Once she stopped gagging at the sight of anything that wasn't in a jar with a chubby smiling baby on it, we graduated to pasta. White pasta. Every day. Every meal. Spaghetti, macaroni, ziti. Plain. Repeat for the duration of Toddlerhood.
THEN I was literally jumping for joy the day she ate a spoonful of Kraft macaroni and cheese. Yes, the situation had reached that level of desperation in which I was celebrating my 3 year old eating the nastiest of all nasty processed food items. It was a step up from the plain, bland pasta and that was a success in my eyes.
The next few years from about ages 4 to 8 were the most difficult, mainly due to my lack of consistency. I was starting to learn what proper nutrition for a child was. However, at the same time, I was in nursing school, delirious with sleep deprivation half the time and resorted to quick and easy meals. We went through phases of inconsistency. I would strongly encourage her/force feed her to try a variety of foods on her plate one night, and then succumb to
Her whims of wanting mac and cheese with hotdogs on another night. How confusing that must have been for her.
I reached my breaking point one year ago. We had an impending cross country move coming up with half of the house in boxes, small kitchen appliances included. I hadn't done a "big" grocery shopping in weeks, because who wants to deal with a full fridge on Moving Day. Not I. With the pans and microwave packed, it was baked chicken breast with a random assortment roasted vegetables that night. Odds and ends, as I like to call meals like that.
And oh my goodness, the wailing that occurred when the worlds pickiest 7 year old learned it wasn't her boved Mac and cheese or PB & J for dinner. Our neighbors probably reported us to CPS or something. She was one unhappy junk food connoisseur that night. She went to bed hungry, and I went to bed promising myself that I would not revolve the family menu around Evelyn's 4 primary (junky) foods. Which, if you're curious, were mac and cheese or pasta, PB & J, chicken nuggets (the more processed, the better!), and hot dogs.
It's been a loooong road, but Evelyn has made leaps and bounds in the past year on expanding her food horizons. My husband and I have had countless discussions on different strategies and techniques we can incorporate into our meals. It's still hit or miss though, because what works for one meal might not work for another, and we still do have an occasional meal that ends in tears and frustration.
Stay tuned for Picky Eaters Anonymous Part 2, which will be my photo food diary compared to Evelyn's photo food diary, and some examples of the strategies and techniques that have helped us to overcome this food averson crisis. The highlight? I no longer have to cook 2 or 3 separate meals for each mealtime ;-D
THEN I was literally jumping for joy the day she ate a spoonful of Kraft macaroni and cheese. Yes, the situation had reached that level of desperation in which I was celebrating my 3 year old eating the nastiest of all nasty processed food items. It was a step up from the plain, bland pasta and that was a success in my eyes.
The next few years from about ages 4 to 8 were the most difficult, mainly due to my lack of consistency. I was starting to learn what proper nutrition for a child was. However, at the same time, I was in nursing school, delirious with sleep deprivation half the time and resorted to quick and easy meals. We went through phases of inconsistency. I would strongly encourage her/force feed her to try a variety of foods on her plate one night, and then succumb to
Her whims of wanting mac and cheese with hotdogs on another night. How confusing that must have been for her.
I reached my breaking point one year ago. We had an impending cross country move coming up with half of the house in boxes, small kitchen appliances included. I hadn't done a "big" grocery shopping in weeks, because who wants to deal with a full fridge on Moving Day. Not I. With the pans and microwave packed, it was baked chicken breast with a random assortment roasted vegetables that night. Odds and ends, as I like to call meals like that.
And oh my goodness, the wailing that occurred when the worlds pickiest 7 year old learned it wasn't her boved Mac and cheese or PB & J for dinner. Our neighbors probably reported us to CPS or something. She was one unhappy junk food connoisseur that night. She went to bed hungry, and I went to bed promising myself that I would not revolve the family menu around Evelyn's 4 primary (junky) foods. Which, if you're curious, were mac and cheese or pasta, PB & J, chicken nuggets (the more processed, the better!), and hot dogs.
It's been a loooong road, but Evelyn has made leaps and bounds in the past year on expanding her food horizons. My husband and I have had countless discussions on different strategies and techniques we can incorporate into our meals. It's still hit or miss though, because what works for one meal might not work for another, and we still do have an occasional meal that ends in tears and frustration.
Stay tuned for Picky Eaters Anonymous Part 2, which will be my photo food diary compared to Evelyn's photo food diary, and some examples of the strategies and techniques that have helped us to overcome this food averson crisis. The highlight? I no longer have to cook 2 or 3 separate meals for each mealtime ;-D
And one more toddler Evelyn. Age 2.5, stopping to smell the flowers.