I try very hard not to stress about the boys' food, but some weeks are just more stressful than others. Of course, these stresses are magnified the week a nutritionists comes to speak at one of our play groups. It never fails - I gather up the pamphlets, the recommened serving sizes fridge magnets and the colourful food group wall charts, get home and mentally hyperventilate as I wonder when was the last time I fed my kids leafy greens or fish or something other than pasta with cheese?! Oh my goodness I have to get them to eat how many vegetable servings every day?!
This week was no exception to the nutritionist-stress pattern, and I went on a fruit and veggie buying rampage on the weekend. The upside of my produce shopping spree is that Owen and Will are actually going along with me this time around and eating the vegetables I put in front of them. This does require some cheerleading on my part (I'm not kidding - I jumped up and down and kicked my legs in the air like a 16 year old girl on happy pills yesterday to get them to eat their broccoli) but I think I've managed to get the boys eating very balanced meals for the last couple of days. I've now cursed myself of course, but still, at least I know they've stored up some vitamin C to fight any potential scurvy this February.
But I have to tell you about the best thing that happened this weekend. After a morning of being out and about en famille, we came home a little later than usual, cutting it rather close to lunchtime. The boys were crying in the car for the last ten minutes of our journey and saying "I hungy, mummy! I hungy!" As soon as we got into the house, I plopped them into their highchairs and started making suggestions of quick and easy lunches. First mistake. When you're hungry, nothing sounds right. They cried "noooooo!" at every idea, so finally I just decided to make them what I'd had for lunch the day before - roasted chicken sandwich on whole grain with mayo and dijon mustard. If they didn't like it, I would eat it. I even threw in some baby spinach leaves in the hope that their leafy green serving would get eaten.
Two minutes later, they're both devouring the sandwiches and William looks up at me and says, "So happy, mummy." I don't think I've ever been happier in my entire life. My darling child is telling me that the food I made him - no, the HEALTHY food I made him - is making him happy. It is such a delicious meal that he felt the need to tell me he was experiencing a moment of happiness.
I have died and gone to nutrition heaven.
To celebrate the moment, we went out to dinner with Amber, Jon and Abigail at East Side Marios where Owen proceeded to inhale his pasta, my pasta, his milk, the garlic bread and the salad with the same suction power as the latest Dyson. He was still asking for more pasta as we pulled away from the restaurant. Apart from all the stuffing of faces and bellies, it was lovely to go out with the Burkinshuks - our first family dinner out together! Abigail was very cute sitting up in a highchair like a big girl and ate red peppers like they were going out of style. Or possibly just stuffing them into her cheeks to spit out later, we couldn't quite tell.
Here are some photos of our dinner - Amber, I'm sorry I'm not posting any photos of you, but you were looking away in every single shot! Are you pulling a Jon on me?
Will colouring away before the food arrived
Owen wondering if he can eat his crayons before I notice
This week was no exception to the nutritionist-stress pattern, and I went on a fruit and veggie buying rampage on the weekend. The upside of my produce shopping spree is that Owen and Will are actually going along with me this time around and eating the vegetables I put in front of them. This does require some cheerleading on my part (I'm not kidding - I jumped up and down and kicked my legs in the air like a 16 year old girl on happy pills yesterday to get them to eat their broccoli) but I think I've managed to get the boys eating very balanced meals for the last couple of days. I've now cursed myself of course, but still, at least I know they've stored up some vitamin C to fight any potential scurvy this February.
But I have to tell you about the best thing that happened this weekend. After a morning of being out and about en famille, we came home a little later than usual, cutting it rather close to lunchtime. The boys were crying in the car for the last ten minutes of our journey and saying "I hungy, mummy! I hungy!" As soon as we got into the house, I plopped them into their highchairs and started making suggestions of quick and easy lunches. First mistake. When you're hungry, nothing sounds right. They cried "noooooo!" at every idea, so finally I just decided to make them what I'd had for lunch the day before - roasted chicken sandwich on whole grain with mayo and dijon mustard. If they didn't like it, I would eat it. I even threw in some baby spinach leaves in the hope that their leafy green serving would get eaten.
Two minutes later, they're both devouring the sandwiches and William looks up at me and says, "So happy, mummy." I don't think I've ever been happier in my entire life. My darling child is telling me that the food I made him - no, the HEALTHY food I made him - is making him happy. It is such a delicious meal that he felt the need to tell me he was experiencing a moment of happiness.
I have died and gone to nutrition heaven.
To celebrate the moment, we went out to dinner with Amber, Jon and Abigail at East Side Marios where Owen proceeded to inhale his pasta, my pasta, his milk, the garlic bread and the salad with the same suction power as the latest Dyson. He was still asking for more pasta as we pulled away from the restaurant. Apart from all the stuffing of faces and bellies, it was lovely to go out with the Burkinshuks - our first family dinner out together! Abigail was very cute sitting up in a highchair like a big girl and ate red peppers like they were going out of style. Or possibly just stuffing them into her cheeks to spit out later, we couldn't quite tell.
Here are some photos of our dinner - Amber, I'm sorry I'm not posting any photos of you, but you were looking away in every single shot! Are you pulling a Jon on me?
Will colouring away before the food arrived
Owen wondering if he can eat his crayons before I notice
1 comment:
Um, I can verify that most of the red peppers did end up in Abby's system :)
We had SO much fun! What a great idea!
A.
Post a Comment