When people know about our business, I have to chuckle a little when lunchtime comes, or it's time for Ava to eat, and they ask, "Do you allow her to eat ________?" Usually they're referring to a treat, or comfort food, or whatever the possible off-limits food is to the onlooker. I understand that they might infer that because we make healthy homemade food in our workshops, I may be a little controlling about what Ava eats.
While I appreciate their respectful questions, I laugh and explain that we have traditional snacks in our pantry sometimes too. Ava and I really love eating a good cookie (or more) and believe me, Nicole and I don't serve up something gourmet for every meal. But the honest truth is, I control what I can, and understand that a treat or super comfort food (fish and chips, anyone?) once in awhile is a necessary part of her diet- if I deprive her at all times, she'll just desire the "forbidden fruit" more. :)
My kid gets messy too, she throws healthy foods off the table too, and there are days she has food fixations. Yes, I have a plethora of recipes to try out on her, and she's a good eater, but we run low on ideas sometimes too. And then it's back to the drawing board to test out a recipe for the week (and usually it is just one recipe a week). As moms and dads, that's all we can do- keep trying to bring healthy foods to the dinner table, and over time, we will see that we have influenced our kids to appreciate eating well.
I think that's the beauty of Mish Mash- we try to equip parents to try out new healthy recipes so that they know that at the very least, they were able to influence the foods their kids eat every day. Even if it did get smooshed in their hair.
Do you have any pictures of your little one eating (er... semi-eating?) any Mish Mash recipes? Please do send them in for our site. We love seeing the fruits of our labor!
It's nice to know even the experts are just trying to do their best. :o) One thing I am curious about is what a typical day of snacks/meals looks like for a toddler (around 15 months). I am not sure if my little one is getting enough and/or what other little ones are eating around this age. It would be helpful to see other examples of what a day of eating for others looks like...
ReplyDeleteHi Courtney! Thanks for the comment. A typical day of snacks/ meals is actually what we like to call 4-5 "mini-meals" instead of "snacks" or traditionally thought of snacks that are usually carbs alone. Try to get the best bang for your buck: a mix of protein in with every mini-meal- for example, today was oatmeal with dried cranberries and sunflower seeds for protein (and a little brown sugar), a snack of cheese and pears, lunch was leftover turkey chili with veggies included, a snack of a tortilla rollup with nut butter, and tonight will be chicken and potatoes with some type of veggie (family meal). I try to feed her what I think an optimal adult diet is. This is not to say we don't ever have crackers, oatmeal cookies, etc. but go for a good mix and your little one will be more satisfied and less cranky! Our finger foodies class about this is great, and I may just post more about this.
ReplyDelete