Menu Plan Monday ~ Feb. 8

Another Monday*, another menu plan! Last week went really well. I only had to make one mid-week stop at the grocery store for milk and yogurt. Not bad! And the leftovers fed us for even longer than I anticipated. As a result, we didn't make the curry or picatta last week.

Our only food-related frustration was Kiddo's picky eating. Remember the night he ate popcorn for dinner? So before I get into this week's menu plan, here is an excerpt of our new picky eater plan (courtesy of Ellyn Satter). I guess it's not a plan as much as a reminder of what I am and — perhaps more importantly — am not responsible for when it comes to my child's eating.

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Ellyn Satter's Division of Responsibility For Toddlers Through Adolescents:

• The parent is responsible for what, when, where
• The child is responsible for how much and whether

Parents' Feeding Jobs:

• Choose and prepare the food
• Provide regular meals and snacks
• Make eating times pleasant
• Show children what they have to learn about food and mealtime behavior
• Not let children graze for food or beverages between meal and snack times
• Let children grow up to get bodies that are right for them

Fundamental to parents’ jobs is trusting children to decide how much and whether to eat.

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The bottom line: it's time to lay off! I will provide a variety of healthy foods at every meal. Dessert, which is usually fruit anyway, will not be a secret temptation reserved for those who clean their plates. All of our mealtime options will be presented at once. And kiddo can choose whether to eat and how much.

Will it work? Stay tuned...

Sunday

• Breakfast: Toddy latte; egg(s); Ezekiel 4:9 toast; fruit
• Lunch: Leftovers from dinner on Saturday
• Dinner: Turkey tacos with beans, cheese and lettuce; guacamole; salsa; chips

Monday

• Breakfast: Toddy latte; egg(s); Ezekiel 4:9 toast; fruit
• Lunch: Leftovers from Sunday dinner; fruit
• Dinner: Natural frozen pizza and fruit for the boys; dinner out with friends for me

Tuesday

• Breakfast: Toddy latte; egg(s); Ezekiel 4:9 toast; fruit
• Lunch: Yogurt with apples and dried mango; whole grain crackers with smoked salmon and cheese
• Dinner: Pasta with homemade chicken meatballs and simple tomato sauce**; vegetable

Wednesday

• Breakfast: Toddy latte; egg(s); Ezekiel 4:9 toast; fruit
• Lunch: Leftovers from Tuesday dinner; fruit
• Dinner: Chipotle day!
  

Thursday

• Breakfast: Toddy latte; egg(s); Ezekiel 4:9 toast; fruit
• Lunch: Yogurt with apples and dried mango; whole grain crackers with smoked salmon and cheese
• Dinner: Chicken picatta (from Joy of Cooking: All About Chicken); pasta; vegetable

Friday

• Breakfast: Toddy latte; yogurt with apples and dried mango; Ezekiel 4:9 toast
• Lunch: Leftovers from Thursday dinner
• Dinner: Kyle's homemade waffles with fruit and family movie night
  

Saturday

• TBD: Not sure whether we'll be away from home, or having company over, or what.

*Notice that my menu plan doesn't actually begin on Monday? That's because I work all day on Mondays! A Sunday grocery shopping/planning session works much better for my schedule.

**My family LOVED this tomato sauce last week!

Chipotle Is Not the Plan

Um...yeah. When I said that I had a plan to tackle my kid's picky eating and reduce dinnertime stres, I had forgotten that Chipotle was on tonight's menu.

The good news? Dinner went just fine. No complaints. Clean plates.

The bad news? I can't feed my kid bean and cheese quesadillas every night for the rest of his life. (Can I?)

More on our real picky eater plan coming soon...

I Gave Up, But I Have a Plan

Kiddo: "Mama, how many bites of dinner do I have to eat to have popcorn for a snack tonight?"

Me: "What? That's not why you eat dinner. You eat dinner so that you fill your belly with good food that helps you grow up big and strong."

Kiddo: "How about five bites?"

Me: "Whatever."

Kiddo: "How about no bites?"

Me: "Whatever."

Yep, I gave up. There's just something wrong about a kid negotiating the number of bites he must eat to get a snack or dessert. So I gave him popcorn and milk for dinner.

But tonight, I'm trying some new strategies to end our food battles and restore peace to the dinner table.

Stay tuned...

Sometimes you'll do whatever it takes...

...to get your kid to eat healthy foods.

If that means spreading dark chocolate over clementine wedges, then that's exactly what you'll do.

Just don't forget to make extra for yourself. These juicy little treats are impossible to resist!

Traditions Happen

I’m coming to terms with the fact that I can’t control what Rowan remembers about his childhood. Still, establishing some lovely family traditions is important to me.

Maybe I’m hoping to counteract some of our less desirable family traditions. Last weekend, for example, Rowan explained the following — in his sincerest little voice — to one of our guests:

“That’s our laundry couch, but we cleared it off for the party. You can sit there now if you want to.”

Yep. Family traditions sneak up on you when you least expect them.

A couple of weeks ago, I decided to start a tradition of having fancy dinners on Sundays. I like to cook anyway and had just found an interesting chicken recipe online. While the chicken and garlic braised, I whipped up some mashed Yukon Gold potatoes, sautéed greens and maple-glazed delicata squash. I even baked a homemade apple tart!

I was feeling quite proud of myself when everything came together just in time for dinner (no small feat).

Unfortunately, I forgot one thing: my kid doesn’t like food. Well, maybe that’s an exaggeration, but he sure is picky! His favorite foods all have the same ingredients, rearranged slightly: macaroni and cheese, cheese pizza, grilled cheese sandwiches, buttered noodles with — you guessed it — cheese (and NO spices).

My beautifully prepared meal did nothing to convert my little lacto-carbitarian. While Kyle and I ate and ate (and ate), Rowan picked at his plate and whined about how his chicken was too “skin-y” and his squash was too “smashy.”

Then he asked for a bowl of cereal.

You can imagine how frustrating it is to have your home-cooked meal snubbed in favor of Clifford Crunch.

Oh well. Until Rowan’s tastes broaden, I guess I’ll have to start a different family tradition. Or maybe I’ve already created one...? I can see it now:

“My mom only feeds me cereal on Sundays, but you can have something different if you want to."

Great. Just great.

(Don't be fooled. He only ate the whipped cream.)