So the summer is drawing to a close -- as is the deceptive illusion of perma-vacation. Ergo, back to a more consistent blogging rhythm...until Baby #2 arrives, that is (which, fingers crossed, should be around the end of this month). Although, come to think of it, I'm sure I'll have a whole host of new tidbits to blog about!
Wanted to post something about nutrition this time around...or the lack, thereof. There was a time, during C's earliest months (before the introduction to solids), when I had the most glorious fantasies about the immaculate diet she would be fed. Dairy-, sugar-, and meat-free and nothing but whole grains and organic veggies/fruits and plant-based proteins for this child! But C had other plans: namely, she turned out to be the worst eater on the planet. It got so bad that, at a certain point, I was just happy if she shoved a donut down her throat.
She has, since then, slowly morphed into a satisfactory, if not solid, eater (and, if at day care, a champion eater, apparently!), and I know that I have a repertoire of staples in my pantry/fridge arsenal that she'll happily eat whenever offered. Vegetables, unfortunately and not unsurprisingly, are still (for the most part) non grata. I figure I'm not the only parent with this dilemma, and I've shared the following trick with enough parents who hadn't thought of it themselves that I thought I'd blog about it. And all you need is a reliable pair of kitchen scissors!
I've discovered, basically, that I can sneak raw baby spinach (and ground flax seeds, come to think of it) into just about anything I serve C. As long as it's cut up small enough (ergo, the kitchen scissors), I can sneak it into her yogurt, her pasta, her eggs, her rice, her cream cheese (accompanied by cinnamon raisin bagel, of course), her pizza, etc. The sky's the limit! Somehow, the texture and taste of raw baby spinach are both innocuous enough that C doesn't seem to notice and/or mind the tiny green strips stuck in her food. Hallelujah! This trick has been the saving grace of many of C's otherwise "empty calorie" meals. I wish I could say the same for broccoli. Sigh.
Anywhooo, I figure that one of these days, when she's old enough, I'll have to force the confrontation with the dreaded vegetable -- undisguised and in its full-form glory. But until that day arrives, why make life difficult for all involved?
P.S. Feel free to share your own feeding tips/suggestions!
Good tip! I'll try that with my daughter but I am not sure if it will work for her because she likes to pick out every piece of leafy vegetable on her plate (but then again, I've never tried to make it really small). One thing I that I know she loves is green smoothies, i.e. an apple, a cup of water and a couple of kale leaves in the blender. She loves it even if it is not fully blended and still has to chew it a bit, because the fruit makes it slightly sweet.
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