This is the rule in our house, not "Clean Plate Club" but the "Just One Bite Club,"...hmmmm...I like it! Now to get a patent on the name! For lunch sometimes, if I know it is something they like, I will make them eat half. Too many times they've taken one bite of everything and then an hour later are ask for snacks. Sometimes I don't like a food or the way it's prepared and sometimes I'm not hungry (very rarely). Why make my kids eat when in the same situation I wouldn't?
We have started discussing our new foods at the table and are working on expressing our opinions politely. I've given them a scale which seems to work well--two thumbs up, one thumb up, a thumb sideways and a thumb down. Two thumbs down would hurt my feelings. They think it's fun and it has reduced the amount of "oh gross!" and gagging.
Anyway, Holden refused to take one bite of the chicken and rice and so he sat at the table from dinner until bed. So stubborn! He also threw a huge tantrum including some great screaming in which he called us all "a big sack of grapes." Lee and I had to cover our mouths to conceal our laughing. Of course, he got in trouble for calling us a name. There was a library book on the table and he ripped that up. He also threw his plate and broke it. One of Holden's nicknames is "The Hulk." Do they have anger management classes for preschoolers?
Since then there have been a couple of foods Holden has not wanted to try but he remembered the chicken and rice incident and decided it was better to eat a bite than sit all night. One of the dishes he contemplated not eating was chicken and rice soup. I am seeing a theme here! He said he liked chicken noodle soup but not chicken and rice soup. Urgh. So I said he had to take one bite of just the chicken, which after much complaining he finally did. And what did he say after? "It's good!" J.D. and Lee said they liked it and Eli, who barely touches his lunch most days, emptied his thermos.
My quest for a soaked pancake recipe continues. I've tried 3, but to give the first 2 credit, I did substitute regular vinegar for apple cider vinegar. They both turned out as flat as crepes (in this instance "flat as a pancake" doesn't apply) but, hey, now I have some crepes in the freezer! The third was way too sour. The recipe called for 1 cup of yogurt to soak the grains which for us is too much tang for our tastes! I'm going to give one of the first ones another go using apple cider vinegar this time. When all else fails follow the directions, right?
I think I will stick to recipes closer to what we are used to which means more experimentation and adaptation.
Some of the recipes I made last week that the kids enjoyed were homemade corn dogs made with all natural uncured hot dogs(no preservatives,fillers, chemicals, or nitrates,) sourdough french toast, and coffee cake. I will post my corn dog and coffee cake recipe soon.
Oh! And I am so excited about my fermented ketchup! Lee and I tasted it before giving it to the boys and we both agreed it tastes like cocktail sauce. I put it in the old ketchup squeeze bottle and the kids have not said a word about it tasting different! Yeah! They are getting some great probiotics with their corn dogs and fries.
Some of the snacks I made were homemade crackers with peanut butter and cheese, popcorn with coconut oil and sprinkled with nutritional yeast flakes, fruit and cheese kabobs, and green smoothies.
All in all I am pleased with how everyone has responded to having their little food worlds turned upside down. It is a lot of work, but so far I am really enjoying it (maybe not the huge pile of dishes that seems to grow every time I turn around). From scratch cooking, baking and making up my own recipes are surprisingly fun.
