Feeding Kids

I took a child development course in college in which one section focused on child nutrition.  I learned some really valuable principles when it comes to feeding children; I have added some of my own along the way.  Here are some helpful tips to avoid mealtime conflict:

1. The family eats together and eats the same meal.  The arguments have been made and won regarding family dinnertime, so I'll leave that issue for now.  As often as possible, eat breakfast and lunch together too.  The chances for conversation are priceless, as well as the opportunity to model good nutrition, manners, and social skills.  DO NOT make something different for a child that refuses to eat what is served.  This is the #1 rule of feeding children.  I repeat, DO NOT make something different for someone that doesn't like what the family is having.  Oftentimes, they realize they like the food after all.  Even if they don't, kids will not and cannot starve themselves.  Even several days without eating won't hurt a healthy child.  And trust me, they won't let it go that long.  One slip of making a PB&J or mac & cheese, and they will work you over every time you make something that doesn't hit their top 10 list.  Allow your children to try new things.  Allow them to have gratitude for food, even if it isn't their favorite.  
2. The meal consists of several different dishes.  This helps mitigate the initial damage from rule #1. You know your children's likes and dislikes, so if you're making a main dish that someone doesn't like, just make sure there is a side dish that they do like.  Be sure not to tell them that you handpicked this dish just for them because they don't like the other stuff.  Children need to know that the family eats together and they eat the same meal.  This doesn't mean everyone eats everything on the table.  It won't harm your child if all they eat for dinner one night is bread and butter.  
3. The kitchen is 'closed' between loosely scheduled meal and snack times.  If children are allowed free and constant access to food, some of them will graze and snack all day.  When mealtime comes, they won't have room for the nutritious meal you made because they are full of snacks.  Then, essentially, they are choosing their nutrition, not you.  Establish flexible times for meals and snacks so your children know what to expect and if they are hungry, they know they can wait a few more minutes because mealtime is close.  Our culture as a whole doesn't know what hunger feels like anymore because we eat so much and eat when we aren't hungry.  There's nothing wrong with feeling slightly hungry for a little while.  It build self-control and character!
4. Children serve themselves what they want to eat.  Starting in the toddler years, allow and encourage your children to serve themselves.  This teaches them to gauge their appetite and match it to portion sizes, a needed life skill.  At first, and periodically, give suggestions ("start with just a small amount"), and mild warnings ("that might be too much for you") to guide them and avoid waste.  This principle of free choice shows respect to the child's autonomy and encourages independence.  Another part to this idea is to take your share.  I have trained my children to gauge their portion size with respect to the number of people that need to eat.  If there are 6 people at the table, they know they can't eat more than about 1/6 of the dish.  This is good manners.  
5. Children are expected to eat what they take.  This is the corollary to #4.  I often find myself saying "You can always take more, but once you take it, you can't put it back."  It's better to start with a small serving and take another later, than take too much and waste it.  As children are expected to eat what they take, they eventually learn to only take what they'll eat.
6. Fullness is respected.  Even with #5 being said, no one should be forced to finish their food.  Teaching our children to eat when they're hungry and stop when they're full is essential.  But...if someone is too full to eat their dinner, they are still too full 1/2 hour later when they suddenly want a snack.  Don't allow a delayed version of #1.  On the flip side, respect your children's hunger.  Sometimes I forget that my growing boy could indeed be hungry again only an hour after dinner and I need to allow him to eat.
7. One bite of a new food is required.  When you introduce something new or unusual, require each child to at least take one bite.  Even if they don't like it and won't eat any more, they learn to try  new things and are introduced to new flavors and cuisines.  It's almost tragic when children refuse to eat a food, only to find out later that they really like it and should have given it a go a long time ago!
8. Children are encouraged to eat their veggies.  While most of these principles revolve around respecting children and their choices, please encourage and mildly require they eat their veggies.  Few children voluntarily eat their vegetables, and we need to make sure they not only get the proper nutrition, but also develop a taste for them that will serve them for the rest of their lives.  As we eat more nutritious foods, we like more nutritious foods.  Don't allow vegetables to be a periodic and strange food.  Learn new ways to cook veggies if no one likes them--it might just be that you aren't very good at it yet.  

When I've attended meal events with adults and children, it makes me sad to hear the all-too-common "eat 5 more bites before you get up again!" or to watch parents actually force-feed their food.  Mealtime is an unpleasant battlefield where children choose their stubborn will as their weapon.  Instead, put these principles in place as a structure for positive interaction, learning, and fun.  Good luck and happy eating!

Food Economy

I hear lots of people, mostly moms, complaining about the rising cost of food these days.  I have seen it myself in our increasing grocery budget.  I have discovered some tricks for making every last dollar (and calorie!) count in the food we bring home and avoiding waste.  I'll share with you some of my most-used methods for making my grocery dollar stretch:

1. How to use less-than-optimal produce:  someone peels a banana, doesn't finish it, and leaves it.  A peach gets too soft or bruised for eating.  Carrots go soft in the fridge.  Do you normally throw it away?  Cut off the bitten end, throw it in the freezer in a ziploc bag, and dig it out next time you are making a smoothie (for the fruits).  Combine all your vegetable trimmings and make stock for soup.  There is a lot of nutrition there--don't waste it.  I even save the liquid from canned fruits that are packed in juice (not syrup) and use that in smoothies too.  It's also easy to 'hide' things in sauces, smoothies, quick breads, etc (think chopped tomato in spaghetti sauce, mushy pear in banana bread).
2. What about food kids leave behind:  most importantly--don't eat it yourself!  It's still wasted when you carry it around on your butt.  My next post is going to be tips for feeding children in order to minimize this situation, but it still happens.  First off, determine if the food can be saved.  Many times my children still want to eat their food, they just got too full so I will wrap it up and put it away for later.  If it's not worth saving, or unsafe to do so, can you feed it to a pet?  Our dog throws up if he eats anything other than dog food, bread, cheese, milk, or eggs.  But we also keep chickens and they get everything that isn't ingested otherwise.  My garbage disposal doesn't see much.
3. Leftovers...is this a bad word in your house?  I actually like leftovers because it means saved time later.  In fact, I often cook to intentionally make leftovers.  Here are a few favorites:  leftover rice makes great fried rice (throw in any leftover meats, veggies, even scrambled eggs); when you make pancakes or waffles, store the leftovers as batter and cook in the next few days (leftover pancakes and waffles are always too dry); leftover meats are great in sandwiches, soups, and with a little BBQ sauce and some buns you can make a whole new dinner; leftover baked potatoes are awesome when you grate them up and make hash browns for breakfast (no need to peel); or if you are just plain tired of the particular food you have on hand, stick it in the freezer to pull out on another day when you need a quick meal.  Many times while cleaning up dinner, I'll package serving-sized containers of our meal for my son and husband to take to work the next day--easy clean-up and lunch is made.  Score.  Several years ago I bought some thermos-type bottles and my children like to take leftover soup, pasta, etc to school to break up the sandwich monotony.
4. Milk about to expire:  make some homemade pudding, shake/smoothies, even just stir up a pitcher of chocolate milk and watch it disappear after school.
5. Stale bread or rolls: make toast, breadcrumbs to store in the freezer, french bread pizza, english muffin pizzas, croutons (you'll never buy them again), or french toast.  With dry tortillas, make chips, tostadas, or toasted strips to top salads.  

When you are faced with food that no one wants to eat as is, use your imagination.  Can it be used as an ingredient in something else?  Can you dress it up to look and taste better?  Can you save it for later when you will want it?  Don't forget the internet.  I've never been the first one to search for a way to use leftover _____.  The more we are given, the more responsibility we have.  We are very blessed to never go without and have the responsibility to use what we have and not let it go to waste.  

CURE FOR WARTS!!!

This is a life-changing discovery for me:  I have stumbled upon a cure for warts.  And listen up:  no side effects, no doctor visits, no pain or blood, no scars.  And....it only costs $3.00.  Can you believe this?  I was understandably cautious and skeptical because I have had warts come and go since I was a child.  I have tried everything under the sun, with varying degrees of success, and many repeat offenders.  I hate the nasty little things.  I hate them even more when they return after a lengthy, painful, expensive process.  I have tried surgery, liquid nitrogen, several herbal remedies, home freezing kits, etc etc.  And what do I have to show for it?  Scars...and warts.

My most recent wart experience consisted of a single wart on my hand.  I had it frozen at the dermatologist's office.  After the blood blister healed, the wart got bigger, and several more popped up!  I was so frustrated, and kind of mad for all the money I spent at the doctor.  I tried the freezing again and my hand was a conglomeration of ugly, red, swollen blisters.  One day I was at the bank and the teller saw the carnage that was my hand and asked what happened.  She told me her personal cure for warts.  Are you ready for this???  Clear Finger Nail Polish.  Clear Finger Nail Polish!!!

I have had to wait patiently to see if it worked or not before I could share the love.  Now that I am about 6 weeks in, almost all my warts are gone, and the biggest one is barely there.

Here are the keys I have discovered to making this effective:

1. Keep the warts covered 24/7 with polish.  I haven't given mine more than a few minutes without being covered.  
2. Cover the entire wart, and then some, to make sure you aren't leaving any wart tissue untreated.
3. Don't pick it!  When the polish dries, and the edges start to curl up, it's so tempting (and fun) to peel off the polish.  But unless you can reapply right away, don't do it.  If you are using this remedy for a child, this might prove your most difficult roadblock.  My suggestion is to reapply frequently.

I hope you feel the tremendous relief I have experienced with this simple, effective cure for your warts. I would love to hear your suggestions and experiences.