Wednesday 25 July 2012

Lunch- Columbus, Ohio, USA

Hi there, from Columbus, Ohio. My name is MIMI and I am a mom to 3 kids, ages 2, 3, and 5. All of whom are rather picky eaters. I've had to find lots of ways to incorporate good, healthy, well balanced meals that are kid friendly and look appealing to my kids. That's why I almost always "sneak" the healthy into my kids food. I do this by pureeing a lot of veggies and fruits into everyday items. After I am sure my kids like a food item and have tried it several times, I always let them know what healthy items I hid in their food, that way, when I present the food to them later in it's natural form, they are more willing to give it a try. They seem to like the food and are now a lot more open to strange foods. My daughter gets upset now if I don't somehow use spinach in a food item. I've been known to sneak spinach in everything, even in brownies!


Here is our dinner from today. It is sneaky mac n'cheese muffins. Noodles, with cheese on top, but hidden inside are pureed beans, spinach and tomatoes. There are also cut up hot dogs and an egg to make it very protein enriched. I've also included carrots, peanuts and half a banana as side dishes. With a cookie for dessert and a glass of milk to drink. With preschool aged kids, portion sizes need to be smaller, and variety is key. They aren't very big kids so they don't eat as much as adults, and they need to see a food 5-8 times before they decide definitively if they like something or not. So I always put lots of small portions of different items on their plates.

Here's today's food ratings, according to my 3 kids:

Food-o-meter-8/10, the youngest wasn't sure about the mac'n'cheese muffins.
Healthy- 9/10 very healthy except for cookie, but you can't get them to eat anything without reward of cookie at end. :-)
Mouthfuls- a lot, it took well over an hour to get all 3 completely done.
Courses- Dinner/side/dessert
Price-about $2 per plate plus I have enough leftovers for another meal or two.
Thumbs up- 6

6 comments:

  1. Hi Mimi and 2, 3 & 5

    I am rather partial to a peanut, and I must admit I had some this morning at 5.15 am.

    It is really great to see children wanting veggies, and spinach (I prefer it uncooked), wow.

    Thank you for sharing your lunch with us!!

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  2. I want that plate for myself...

    The Mac'n'Cheese muffin looks amazing! What type of beans did you use?

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  3. I love reading this blog but I can no longer do so. Would you please change the background image or font so things are easier to read.
    Thanks!!

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    1. Maybe you should check your settings- I see a standard font on a white background. If your screen is compressing it, you might be seeing the pictures on sides bleeding into the area where the text is. :)

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  4. This is an excellent idea for preschool children! Great job, you are doing a wonderful job of bringing up your children healthfully. :)

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  5. Thanks for all the lovely thoughts. I used garbanzo beans, otherwise known as chickpeas. I like them because they are white and easy to hide. :-) MIMI

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