It seems like a fairly ridiculous thing to worry about when your child is in the 90th percentile for weight and you're living in the first world with easy access to nutritious food and clean water - I shouldn't really be concerned that my child isn't eating her organic free range egg white omelet. Still, the fact that my toddler flat refuses most foods is one of the most infuriating, frustrating and worrying things I have experienced as a Mum so far.
Don't get me wrong, she eats. But her current repetoire is boiled eggs, pasta, cheese and bread. For a while now she has completely refused anything else. She will pick pasta out of a chicken dish, and start screaming "NUP!" before a bowl of meat and veggies has reached the table. Meanwhile if there is a raw egg in sight she will holler until she is satiated, perhaps for the four minutes it takes to boil said egg or with a well timed piece of cheese.
On Sunday I decided to really make an effort and cook up a few meals my fussy miss might like, so at least I couldn't blame myself for being a boring chef. When offered one such meal (a yummy take on bolognese) on Sunday night, Heike promptly took the bowl and threw it on the floor. This caused me, to put it eloquently, to lose my shit. I was so angry, so completely frustrated and helpless, that I had to walk away and let my dear husband deal with the mess and the cranky toddler. I had had enough.
Luckily for me, I have an AMAZING network of women otherwise known as my mother's group who are always on hand to help me through times like this. On the verge of tears, I shot off a short message begging them to tell me I wasn't the only one with a picky eater and dish out advice. Within minutes I was receiving words of solidarity and wisdom. These gals are amazing - all of them work, one has just had a second baby, and they manage to whip up three tasty, nutritious and creative meals for their toddlers each day.
Here are some of their suggestions:
- Cheesy Vegetable Muffins - I used this recipe and they were a hit, although note many of the reviews say to add some onion and bacon for flavour.
- Nutritious dips - Such as a pea, ricotta and mint dip/spread (can be made with 1/2 cup crushed peas, 3/4 cup ricotta and 1 TBSP mint) or Chickpea, Lemon and Cumin (Blended in food processor), served with wholemeal bread, crackers or toast.
- Tofu Burgers (300g firm tofu, 1 TBSP soy sauce, 1 TBSP sweet chilli sauce, 2 TBSP peanut butter, 6 chopped spring onions, 1 crushed clove garlic, 1/2 cup oats + chopped coriander - blended in food processor)
- Corn on the cob - cheap and easy
- Veggie risotto - Chunky enough for the self-feeders to handle
- Annabel Karmel's Chicken Apple Meatballs were suggested - these used to be a hit in our house but any kind of solid meat is a no-go lately - it needs to be pureed or hidden.
- Apple and Carrot muffins - Great as a treat or lunch option with fruit. Also an Annabel Karmel recipe.
I find dinner is the hardest meal for us - the most likely to be met with refusal and the hardest to be creative with. I'm sure this is probably due to both Heike and I being tired and grumpy by 5.30pm, and possibly after eating and snacking all day Heike just isn't hungry. Who knows?
Do you have any more suggestions for fussy toddlers?
Z xx
No comments:
Post a Comment