Like most parents, sometimes I despair about my preschooler’s eating habits. It all began well, with yams and blueberries and the occasional bit of meat. Yet like most preschoolers, my daughter has now developed a distinct dislike of crusts, tomatoes, onions and any leafy greens that are not directly from the garden.
I do understand. I remember being forced to eat tomatoes and onions and how they tasted atrocious to my sensitive tastebuds. Now, of course, the more tomatoes, onions and garlic the better – hurrah! I don’t force my daughter to eat vegetables and fruit, but I do try to devise meals that she will eat without complaint. Unfortunately, her limited interest in vegetables combined with my need to eat well has driven us to mealtime dismay recently. We’re in a rut.
Tonight I started to work on getting out of that rut. I sat my daughter down and asked her what she liked to eat. I was surprised. Not only does she like a lot of foods, but she had some good mealtime ideas that are not meals we often have. Caesar salad and chicken and vegetable soup were on the list. Who knew?
Altogether, she gave me a list of about fifteen meals that she enjoys. They are now on our meal plan, and tomorrow night I plan to hold a similar conversation about vegetables. Now that we have a list of foods that work for her, I feel free to cook once again. I realized that I’d been so engrossed in creating meals that work for my health, meals that are healthy for the family, and meals that my daughter would eat that dinner-creating had lost a lot of its joy. This from someone who truly loves to cook. My daughter’s total enthusiasm about dinner ideas has injected a bit of needed energy into my meal planning.
Do you involve your preschooler in meal planning?