Guest guest Posted June 11, 2009 Report Share Posted June 11, 2009 We've always had family dinners together, even when the kids were babies and couldn't do anything but sit there and watch. It's not necessarily about what they can and cannot say. It's not like they are just welcome to the family dinner time once they have something interesting to contribute to the conversation. But it's the practice of getting everyone together at dinner time. I grew up having family dinners. I don't remember ever not having them. Even if we came to the table mad and didn't say a word we were expected to be there as a family. I believe they are very important at any age. Habits start very young and it's never too early to set a good example. My almost 3 and almost 5 year olds have been coming to the table for family dinners since conception. :-) Jacqueline Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 11, 2009 Report Share Posted June 11, 2009 Our daughter was having dinner with us by two. She was really verbal, though and enjoyed just hanging with us after we were at work all day. The only grain that I freeze is brown rice. I put it in wax bags in a big zipper bag. It just takes a minute to thaw in the microwave and it comes out fairly close to fresh. ________________________________ Amelia Golden <agolden Thursday, June 11, 2009 2:37:23 PM Re: Re: Problems feeding toddlers - long Are family dinners really that important if it is with 2 kids who don't even have 2 word phrases yet? The conversation is pretty limited (ball, car, duck, puppy...) And there is no other adult in the room for them to hear us speak. I thought I'd wait until they were a little older and staying up a little later before I make the mammoth effort it will take for me to do family dinners. Or maybe I'm just trying to rationalized. By the way, how do you freeze cooked grains? I've never had them defrost with a decent texture. ____________ _________ _________ __ robin koloms <rkoloms > @gro ups.com Thursday, June 11, 2009 12:24:41 PM Re: Re: Problems feeding toddlers - long We don't have to remind you of the importance of family dinners for child development. It doesn't have to be fancy; on busy nights we have been known to have bagged salad and canned soup. I try to cook on weekends and keep at least cooked brown rice and burritos in the freezer at all times. ____________ _________ _________ __ Amelia Golden <agolden (AT) rogers (DOT) com> @gro ups.com Wednesday, June 10, 2009 1:59:05 PM Re: Re: Problems feeding toddlers - long I've tried quinoa but not for a while now. I think what I'm getting out of these posts is that we should really be doing family dinners. I don't get home until 5:30 or 6:00 and they go to bed at 7:15 (they just turned 2) so I've been having my caregiver feed them dinner (hence the veggie fast food like tofu dogs). I usually eat after they go to bed and, likely as not, it's toast or cereal. I'm just too tired to cook and I go to bed around 8:30 (my kids are early risers and I really need a good nights sleep) so it just doesn't leave much time. I think I'll make a concerted effort though especially now that it is summer time and I could be making more grain and bean salads so it won't matter much if they were made before hand. It's funny, considering I was a caterer, my absolute least favourite thing to do with my kids since they started solids is feeding them. I just can't stand putting the effort into making meals for them and have them not appreciate it....not to mention the mess and the dumping of food on the floor. Oh well, I guess I'm going to be feeding them for a long long long time. Amelia ____________ _________ _________ __ Shreelakshmi Krishnamurthi <shreelak > @gro ups.com Wednesday, June 10, 2009 12:22:37 PM Re: Problems feeding toddlers - long Amelia, Sorry if its a repeat but have you tried Quinoa. I just tried it last week and i am very impressed with it both the taste and nutrients , and its taste is v.close to rice so ur kids might like it. u can google for different recipes. I just replace it in the place of rice in our usual cooking. Also how old are your kids, in my experience kids likes and taste for different food keeps changing every other week so something my son would like this week he would just dislike it the next and vise-versa so Don't get discouraged by their dislike of your food... keep introducing them every now and then and they will start eating them one day. Shree --- On Wed, 6/10/09, @gro ups.com <@ gro ups.com> wrote: @gro ups.com <@ gro ups.com> Digest Number 2715 @gro ups.com Wednesday, June 10, 2009, 12:25 AM There are 24 messages in this issue. Topics in this digest: 1a. Problems feeding toddlers - long Amelia Golden Messages ____________ _________ _________ _________ _________ _________ _ 1a. Problems feeding toddlers - long Posted by: " Amelia Golden " agolden (AT) rogers (DOT) com momtoe2twins Tue Jun 9, 2009 5:58 am ((PDT)) Hi all, I just joined this group because I'm having a heck of a time feeding my boys ( just turned two year old twins). I'm mostly vegan (don't eat meat, am lactose intolerant, but I do eat eggs from a Mennonite farmer that I know treats his chickens well). The boys eat dairy and eggs from the same farmer but don't eat any meat. Besides the all out war I am having with my mother about this, the main problem is that their diet stinks! I used to be a vegan caterer and cook all the time and ate very balanced healthy meals. Now, well, I'm a single mom and I work full-time and I don't have a lot of time for cooking. And I don't make the time because my boys will not eat any legumes. The only grains they eat is fried rice (brown). They don't eat any vegetables but will eat any piece of fruit that comes their way. They used to eat almond butter but no longer. One will eat tofu (only raw and cut in cubes, not in a cooked dish), the other won't. I'm feeding them canned soup with pasta to bulk it up, tofu dogs which I would never ever have in my house previously because, although they are meat free, they still have tons of chemicals and nitrates, cereal, tortellini, gnocchi and bread. I used to consider pasta and bread really last minute items to only be used in a food emergency, the same with canned soups. I'm so upset that I'm feeding my children this way. But even when I hire a babysitter or get my parents to take the boys for a few hours and I have the freedom to spend that time cooking, they never (and I mean never) have eaten what I've cooked for them...and it just takes so long and it is a complete waste of time. Any words of wisdom out there? Ability to normalize the situation? Things to try? Recipes? Thanks for reading this long post. Amelia Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 12, 2009 Report Share Posted June 12, 2009 Wow, what a great looking recipe - and so chock full of everything. I'm definitely going to try it once we are off the boring BRATY diet due to an ugly stomach virus. I've never heard of the Amazing Grass product. I don't think it is up here in Canada but I just sent the company an email to make sure. It looks great. Thanks for the suggestions. Amelia ________________________________ food4u1575 <dana.sommers Thursday, June 11, 2009 4:09:00 PM Re: Problems feeding toddlers - long While you're trying everyone's great suggestions, I highly recommend offering Dad's Sneaky Pudding as a snack. It will ease your anxiety a little knowing their getting some good stuff. I teach toddler snacking classes and have only had one little one not like this. I've had a lot of success hiding steamed greens, quiona, etc. in this for my little one, Dad's Sneaky Pudding Makes 2 servings This recipe was created by Earthsave International' s Chair of the Board ofs, Louisville Lawyer and chef, John Borders. • 1 1/2 cups frozen strawberries • 1 banana • 1-2 tsp. carob or cocoa powder • 2 tsp. flaxseed oil • 3-5 Tbsp. nut butter (cashew or almond) • 2-3 Tbsp. orange juice or other healthy juice such as carrot juice • 2 Tbsp. fortified soymilk • 1/8-1/4 avocado Set your little companion up on a stool beside you, ready to toss in the ingredients and push the button. Place all the ingredients in a food processor or blender. This works best in a food processor; you might add a bit more juice or soymilk if you use a blender. Blend until smooth. Per serving: 336 calories, 7 g protein, 40 g carbohydrate, 19 g fat. For a toddler aged 1-3 years, using 3 Tbsp. cashew butter for the whole recipe, a serving of this pudding provides approximately: • 100% of the requirement for magnesium, folate, vitamin C and omega-3 fatty acids. • Over 66% of the requirement for copper and potassium • Over 50% the requirement for pyridoxine and zinc • 42% of the protein requirements • 25% of the needs for calories and selenium • 20% of the needs for iron My Suggested Add-in/Substitution s • Chocolate Flavored Green Powder (Amazing Grass for Kids) • Figs • Hemp Seeds • Coconut Milk • Leafy Green Vegetables • Hemp Milk • Calcium Fortified Orange Juice @gro ups.com, Amelia Golden <agolden > wrote: > > Hi all, > > I just joined this group because I'm having a heck of a time feeding my boys ( just turned two year old twins). I'm mostly vegan (don't eat meat, am lactose intolerant, but I do eat eggs from a Mennonite farmer that I know treats his chickens well). The boys eat dairy and eggs from the same farmer but don't eat any meat. Besides the all out war I am having with my mother about this, the main problem is that their diet stinks! > > I used to be a vegan caterer and cook all the time and ate very balanced healthy meals. Now, well, I'm a single mom and I work full-time and I don't have a lot of time for cooking. And I don't make the time because my boys will not eat any legumes. The only grains they eat is fried rice (brown). They don't eat any vegetables but will eat any piece of fruit that comes their way. They used to eat almond butter but no longer. One will eat tofu (only raw and cut in cubes, not in a cooked dish), the other won't. > > I'm feeding them canned soup with pasta to bulk it up, tofu dogs which I would never ever have in my house previously because, although they are meat free, they still have tons of chemicals and nitrates, cereal, tortellini, gnocchi and bread. I used to consider pasta and bread really last minute items to only be used in a food emergency, the same with canned soups. I'm so upset that I'm feeding my children this way. But even when I hire a babysitter or get my parents to take the boys for a few hours and I have the freedom to spend that time cooking, they never (and I mean never) have eaten what I've cooked for them...and it just takes so long and it is a complete waste of time. > > Any words of wisdom out there? Ability to normalize the situation? Things to try? Recipes? > Thanks for reading this long post. > Amelia > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 12, 2009 Report Share Posted June 12, 2009 I grew up having them too. We did the same with our son - though my husband works slightly off/odd hours, so we don't always have family dinner with all 3 of us, but we do a sit down dinner with my son and I (sometimes nothing fancy, just quick, but it's not what you have, but being there that is important). I guess we make up for it on weekends, as we do every meal together. We've always had our son sit with us, he could get down if he was done (we did baby signs with him, so he'd let us know when he was done from about 6mo's old on). We sometimes got a fairly quiet dinner together out of it, too. Around 18 mo's we also had him help set the table, counting out how many of each utensil we needed, and carrying serving utensils or whatever. He'd also help with cups, or his cup. Now he's much better and helps with larger things, bowls of food and so on (and to help clear the table as well - starting with his stuff, and now he helps with most of the stuff too - it's just how we have always done it, so we don't have a lot of complaints, and he does most of it automatically, which is a big help now, too). Anyway - we did the same thing - didn't matter if you were mad or not hungry or whatever - you didn't have to talk/eat, but you did have to be present. It's one thing that I try to make sure - no matter what the day has been like, we can all sit down together and re-connect. Missie On Thu, Jun 11, 2009 at 3:50 PM, Jacqueline Bodnar<jb wrote: > > > We've always had family dinners together, even when the kids were babies > and couldn't do anything but sit there and watch. It's not necessarily > about what they can and cannot say. It's not like they are just welcome > to the family dinner time once they have something interesting to > contribute to the conversation. But it's the practice of getting > everyone together at dinner time. I grew up having family dinners. I > don't remember ever not having them. Even if we came to the table mad > and didn't say a word we were expected to be there as a family. I > believe they are very important at any age. Habits start very young and > it's never too early to set a good example. My almost 3 and almost 5 > year olds have been coming to the table for family dinners since > conception. :-) > > Jacqueline > > -- http://mszzzi.zoomshare.com http://www.flickr.com/photos/mszzzi/ ~~~~~(m-.-)m Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 12, 2009 Report Share Posted June 12, 2009 Family dinner time is a must-have in our house, too. Even if you're all eating cereal or toast together, I think it's well worth the time and effort. For us, it can be VERY hectic (I seldom sit for more than 5 minutes, total, and often finish my food in the bathroom while they're taking a bath or out in the front yard while they're playing after dinner), and really hard with little kids. It's not particularly a pleasant time for me. This kid needs another napkin, that one needs more food, we all need something to drink. My 13 month old likes to throw all her food off her tray. But I look at it as an investment in the future. I figure there will be plenty of times in the future (high school sports practices, etc.) that will be an unavoidable interference with the family dinner, so I'd like to establish the routine now while the distractions are minimal. To me, it's not about the conversation. It's about the coming together of the family at the end of a long day and sharing that most basic of necessities: a meal. It's about teaching good manners (right now we're working on 'no poop talk' with my 2 y/o!). It's about just being together (I try to hide that I may be feeling a little harried). This may sound schmaltzy, but I like to think that my kids, as adults, will remember all those shared dinners and actually look forward to coming home and gathering around the family table again with their families (waterworks commence). j. ________________________________ robin koloms <rkoloms Thursday, June 11, 2009 2:03:44 PM Re: Re: Problems feeding toddlers - long Our daughter was having dinner with us by two. She was really verbal, though and enjoyed just hanging with us after we were at work all day. The only grain that I freeze is brown rice. I put it in wax bags in a big zipper bag. It just takes a minute to thaw in the microwave and it comes out fairly close to fresh. ____________ _________ _________ __ Amelia Golden <agolden (AT) rogers (DOT) com> @gro ups.com Thursday, June 11, 2009 2:37:23 PM Re: Re: Problems feeding toddlers - long Are family dinners really that important if it is with 2 kids who don't even have 2 word phrases yet? The conversation is pretty limited (ball, car, duck, puppy...) And there is no other adult in the room for them to hear us speak. I thought I'd wait until they were a little older and staying up a little later before I make the mammoth effort it will take for me to do family dinners. Or maybe I'm just trying to rationalized. By the way, how do you freeze cooked grains? I've never had them defrost with a decent texture. ____________ _________ _________ __ robin koloms <rkoloms > @gro ups.com Thursday, June 11, 2009 12:24:41 PM Re: Re: Problems feeding toddlers - long We don't have to remind you of the importance of family dinners for child development. It doesn't have to be fancy; on busy nights we have been known to have bagged salad and canned soup. I try to cook on weekends and keep at least cooked brown rice and burritos in the freezer at all times. ____________ _________ _________ __ Amelia Golden <agolden (AT) rogers (DOT) com> @gro ups.com Wednesday, June 10, 2009 1:59:05 PM Re: Re: Problems feeding toddlers - long I've tried quinoa but not for a while now. I think what I'm getting out of these posts is that we should really be doing family dinners. I don't get home until 5:30 or 6:00 and they go to bed at 7:15 (they just turned 2) so I've been having my caregiver feed them dinner (hence the veggie fast food like tofu dogs). I usually eat after they go to bed and, likely as not, it's toast or cereal. I'm just too tired to cook and I go to bed around 8:30 (my kids are early risers and I really need a good nights sleep) so it just doesn't leave much time. I think I'll make a concerted effort though especially now that it is summer time and I could be making more grain and bean salads so it won't matter much if they were made before hand. It's funny, considering I was a caterer, my absolute least favourite thing to do with my kids since they started solids is feeding them. I just can't stand putting the effort into making meals for them and have them not appreciate it....not to mention the mess and the dumping of food on the floor. Oh well, I guess I'm going to be feeding them for a long long long time. Amelia ____________ _________ _________ __ Shreelakshmi Krishnamurthi <shreelak > @gro ups.com Wednesday, June 10, 2009 12:22:37 PM Re: Problems feeding toddlers - long Amelia, Sorry if its a repeat but have you tried Quinoa. I just tried it last week and i am very impressed with it both the taste and nutrients , and its taste is v.close to rice so ur kids might like it. u can google for different recipes. I just replace it in the place of rice in our usual cooking. Also how old are your kids, in my experience kids likes and taste for different food keeps changing every other week so something my son would like this week he would just dislike it the next and vise-versa so Don't get discouraged by their dislike of your food... keep introducing them every now and then and they will start eating them one day. Shree --- On Wed, 6/10/09, @gro ups.com <@ gro ups.com> wrote: @gro ups.com <@ gro ups.com> Digest Number 2715 @gro ups.com Wednesday, June 10, 2009, 12:25 AM There are 24 messages in this issue. Topics in this digest: 1a. Problems feeding toddlers - long Amelia Golden Messages ____________ _________ _________ _________ _________ _________ _ 1a. Problems feeding toddlers - long Posted by: " Amelia Golden " agolden (AT) rogers (DOT) com momtoe2twins Tue Jun 9, 2009 5:58 am ((PDT)) Hi all, I just joined this group because I'm having a heck of a time feeding my boys ( just turned two year old twins). I'm mostly vegan (don't eat meat, am lactose intolerant, but I do eat eggs from a Mennonite farmer that I know treats his chickens well). The boys eat dairy and eggs from the same farmer but don't eat any meat. Besides the all out war I am having with my mother about this, the main problem is that their diet stinks! I used to be a vegan caterer and cook all the time and ate very balanced healthy meals. Now, well, I'm a single mom and I work full-time and I don't have a lot of time for cooking. And I don't make the time because my boys will not eat any legumes. The only grains they eat is fried rice (brown). They don't eat any vegetables but will eat any piece of fruit that comes their way. They used to eat almond butter but no longer. One will eat tofu (only raw and cut in cubes, not in a cooked dish), the other won't. I'm feeding them canned soup with pasta to bulk it up, tofu dogs which I would never ever have in my house previously because, although they are meat free, they still have tons of chemicals and nitrates, cereal, tortellini, gnocchi and bread. I used to consider pasta and bread really last minute items to only be used in a food emergency, the same with canned soups. I'm so upset that I'm feeding my children this way. But even when I hire a babysitter or get my parents to take the boys for a few hours and I have the freedom to spend that time cooking, they never (and I mean never) have eaten what I've cooked for them...and it just takes so long and it is a complete waste of time. Any words of wisdom out there? Ability to normalize the situation? Things to try? Recipes? Thanks for reading this long post. Amelia Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 12, 2009 Report Share Posted June 12, 2009 I can completely relate to having a picky eater. My oldest will be three next month. We've had to find lots of creative ways to feed her. Here are two of our most recent favorites. 1. The science experiment: In this one we give our daughter a bag of frozen veggie ice cubes and a strainer. She then stands by the sink, puts the cubes in the strainer, and watches what happens when she runs warm water over the ice cubes. She loves to experiment with the different textures, chew on the cubes as they melt, and scoop the defrosted veggies out of the strainer. She's eaten three sandwich bags full of broccoli, spinach, and cauliflower cubes in one sitting. We were floored the first time she did it. 2. Frozen veggies: The other thing my daughter likes are frozen veggies straight from the freezer. Frozen peas and chopped spinach are her current favorites. Have a great day! Rachel .. > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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