the arugula files

Just One Bite, New Website Featuring Kid Friendly CSA Recipes

Feeding kids isn't that easy.  

I found that Josie became pickier as she grew closer to two, but I stuck with serving her a variety of foods, usually what we were eating, and now that she is three, I can see her slowly becoming less picky, I think.

So what helps?  What's the secret?  Talking to other Moms (and Dads).  That's it.  

Hearing about how they struggle too.  About what dishes have been a hit and what dishes totally bombed.  Knowing that some Moms feed their kids eggs for dinner too.  Figuring out different ways to cook broccoli because it's one of the only green vegetables your kid will eat.

I want to tell you about a little side project I've been working on with some Moms in my neighborhood.  It's a website called Just One Bite.  The website is a growing collection of about 80 recipes (you can submit your own here) made with seasonal ingredients from local farms.  There are also helpful tips for feeding kids healthy, whole foods.

These recipes have helped me figure out how to make dishes that include tomatoes, broccoli, and bok choy among other vegetables, that we all like as a family.

Pesto, Plus Growing a Garden with My Three Year Old

My daughter, Josie, loves playing in the dirt.  On the way to the park, she will get distracted, lose sight of the promise of the swings to stop and play in a big puddle.  Mud soup, she calls it, as she stirs it around with a long stick.  This year we planted our little container garden together.

An Update on Feeding Josie (Plus Roasted Broccoli with Crispy Shallots)

Just about a year ago I wrote about feeding Josie. At that time, all was well with my little one year old. She was eating a variety of healthy foods. Then she turned two and guess what she got for her birthday?

An opinion.

How about some kale, Josie?  No thanks. 

Peas? Nope. 

Cauliflower? Um, no, no, no, no {wags finger at me}.  

Sweet potatoes? Too many sweet potatoes, Mommy.  

Peanut butter toast!  Ice cream!  Cheerios!  Avocado!  Pretzels!  Eggs!

Those are her most requested items.  It could be worse, I suppose, but I went from having a kid who ate salmon to a kid who doesn't.  Sigh. 

I'm trying to stick to my routine of feeding her the same thing we eat, not offering her substitutes if she doesn't eat what is put in front of her, and offering her a variety. I'M DOING EVERYTHING RIGHT, INTERNET.  I also continue to put previously rejected food items on her plate, in some hopeful attempt that she will change her mind, which she has done in the past.

Unfortunately, she is in a phase - at least I hope it's a phase - where she refuses to try anything unfamiliar to her.  The other night, I dressed some roasted beets in rice vinegar and olive oil, EXACTLY how she eats her modestly nutritious and totally beloved coocumbers, which she GOBBLES down.  I talked about how beautiful the red beets are, took some bites and moaned about how yummy they are. She looked at them, said, bootiful beets, then skipped over them for some rice (White rice, not brown rice. Go ahead and judge, INTERNETS).

We still have broccoli, though.  It's on the list of three vegetables that she will currently eat: carrots, cucumbers, and broccoli.