Do you find it easier to cook separate meals for your kids than what you and your spouse eat? Or, are you of the belief that your children eat whatever you make (only making one meal for your family)? Recently, I have been hearing from some of my Mommy friends that it is easier for them to make separate meals for their children, than to try and get them to eat what they eat. It seems exhausting just thinking about making different meals every night for Keenan, along with what my husband and I are going to eat! I am 100% of the belief that Keenan (and any future children that we have) eat whatever we (my husband or I) make (with the exception of making him something different when we have our “at-home date nights”). Of course, I’m talking about when a toddler can physically eat what you’re cooking, as a baby that’s 9 months old won’t be able to handle the same things. I remember how some meals were hard/crazy because Keenan would get angry that he couldn’t chew something easily, but we learned that it was all about his comfort, not his taste. It definitely can be frustrating at times when Keenan doesn’t want to eat something, but he has to learn to at least try everything on his plate. It’s funny: Sometimes he will say, “Keenan not eating that,” but when he tries the food, he finds out that he likes it, and devours the rest in seconds! My husband and I love to cook and eat a variety of food (some pretty spicy), so we want Keenan to enjoy and appreciate a variety of food, too (not being picky). Toddlers are picky and probably every child goes through a phase of pickiness (Keenan certainly did a few months ago), but if you continue to give them what they want, without introducing new foods, they will just continue to be picky eaters. It was hard to get Keenan to eat vegetables a few months ago; we tried everything, dipping them in tzatziki sauce, melting cheese on top and making veggie patties, but nothing seemed to work. One day, last May, he ate some sauteed kale that I made and loved it! Ever since that day, he has been eating veggies (I’m keeping my fingers crossed it continues!). I know it might seem easier in the short-term to cook separate meals for your children, but think about the long-term effect. Do you want your children to grow-up being finicky eaters (possibly lacking healthy eating habits), or do you want them to appreciate a variety of foods and have healthy eating habits? Also, it is a good life lesson for our kids to learn: we can’t always have what we want, so we need to learn to accept and adjust to what life throws our way.

Before I go into today, last night was all about being silly and goofy at our household! Since my husband wasn’t getting home until late, Keenan and I enjoyed some play time outside in his pool, after the gym. He refused to put his swim trunks on, as you can see from the picture. He thought it was SO funny to be bare-bummed and running free!! He was quite the character, so I had to share this today!

Our little “Naked Boy” having fun in his little pool!

Our lovely kitty, “Slinky” came by to say hello!

Now, onto today: Keenan slept in again this morning! He woke-up at 8:27, whoohoo!! I REALLY hope this continues. Anyhow, we had a play date at our neighborhood park for my MOMs Club this morning, so we ate a quick “usual” breakfast  (even though Keenan requested to have pancakes and peanut butter instead!). I promised him pancakes tomorrow, and I know Keenan won’t let me forget about it!

Keenan played pretty hard at the park, so much that he was practically falling asleep during lunch. Since he was so tired, I made him his favorite sandwich (peanut butter and honey), along with some applesauce and milk. After lunch, he went down for his nap pretty quickly. But, today was a little different than most, he asked (which hasn’t happened often, if at all) to go on the potty before lunch, and before his nap! Usually (pretty much every day), I have to coerce him to go on the potty, and when he doesn’t want to, I don’t force it. When he woke up from his nap, he went on the potty again! We’ll see how he does tomorrow….but more on potty training, later!

Soooo tired…

After Keenan’s nap, we went to CrossFit and did a VERY grueling workout. The skill was 5 sets of 2 heavy squat snatches and the WOD was: 200 meter run, 21 shoulder to overhead presses (95 lb. for women), 10 kettlebell snatches (35 lb. for women) on each arm, 400 meter run, 15 shoulder to overhead presses, 10 kettlebell snatches on each arm, 600 meter run, 9 shoulder to overhead presses and 10 kettlebell snatches on each arm. The time cap was 20 minutes and I only made it through the 600 meter run, doing the prescribed weight. Needless to say, I was disappointed with my performance this afternoon. The weight for the shoulder to overhead presses felt heavier today than it normally does, for some reason. But, most importantly, I need to be faster on my runs to get through all of my WODs quicker. So, I have another thing to work on! There is always room for improvement, right?

After CrossFit, we tried out a new recipe (see below) that included zucchini, yellow summer squash, an onion, cherry tomatoes and cannelloni beans. We all loved it, so it will probably be a part of our “usual veggie dishes.” In addition, we had grilled chicken (marinated in brown mustard, olive oil, red wine vinegar, garlic and spices).

Summer Squash and White Bean Saute adapted from EatingWell (serves 4):

Ingredients:

– 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

– 1 medium onion, halved and sliced

– 2 cloves garlic, minced

– 1 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced

– 1 medium yellow summer squash, halved lengthwise and sliced

– 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano, or 1 teaspoon dried

– 1/4 teaspoon salt

– 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

– 1 15- or 19-ounce can cannellini or great northern beans, rinsed (see Tip)

– 2 medium tomatoes, chopped

– 1 tablespoon red-wine vinegar

– 1/3 cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring, until beginning to soften, about 3 minutes. Add zucchini, summer squash, oregano, salt and pepper and stir to combine. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook, stirring once, until the vegetables are tender-crisp, 3 to 5 minutes.

2. Stir in beans, tomatoes and vinegar; increase heat to medium and cook, stirring, until heated through, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in Parmesan.

The line-up of some of the ingredients, excluding the onion, zucchini, yellow summer squash and garlic (since they were already cooking at this point)!

Mixing it all together.

The finished product (minus the feta cheese).

*Notes: I used two zucchini and one yellow summer squash along with 1 1/2 cups of cherry tomatoes (instead of regular tomatoes), because I didn’t think the recipe included enough veggies for 4 servings. I also sprinkled feta cheese on top for some added zip!

Also, I finally decided on what kind of a cake I’m going to make for Keenan’s birthday party on Saturday. Since I don’t have time to test out a new recipe (making a peanut butter ice cream cake), I’m afraid to make something for the first time and have it not come out right. So, with that being said, I’m making our tried and true, “Pig-Out Carrot Cake,” which Keenan loves (I’ll post the recipe soon!). I made the carrot cake for his 1st birthday and he devoured it (eating 2 whole slices!). I love this carrot cake recipe because it is so moist and the frosting is cream cheese, sooooo delicious! I’m a little less stressed now that I have the cake figured out! :) Have a good night!

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