All three of my kids are picky eaters, and I mean to the extreme. They do not like mixed textures. Food cannot be touching on the plate. And you can forget about using bribes to make them eat. They are totally happy to give up eating, video games, books, basically anything to avoid eating something that just doesn't look right.
In essence, that means breakfast is dry cereal on a plate with a glass of milk on the side and half a banana (except for Rose who has decided she no longer likes bananas). Lunch consists of either peanut butter jelly sandwiches or mac 'n cheese (pre-fabricated boxed version only - no homemade allowed) and an apple. And dinner is either grilled cheese sandwiches or chicken nuggets and fries, or pizza and some fruit that only Rose will eat. Snacks can be crackers, goldfish, fruit snacks, or granola bars.
Now we still try to induce things they used to eat all the time, like avocados, non-breaded poultry, lettuce, carrots, etc. But pretty much the kids just give us the dirtiest of looks and would rather go to their bedrooms than eat. Our doctor told us to expect it to take at least 72 times of trying to reintroduce a food before they will try it again.
Sometimes we can convince Rose to sniff or lick something, but there has to be an outstanding prize at the end of that trial for her to be willing to endure even that much taste-testing.
The other difficulty with dealing with their food sensitivities can be seen as a positive or negative thing. My boys don't like sweets. They might lick a lollipop, but only if they are in the mood. And once upon a time they liked Smarties, but no more. They won't eat birthday cake and Rose will only eat the frosting. They won't eat ice-cream and they'll eat donuts, but only if they are plain-glazed. As you can probably guess that makes birthdays, Halloween, and other holidays quite perplexing for our family.
We go trick or treating for Halloween, but only because my kids enjoy the act, but then they don't eat 90% of their candy (that's for me and my thighs to resolve). For their birthdays I have to get pretty inventive. Last year I put a candle in a donut for Cyprus' birthday. He loved blowing out the candle, but then he didn't even eat the donut (and it was plain). I've even taken to requesting one cupcake for my own birthday, because what's the point of getting an entire cake that Frank and I can't even make it through. As for my husband, he prefers pie.
Now we are faced with Thanksgiving around the corner. For many years Frank and I have resorted to just cooking two Turkey breasts. We are partial to white meat and our kids won't eat turkey period. Then I make a smaller version of all the side dishes (again because the kids won't eat mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, stuffing, or cranberry sauce). So this year we've decided What's the point? Especially since my new dietary restrictions due to health reasons limit my eating of stuffing and mashed potatoes. And I'm tired of being the one to eat all the leftovers anyway.
This year I think we're going to take two other options of things I should eat on an extremely limit basis and eat that instead, knowing that are kids won't eat it anyway. So instead we are going to make Turkey BLTA sandwiches on Costco croissants and maybe for another meal we'll make this awesome Chicken Cordon Bleu Lasagna. That way I get a momentary splurge, Frank and I will enjoy our meals, and we'll just make the kids mac 'n cheese and we'll all be happy.
As for Christmas time, since we don't have any family living nearby we've taken to ordering out for Chinese on Christmas day. That way I don't have to cook and we still get yummy food. It may seem really sad, but when you have three kids with serious issues regarding food you make things work as you can.
Welcome to my world. I still pray that one of these days every meal won't be such a struggle, but I've come to learn you do what you have to. I love my little crazy life.
No comments:
Post a Comment