Cooking for Fussy Children

I really struggle with cooking for my children.  My two will only eat what I call "clean food", for example plain pasta without any sauce at all.  There can be no sauce or marinade on meat, no salad dressing, no stews or casseroles.  All food has to be separate as well - I can't even make a pasta without sauce but mix in a little bit of bacon or peas.  It is highly frustrating.

I have know conceded defeat and the fussy ones get just about the same dinner every night.  Broccoli, corn, plain pasta and some sort of plain meat (steak, chicken).  Once I embraced that they will not be adventurous it actually takes a little of the stress of me and dinner time.  Dinner should be a happy time, and in my house it was becoming a disliked part of the day by everyone. 

I have always had the idea of creating a cook book for parents like myself that struggle to get anything nutritious into their children.  I have made a few attempts to hid the nutritional ingredients and I must admit my muffins (which have blended cauliflower, butter beans, and zucchini in it) are a hit, but that is about my only success.  So when I say food hidden, I mean food HIDDEN, not just grated carrot in with the mince.  Anyway, there is an idea for some creative chef out there.

So it is back to making two dinners every night, one lot for the kids and one lot for my husband and me.  Although I must say he can be less then appreciative, which while he has his many many good points, tact and forethought are not part of those good points.  Dinner tonight was a lovely salad of roast pumpkin, roast beetroot, and haloumi with (for him, I am not a meat eater) a eye fillet.  All he could say was "Geez Jen, what is going on?  Where is the onion?".  Hmmmm, tonight when I go to bed I am going to really enjoy JUST reading my book!!

Let us know your tricks of the trade when it comes to fooling the kids!!

Christmas Cheer

Christmas is approaching way to quickly for my liking.  Being quite pregnant, my family are traveling to me this year, so it will be a full house especially on Christmas day when my husbands family will be joining us as well.  Luckily I have clued everyone up to look forward to a very easy Christmas food wise as the last thing I want to be doing is cooking all day.

In saying that the kids and I will be having some cooking marathons prior to Christmas.  Instead of buying presents for the Grandads, they will have a variety of fudge to look forward to which I am sure they will appreciate much more then some trinket or book and t-shirt that is just going to sit in their cupboard.  I love giving presents, but I have always been of the opinion that it is not about the amount spent on the present but the thought that goes into it.  I find a handmade card and a necklace my kids have made me far more meaningful than a cheap bag made of vinyl (not naming any names, luckily that person is not in the least  bit interested in my blog, so I can keep up the pretense of just using it when said person is in town). 

Anyway, along with cooking days to fill up the holiday we are going into Christmas craft mode.  After years of working 60 hour weeks, and then having young children who aren't really at the stage of being able to spend long amounts of time doing craft, I am excited this year to get them making Christmassy things.  First on the list is two big canvases that I am going to let my munchkins go wild on.  I am going to paint them first - one red, one green and then it is all up to them.  I got the idea from a visit to the kindy my son will be attending next year.  On the wall was the most amazing painting of an angel.  She was gorgeous, with one eye at the top of her head and the other near her mouth, and a very wobbly smile, but the room feel in love with her and it was the essence of Christmas.

Unlike my possibly unlikely flower garden promise of maybe posting photos - I will be posting photos of my children's grand designs.