Sloppy Joes

Lately I've been trying to find more foods that the kids might enjoy for dinner. Since the pulled pork was a hit with Nadia, I thought I'd make sloppy joes. I know she's had sloppy joes (some call it beef bbq) before - once at our church, once at Paul's parents' house, and it was also one of the meals people brought to our house while I was on bedrest. Sloppy joes are by no means one of my favorite foods, but I don't mind eating one every now and then. Because Paul doesn't like them, I had never made sloppy joes before.

I selected a recipe online and made some yesterday. It didn't go down as easily with either child as I had hoped it would. I also made macaroni and cheese, as I was trying to make a child friendly meal. It hit me recently that for the past 11.5 years I have mostly limited my menu planning to Paul's preferences. Every once in awhile (such as when I've had company or when Paul has been at a conference), I've made a recipe that I used to make when I was single that contains some ingredient Paul finds offensive (such as tomatoes or salsa).

 

I want to do a better job at exposing my kids to a wider variety of foods. Once the kids are grown and gone (sniff, sniff) then I'll go back to just serving the foods that Paul and I like best.  Since I've been cooking my dinners (the past 19 years), I have only been eating my favorite vegetables (lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, beets, corn, peas, green beans, carrots, sugar snap peas, and lima beans). I have decided I need to start serving and eating some of my non-favorites (broccoli and aspargus for example) so that the kids are exposed to a wider variety. Who knows, one of them might love broccoli? One problem is that Paul hasn't bought into this theory, but he usually only eats dinner with us on the weekends. I'll make sure to serve one of the vegetables he likes when we're all eating dinner together. It was a bit awkward tonight as Paul doesn't eat sloppy joes, so he cooked a frozen pizza for himself, and the kids really wanted to have the pizza also. Monday-Friday he eats dinner after they are in bed so they won't know if he didn't eat what the rest of us ate. I just need to make sure I serve foods Paul likes on the weekends. Who knows. Maybe in my 40's I'll discover I like broccoli? I am not saying I'm going to serve every kind of food. I draw the line at brussells sprouts, lamb, shellfish, and liver for example. I am looking forward to eating some of the dishes that I enjoy (that Paul doesn't like) more often such as meatloaf and recipes that include tomatoes. I'll just have to make sure I have some other foods on hand that Paul can easily heat (such as hotdogs or frozen pizza) so he has something to eat on the nights I prepare a dish he won't eat. Hopefully the list of foods we all enjoy will grow over time. I think pizza is the only thing on that list now, if we are including Ian. If we're just talking about Paul, Nadia, and I then that list also includes most pasta dishes (spaghetti, tuna noodle casserole, lasagna, etc.).

 

Aside from wanting to expose the kids to a wide variety of foods, I also feel like I need to practice what I preach. I tell the kids to eat at least a few small bites of everything I serve, but then I only serve foods that I like to eat; I'm not really holding myself to the same standard. I remember others having a policy where each family member could have a small list of foods that they never eat. Once they get a little older and have tried foods enough times to hopefully be less picky eaters, I plan on letting them create their lists and not requiring them to eat that food even if I serve it. Shellfish and brussells sprouts would certainly be on the top of my list!

 

While we're on the topic of food, I have to say I am THRILLED with Oliver's attitude toward solid food. At 6 months old he's doing better than Ian was at 26 months old. He hasn't totally mastered the art of using his tongue with solid food (some still comes back out and has to be scooped up and put back in his mouth), but boy does he like to eat! He can eat 3.5 oz of fruit plus some rice cereal in one sitting! Now that he's discovered solid foods are yummy, I am going to introduce veggies to him sometime this week. First I need to make some. It's so much cheaper to make carrots, peas, and green bean baby food than to buy Gerber's. So far Oliver has had blueberries, cherries, apples, and rice cereal. If I hold his hands (so he doesn't put them in his mouth), it's a much less messy experience. Way to go, Oliver! Now, if I could just shift his wake-up time a bit later. Lately he's been getting up between 5:00-5:15am every morning.