The un-picky eater

Perrin LOVES food. He doesn't care what it is; he'll eat it. This has been quite a blessing for us since we've drastically changed our eating habits within the last few months to cut out processed foods, sugar, high fructose corn syrup, GMO foods, fast food, etc. (Not that we manage to keep it up 100% of the time, but we are so so so much healthier than we were this time last year. Also, we're not Nazis about this, so if anyone wants to invite us over for pizza, we're game!) But anyway, it's nice that we don't have a picky eater so we can fill him up with lots of fruits and veggies, beans, homemade soups and broths, plain yogurt, and farm fresh meat (no antibiotics or hormones injected!) He loves kale. He loves spinach. He LOVES lima beans and eats them faster than I can keep them on his plate. Ditto for sweet potatoes, brussel sprouts, cantaloupe, and squash.

The thing is, he also loves dog food. And acorns. And leaves. And bugs. Maybe it's not that he particularly likes my cooking; maybe the child has a really wonky sense of taste. I guess I can't take it as a compliment when he chows down on carpet lint with as much gusto as when he's eating my whole-wheat banana flax muffins.

Oh, well, I'm just going to enjoy the ride for now because we're not that far off from the terrible twos. And I imagine that when he learns he has the power to reject my food, it won't be so easy to convince him that veggie souffle is way better than mac-n-cheese.

Adventures with food

I've tried very hard to keep Perrin's diet as pure and nutritious as possible. For starters, I breast fed him for ten months. Ever since we introduced solids at 6 months, I've given him fresh fruits and veggies and tried to keep him away from sugar and processed foods as much as possible (although I haven't kept him away from my parents, which means he's gotten opportunities to try ice cream and white bread and other things I hadn't really intended to give him). Focusing so much on what I allow Perrin to eat has made me think more about my own eating habits. Why am I not as careful about the things I eat? If I monitored my own diet as well as I do his, I bet I'd be a lot healthier. And skinnier.

I've been reading a lot of "real food" blogs and articles and keeping up with information about the current food revolution and the dangers of chemicals and GMOs, etc. I'm not ready to switch to raw milk or grass-fed beef or buy organic everything. But I am trying to cut out processed foods as much as possible and buy more fresh produce. This means I get to experiment with cooking new things.

Today I went to the store and bought kale. The cashier didn't even know what it was. I guess they don't sell a lot of kale. In case you don't know, it's a leafy vegetable. I brought it home, washed it, chopped it, tossed it with olive oil, sprinkled it with salt, and baked it. Voila--kale chips! It was actually pretty good. But when Trey saw it on his dinner plate, he made a really odd face.

"It's kale," I said. "Try it--it tastes a lot like potato chips!"

Trey took a bite. "It doesn't taste like potato chips," he said. "But it's edible."

Well, that was about as good of a response as I could have hoped for. I mean, this is coming from the guy who considers french fries and ketchup a double serving of veggies.

About ten minutes later he said, "You know, they get less bad the longer I eat them."

Glad the kale was such a hit.

We even let Perrin try a bite. He sloooooowly chewed his little bite of kale, looked up at me, and then clapped! I think it's the first time my cooking has ever received an ovation! Never mind that he spit out the next bite....

It's a baby step toward a healthier lifestyle. And maybe, just maybe, Trey will someday decide he really does like kale.

Hello, my name is Food

Sometimes I wonder if Perrin has any idea that I'm his mom. Does he distinguish me from all the other people who pick him up and cuddle him? Maybe not. One thing I'm pretty sure about--he does recognize that I'm his source of food. But I hope he thinks of me as more than just food.

Trey doesn't help with this much... sometimes when he gets Perrin out of his crib in the morning, he'll carry him to me and say, "Look, Perrin! There's Breakfast! Let's go say hi to Breakfast!"

It's weird but true. I am breakfast. And lunch and dinner and about 8 other meals in between. To tell the truth, it's quite amazing the way a woman's body is designed to be able to provide the most perfect, nutritious, beneficial meal possible to her baby. But it's also a thankless, time-consuming, and sometimes painful job.

Someday Perrin will recognize me as his mom. Someday he'll love me for more than just the food I provide him. Until then, just call me Breakfast.