Hi everyone and please click on the title of this post to read more. I’m just going to say what few have the nerve to say; It stinks being a mother sometimes. It is often monotonous, annoying, boring and can suck the life and energy right out of you. Sometimes, however, we have some control over what makes us irritated in our lives.
Take the other day when for the eight billionth time I offered my kids breakfast, they didn’t want what I offered. I feel guilty giving them cheerios to start the day but cannot bear so many conflicts (sometimes from all 4 kids) that I often give in. Well, no more! I decided that just as I have a dinner menu, these kids are getting healthy oatmeal and fruit for breakfast most days and that is that! No more Mrs. Nice Guy who acts as a short order AM cook. The truth is, it is in their best interest and what the heck is so wrong with hot oatmeal with real maple syrup, for corn sake?
We need to remember that we are the boss and we need to be the boss to show our kids that we are consistently and confidently trying to keep them healthy and safe. I will not be a Joan Crawford and force my kids to eat the delicious lentil soup I made on Inauguration day because I know that they will not eat it at this stage in their lives (although I did try). Sometimes when we consistently work with the foods they do like, they will be more inclined to follow a structured and healthy eating path. Good luck and I hope you enjoy my tasty Obama soup!
Obama’s Lentil Soup:
4 cups small red lentils
3 small, chopped onions
5 small red potatoes, chopped about 1/4″ dice
2 carrots, 1/4″ dice
1 bunch cilantro, with stems
1 handful chives, chopped (or chopped scallions)
6 cloves garlic , minced
4 tsp grated fresh ginger
3 cups chicken broth (or veg. broth)
start off with 4-5 cups water
1-2 TBS olive oil
salt and pepper
In a big stock pot or pasta pot, sautee garlic and onions in olive oil over a low-med. flame. Add all the other ingredients and stir. After about 10 minutes, the lentils will be soft er but the soup will be thin. Keep simmering and stirring until the soup is the consistency that you like it (and until the potatoes are tender). The more you stir and cook it, the thicker it will be. Serve hot and salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!
6 Responses
This soup looks outrageously good. The concept of ginger and lentils is tantalizing. Oatmeal with maple syrup is reasonable—and I agree that the whole short-order cook thing is no fun. Thanks for the honesty. Soon all will be intoning–“Oatmeal, yummm…”
Kids and food… A topic that has interested me for, well, let’s see…the last 12 1/2 years.
Why do some kids eat sushi, lentil soup and stinky cheese while others eat only pizza and chicken nuggets? Is it an inborn issue of sensitive tastebuds? A parenting issue? A progressive path toward more adventuresome eating on which some kids travel more quickly than others?
My philosphy is that I make what I like to eat and if my kids (12,12 and 9) don’t like it, then they don’t have to eat it. But I do not prepare alternate meals. I’m sure that if my kids begin to appear undernourished, people around this wonderful town of Montclair will let me know.
love this post. bob always teases me that i am the “short order cook” in the morning as well. i went through a phase where i was serving up eggs while now my kids eat cereal and nutello on raisin toast (while they watch ben 10 no less). it’s a slippery slope of giving in. your post has inspired me to get back to the basics and make the am calls.
Why I disliked oatmeal as a kid I don’t know, since now it is my favorite (though, not my kids’favorite, alas).
Here’s my strategy for getting them excited about oatmeal:
I let them customize their oatmeal with diddle-doodles (what we call those little colored sugar balls that you put on cookies).
I put out 4 little shaker containers of colored sugar thingies, and tell them “one shake, your choice”.
While I don’t like luring them with the promise of sugar, it’s not that much sugar, and they really dig the chance to choose and to customize. Plus it makes the milk look really interesting… Kind of like the am equivalent of the squirt of whipped cream from a can that turns fruit into a fancy dessert?
I give my daughter Cheerios for breakfast all the time. They are one of her favorite foods, and I love them because I can make her breakfast in two seconds. They are whole grain and low in sugar, so they are on my approved list of food items. Alma, I don’t feel guilty about feeding Mary Cheerios, and I don’t think you should feel guilty about giving them to your kids either. Why not give your kids what they want if it is a healthy choice?
But I think you’re right to declare “no more Mrs NIce Mom” and put a stop to being a short order cook. I try to do that too, but sometimes give in and make a second offering when she doesn’t touch the first one.
There’s my two cents. Love your blog – Margaret
girl, I’ve resorted to golden grahams and honey graham ohs in the morning, which, by the way, are incredible. My oatmeal is ALWAYS the instant with maple variety. anything at all you can get into a kid in the moring is better than nothing. I’m just thankful they love grapefruit and want it whenever they can get it.