The case of the missing veggies: a (mild) wednesday rant

But there are a few things about food and kids in our society that irk me and YES, I'm using my own space to mention them.

Recently, we were out to eat and I ordered a buffalo burger plain with a side of roasted veggies for Avi. It came with french fries. "They all do," the waiter said. We took the burger and veggies and sent the fries back. "It's included in the price, you can keep them. It's not an extra charge." he insisted. I felt bad for this guy -- just trying to do his job and calm my fears of an extra charge on the bill. Poor bugger hadn't a clue that I couldn't give a shit about the money. He had no idea that this brief exchange got my blood boiling on a societal level. Why are raising kids parents to believe that kids will only eat french fries (or chicken nuggets or everything dipped in ketchup).

What I -- Jenn and I -- have noticed about children's menus at most restaurants (even healthier minded places - and we have lots of those in Boulder) they have two common denominators: fried and cheese. Really? (Didn't I read in the news that even the worst of the worst, McDonalds, has added veggie sticks to their happy meals)? 

Further, I'm a bit disgusted saddened disgusted that many children's books that I come across insinuate that children don't like veggies. Whether it's blatantly saying it or showing it in the illustration with a character's tongue sticking out. And these are books with otherwise pretty forward thinking messages.

Sharing Broccoli with his cow friend.

Snap peas and blueberry snack in the sandbox.

Helping make dinner :: spinning the salad. 

Enjoying the aroma of a fresh picked tomato :: he didn't eat this one.

A chat about cucumbers with our lovely neighbor Sahand.

Now, anytime we make smoothies, he reminds me we have to add kale and avocado. 

Carrots to share with the goats, but since there weren't any takers on this day, Avi ate them himself. 

I love that our boy loves his veggies. Carrots, cabbage, kale, broccoli, peas, tomatoes picked from the vine, purple beans, lemon cucumbers, and many many more. We have raised him eating a variety of foods and that doesn't mean he likes everyone of them all the time. But we keep re-introducing him to veggies in a variety of ways -- Steamed, roasted, mashed, baked (into a chip - think kale chips), fresh, or mixed into soups, smoothies, casseroles, rice, eggs, etc. -- and he keeps trying them, eating them.

And at our neighborhood picnic this past weekend, I was chatting with a neighbor from up the street. "Well, you know what it's like," he (the Dad of a three year old) said. I was happy to reply,  "No, [I don't know what it's like to have a kid that only will eat chicken nuggets and ketchup]. Avi's never had either."

I leave you with a statistic: "Over the past three decades, childhood obesity rates in America have tripled, and today, nearly one in three children in America are overweight or obese." source


And I ask you: What choices are you making to help your kidlet eat healthier? What have you avoided? What have you caved in on? What do you keep re-introducing? What do other's say/think about your choices?

Making Friends: Here Kitty Cat

Meet our neighbor's cat. We knew it's name once, but I haven't been able to remember for some time. These neighbor's live behind us and our fence prevents daily interactions like those we have with our neighbors next to and across the street. But we have daily interactions with this cat... from afar. Every morning while Avi is snuggled on the couch waiting for me to finish making his breakfast or at the table finishing off his eggs or french toast, he sees this black and white cat walking along the wooden fence. This week we got a different kind of interaction and Avi tried his hardest to make friends.

 She came close once (before I had the camera out) and let Avi pet her and then she retreated and he tried his hardest -- squatting down and calling to her -- to make friends. After a bit he became impatient as she just looked at him and he tried, in vain, to follow her.

 He retreated and tried again to call her, once again, squatting low and clucking his tongue best he could. She ran off and we played in the yard together until....

...we saw that she came back and brought with her Forrest, our other neighbor's cat. 

As you can see, Forrest is fluffy, huge, and very friendly. He's a different kind of friend -- always ready for pets, snuggles and...

... an occasional KISS!

AND all of this happened after Avi decided he wanted to be a kitty cat for halloween. I wonder if he will change his mind about being a black and white cat and want instead to be an orange cat.

(these [Nine] Moments)

Okay, so it's becoming common practice around here -- a little bit of Thursday for Friday.

We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures.  ~Thornton Wilder

:: still enjoying these beauties.

 :: Getting yet another thing checked off my want-to-do list.

 :: Taking Making some time for myself.

 :: Creating my own treasure box.

 :: Avi eating pieces of my treasure box.

 This young boy's appetite for delicious, nutritious meals.

:: These two cuties.

:: Knife skills.  

:: More deliciousness from our garden.

Taste of Tuesday: No Sugar Added Applesauce

• Make applesauce from apples picked from our trees.
• Pick basil from garden and make pesto and freeze.
• Turn over flower beds to ready for next year's garden beds.
• Blog about each of the above.

I love it when the things on my to do list actually make it a "want-to-do-list". And I also feel stressed when these things get to feeling overwhelming. But The first one is now crossed off the list!! And the applesauce is delicious. I love sharing the bounty! I gave some to my gal Lisa and family as they welcomed their 2nd child when I brought a meal to them. (Always include a sweet treat I advised when I guest posted over at Little Coffee Beans). I gave some to our neighbor Sara to celebrate her birthday. I brought some to the Rosh Hashanah picnic/potluck in the park - so sweet to hear the shofar this year!!! (L'Shana Tova)! And I have a jar promised to some other friends and more apples waiting on the tree. 

I used a variation of this recipe from Marisa over at Food in Jars.

Spiced Applesauce: 
4 pounds apples

½ cup apple cider or water

Optional spices:
2 pieces star anise
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon grated nutmeg
½ teaspoon cloves

She suggests quartering apples and leaving the skins on to fish out later, but because I have my peeler, slicer, corer - it was faster for me to use that. 

Slice, core, peel apples. I toss them into a bowl of salt water to prevent browning while I'm finishing my prep. Put them in a large, non-reactive pot. Add liquid and star anise (if using), put on lid and bring to a simmer. Let fruit cook for approximately 15-20 minutes, until the fruit has broken down. 

Remove star anise. Using a potato masher or immersion blender, break down the fruit until it has reached your desired consistency. Add cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. 

Marisa has more instructions on canning the applesauce, but since we were using it and eating it up quickly, I didn't bother with that step this time. Maybe next batch. Nothing like the sweetness of applesauce in late January to make you feel alive again. 

I know I have raved about my Apple slicer, corer, peeler before, but I have to again this year. I LOVE this piece of kitchen equipment and it's worth the $20!! 

Deliciousness!

treasure box

The change of seasons. I can't talk enough about how much it's my favorite time of year. Early morning chicken chores now involve putting on sweats and a jacket, our evening walks include long sleeves and sometimes a hat. I am in love with this shifting. In this ever increasing lifestyle of living disconnected from the world, this shift wakes up our senses and forces us to notice... to reconnect with the natural world. 

I, like many, struggle of how to live with the conveniences/addictions of an iphone, this computer on which I'm writing this post, my car, plastic, etc. and my relationship with the great mother. I often experience cognitive dissonance as I "like" Tiny House Blog on Facebook and continue to live in a 2200 sq. ft. home with a family of three. Or when I take out the trash  --  I rest assured knowing we've separated recycle and compost, yet every week our trash bin is still full and I know that it ends up in the landfill. Or how our commitment to cloth diapers has gotten a bit lackadaisical in recent months. 500 years (or longer or never) it takes for diapers to decompose. FIVE HUNDRED YEARS and I'm playing a part. I think this cognitive dissonance is why I am so moved by the shifting seasons.

It is a sacred time to reconnect... to slow down... to remember.... to respect. And I want more then ever to help guide Avi with his connection to our Home... our Earth. When he was just a few months old experiencing his first change of seasons... summer into fall... we would lay in the cool grass and gaze up at the trees above and I would talk with him about the changing leaves and the cooler weather to come. We would walk and I would point out the dying back of plants and the squirrels busying themselves - readying for winter. When the first snow fell, we prolonged bedtime to let him experience a snowflake on his cheek. When his first spring was arriving we paid heed to the buds, blossoms, and leaves emerging. We watched the naked tree branches slowly dress into their spring and summer collections. He is learning the names of trees, plants, flowers, bugs, birds, wildlife, and I am so thrilled in his excitement. 

Last week we were playing outside and Avi was throwing his sidewalk chalk. I was trying to decide how to shift his play into something different. (While throwing chalk isn't so bad, it's not my favorite use of chalk). Suddenly, I had an idea. I ran inside and grabbed an empty egg carton, cut off the top and brought it to Avi. "Avi, look what Ema has for you... a treasure box. Shall we find treasures?", I asked him. His face lit up and soon we were playing together looking for treasures. 

Can you find a yellow leaf? 

A rock? 

Another rock smaller than that one? 

Some purple lavender flowers?

What other treasures should we find?

A pinecone?

A tomato? If we want to find a tomato, where should we look? 

A lemon balm leaf?

This went on and on.... after we had found a dozen treasures, we talked about them, making comparisons in size, shape, color, function, taste. I was actively involved as a parent and he was actively involved in discovering things about the natural world. When we were all done, I asked Avi if we should take some pictures of his treasure box. Then he went in the house and grabbed two wooden bowls from his play kitchen area. "One for Avi. One for Ema. Treasure boxes", he said. And we walked to the park to find more treasures.

We welcome Autumn!