It's PESTO! Presto!

Supposedly toddlers love pesto.  And I just happen to have a jar of it in my fridge.

Tonight's menu:

• Side of fruit - perhaps some sliced and peeled apples
• Pesto pasta with cherry tomatoes - might as well mix this new ingredient into a food group I know he already loves (noodles)
• Sweet potato chips - because we all know he definitely won't eat them mashed
• Vanilla ice cream in a cone - "if you finish your dinner" (but we all know he'll get the freaking ice cream cone regardless, the little manipulator that he is)

My predictions, as of 2:30pm:

• The first serving of apples will be eaten; the second serving he inevitably will request will go untouched
• He will protest the pasta, saying firmly "me no like" multiple times; I will ignore him completely until he gives in and tries them; he will eat most of the noodles on the plate; the tomatoes will book themselves a one-way trip to the disposal
• Jury is out on the sweet potato chips; their fate will depend entirely on whether or not I end up burning them in the oven
• Vanilla ice cream in a cone?  We should rename it "gone in 60 seconds" because that's what it'll be

So, how'd it go?: 

• First of all, 10 minutes into dinner (after multiple protests of Liam not liking his noodles, as predicted), I received a tornado warning alert on my cell phone, so had to take the boys out of their seats and down to the basement... 
• Liam spent most of his time jumping on the couch, refusing to eat anything.  Jamie, however, REALLY enjoyed the pesto pasta, and even tried a couple of the sweet potato chips.  Liam would come over and eat a few noodles here and there, then run off to the couch again.
• Apples went untouched - all four of them.
• Then we lost power.  Sat in the dark for about 20 minutes, riding out the storm.  Jamie enjoyed chasing around the flashlight.  Liam sat in my lap silent, telling me over and over that he didn't want to sit in the dark.
  

Final verdict:

•  Mother Nature: 1.  Casey: 0.

turkey meatloaf balls (aka "no no no!")

Well, my assumption that my toddler will eat anything as long as it's in the shape of a meatball was proven wrong last week.  It was extra disappointing for me, considering how much time it took me to find my Magic Stick food processor attachment. 

Lets just say he lost his poor meatballs, and it WASN'T because somebody sneezed.

More like because somebody picked them up and launched them one by one across the kitchen island.

At least my dog enjoyed them.

And my husband.

Overall Grade:  C+
Ease of preparation - B-
"Cool" factor - A
Consumption factor - F

my kid ate mayo - and he LIKED IT

Yesterday, I fought the urge to hit up the Wendy's drive-thru and opted to head home to make myself a delicious turkey & cheese wrap with avocado, red onion, dijon mustard, and mayo (50% of you reading this probably just threw up in your mouth at my mere mention of mayo - but i happen to love the stuff).

It was a great idea, until my 2 year old ventured into the kitchen to see what mommy was up to.  Immediately after cutting my wrap in half, he requested that he try some.  Given his lack of adventure in eating-to-date, I should have been excited that he wanted to try something totally different.  But me and my unborn son were feeling slightly famished (and selfish, candidly), so I told him 'no - this is mommy's sammie."

You can imagine how well that objection worked.

Moments later, I'm on my knees, feeding Liam bite after bite of my delicious sammie, while Tres (baby 3, as I fondly refer to him) scissor kicked my insides in pure rage.  At some point, I must have blacked out from hunger, because the next thing I knew, he was walking off to another part of our house with the remaining couple of bites of the first half of my wrap in between his dirty little fingers.

I may have lost this battle with hunger, but I'm calling this a victory - my toddler ate a half of a wrap with all kinds of stuff on it he has never had before!  AND HE LIKED IT.

#boomgoesthedynamite

Overall Grade: B+
Ease of preparation - A
"Cool" factor - B
Consumption factor - A-

... as if i haven't done enough already

Hi!  I'm Casey.  I have two wild little boys (2 and 8 months), with a third in the oven.  And I am SO BORED.

With my toddler's eating habits, of course.  Do you really think I could be bored with anything else these days?

Starting at 7am when I peel my toddler out of his crib and change his urine-soaked pajamas (despite our continued investment in Huggies Night Time diapers because they are supposedly "the best"), the demands for junk food begin.

By 8am, he has filled his belly with a pink or purple popsicle, at least one tickle (i.e. pickle), and (on a good day) a few links of chicken & apple sausage.  Every now and then he'll surprise me by asking for cereal and milk.  Or pan-cookies (pancakes).

At lunch time, it's usually massive amounts of watermelon, a few baby carrots (admittedly, this doesn't sound too bad so far!), and MAYBE some butter noodles.

Dinner is pretty standard - a fruit (apples, watermelon, blueberries, raspberries), a grain (likely more noodles, maybe with red sauce to mix things up), tater tots or french fries, and either chicken nuggets or meatballs.

Every day, it's the same menu.  And any time I try something new, he ends up starving himself.  Or demanding animal cookies instead. Or a tickle.

Peanut butter & jelly?  Hell-to-the-no.  Grilled cheese??  Forget about it.  Hummus?  Stir fry?  Sliders with "dippies"?

No.  NO.  NO!

Well guess what, kid - your mommy isn't a quitter.  I am determined to expand your palate - because there's no room for chicken tenders and french fries at Ruth's Chris Steak House. So here we go.