Food

Have I ever written about what great eaters my kids are?

No, I don't think so. And I don't want to forget this. And I certainly don't want to take it for granted.

So let me expound:

:: They all eat seafood. Of all varieties. Fish chowder. Grain medleys with shrimp thrown in. Tuna salad sandwiches. Broiled tilapia. Grilled salmon. I forget how novel and wonderful and grown-up this is of them until I talk with many other mothers.

:: Vegetables are required in our home, and they comply. Sometimes there needs to be extra prompting before the food is eaten, but more often it's as simple as a reminder to not complain about the food in front of them.

:: I can't think of very many things they pick out of dishes in an attempt to avoid eating them. Tomatoes, onions, peppers, zucchini, green beans... the list goes on and on of things I can recall trying to avoid consuming as a child (but wasn't allowed, thank you a million times over, Mom and Dad!) that they will eat first so they can get it out of the way.

:: They like raisins. (Which I am still childish enough to grimace about.)

:: They love granola and oatmeal of all varieties more than they like cold cereal. Maybe it was just me as a kid, but I considered golden grahams to be far superior to a bowl of creamy, maple syrup-sweetened porridge (what was I thinking???) until I was much older.

:: I have two children who will fill up on cut up raw veggies. They love peppers and cucumbers and carrots and cauliflower. Miraculous. The other two are less adventurous, but will still devour a small bag of baby carrots in one sitting if I don't keep an eye on them.

:: Some of their favorite foods are beans. Black bean soup. Mexican lasagna. Sausage and navy bean soup. Homemade refried beans and brown rice. They get excited when I make these dishes!

I'm sure there's more that I can't even think of. I just know that our food battles have been few and far between (if a bit intense when we have had them).

And, believe me, this isn't because of amazing parenting skills or some great trick. If Daniel and I have learned to be firm about food, it's because we grew up with parents who were firm about food and we have reaped the blessing of not being picky eaters ourselves, and honestly, I just think I've gotten off pretty easy so far. The truth is, they love food!

(I have no idea where that came from. )