You may recall that when L was 6 months old he gave me “The Petit Appetit” cookbook for mother’s day. Nearly 1 year later, that book is on the shelf (with the noted exception of actually being helpful for puree preparation) and I stick to cooking what I prepare for T and I (or just for me when T is away), and hoping, praying that little L will partake.
This venture has not proved overwhelmingly difficult. Little L loves daal (which he can now pronounce) and yogurt (for which he says “daaayeeee!” emphatically, his version of the Hindi word for yogurt, “dahi” . .he has the same word for ice cream.).
But more than anything, and certainly more than the fruits and vegetables I feebly attempt to present to him, Mr. L adores meats. Meats of all kinds: chicken, pork, beef, fish. Doesn’t matter, he will eat it. Guess he didn’t get the memo that some Indians are vegetarians and many Indians do not eat beef. This guy wolfs down meatloaf like nobody’s business. And I know it’s not simply chance. The rice gets tried and occasionally swallowed, sometimes spit out. The beets and sweet potatoes so lovingly roasted this evening received the most sour expression imaginable. The apples occasionally make it past the lips, but are quickly replaced with a bite of that delicious meatloaf, if the choice is available.
Whereas little L once chowed down on sweet potatoes, carrot purees, cauliflower, he now halts the second that meat is present. Woe to me!
Of course, the mom in me is now conniving about how I can alter that meatloaf to meet my own pernicious goals. Oooh to get the guy to eat vegetables. Now that would be an accomplishment. I have had some success of getting L to eat broccoli if it was mixed with ground lamb. He also ate tons of broccoli when I prepared it a la Food and Wine’s recent healthy Broccoli Frittata recipe. The next goal: how many veggies I can cram into a meatloaf before turning it into veggie loaf?
How do you get your kids to eat their fruits and veggies?