Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Mommy Lunch

126_edited-1 I hear lots of theories for getting picky kids to eat. Really, I know of only 4 things that really work, and none of them are about having them cook with you.

I’ll share one of them now.

Make food for yourSELF.

This will always invite curious looks from 4-year-olds who not-so-sweetly grill you on what you’re eating. Pretty soon there will be little fingers or pushy forks in your lunch.

I never make Amaya eat something she doesn’t want to for lunch. Lunch is hands off for picky eaters. She eats chicken nuggets (gag) or frozen burritos or nachos or similarly unhealthy easy lunches. I don’t like battles at lunch time.

We wait until dinner for that.

But sometimes I like to cook for myself at lunch, especially things that my family doesn’t like very much. I scored some beets at the farmer’s market and the attached greens were going to wilt. 

greens1 Soon I had some sautéed greens with tomato, garlic, and bacon, with a fried egg and buttered pan toast. I cut the toast into pieces as to sop up the juices.

Even though she had already eaten lunch, Amaya was sticking her fingers in my meal before I was even finished taking pictures. At one point she said, “Can I have the rest?” and I still had half a plate of food. I ended up making her own egg and toast but I finally claimed the rest of the greens for myself. Since that was my favorite part. She had already had several big mouthfuls so I counted my experiment as successful.

greens2 If you’ve never had bread fried in a pan with butter rather than toasting it and then buttering it, you’re in for a treat. Melt salted butter in a pan (the one you just used for cooking is fine—no need to use a clean one) and then throw the bread on top. Cook over medium heat until toasted then flip—should be browned on both sides. Just try to keep it for yourself because otherwise your kids will never go back to the toaster.

greens3  Sauteed Greens (works with kale, beet greens, turnip greens, or chard)

  • 1 slice bacon
  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 3 large handfuls of greens, stems removed and leaves chopped (you may wish to use the stems—just cut them more finely—halve the stem and chop into 1 inch pieces)
  • 1/4 Cup water
  • 2 small roma tomatoes, chopped (about 1/3 of a cup)
  • salt to taste
  • 1/8 tsp of vinegar (cider or red wine vinegar is preferable to white, but white works too)
  1. Fry your slice of bacon in a skillet over medium heat. When done, remove to a cutting board and chop.
  2. Throw the greens into the pan and stir around with a wooden spoon. Once all the greens are slightly wilted, pour in the water and put the lid on. Let the greens cook until just tender (time varies depending on the green—beet greens take only a few minutes). Remove the lid.
  3. Add tomatoes, garlic, and salt. Sautee until water evaporates, about 5 minutes. Toss in bacon and stir for 15-20 more seconds. Stir in vinegar and remove from heat.

Serve with toast and an egg, or as a side dish to dinner.

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6 comments:

Maryea @ Happy Healthy Mama said...

Ooooh yum! That lunch looks fantastic. I agree that eating wholesome foods yourself is a great tool for getting your little ones to eat the same foods. I never force my two year old to eat anything, but she chooses to eat healthy foods on her own because that's all she knows. My advice for new moms is to start with healthy foods from the beginning and that's all they will know. (For a while anyway....we'll see what happens when she goes to school and is exposed to junk food)

Lisa said...

This sounds like delicious comfort food. By the way, I'm holding a CSN giveaway on my blog and you're welcome to come by and enter. http://sweet-as-sugar-cookies.blogspot.com/2010/11/45-csn-giveaway.html

Siennapalmer said...

we had a similar meal for dinner tonight. it was spinach and potato salad with a fried egg on top. it was yum.

Reeni said...

You are so right on about toasting bread in the pan - it's something special. And so is your lunch! I just might of been poking at it too if I were there!

Astrid said...

I love this. We do need to make food for ourselves, no one else. Mae food because it feels amazing to create it and eat it because it makes you feel nourished!!

Astrid said...

Forgot to link to my site!

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