August 21, 2008

  • Sophisticated Taste

    After a record-breaking lunch in which Jack won two Olympic gold medals (in the 25-Meter Food Toss and the 6-Ounce Milk Dribble), I bundled my angelic (looking, at least) child into his stroller and headed off to the park. Jack and I ran around for half an hour, climbing the jungle gym, going down slides, digging in the sand. Then, it was off to Trader Joe's to pick up a few groceries.

    There was a kiosk where TJ's was giving out free samples. Today, it was a thick layer of black olive tapenade, topped with smoked canned salmon, all atop a cracked pepper wafer. I picked up a little plate and started to take a bite. Jack -- he who refused all but a fistful of mac and cheese, tofu nuggets, steamed veggies and watermelon at lunch -- started saying, "Mmmm, mmm." So I let him have a bite, and you know what? He gobbled down that entire cracker, with its half-inch high topping of tapenade and smoked salmon. Seriously, those are two very potentially strange, strong tastes. I don't even like tapenade that much. Little did I know that I don't need to slave away in the kitchen for Jack -- all I need to do is crack open some jars of fancy cocktail food!  Just kidding. You know, if I'd bought those items, Jack would probably toss them on the floor as soon as they hit his high chair tray!

    I've now talked to and emailed with several other moms of toddlers Jack's age (including some of you guys!). I think the overwhelming consensus is that toddlers don't eat a lot, and sometimes they fixate one just one food for several days, so I'm not going to sweat it. Our pediatrician did tell me to expect "three days of poor eating, one day of fair eating." And that Deceptively Delicious cookbook mentioned that a typical serving size for a toddler is approximately the size of the toddler's fist. (You know, I think I'll follow that as my own portion guidelines. Seriously, if I ate only portions that were just the size of my fist, I could probably lose 10 pounds in a week!) I'll just continue to make good foods available to Jack, and keep my cool when he competes in his Food Olympics. After all, he got his stubbornness somewhere! You've met the source of it, Jack! You can't win! ::evil laughter::

    Finally, in the category of "The Big Guy Gives Me a Break," as I was walking in the extreme heat to Trader Joe's, I spotted a $5 bill laying on the sidewalk. I looked around, but no one was there. I briefly considered turning it in to "the authorities," then realized that a) who are the authorities?, and b) what would they do with a $5 bill anyway? Launch a citywide search for the owner? So, with a smidgeon of guilt, I pocketed the extra money. A few steps later, I decided to view this as God telling me to take a coffee break. So, since Coffee Bean is right next to Trader Joe's, I purchased a Caramel Ice Blended with my newfound fortune. Thanks, God!

Comments (13)

  • Aww! It was probably karma turing around on you. Someone up there figured you needed it! I was looking at that Deceptively Delicious cookbook. How neat! Honestly, I never thought of having pureed beets in a chocolate cake. Sounds interesting.

    Hope you're having a good week!

  • Hi Beverly! So Jack's at the defiant food stage huh? I haven't read your earlier posts yet but you probably read somewhere that they use food to exercise their individuality and it's really just an unfortunate rite of passage (unfortunate for the parents, but actually have psychological benefit for the kids... I mean, they have so little autonomy in making other decisions in life... at least he's not whining about switching to a bigger house right?) Anyway, I'll be slowly reading through your old posts but probably will not post on all of them... I have so much to do with my work already emailing me with orientation information and other screening procedures... I should be done unpacking after this weekend, I foresee a shiba meet soon!

  • The "three days of bad, one day of so-so" is a great recommendation that I must keep in the back of my head. Especially when they only eat strawberries and a piece of cheese for dinner. Sigh...

    I also heard that toddlers this age actually really prefer stronger flavors. You know what my kids liked? Cheese tortellini with pesto! Pesto! So there you go, I guess...

  • Toddler Food Consumption in the McCoy Household:  Stephanie can eat twice as much as me, Thade eats half the amount I do.  :(
    Thade used to be such a good eater.  Like, he would eat all of anything and everything you stuck in front of him.  Never made a face, never turned a thing down.  Then begged for more!  Now, I am good to get him to eat a bowl of cereal with milk in the morning (he has to have a cup of milk with it too), a peanut butter and jelly and Ritz crackers for lunch, and a bowl of mac'n'cheese for supper.  I don't know what the hell happened.
    Steph, though she is picky on some things, eats a whole lot!  She is getting awfully tired of pb&j sandwiches, but I have found out that she loves balogna.  I know it isn't great for her, but if she will eat............  This girl is a mashed potato and bread girl.  She will just eat and eat and eat all that.  Mashed potatoes...she will eat 4 serving sizes and still say and sign, "Mo, mo.....MO!"  :)  
    I am waiting for Steph's appetite to disappear.  I know it will happen any day now.  :P  

  • Yay for the 5 bux!

    I have no suggestions for picky eating toddlers since I have one myself! Tyson is still good for now... I think once they turn 1, the picky eater switch is turned on!

  • It's so reassuring to read that I'm not the only one suffering with a toddler's fickle palate! And the 3:1 ratio sounds about right - I can increase it if I feed nothing but ravioli and mac and cheese, but I suppose that's cheating, huh?

  • LOL Wow! I don't think I've ever known a child to have such a unique palette. That is too cute. And yes it is absolutely normal for them to be picky, finicky eaters at that age. To pig out one day and eat hardly anything for the next few days. They're amazing, really they are.

  • Ahh I love Trader Joes! :)  

    So I am in LA for two weeks (actually looking at Mattel out my window ;) )  is there anywhere you would recommend me to eat while I am here :)

  • @Sarue - Of course! It depends on what types of places you are looking for, but here are just a few suggestions. You should find a Pinkberry and have the original frozen yogurt with some fruit toppings -- or ask for their mochi topping as one of your choices; they usually hide it behind the counter. C&O Trattoria in Marina Del Rey has amazing pasta, and a fun atmosphere. If you like dim sum, try 888 Seafood Restaurant on Valley Blvd in Rosemead (but get there before 11 a.m. on the weekend in order to get a table! It's first come, first served).

  • This entry made me chuckle from start to finish I loved Jack's eating habits becoming Olympic events! I CANNOT believe he ate that cracker with that stuff on it - I was kind of repulsed! I don't really enjoy olive tapenade and I don't like smoked salmon AT ALL!!! Very sophisticated, Jack

    I am so glad you picked up the $5 bill and enjoyed a nice coffee treat!!! You looked around at least before pocketing it

  • @bevconeal - Thanks so much! :)   I am excited to try stuff out!  I have a coworker joining me tonight so I think tomorrow and Wed will be the days to adventure out a little more!  I love all food.  I am not picky in that sense!  How are things with the contracting?  Is Jack eating any more foods?

  • @Sarue - You're welcome! Enjoy exploring. Contracting is good -- some days it's more work than I bargained for; other days it's not busy at all, but it's a great way to bring home money while spending time with Jack, and I'm grateful for that. As for Jack's eating, he loves pasta with pesto (go figure ... such a strong taste!), and he's been eating pancakes with sweet potato puree mixed into the batter. He also likes chicken sausage. We're making slow progress!

  • Haha, congratulations to your Olympic training baby!

    I always thought babies ate a lot! Because they are...growing and have lots of energy to burn. Or maybe that's mice...small with high metabolism.

    Oh my gosh, I so want a coffee bean!!! I seriously believe that that's WAAAAAAAAAAAAY better than starbucks. Man, did you ever try their honey melon blended? I think that was a special. YUM! They seriously need to bring that to the East coast.

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