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What Are Your Kids Eating Tonight?


leleboo

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On 8/13/2019 at 3:11 PM, NolaCaine said:

My kids are over summer. And get this, they have been describing to me what types of lunches they want...so win to me for making good lunches and ...loose to me for same.

In other news, my kids have eaten all these cheese and cheese products in the entirety of the world this summer. And cucumbers and tomatoes. That's it.

Oh, yours are the ones sharing that honor with mine! I keep warning them how disappointed they're going to be when it isn't tomato season any more. They don't believe me. Mwahahaha, their loss.

With back-to-school this week and hubby out of the country, we've been eating a lot of couch picnics consisting of random leftovers. Phoning it in, to the max.

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My 4.5yo is in a phase of critiquing everything (even if she goes on to eat it). Tonight, it was that there are "stripes" (ridges) on the pasta. I'm thinking back to when my French family served me  rognons (kidneys) without (a) me knowing what a rognon was or (b) offering an alternative. Granted, I was older, but still ... lord wine me strength to deal with preschoolerhood again.

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Recently, I was making homemade chicken tenders, and the kids bemoaned the fact that there weren't any dino-shaped chicken nuggets (although they consumed the homemade breaded chicken with alacrity). Tonight, I announced that, for fun, I had purchased and would be preparing the aforementioned dino nuggets -- thanks Wegmans -- to much bemoaning of "but I don't waaaaaaant that!"

Parenthood: for anyone who wants to be wrong ALL THE DAMN TIME.

(Of course they ate the dino nuggets. Who wouldn't?)

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Due to crazy schedules, we've hit a pattern of the kids getting the leftovers of whatever hubby and I had the night before. On the upside, this has meant that the other night they had a pasta potluck featuring bucatini with creamy chickpeas and spinach, and cavatappi with spicy turkey pumpkin sauce, and tonight was boeuf bourguignon over sour cream "rustic" mashed potatoes. Of course, tomorrow we venture to Disney on Ice, which means violently-bright sno-cones in outrageously expensive souvenir cups and hitting the drive-thru on the way home because they don't like any of the "real food" at the Giant Center. #everythinginmoderation 

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I've been gone awhile and would like to return to the theme of school lunches. My kids, those wonderful darlings, now want to look at the school lunch choices BEFORE deciding if they want to pack a lunch. Nice. Also, they have, in their kid wisdom, decided that they should not have the same thing two days in a row. FWIW, in my day, this was not an option. Mom got stuff for the week...same stuff, all week.

Finally, they like warm lunches in their thermoses. Bless their hearts. Upside, they stopped loosing stuff.

Part of me likes it. I think school lunches are where I place my creativity right now.

 

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15 hours ago, NolaCaine said:

I've been gone awhile and would like to return to the theme of school lunches. My kids, those wonderful darlings, now want to look at the school lunch choices BEFORE deciding if they want to pack a lunch. Nice. Also, they have, in their kid wisdom, decided that they should not have the same thing two days in a row. FWIW, in my day, this was not an option. Mom got stuff for the week...same stuff, all week.

Finally, they like warm lunches in their thermoses. Bless their hearts. Upside, they stopped loosing stuff.

Part of me likes it. I think school lunches are where I place my creativity right now.

 

All this. Except the part about liking it.  OCD eating tendencies make any meal difficult.  At least we got him to agree that the turkey can go between the bread slices (I'm sure he pulls them back out at school).

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My 5-year-old is currently obsessed with chicken fingers (boo) and honeydew melon (yay). She's also starting to complain about too much repetitiveness in her packed lunches for school (even though she eats the same things over and over again in the rest of her life). I'm about to buy her a thermos so she can bring soup to school.

She claims to hate pizza and prefers to eat her pasta cold (but then complains that the Parmesan won't stick to it). 🤯

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On 1/15/2020 at 4:23 PM, dracisk said:

She claims to hate pizza and prefers to eat her pasta cold (but then complains that the Parmesan won't stick to it). 🤯

What is it about 5? Last night mine threw a fit because she didn't want tomatoes in her tomato sauce. The same tomato sauce that is on her pasta 90% of the time, which has never been a problem before. Lord wine me strength.

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Mine is also obsessed with fruit snacks. I hate those things even more than Goldfish. I bought a huge box of them for her birthday party last year and hid the leftovers, but she remembered we have them and asks for them in her lunch every day. She didn't start asking for them until she started kindergarten, so I'm guessing other kids have them in their lunches. They're basically candy with a thin veneer of fruit!

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9 hours ago, dracisk said:

Mine is also obsessed with fruit snacks. I hate those things even more than Goldfish. I bought a huge box of them for her birthday party last year and hid the leftovers, but she remembered we have them and asks for them in her lunch every day. She didn't start asking for them until she started kindergarten, so I'm guessing other kids have them in their lunches. They're basically candy with a thin veneer of fruit!

There are some that are actually made of fruit, or at least fruit juice. They are still candy, but I guess as candy goes, they’re better than, like, Nerds? Or Jolly a Ranchers? 

I am frequently amazed at the lunches my kids’ classmates have. I try hard to pack a protein, grain, veg, fruit. Apparently I’m unique in this where we live. But I’m personally not a big lunch person — I mainly eat breakfast and dinner — so maybe I am just out of the lunch loop.

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I will preface this by saying I am not big on "hiding" vegetables in food -- I want my kids to learn to eat the veggies, rather than not knowing they're there. However, after the I Hate This Tomato In My Tomato Sauce fiasco, I've taken to pureeing my usual chunky vegetable tomato sauce. My kids know it still is full of veggies, but the little one is much happier to consume it when it's smooth. I'm wondering if it's a texture thing?

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So, my older daughter had a close friend join her dance class, and Friend’s Mom, whom I know socially, suggested carpooling. Great! I am all about it. But Friend’s Mom has decided that on her days, she’ll treat them to Wendy’s en route. I don’t really care — fast food every two weeks isn’t the end of the world — but my preschooler now feels left out. So today, since my hubs was going to pick up the dancer, I got the mini a Happy Meal. She was truly in the best mood I’ve seen her in weeks. 
 

tl;dr Happy Meals actually bring the happy 

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Weekends, y’all. I ran the dishwasher like twelve hundred times this weekend, and it’s loaded again AND the sink is full. I’m dying. WTH?!

Side note: my kids love munching on raw veggies, or as I tell them, “crudité”, because I’m a jerk. So I finally realized I could use my party-to-go Rubbermaid tray to keep pre-washed and sliced and ready veggies IN THE FRIDGE ON THEIR LEVEL. It’s got peppers, carrots, broccoli, olives, and cucumbers. It’s perfect. I’m so impressed with myself. Harvard is totally gonna give me an advanced recognition at my reunion this year. (I swear my brain worked better before kids.)

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On 3/4/2020 at 9:09 AM, lion said:

Finally got around to making some turkey meatballs and they were such a hit with our son that he's been eating the leftovers in a hamburger bun for his lunch at school.

My older daughter is OBSESSED with meatball subs. She does not like meatballs with pasta -- I mean, she'll eat them, but she vastly prefers the on-a-bun preparation.

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1 hour ago, leleboo said:

My older daughter is OBSESSED with meatball subs. She does not like meatballs with pasta -- I mean, she'll eat them, but she vastly prefers the on-a-bun preparation.

Ended using the left overs turkey meatballs on Balducci's brioche buns for my son's lunchbox last week and he loved them as well. 

 

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Hubs is traveling (let's ignore the COVID-19 implications there) and this is the one week of the year that my kids can eat dinner at a normal human hour instead of a time that would qualify for the early-bird-senior-discount, so I decided on pressure-cooker mac and cheese, thusly:
 

  • macaroni --> campanelle
  • cheese = gruyere and extra-sharp cheddar
  • peas and carrots on the side for the kids, while mom's version got mixed with spinach and topped with spicy breadcrumbs

Hors d'oeuvres were truffled salami and cornichons. 

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3 hours ago, leleboo said:

Hubs is traveling (let's ignore the COVID-19 implications there) and this is the one week of the year that my kids can eat dinner at a normal human hour instead of a time that would qualify for the early-bird-senior-discount, so I decided on pressure-cooker mac and cheese, thusly:
 

  • macaroni --> campanelle
  • cheese = gruyere and extra-sharp cheddar
  • peas and carrots on the side for the kids, while mom's version got mixed with spinach and topped with spicy breadcrumbs

Hors d'oeuvres were truffled salami and cornichons. 

Can I haz what you're hazing? 

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Right now, I’m supremely grateful that my kids are not super-picky. Did my younger one complain that tonight’s dinner was chicken? Of course she did. Did she eat it? Yes, because she loves chicken. I feel for the parents who are trying to navigate this situation with super-picky eaters, and for those whose kids rely on school meals for one or two a day. This ain’t easy, gang.

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Updates: Thanks to Coronavirus quarantine, I have learned that my kids legit love Caesar salad. They ate like an entire bag of salad greens with (not homemade, I’m just over it) Caesar dressing tonight. They’ve also sampled spinach souffle and ... IDK probably a lot of chicken nuggets. What day is it? I give up.

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On 3/10/2020 at 6:26 PM, leleboo said:

My older daughter is OBSESSED with meatball subs. She does not like meatballs with pasta -- I mean, she'll eat them, but she vastly prefers the on-a-bun preparation.

I still won't eat meatballs with pasta. But I love love love meatball subs.

I also like kazhak meatballs with cherries on flat bread. But I do not want them on pasta.

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Can I just put this post out here and say- you all are doing great.  Hang in there.  I don't have kids, and the admiration I have for all the parents out there right now juggling jobs, teaching their kids, staying sane, managing a household with all the shortages.  You all are amazing.  I wish I had a picture of this little girl earlier who was riding a push scooter with a gold, shiny Wonder Woman cape billowing behind her.  It is what I think of when I think of you all.  Stay strong.    

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My 6-year-old, who won't be having a birthday party this year, has been eating a lot of ham sandwiches, hot dogs, and chicken fingers. 🙁But she'll also eat plain (well-rinsed) black beans from a can and a ton of fresh fruit, so let's focus on that. One day since school's been out she ate an entire Costco-sized container of blueberries. I'm thankful she's well past diapers.

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Science class today consisted of making banana bread, from scratch.

I do NOT bake. It's just not for me. But not only did the kids and I do this today, I didn't even have to buy special ingredients.

Definitely the apocalypse.

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Tonight is Family Movie night. We still have some mozzarella I picked up last weekend which should be good, so it's home made pizza night, too.

Anybody using Disney+?  Thinking about finally signing up as we've gone thru our movie selections on Netflix and Prime. 

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So apparently we've all stopped feeding the kids ... or it's a parade of chicken nuggets and homemade sourdough. LOL! 

@lion I tried to respond to you once before and teh site ate my comment. If you haven't splurged on Disney+ yet, do it -- on Wednesday, the original Bway cast filming of Hamilton drops. WORTH IT.

I'm like 183% burned out on cooking. Three meals a day plus snacks, and that's just the kids. They invariably don't want to eat what I'm making OR what the other child wants. I have repeatedly told them I'm not a short-order cook and this isn't a restaurant, but I am so tired of the whining and fighting. Anyone else?

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Cooking for a bottomless pit of a 13 year old here. 

He had the audacity to tell me he is tired of rice.  He used to beg me to cook rice.  Dinners are usually some type of meat, cooked with onions and zucchini and garlic, with any other veggies I want to throw in, a can of beans, a sauce, and then served over rice.  Or pasta if I’m feeling kind. It isn’t fancy.  It isn’t going to win awards. But it keeps us fed.   He has the leftovers for breakfast. 

I did make a shepherds pie that we all loved recently and if I can ever get decent potatoes again, I will serve it again. 

I have also stopped asking what he or Mr. BLB want or think of my dinner plan. I just cook.  If they don’t like, they can cook dinner. 

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13 hours ago, leleboo said:

So apparently we've all stopped feeding the kids ... or it's a parade of chicken nuggets and homemade sourdough. LOL! 

@lion I tried to respond to you once before and teh site ate my comment. If you haven't splurged on Disney+ yet, do it -- on Wednesday, the original Bway cast filming of Hamilton drops. WORTH IT.

I'm like 183% burned out on cooking. Three meals a day plus snacks, and that's just the kids. They invariably don't want to eat what I'm making OR what the other child wants. I have repeatedly told them I'm not a short-order cook and this isn't a restaurant, but I am so tired of the whining and fighting. Anyone else?

Disney+ we watched everything. Waiting for Hamilton before canceling. 

I've been sous Vide-ing for the kids. They like duck, pork, and meat (but not steak). I'm not yet sure what meat is but i suspect it was a really tender, perfectly cooked steak that I can't replicate.

Can we talk about apples? My  kids go through apples and pickles like there's a pandemic or something...

 

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10 hours ago, bookluvingbabe said:

Cooking for a bottomless pit of a 13 year old here. 

He had the audacity to tell me he is tired of rice.  He used to beg me to cook rice.  Dinners are usually some type of meat, cooked with onions and zucchini and garlic, with any other veggies I want to throw in, a can of beans, a sauce, and then served over rice.  Or pasta if I’m feeling kind. It isn’t fancy.  It isn’t going to win awards. But it keeps us fed.   He has the leftovers for breakfast. 

I did make a shepherds pie that we all loved recently and if I can ever get decent potatoes again, I will serve it again. 

I have also stopped asking what he or Mr. BLB want or think of my dinner plan. I just cook.  If they don’t like, they can cook dinner. 

I'm growing potatoes. Mostly to prove to myself that I can grow a carb in ARL.

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18 hours ago, leleboo said:

So apparently we've all stopped feeding the kids ... or it's a parade of chicken nuggets and homemade sourdough. LOL! 

@lion I tried to respond to you once before and teh site ate my comment. If you haven't splurged on Disney+ yet, do it -- on Wednesday, the original Bway cast filming of Hamilton drops. WORTH IT.

I'm like 183% burned out on cooking. Three meals a day plus snacks, and that's just the kids. They invariably don't want to eat what I'm making OR what the other child wants. I have repeatedly told them I'm not a short-order cook and this isn't a restaurant, but I am so tired of the whining and fighting. Anyone else?

I finalize convinced my wife we needed it and it's been good. Some things are above our son's age, he's six but they both have enjoyed the National Geographic shows especially on the US National Parks. We're just wrapping up Avatar: The Last Airbender series and bought Scoob a couple of weeks ago for his birthday. Totally loved it! He's already rewatched it, 3 or 4 times. 

In hindsight should have signed up for the Disney+, Hulu and ESPN bundle. Oh well! Thinking about Viki which is an Asian service since been watching a lot of Korean shows. 

Three months of home cooking has taken its toll. I've had to limit my wife's baking on the weekends since I'm the dishwasher and all those pans! 🤪 It wouldn't be so bad if it was just one pan but she will approach it as a baking day and have 2-3 things baking at the same time. Those days my hands need some serious Kiehl's lotion treatment!

 

 

 

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4 hours ago, NolaCaine said:

I'm growing potatoes. Mostly to prove to myself that I can grow a carb in ARL.

Are you using some kind of planter system or just a regular pot? Wife and son want to do that on our deck but haven't had the time to research it. 

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2 hours ago, lion said:

Are you using some kind of planter system or just a regular pot? Wife and son want to do that on our deck but haven't had the time to research it. 

Thanks for asking! About 6 in the ground in a bad part of our yard that doesn't get much sun so we'll see. Nothing else will grow there. Two others are in grow bags. I did one grow bag with actual seed potatoes and the other pot with real potatoes that grew. You see, I am "homeschooling" science. I'm really proud of my experiments. I did it once before and kids LOVE harvesting them. My 3 year old (at the time) and his friend got so dirty. They had a blast. I did "5g grow bags" (your search term) with potting soil. You Tube has LOTS of videos. (how to grow potatoes in a bag). Easy!

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Last night I made a salad from my garden; only stuff from it. One lovely romaine lettuce. One plump but short carrot. Four edible flours. A little herb mixture for 3 of us and some rocket arugula for the pepper lovers. EVOO + Balsamic. 

I served other stuff but only this was worth mentioning. Kids ATE IT UP!

In other news, I just made beef/chicken/pork broth and my  6 yr old keeps asking for "tastes". She's going to eat it all if I let her! I'm about to attempt a mushroom barley broth soup. We'll see if i succeed.

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If you're exploring outside with your kids NolaCaine, would recommend the Seek app by iNaturalist. My wife uses it was our son when walking in the woods to help identify plants and he definitely has taken to learning about what different kinds of mushroom there are and how not to eat them. 

That's great that your garden produces enough for your meals!

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HI! Are we all still alive? Kids too? Excellent. 

Let's see ... I'm still exhausted, but now also feeling lots of guilt and angst and annoyance that my 3rd grader will only be going back virtually (by choice, since full-time in person with hundreds of kids seemed a bad idea) but a bunch of her friends have moved to in-person parochial school (Catholic dogma does not vibe with our laid-back-but-still-actually-Jewish existence). Little one is doing kindergarten full-time in-person at the private kindergarten at what was our daycare; it is basically already socially distanced since age groups don't interact, there's only one class per year, they have no cafeteria or gym, and teachers don't circulate (older one attended that back in the day for totally different reasons); masking is going great and they are having a blast. Meanwhile, I'm now making school lunch for one and dealing with an eating-because-bored other...it's like a 24-hour diner over here. How are you all?

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It does seem like a long march with distance learning for kids.

Today, our rising 1st grade son had a video chat with his new teacher. From what she said, the school day will be much fuller than the spring term as they have prepared to replicate a regular school day's activities with specials and different level reading and math groups. 

Everyday lunch will be between 12 and 1, so at least our schedule will be more fixed moving into the fall. At least dinner has fallen into a routine where we rotate thru 7-8 things over two weeks.

 

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