Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Forge Ahead!

Big Daddy Bacon ate an apple the other day for a snack! As you might have surmised, this is not a common occurrence. He usually reaches for chocolate (which he usually will not find in the house, so he usually gets in his car, and drives to the store for his snack.) But, I offered the kids an apple in lieu of a sugary snack, and he reached for one as well. I reached for something to hold onto, since I almost fell out of my chair in surprise.

Wacky ate all her asparagus last night at dinner. This was only the second time she ever tasted it, even though I frequently offer it when I have it on my plate. But, by day 5 of our new "you must try everything on your plate" rule, I think it finally sunk in for everyone. (You know who I mean, Daddy.) I put plates of turkey breasts, rice, and asparagus down in front of us them, and looked up to see what would happen. To my utter shock and dismay, Big Daddy suggested that they all try their asparagus at the same time. After a 1-2-3, they each took a bite. K-Picky didn't gag. Progress! Instead, she said. "it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, mom." And, then, she did the unthinkable, and TOOK ANOTHER BITE! MAJOR Progress!


So, feeling that I am on the verge of accomplishing the near impossible, I went out on a limb tonight. I found a recipe for a vegetarian Asian soup, and built a meal around it.



This soup was great, but the salad I served with it was not a hit, because of my choice of sesame ginger dressing. I won't make that mistake again. Big Daddy says he needs meat somewhere in the meal too. Maybe I should ease him into veggie meals...





I started by sauteing 2 tbsp crushed ginger and a tbsp chopped garlic in a tsp of canola oil. I then added some soy sauce and 4 c water to make the broth. (I added more soy to taste). I then added a chopped carrot, some shelled soy beans (edamame) , sliced mushrooms, chunks of firm tofu, and sliced snow peas. I boiled it all until the carrots softened, and served it, topped with sliced green, from my own garden.







Meanwhile, I used indentured servant labor to wash the lettuce. She may be a picky eater but she loves to help in the kitchen. At least someone likes to help. Wacky (being true to her name) rode her new bike through the kitchen, yelling, "I'm the dream fairy. Mommy, say 'hi, dream fairy'. Now, say 'bye, dream fairy' " Odd, you say? I agree. Oh, you mean odd that we let them ride bikes in the house? I agree. Why DO I let them ride bikes in the house??


OK, so we didn't lick our plates clean tonight, but we had fun together in the kitchen, and more importantly, we are making progress. It must be the magical wand the Dream Fairy kept waving in our direction.

















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