Now that my child is nearly fourteen months old (!?!?!?), I have come to that fork in the road that I hear so many parents talk about, whine about, cringe over, and let out exasperated sighs. Mealtime is becoming chaos.
Currently, our child's diet consists primarily of cheese and crackers. She asks for these items on a regular basis. Usually yelling. Cracker?! Cheese?! Open the refrigerator, or what I think she has decided is the cheese storage box, and immediately you will hear, "CHEESE!?!?!" shouted from a wee voice as if her life depended on it. The cheese is either the organic string cheese, or (don't judge) good 'ol pasteurized American cheese. In my defense, the American slices come from the milkman weekly. So at least it's local. But Abbey loves the stuff. Asks for it regularly. As for the crackers - mostly graham crackers. Whole wheat - that's a win, right?
I had always hoped that our child would be an adventurous eater, although I always knew that could be a long-shot. I eat pretty much anything. My husband...not so much. Abbey seems to enjoy most things that are orange or white in color. Again, cheese. Umm...bananas. Hmm...yogurt. Waffles, pancakes or French toast. And occasionally, a blueberry or strawberry. Oh, and French fries. Mac and Cheese, but it has to come from a box and only the shell shaped pasta. And crackers. Of course. That's about it.
I will say that a new bond has definitely been forged between Abbey and the canine members of our family, since Abbey's culinary outcasts are hurled onto the floor to the delight of our four-legged companions.
So, what to do? I know a lot of parents struggle with this. I want my kiddo to have a good diet. I do. It's important to me. But here's the thing. I have no desire to spend my weekends/evenings/free time creating deliciously healthy meals en masse that are then packaged into colorful, recycled, sustainable, BPA and every chemical possible free containers with cute stickers on them with "Abigail" adorned on them. Not gonna happen. I'm lucky if I brush my teeth and shower these days. And though I'm not a huge fan of pre-preared grocery bought food - I understand the negative impacts, I read the stories about the obesity epidemic in our country, I know it starts with me and the habits I set for my child, I get it. But please for the love of God can someone point me to healthy, tasty, offerings that might exist in say, the freezer aisle? That require a minute or less in the microwave? Preferably something that has a vegetable hidden somewhere in it? Do such items exist?
