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Tuesday, April 8, 2008

H is for Hungry

My little boy can EAT. He sometimes has as much as I do at dinner/lunch/whatever we're eating. When my friend came over last Friday, I saw how much he can eat. This was not because he ate more than normal, but because she compared what I gave the kids to what she normally gives hers. She just keeps it more simple for lunch, I guess.

For lunch on Friday I gave the boys this:
  • peanut butter and honey sandwich pockets on wheat bread (I use honey so there's no mess with jelly. I cut off the crusts [he doesn't eat them anyway and the dog likes it] with my Pampered Chef Cut-N-Seal.)
  • 3 baby carrots with ranch dip
  • a small handful of yogurt-covered raisins
  • a small graham cracker square
  • peach yogurt
  • milk

Zachariah ate all of that and more. Lucas ate maybe half of that or less, but he did ask for more carrots and raisins a few times.

That might be a little more than what I would typically give Zac, but he will eat it. Plus for lunch I let him pick out things he likes. He always has a sandwich (or chicken or pasta or something like that), a fruit (orange slices, peaches, plums, raisins, grapes, etc.), a veggie usually with dip (carrots, broccoli, celery), pretzels (or graham cracker or tortilla chips or something), and milk. He'll sometimes have yogurt, too.

For dinner Zachariah will eat whatever we're eating. I do some casseroles with meat/veggies/pasta/rice combinations, I make a lot of chicken, and Matt likes to make different creations with whatever is on hand. We always have a veggie with dinner too, and he'll eat that. Sometimes for dessert we'll have fruit. Most nights he eats a smaller portion of everything we're having. If he won't try something on his plate, he isn't allowed to have a snack later.

For breakfasts he will eat a small bowl of cereal and fruit. Or he'll have waffles or pancakes and fruit. If I make him frozen waffles he can eat about 1 1/2 easily sometimes 2 and the fruit and juice or milk.

For snacks in the afternoon after nap Zachariah will have a cereal bar or popcorn or fruit snacks or a banana or whatever I have laying around like that. And on most of my tutoring days he'll eat there with the kids (a cookie or crackers or something else small like that). For before bed snacks it's much lighter and usually a treat. We eat dinner late and usually within 1/2 hour after that's over it's already bath time. I let him pick something out of the snack box for that snack. Right now he has some little Easter chocolates that he's chosen. So he'll have one little Hershey's kiss or something similar. (Then of course we go brush all the chocolate out of his teeth.) I do not allow snacks in the morning. Breakfast and lunch seem close enough together. And if I allow morning snacks, he won't eat much for breakfast.

I don't feel like he's eating all the time or eats tons of food. But I know for his age, Zachariah is a pretty good eater. He likes to eat. And he's not too picky. Once in a while there are things he won't try, but we can usually convince him to take a few bites even if he doesn't finish it. It's important to us that he tries a wide variety of things. I will admitt, though, that I already worry about how I will feed this kid when he's a teenager. He already eats well, and I remember what Matt was like as a teen.

7 comments:

The Amazing Trips said...

That's great you have such a good eater. Our kids are going through a finicky stage which drives me crazy. But, if they don't eat what we eat, they can have an extra bowl of cereal in the morning!! There's no way we can be short-order cooks for three kids.

Regarding your comment on my post re: large toys. I'll probably touch on this at some point during my organization spiel(s), but one thing that we did last summer is convert our outside storage shed (where our lawn mower was located) in to a "big" toy shed for the kids. We had to rearrange some things and get rid of a few things to accommodate the toys, but it's amazing what you can whittle down when you have to. Also, I don't know if you don't have a garage at all? Or, just little space, but - we bought a simple shelving system (very low profile) that goes against one wall. It will hold a lot of clothes, toys, and seasonal decorations that we just don't have room for in the house. Another thing we did is put racks on the ceiling. I'll post about this at some point soon, with pictures.

Misty said...

for a two year old that IS great! good for you for diligently offering him healthy foods. So often I watch parents cave and make special food for their kids because they "don't like..." But I think that sometimes (not always) parents tend to create drama where there isn't any.

Nowheymama said...

We love our cut-n-seal!

Anonymous said...

Ah, I kid eating envy! :)

Anonymous said...

I'm glad to know I'm not the only one with a toddler with a hearty appetite! I keep waiting for the finicky stage to start, but you've given me hope that maybe Liam will continue to be a great eater.

Saly said...

Exactly how CA is. She LOVES to eat. ED, not so much. He is picky picky picky.

Sarah said...

I am drooling with envy right now. I can count on one hand the times Addy has eaten what we're eating for dinner with no modifications. We have tried not to make a huge issue out of it, as she is WAY control freak about stuff and I don't want to create more battles than I already have. But we usually can get her to at least try a bite. However, unless she is seriously starving, she will chew a few times, then start gagging and moan, "No like it! No like it!" Generally she will eat mac and cheese (which I do from scratch, so at least it's fairly healthy) peanut butter sandwiches, most fruits, applesauce, peas and corn, rice, most cereals, crackers, and sometimes cheese. THE END.
I am PRAYING Eli is one of those unfussy, hearty eaters.