Happy Holidays!

I realize it has been forever since I posted. The holiday's are in full swing in our household. My youngest is Christmas obsessed and is in a constant state of utter joy these days. I can't wait to see his face on Christmas morning when he realizes he gets presents on top of all the other fun things the Christmas season has brought us this year:) I have been cooking off and on, but will admit there has been a lot of mac and cheese evenings lately:( I have managed to sneak some good family dinner time in, though, which is just as important as what is being served. I will be back in full swing at the start of the new year and am dying to post some of the recipes I have recently tried out of my new cookbook! Stay tuned. In the meantime, I leave you with evidence of what we have been doing during the holidays that has kept me away from blogging...

Merry Christmas!!!!

Triumph!

Tonight was a good night. A good, good night. Whoo-hoo! (Wrigley has been singing the Black-Eyed Peas song relentlessly lately. His version, though, is "I got a feel-a. Whoo-hoo". Too cute!)

It was a good night because my wish came true for one moment in time at the dinner table. I cooked one meal, placed it on the table and everyone ate. No arguing. No negotiating over bites. I needed tonight after the numerous fights I have had with Jackson over eating lately. You may, or may not have, noticed that I haven't been posting too frequently. I will admit that Jackson's stubbornness got the best of me for a while. I resorted to my old ways of fixing the blue and orange box or throwing hot dogs in the microwave. Partly we have been busy and my husband has had late work nights. So, it is very difficult for me to muster enough gumption to cook a nice meal knowing no one will be eating it but me. But, also, I was just exhausted from the efforts of getting Jack to eat. The tip of my iceberg was Thanksgiving. For the 3rd year in a row, I have hosted. I love hosting! I love the idea of cooking a really good meal made up of dishes that my mom has served for as long as I can remember. I don't remember a Thanksgiving without 7 layer salad or corn soufflé or the very popular Monkey Bread. Now that I can master those dishes and serve them to my family fills me with joy, even if it takes a whole lotta work! Of course, when your 5 year old eats nothing but a roll and then 10 minutes after all the endless dishes are cleared and cleaned announces that he is hungry, that joy dissipates. I really thought I was done. That was it! This is over-he has won. I was ready to wave my white flag and stock pile Kraft boxes.

Then something miraculous happened! We decorated the house for Christmas on Friday and my husband took over as food monitor. Something must have snapped for him, too, because soon after breakfast the kids wanted a snack. Adam said very firmly, "No snacks today! You can eat lunch and then dinner. Nothing else." Who am I to argue with logic? So, we stuck to this plan and the kids filled their bellies with hot dogs for lunch and pizza for dinner. Now, I realize this is not yet too miraculous since the kids like hot dogs and pizza. But, cut to today and again no snacks allowed. Dinner was Spaghetti with meat sauce. Notoriously, Jackson refuses the sauce and requests plain pasta. Not tonight! I fixed dinner, served, and everyone ate! He actually ate meat sauce! Truth be told, he did ask for plain pasta after his serving was consumed, but still! So, this is the new rule in our house. Snacks are no longer available! This, as you may remember, has been the only "expert tip" that had worked so far in this challenge. They won't starve no matter how many times they tell me they are! We, as parents, just have to stick to the plan and soon Jackson will be eating liver and onions! :) Stay tuned....

Shea

How I love the Corn Chowder....too bad Jackson doesn't!

I must be on some kind of soup/chowder kick. Even though it is still in the 80's here in Orlando, I feel like it should be cold and therefore, soup/chowder is appropriate.

No one in my family, except me, is big on corn. Even Wrigley says he doesn't like "pa-corn". But, I thought hidden in the soup it might work. I found a really good recipe on All Recipes and it turned out wonderful! Very flavorful and hearty. However, Jackson wouldn't even attempt a bite. Shocking, I know! I am starting to wonder why I even make dinner. Jackson's hatred for all things not named Mac and Cheese has started to infiltrate Wrigley. So, now when I tell Wrigley it is time for dinner, he says: "I don wan dinna". Nice! I am trying not to get frustrated, but it is getting increasingly more difficult. I feel really good about what I am serving in that it is healthy and yummy, but is it worth all the effort if no one but Adam and I eat?

Tonight I am going back to the basics and serving Baked Spaghetti. Maybe one dinner where everyone eats will keep me motivated...

Here is the recipe for the chowder, which really was good. I had a lot leftover and was able to freeze some for the days when it actually is cold around here. I followed the recipe exactly, but some of the commented suggestions sounded good, too.

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Cheesy-Potato-and-Corn-Chowder/Detail.aspx

Shea

Soup's On....

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup. Yummy! Well, to most, anyway! My dad, the repair hero, stopped by the house to try and fix our washing machine and ended up staying for dinner. It was a nice change to have conversation at the table that didn't revolve around how many bites Jackson had to endure to get ice cream. I can tell you how many bites he took-NONE! There was a debate between Jackson and I over whether a bite of chicken actually passed his lips. But, in the end it was concluded that the chicken touched his lips but never entered his mouth.

So far, the only trick that has worked is to starve him until dinner. And even then I only get one or two bites out of him. The problem with this trick is that if he doesn't like the afternoon snack at school (which, giving his limited taste buds, is most days) then he is down right ravenous by the time I pick him up from school. I try to give him a little something to tide him over. Good thing I do, because he doesn't eat dinner and has to wait for breakfast. It is a vicious cycle!

The soup, however, was a big hit among us normal eaters. I used this recipe from All Recipes and applied the suggestions found in the comments:

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/quick-and-easy-chicken-noodle-soup/Detail.aspx

This made enough for the 3 adults and one child that actually ate. Plus I was able to fill 4 ziploc bags with one serving each. I froze those in case any of us come down with a cold in the next few months-nothing like a nice bowl of homemade chicken noodle soup to feel better!

Shea

It's been a while....

Life has been crazy, but fun lately. We took the kids to Disney for Halloween weekend and then Wrigley and I took a road trip with my parents to Illinois while Jackson and Adam went camping. So, the challenge was put on hiatus for the last two weeks. So worth it, though, as we had so much fun trick-or-treating with Mickey and Wrigley and I got to harvest soy beans with my Uncle John in Illinois! What an experience! Support your local farmers:)

Needless to say, with 2 weeks of Jackson getting to eat Pb&J's and macaroni and cheese, last night was like starting over with my dinner challenge. I used the "expert tip" of re-introducing a food that was previously turned down by your child. Children's taste buds are ever changing, so what they dislike last week may be their favorite dish this week. So, Martha's (who needs no last name) Chicken Tetrazzini made a re-appearance last night on the dinner table. We got back from Illinois late Sunday night, so the chicken tetrazzini that I froze weeks ago came in very handy! Unfortunately, the tip did not work and Jackson chose not to dip his fork in the chicken tetrazzini, again. These tips never seem to work. I often wonder if they are really kid tested. I recently read on the cover of a parenting magazine that inside were kid-friendly recipes. Just what I need! I excitedly flipped to the page only to find recipes for fish tacos and meat-loaf. Really?!?! How old are these "kids"? Because I was 30 before I stopped holding my nose when I ate meat-loaf.

I did try something really cruel last night. Ice cream is a love of Jackson's, so half way through dinner I told him that if he ate half of what was on his plate, he could have a bowl. He said he would, and I quote, "think about it". While he was thinking about it, Wrigley ate ALL of his dinner. So, I served him a big heaping bowl of ice cream while he sat next to a very pitiful looking older brother. And, this is how different their eating habits are. Wrigley declined the bowl for more grapes! Jackson wanted to know who got the bowl of ice cream since he was choosing not to eat his dinner. I briefly though about grabbing a spoon and digging in, but I could hear that story being re-told in a therapy session years from now and opted to just pitch the bowl.

Something, eventually, has to work. Tonight is homemade Chicken Noodle Soup. Jackson's excitement of chicken noodle soup was quickly turned to disappointment when he discovered it wouldn't be out of a can. What has this world come to:)

Shea

A rough day.

Have you ever had "one of those days"? Today was one of those for me. Nothing major happened, just a bad day. And it is still going. I'll cut to the point of the day that centers around Jackson's dinner.

One of the few dishes I have perfected is Quiche. Adam and I have a cookbook from his grandmother's Georgia United Methodist Church fundraiser where all the congregates donated their best recipes. You can imagine how fabulous the recipes are and the quiche recipe is one of them. The great thing about the recipe is you can swap out the meat and veggie to make different variations. The original recipe is broccoli and bacon, but I have used sausage and mushrooms and it was just as good. In fact, I bought frozen spinach by mistake this week, so I swapped out one green vegetable for another. Long story short, Jackson did not eat at all. The first thing he rejected were the grapes and apple slices I put on the dinner table. Then immediately turned his nose up, correction-held his nose at the quiche (apparently he didn't like the smell). The fact that he didn't end up eating it doesn't bother me all that much. I remember being stubborn about not eating vegetables at his age and the quiche had obvious spinach. It is his attitude about the whole thing. Like he is personally offended that he is not being allowed to eat "his" meals, as he calls them. No regard for the amount of effort or time I slaved over dinner. Ok, it really isn't that difficult of a dish, but still! To make it all worse, the entire family meal time is focused on Jackson taking a bite. We tried to ignore it tonight and praise Wrigley for eating his portion, but Jackson kept bringing it back to him. Then he totally lied to Adam and told him he ate the whole thing. Luckily my husband can not be fooled by his devious plan and took a look in the garbage can. Sure enough, there was Jackson's portion sitting right on top. Not the sharpest knife when it comes to deception, thank goodness:) He was sent to his room for lying and wasting food. I threw in the wasting food part which I am sure Adam thought was a little petty. He didn't make the darn thing!

So, challenge is getting tougher, but I am not backing down! I will prevail!!!!!!

Shea

Cheddar-Broccoli Quiche Recipe (from the Treasured Recipes Cookbook of Snellville United Methodist Church)

10 oz frozen chopped broccoli, cooked & drained

2 cups (8oz) shredded cheddar cheese

2 tablespoons flour

1 cup milk

2 eggs, beaten

3 crisply cooked bacon slices, crumbled

1/2 tsp salt

dash pepper

9-inch unbaked pie shell

Drain broccoli well on absorbent paper. Toss cheese with flour. Add broccoli, milk, eggs, bacon salt and pepper. Mix well. Pour into pastry shell. Bake at 350 for 1 hour.

Turkey...not just for Thanksgiving!

Last week was a crazy week for us, so I didn't spend too much time cooking elaborate meals. Jackson was able to eat hot dogs, macaroni and cheese and chick-fil-a all in one week! I think he was hoping my cooking days were over, but unfortunately for him I am still on my mission!

One of the staples of Jackson's lunches that I pack is turkey wraps. Nothing fancy-just turkey and american cheese rolled in a tortilla. So, I thought that maybe he would like turkey for dinner. Plus, I would like for him to actually partake in Thanksgiving this year by eating with everyone rather than crying under the table. I thought getting him used to eating turkey would help, so dinner tonight was turkey breast, mashed potatoes and green beans. Believe it or not, I have never made turkey other than on Thanksgiving! I have gotten better at it each year, though, and even "brined" the turkey last year. Anyway....back to my point. I had no idea how to cook this little turkey breast. I researched the internet and after reading endless recipes containing ingredients I did not have, I patted the thing with butter and tossed it in the oven. The green beans were an adventure as I cooked bacon, then added onions to the bacon fat then tossed in the green beans and added back the bacon. Not too bad:) My mashed potatoes have gotten a lot better over the years, but I think I need to stop making them. Mashed potatoes are a food weakness for me. I can literally eat an entire bowl of mashed potatoes and not think twice. My thighs usually take issue with this, but I am ok with consuming a whole bowl full of yummy carbs! Hence why I need to stop making them all together.

So, did jackson eat dinner? That would be a big fat.....NO! And I am sorry to say that the old frustrations came out to greet us tonight. There was arguing, pleading, yelling. It wasn't pretty. Looking back I realized I made some rookie mistakes. 1) My counter-part in this mission was MIA. He had to umpire until 7pm and the kids were not willing to wait. Without him backing me up, I was doomed. 2) The kids were cooped up in the house all day as I needed to give them a day of rest after dragging them 15 different places yesterday. They were restless and just plain grumpy by dinnertime. 3) I had made no dessert and therefore lost all of my leverage.

Wrigley, however, ate like a champ! I have noticed that he is quite enjoying this challenge as he gets to experience food other than Kraft Mac and Cheese. He couldn't even wait for me to take a picture before grabbing a grape off the plate!

Tomorrow was supposed to be leftovers, but I think I will give him a break and make the Quiche that is scheduled for Tuesday. Ok, to be honest, the turkey wasn't all that and I can't bear the thought of eating it again:)

Shea