This has come up twice today so I thought it may be a good time to post about how I feed Lu.

Remember when my sister sent me this book?

Well I voraciously read it and I have to say that I almost completely agree with her viewpoint on feeding children.

I mentioned this quote before but I think it bears repeating:

"You can’t control or dictate the quantity of food your child eats, and you shouldn’t try. You also can’t control or dictate the kind of body your child develops, and you shouldn’t try. What you can do, and it is a great deal, is set things up for your child so she, herself, can regulate her food intake as well as possible, and so she can develop a healthy body that is constitutionally right for her."

The book also helped me to understand why I have some of the food issues that I have.  It was a wonderful “a-ha” moment.  It was originally written in 1978 and revised in 2000 so it is quite current but it also touches on some of the beliefs around nutrition from my childhood.  The author is a nutritionist and a psychologist and most of her beliefs are backed up by studies.  It’s a wonderful read and I recommend it to everyone!  I think it would be interesting to read even if you didn’t have kids but maybe I’m a bit weird (well I KNOW I’m a bit weird).

MANY people have commented about the variety of food Lu eats and what she’ll actually eat.  She is only 17 month old (almost 18-*gulp*) but I think that her “mature palate” has to do with the way we’ve fed her.  I hope that she continues to be adventurous with food and we don’t go down the route of PB&J at every meal.

Here’s what we do:

-First it started with introducing her to solids.  I made sure to give her all sorts of different homemade baby foods (it doesn’t need to be homemade-I just really enjoyed making it).  I didn’t let my preferences dictate what I gave her.  I HATE papaya but I tried it with Lu and she LOVED it.  I used Wholesome Baby Foods to guide me on what to give her at the different stages and I adhered (pretty strictly) to the 1 new food every 3 days rule.  It helps rule out any allergies.

-Once she hit about a year (maybe a bit earlier) she started getting what we ate.  I would cut it up in kid appropriate sizes but she mainly ate what we were eating.  At this point the only thing she wasn’t eating was shellfish and peanut butter so everything else was fair game.

-If she asks for something that I’m eating, even if I think she’ll hate it, I let her have some.  Except raw sushi and alcohol (or anything else potentially dangerous). You wouldn’t believe some of the things she loves! Beet juice anyone?

-Very importantly we sit down for dinner as a family every night. Very rarely do we not eat together as a family.  It makes for a hectic time after work but I feel very strongly that she should eat with us and that we should all sit down together.  On the weekends we eat breakfast (usually) as a family but not lunch.  Lu eats lunch at 11 and naps at 12-which is a bit early for us.  Sometimes I eat a snack while she’s eating lunch.

-She gets food at a predictable time and at predictable intervals. Breakfast is around 8, snack at 9:30, lunch at 11, snack at 2:30 and 5, dinner at 6:30.  Daycare helped to establish this schedule but it is important.  She shouldn’t ever feel like she doesn’t know when the next meal (or mini meal) is coming.

-She always has free access to water but milk is only given at meal times and at some snacks.  You don’t want the kiddos to fill up on milk and then not eat solids.  We normally don’t do juice but if we did, it would only be given with meals.

-I feed her wholesome, healthy, and good tasting meals that are high in (good) fats.  She needs it for brain growth.  A lot of time I add butter, olive oil, or avocado to her meals in order to bulk them up. 

-Additionally, she very rarely gets processed food BUT I don’t make it taboo either.  I give her “bad foods” on occasion and don’t make a big deal about it.  Ellyn Satter actually recommends giving your kid a plate of cookies and milk for a snack every once in awhile (NOT everyday) that way things aren’t looked at as “treats” but more just as food.  I tried this with Lu with Oreos-she hated them.  She does like other cookies though!

-On the treat note, she recommends giving your child dessert with dinner. She doesn’t get treats every night but when I think of it she gets her treats with dinner or none at all. Amazingly she’ll take a bite of cookie and then eat broccoli. She did that last night. This way she decides when she’s full. The theory is that if you offer kids cookies at the end of a meal, they may already be full but will eat it because it’s a treat which teaches them to eat past their fullness. She gets more of everything on her plate (if she asks for it) EXCEPT the dessert-that is a set amount. The first night we did this she asked for more but I explained that that was it and she got mad and then kinda shrugged and ate other stuff on her plate. She also now leave cookies uneaten on her plate when she’s full

-I don’t make “kid food”.  Sometimes I alter things slightly but by and large she eats what we eat.  I make sure to have something on her plate that I know she’ll eat-bread, crackers, pasta, rice but it’s up to her to decide what she wants and what she doesn’t want.  Her plate always has protein, veggies, carbs, and healthy fat on it.  It’s her choice to eat what’s on her plate. 

-She gets as much or as little food as she wants (except for the aforementioned “dessert” with dinner).  This even holds true for cookies at snack, the bread at dinner and so on.  If she wants more and she’s sitting in her high chair or at her table-I give it to her.

-We try not to let her roam with food.  We try to get her to eat it at the table or at her high chair.  Sometimes snacks turn into roaming but breakfast, lunch, and dinner are eaten at the table.

-If she doesn’t eat what we’ve offered and wants down from the table we let her down.  She doesn’t get anymore food until at least an hour has passed unless she wants to come back up to the table and eat what we’ve offered.

-I talk to her about all of this.  I tell her that it’s okay if she doesn’t want something but she will not be getting anything else for at least an hour.  Sometimes she reconsiders. 😉

-I try not to make a big deal about what she is or isn’t eating.  Sometimes this is hard though 😉

I *think* that’s it.  Do I always follow these rules 100%?  Nope but I sure try!  Is this the only way?  Nope but it’s working for me.  Could she become one of those kids who will only eat one thing and one thing only?  Maybe but I sure hope not!

I received an email a few weeks back from Foodbuzz with the opportunity to visit Frog Hollow Farms at their 1st Annual Blossom festival.  I didn’t hesitate for one second before jumping at the opportunity.  Most of my stone fruit and pears come from Frog Hollow and I couldn’t wait to take a tour of the farm. 

The folks at Frog Hollow were awesome!  Even before I got there.  I asked them via twitter if I could bring Lucy (after seeing a kid option available on the website for buying tickets) and they enthusiastically said “YES!”  I invited Auntie Laina along with us as I knew she would enjoy it more than Shaun who would prefer to go mountain bike riding.

The day started with some Fava Bean Bruschetta:

Which they grilled over a wood fire:

And I couldn’t enjoy but Elaina said was great!

Shortly after we arrived, the tour started.  We saw tractors:

And the packing shed:

Nectarine blossoms (I think-I had a hard time hearing Farmer Al-I had to stay back because of the toddler on my back):

There was an wrecked car:

With an AWSOME bumper sticker:

More blossoms:

Asian Pear blossoms!

They actually hand prune these puppies.  Every third blossom gets snipped in order for better fruit.

Farmer Al gave us a history lesson-he started on just 10 acres about 25 years ago.

I LOVED his overalls.

He also told us about pheromone cards that they put on the trees:

They let out the scent of a female bug (sorry I don’t remember which one but I do know that it eats branches) and then males get so confused they don’t mate.  Even conventional farmers use this method!  He also told us that while there is fruit on the trees they broadcast the sound of a gun shooting every 10 minutes to keep the birds away.  Crazy cool things that they do at an organic farm!

Lu snacked:

As we headed back for lunch, I caught Elaina looking very motherly:

(She’s going to kill me for posting that).

Then it was time for lunch. OH.MY.GOD.  It was AMAZING.

The plate for Lu and me:

Clockwise starting with the leafy salad: Little Gem & Chicory Salad with FHF Dried Fruit Vinaigrette, Asparagus-Fennel-Blood Orange Salad, Long Cooked Winter Greens with Spring Onions, Spring Garlic Braised Lamb with Artichoke, and End of Winter Vegetable & Lentil Stew.

That lamb was the best lamb I have ever tasted.  It was delish!  I went back for seconds on the lamb and asparagus.  Lu LOVED the asparagus.

She’s never had it because Daddy really doesn’t like it-he claims that he can smell it on me (like emanating from my skin) when I eat it.  I believe him too because I will have eaten just a quarter of a spear and he’ll know.  I may have to make him suffer though.  I love it and so does Lu! Lu, in fact LOVED all the food (well except the salad-she tried it but spit it out).  The lemonade was a HUGE hit too.  She was a very happy girl.

The day ended with a talk about Bees from Dr. Gordon W Frankie, Alan Hawkins, and crew but we didn’t get to hear much of it since it was already WAY past Lu’s naptime (and I didn’t want her to meltdown) and Elaina had a soccer game.  What I did hear of the talk was pretty fascinating!

It was a sold out crowd and for good reason!

The day was AWESOME!  We did end it by getting stuck in the mud but were saved by the guys from the farm.

Thank you AGAIN Frog Hollow Farms and Foodbuzz-we had SUCH A BLAST!!!

Buy local and organic!

Lucy had her first swim lesson of the season (not counting her bonus swim lesson in Boise):

We went to the (windy) beach:

And I went to Frog Hollow Farm’s 1st Annual Blossom Festival:

Much, much, MUCH more on all of this (especially the festival) later today.  I’ve got to earn a living first. 

I WISH I could just blog all day 😉

I have the best life.

Last night I cooked up some Amaranth for dinner.  I haven’t had it in YEARS but I do remember really liking it.  I took some pictures to show y’all what it looks like since most people have never had it.

It’s very nutty tasting to me and has a crunch-ier texture than most grains.  I made it with some chicken stock and then topped it with a little butter/olive oil mix.  ‘Twas delicious. I have to warn you though that it does come out looking very much like it went IN-so don’t be shocked. 😉

Lu LOVED it and ate a good 2 cups of it. I tried to get a picture of her amaranth covered self but it’s so small that you can’t really see it.

Last night Shaun had to work late so I was in bed by 8:30 and fast asleep by 9.  We didn’t set the alarm and we both woke up around 7:15.  It felt glorious!

The sun is shining today and I took the opportunity to wear my flippies.

One of my co-workers gave me shit for my shoe attire but I told him that I didn’t care.  It was flip flop weather!  And hey, I have co-workers who wear their bike shorts all day with NO shoes so I think my flippies are A-OK.

What’s appropriate attire where you work?

Me to my doctor:

Hi My Doctor,

Ever since I started the new program I have been extremely tired.  At first I attributed it to the head cold that I had but 3+ weeks later I don’t think I can attribute it to that.  I used to get up every morning at 5:30 to go work out and now I can’t get out of bed.  I’ve been making sure to get between 7-8 hours of sleep and I’m still extremely tired.

My hypothesis is that my body is busy healing itself but I have no clue.  I know it’s not good to NOT exercise so I have been trying to get out for walks and things but my early morning exercise is not happening.  Is this normal?

Thoughts?

Thanks!

Chelsea

My doctor back to me:

Hi Chelsea-

Sometimes that does happen when the body is needing more time of rest to help repair. Try getting a little more sleep if possible for the next week and see how you feel. More like 8.5 – 9 hours. I will also take a look at your chart and see if anything else comes to mind.

Your Doctor

This exhaustion meets or even exceeds what I felt in my first trimester-that’s saying A LOT.  BOO.

To end this post on a positive note.  My Mom sent me this:

I’m excited! Now excuse me while I go take a nap.

I’m not feeling particularly chatty today but I thought y’all might enjoy this.  I put together a white bean chili today using this:

Plus the beans, onions, 2 chicken breasts, and chicken broth.  While I was preparing it I was planning what I was wearing to a business dinner tonight.  Yes you read right.  I was planning my outfit for a dinner tonight while making dinner for tonight.

Good thing Lu, Auntie Laina and Uncle Richard will enjoy this!

I also picked up some daffodils yesterday. COME ON SPRING!

And lastly, our friend John came over last night.  He was here for an interview from DC.  He hadn’t met Lu yet so he brought her a present. Here’s an awful picture of it.

How sweet of him?  We had a blast with him last night.  WE MISS JOHN!

I made the boys (2 friends came over with John) 2 pans of Pizza Bombs!  They were a huge hit! YAY Pizza Bombs!

Pizza Bombs! and beer seemed to be a hit with boys!

I ended up having leftovers since my planned food added too much stress to my night.  The tomato-less Mexican Pasta was just as good the second day.

My magic sleep number used to be 7 hours.  It’s now jumped to 8.  I’ve been working under the assumption that I need 7 hours and for the last 2 weeks I haven’t made it to the gym because the alarm goes off after 7 hours and I can’t get out of bed. Maybe my body is focusing on healing itself and needs more sleep?  I don’t know. All I know is that 8 hours seems to be the magic number.  To get up at 5:30 that means going to bed at 9:30 and starting the process to get ready for bed at 9.  That won’t be happening tonight since I have a friend visiting from DC but from here on out, it’s a 9:30 bedtime for me!

I am going to go on a walk at lunch today.  Heather wrote a great post about walking last week and it makes me want to walk more.  So I shall!

Lots of social stuff this weekend plus a teething baby.  Lu’s getting her 2-year old molars (at least we think that’s the problem) and she was whiney, clingy, and just not herself this weekend.  Saturday was a housewarming/birthday party that I “made” cookies for. I only made them if you consider putting pre-made dough on a cookie sheet in the oven.

They are Immaculate Bakery which uses all organic and natural ingredients.  Nothing unpronounceable on the the package.

That was followed by a trek up to the city to have dinner with my childhood neighbors.  It was so fun to see them!  LOVE FACEBOOK for bringing us back together.

Sunday, I met up with Jill for some Thai food and Yogurtuille.  VERY preggers Jill was in LOVE with Yogurtouille.

Here’s mine:

Just fruit and roasted almonds.

Here’s Jill’s:

Vanilla, chocolate, peanut butter pieces, brownies, peanut M&Ms and chocolate sauce, I believe.

Here’s us:

The great thing about Yogurtouille is that it’s completely self-serve.  You pay by the ounce ($0.35/oz) and you get whatever you want.

Jill brought me some loose leaf tea that she packaged in tea bags.

Which I’m enjoying right now 🙂

Jill will be full term (37 weeks) on Wednesday and she looks FANTASTIC.  I think she’s having a boy but that probably means she’s having a girl.  I’ve only ever been right with my sister, so I’m 1 for like 100.  Not very good odds.  We had a blast and I can’t wait to meet her little babe! Yay internet friends!!!!

Last night I made tomato-less, corn and gluten-free Mexican Pasta. I replaced the tomatoes with 2 cans of chopped chilies and I added some jalapeños to both mine and Shaun’s for some kick.

It was DELICIOUS.  Shaun and LU agreed.  THIS is the type of dish for GF pasta.  You couldn’t even tell a difference. YOM.

Now, I’m enjoying the aforementioned tea:

And some oats with flax and maple syrup.

Now it’s time to work.

What’s your magic sleep number?

1. Stop putting myself down.  Treat me like I would want others to treat Lucy. I was doing great at this and then lately I’ve been slipping up.  This needs to go on the top of my priority list NOW.

2. Eat something green every day. Check!

3. Eat 2 servings of fruit every day. Check!

4. Completely cut out dairy. Check!

5. Get back on my bike. Rain, Rain, GO AWAY. Cold and wind too.

6. Do something only for me 1 hour each week. Check! Girls lunch today.

7. Do something with Shaun that doesn’t include me sitting on the computer and him on the XBox or us watching TV for 1 hour each week. Check!

8. Dress nicely, including putting on make-up, at least 3 times a week. Check!

9. Clean out Lucy’s drawers. This will be happening very soon.

10. Clean out and organize the filing cabinet. This too will be happening very soon.

11. Complete Lucy’s birth book. Have some more to do.

12. Become a faster walker. If you can speed train for running, you can sure as hell do it for walking. Check!

13. Send out thank you notes in a more timely fashion and to everyone that deserves one. Fail.  I start over on this one.  I may send out emails this week for Christmas.  I’m tired of feeling guilt over it.

14. Feed myself healthy food and exercise, trust myself. Exercise needs to become a priority.  Healthy eating is going very well.

15. Save my personal money for a new wardrobe. Check! Up to over $600

16. Be on top of my budget and update Quicken every 2 weeks. Check!

17. Severely limit my computer and phone time when I’m with Lucy.  On weekdays, I should never use them when she’s awake and on weekends, I should use them sparingly when she’s awake. Check!

18. Get the bird out 4 times a week. I suck at this.  I’m getting her out tonight. I wish Shaun could get her out-we’d be much better at this.  She tried to bite his head off though 🙁

19. To appease my husband, never let the gas tank get below 1/2 a tank. Check!

20. Improve on my photography. Working on it.

And, the original 10 in 2010:

1. Take time out every day to simply enjoy my daughter. Check!

2. Try not to look too far forward or lament the past.  Check!

3. Drink more water-at least 80 ounces per day. Check!

4. Use my juicer A LOT. I think it gets to make a return in a month!

5. Go to the gym more often than not. Grrr…going tomorrow.

6. Floss EVERY day. Check!

8. Run to the top of Waterdog Lake Road, while pushing Lucy, without stopping and back. Check!

9. Post at least 365 times in 2010.  I can post 3 times a day or skip a day but I want my average to be 1 post per day. Working on it.

10. Fold my laundry by Sunday night. This is hit and miss.

I’m a work in progress that’s for sure!!!

I almost forgot to do this this month.  What is wrong with me?!?!