I’m done celebrating my birthday and am ready to settle into a normal week of eating. I’m trying a couple of new things this week including making salsa and meatballs from scratch (not at the same meal). I’ll let you know how they turn out.
For more meal ideas check out Menu Plan Monday at Org Junkie.
What’s Cooking This Week
Monday: Make-Your-Own Burritos: Black beans, rice, homemade salsa, shredded spinach, cheese, guacamole, and tortillas.
Tuesday: Spaghetti with Turkey Meatballs. I will serve with bread and roasted broccoli.
Wednesday: Greek Chicken Pita: I found this slow cooker chicken filling recipe in Fix-It and Forget-It. The chicken will be done when I get home from work so I will serve with whole wheat pita, lettuce, cucumber, tzatziki sauce, and a side of hummus and carrots.
Thursday: Leftovers/potluck
Friday: Grilled Salmon with Avocado Dip: I will serve with macaroni and cheese, green beans and a spinach salad.
Weekend: Instead of going out to eat Saturday, I’m <thinking> of making our own pizza. I will see how I feel. And like always will have dinner with extended family on Sunday.
Challenges
My son, who just turned one, is already rejecting food. And the best part is he shows his displeasure by throwing the food he doesn’t want. Although sometimes he throws a few pieces and then eats a few pieces, so it’s hard to tell. All in all, it’s pretty frustrating.
It’s interesting to see how different he already is from my daughter. My daughter always ate fruit (and still does) but he seems to take more to veggies and meat/fish. He still eats as much as an adult but is starting to voice his opinion. I was hoping this would not happen for another 6 months or we would avoid it entirely. I can dream, right?
My daughter has learned two new words, “I’m hungry.” I’m trying to teach her how to recognize hunger because I don’t think she knows quite yet. She seems to say “I’m hungry” when she doesn’t want to do something like go to bed or leave somewhere fun.
I’ve also been feeling run down and in need of a break. I had a mini-meltdown after falling on my hands and knees in front of the grocery store (gotta love sobbing with strangers comforting you). I told my husband that all I want for Mother’s Day is a day to sleep in and do whatever I want. I love my kids but need some time for me.
News
I wanted to share an eye-opening article, Don’t Let Your Child’s Doctor Label Your Child Obese, written by Dr. Katja Rowell at Family Feeding Dynamics. One of the outcomes from the Let’s Move Campaign is pediatricians are going to be closely monitoring BMI in children and giving parents advice if there’s a problem. So when you go for your next child’s check-up you’ll want to be ready for this possibility. Dr. Rowell brings up some very important points that all parents need to keep in mind.
Have anything to share? Feeding challenges, new recipes, or anything else? Leave a comment and let us know.
Have a great week!
Want to make meal planning easier? Get step-by-step help in Maryann’s book The Family Dinner Solution.
I will definitely be back to your site, I love your ideas!
You can check out our meal plans at mealplanningmommies.com
Thanks!
At least your son is trying some of the food. My oldest, who is now 7, was an easy baby and toddler to feed. He would try just about anything and liked all sorts of food. I couldn’t understand how parents could complain their kids wouldn’t eat various foods. I just thought, if they’d give their kids a variety of foods from an early age, the kids would eat them. Hah. Along comes my daughter, age 3, and we’re lucky if she’ll let the item pass her lips – so she doesn’t even know if it tastes good or not!
Hey Nicole. It’s amazing how different children can be. My 3-year old is picky as well but she accepts a decent variety of food. I’ve heard from my friends that age 3 is a tough age for trying new foods. I’m going to run a pick-eaters series soon so hopefully that will help parents dealing with this stage of development.
Hope you get that break that you so deserve. You work hard and are obviously a thoughtful, caring parent. You need to take care of yourself too!
Thanks Kathleen! I’m going to start going to bed super early when I can. I’m also planning a girls getaway. So I’m working on that “me” time.
Your salmon dinner on Friday night sounds fantastic….your family is so lucky!
I love how you just gloss over your meltdown. Mother’s Day is a month away! You need a break now. Sorry for nagging because I dont’ even know you, but seriously………that’s not cool. Post-partum or just run of the mill stress? I never got post-partum depression until I went to wean my youngest from nursing when he was 10 months old. I was uninformed and thought that PPD could only happen right after childbirth. Take care of yourself and I LOVE your website.
Thanks for being candid Charlotte. I am doing some things to help now. A big part of it has been not getting enough quality sleep over the last couple of weeks. So I’m working with my husband on switching off and getting some “me” time. But a whole day off takes some planning so I’m shooting for Mother’s Day. We are going to have a life coach discuss self care on Mother’s Day. It’s so important. Thanks for writing and welcome to RHE!