Spaghetti Night: Success to Failure to Success

For a while there, my son would eat only a small handful of foods: puree pouches, rice, sweet potatoes. Every kind of meat I tried was met with objection — texture, taste, appearance ... maybe all three. Fresh veggies got the big thumbs-down, but green beans in a can (yuck!) were a safe bet. 

But during this time, when I was soooo unbelievably frustrated at dinnertime, I found there was one thing I could reliably turn to. And that was spaghetti night. It couldn't miss! I used rice noodles, which hubby says you can't tell aren't wheat. The sauce was never the same, but at its simplest, some ground beef and/or sausage with a jar of simple sauce from Sprouts. Dinner was on the table quickly and easily — and my son would eat! And when he eats, the mess doesn't bother me. 

Then, a strange thing happened several weeks ago. I was doing a spaghetti night once every seven to 10 days. One night I put my little dude's food on his plate, and he turned up his nose. I was perplexed. Maybe he wasn't feeling well, I reasoned.

But then, several times in a row — refusal to try what I thought was his favorite meal. I tried different sauces, different shapes of pastas, different meats.

Nothing appealed to him.

I was going crazy. What kid doesn't like spaghetti!?!? Didn't he know I was making it for HIM?!? 

Then, it occurred to me that he doesn't like to combine his foods. Like a lot of toddlers, my son wants his food divided. 

So, after all those weeks of irritation, the solution was a simple one: Don't put the sauce on the noodles. But plain pasta is sooooo boring, you say. Yes, yes it is. But he ate it plain without complaint. And he — separately — enjoyed some sausage in tomato sauce.

So, while my husband and I don't necessarily need a spaghetti night in our rotation every week, it sure is a nice, quick easy option to have in the back pocket. Whenever the kiddo wants to put sauce on his pasta, he can. But for now, we can call the case of "Why Don't You Like Spaghetti Anymore?" CLOSED.

Vegan Pancakes, Baby!

When eggs and dairy are off the menu, breakfast can be a real challenge. My buddy and I have been eating a lot of potatoes and sausage and bacon — so much, I guess, that he no longer likes bacon. 

I'm wary of the gluten and sugar, but a couple times a month, I'd really like to be able to make pancakes or waffles. But dairy and/or eggs are always on the ingredient list. 

Then, I found this mix at my local Sprouts:

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All you do is add water to the mix (and maybe some Enjoy Life mini chocolate chips). Not gonna lie, the texture is a little chewy, but some maple syrup fixes that problem. And my kid didn't care. He was just so excited to be having pancakes. He helped stir and was fascinated watching them cook up. 

 

Winner: Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies

We don't do eggs, dairy, soy, nuts or peanuts. This makes things like cakes and cookies and pie a bit challenging. And while I'm certainly hesitant to give my kiddo a lot of sugar (or gluten), I also think an occasional treat is totally OK.

But, folks, vegan baking is hard. Which is why I am so in love with this Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe by Ovenly

The downside — especially if you're cooking with a kiddo — is that you need to make the dough a day in advance of baking. (Who can wait for cookies, right?!?!) But you can make a batch of dough in advance and let them help prep a second batch. Because you'll want more than one batch of these bad boys. (My husband doesn't need to eat our same allergy-friendly diet, yet devoured these cookies.)

When you bake with kids, you can offer to let them help measure (and count!). And who doesn't like to flip the switch on a mixer?