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EAT => Eating For Toddlers => Topic started by: creations on June 25, 2012, 12:00:49 pm
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Is it the salt that they like? Or the texture?
I've never been big on processed foods and cook fresh vegetables, fish, poultry every day. DS has always been a good eater, and will try almost everything but he clearly has a preference for shop bought fish-fingers and sausages.
I always offer him a piece of fresh fish, he will some times try it, rarely does he swallow it. Yet he will gobble down two fish fingers (will also eat canned fish mixed through pasta or in a sandwich). I bought them as a one off to try out and now I'm stuck buying them as it is one of those 'for sure' foods that I just know he will eat. Same with sausages, I only buy turkey sausages so they are relatively good quality, low fat, but even so, why does he love them so much, he will eat a whole one but give him a chunk of fresh meat and he will either ignore it or chomp a bit then spit it out.
I've recently resorted to some of those silly shaped fish cakes that have potato and veg in them and I never imagined I would buy those. He doesn't care about the shape, but did eat it. So another source of protein that is processed/pre-packed.
Have you been in this situation?
What did you do? Just go with it as you know he is getting a good variety of fruit and veg in addition to the processed protein or cut out the processed food to encourage him take the fresh food? Did you add salt to your cooking to make the fish/meat tastier?
I feel a little torn between a mother's desire to feed her LO and my own 'better judgement' that fresh is better for him and that I want him to continue to be part of family meals and not be cooking something different for him.
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Salt, yes, but surprisingly a lot of sugar in many of those items. There is added fat in many of them as well, which isn't necessarily bad in and of itself - little ones NEED to have fat in their diets, as do most of us adults, come to that - but a lot of the fat in processed foods is trans-fats, which is the bad stuff. :( But fat is flavor and satiety and their little bodies and taste buds don't yet know the difference.
As much as possible, I'd hold out for the real thing. And make sure there's enough good fat in the food to make it all the more palatable. :)
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There is indeed a lot more salt and even MSG type taste enhancers in processed foods. I didnt try to give much processed foods in DS at the age of your LO. I think seasonings are very important for them to start exploring and for enjoyment. What would entice a child to eat other than tastes? And if you keep getting him processed foods in order to get him eat, he knows he can always hold out for them.
Perhaps you can try seasoning with things that naturally contain salt, instead of adding salt, like cheese. And also the texture, a lot of kids like the crispiness of the breading of fish fingers. You can make your own with fresh fish, just add some grated cheese and herbs into the bread crumbs to season it. Or even cover fish with chopped nuts to add the crunch. I think lemonthyme has a nice food blog for little people. Might help to let his little tastebuds explore the world of yummies :)
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Thanks ladies.
The couple of things I've bought have no MSG, no sugar, no hydrogenated fat, are low in saturated fat and even the salt level isn't much higher per 100g than bread. In this sense they are not the worst ever processed foods, but still, fish fingers are something I'd have once per year not once per fortnight which is what is happening now :(
I think you're totally right about the crispiness of the crumb outer on the fish fingers, I've even tried to emulate this kind of thing but with mixed success. Fresh fish is just not wanted regardless of how I prepare it - there is definitely something about the fish in a fish finger that is more appealing than fresh fish.
Minced turkey breast (looking for a sausage substitute) - or rather whizzed in my blender and turned into burgers and meat balls is only marginally accepted. I've used cheese to season food too, worked really well in making a low salt pate (he loves pate too) which I've made a couple of different versions of but it's the meat and fish that so so difficult.
I can successfully make bean burgers or bean/lentil 'meat loaves' which he will eat and things like falafel but this doesn't solve the meat/fish difficulty.
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I have struggled with this, and have fallen back on the mantra "they won't starve". My kids are 5 and 3 now, and sometimes they don't like what's for dinner. They may eat lightly one day and make up for it the next. Of course, they are past the age now where they can't sleep without a big evening meal. When our night's sleep was dependent on food intake, I would resort to a small number of goto foods that I felt OK about. Sometimes DD1 ate scrambled eggs, banana and avocado 3-4 times a week! I think texture is a big part of it, especially when all their teeth aren't in yet.
Good luck to you!
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Do you mean you are struggling mainly with home cooked fish and meat? I always make stews, not everyone's liking, I know but it works for us. The meat becomes so tender, that DS loves and eats loads. I have problems getting him to eat veggies, though. What about chicken fingers?
When salt sits in protein for a longer period of time, the texture becomes more compact, perhaps your LO prefers more dense texture than flaky like in fresh fish? Would that be it, do you think? If what you got is pretty decent, then stick with them. If you want to change that, you would have to stop buying, I'm afraid. He would just have a preference more set in. If it helps somehow, these things are bound to change... it just fits in with toddlerhood!! ::)
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"they won't starve"
This I know for sure.
I don't mind him not eating protein every single day but I do start minding eventually, iyswim.
I wouldn't call him a fussy eater. If he is teething you know it as he gets more fussy and will only want a little, or if it's really bad then he might totally skip a meal and just eat fruit - fine, that's teething. When not teething he eats very well (VERY well), will try just about anything, he will even sometimes swallow a piece of something he clearly doesn't like almost like he is trying to be polite (although that can't really be the reason at this age) and then not eat any more of it.
I have problems getting him to eat veggies, though
DS would choose fruit over veggies but so long as I limit his fruit allowance he will eat tons of veg and a wide variety. I don't have to hide them in anything and he doesn't need sauce or dips or anything on them. There are a couple of things he clearly just does not like, broccoli and cauliflower to name 2, I don't offer them very often but do give him a try every so often so that he has the option to learn to like them. Until recently he wouldn't eat potato unless it was chips (home made oven baked, like wedges) or roast, but recently he has started to eat first potato salad (the mayo/mustard dressing was what got him to eat them), then boiled potato with mint dressing (not the best dressing as it was shop bought so had some sugar in it!) and finally a boiled potato without any dressing or dip whatsoever. So I know he is willing to try things.
Do you mean you are struggling mainly with home cooked fish and meat?
Yes. There isn't a problem with veg, fruit, carbs (ok he doesn't like rice or cous cous but that must be a texture thing).
I make lots of stews too, although not so much in the summer. He will eat every morsel of vegetables and dumplings and beans if the stew has bean in but he won't eat the meat. He will sometimes give it a try but chances are it will be chewed and not eaten or he will only eat about a teaspoon worth which isn't a decent portion of meat if that's all he is getting for protein.
What about chicken fingers?
Assuming you mean home made - this is something I have not tried, so that is a brilliant idea and I will give it a go for sure. I do kind of think that it will go the way of the breaded fish and once he realises what is inside he will refuse ot eat it, but it is certainly worth a shot. Maybe I can marinade chicken breast in something before hand to make it tastier too.
When salt sits in protein for a longer period of time, the texture becomes more compact, perhaps your LO prefers more dense texture than flaky like in fresh fish? Would that be it, do you think?
This is a really interesting idea. It could be this yes. He will eat canned fish though (mackerel in oil, tuna in oil) which is more flaky I think, mixed through pasta.
If you want to change that, you would have to stop buying, I'm afraid.
Yes I know. But then his protein is limited to just beans and lentils. So far I haven't cooked him up a separate fish finger whilst we are having fresh fish for example, I just give him a piece exactly the same as ours. But I do end up planning a fish finger lunch or something just so I know he had some protein once in the week.
It's like with the bean burgers etc I make, I don't really eat those, I make them for him so he gets protein and I give them because he's gone days without protein. He will have them either at his morning snack (which is like an early lunch) when I don't eat or for his supper (when I may or may not have a nibble with him). These are not family meals. The family meal I never make him a separate meal, I just make sure that the meal includes some thing I know he likes (in terms of veg and carbs).
If it helps somehow, these things are bound to change
Yes I'm sure it will. He must eventually learn to like some fresh meat and fish. I just do the worried mummy thing of wanting him to have a balanced diet.
Thanks x
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Cooked fish in tins doesn't have that loose mushy texture unless you overcook it. you can also make fish cakes, but it will still be breaded, or add in mash and then panfried. He is still very young, their taste buds will mature and will enjoy more flavours. Would he eat cheese and yoghurt? Does he take milk? Eggs? Have you tried other kinds of meat? Stewed lamb with spices and lentils hmmm DS ate more than I do.
Would it be the softness in stewed meat that he rejects? try satay sticks? cubed pork or chicken in a low sodium marinade? Mashi shared with us a yoghurt chicken dish which uses yoghurt, garlic, salt and lemon juice to marinade chicken overnight, then panfry. Grilled cheese with ham? hmm i am hungry LOL
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Would he eat cheese and yoghurt?
He does have cheese, either blocks of or in sauce, or cream cheese in sauce etc. Yoghurt he can't have as he refluxes.
Does he take milk?
Yes, he has about 150-180ml in the morning and I always offer a little at supper solids time but he only really takes a few sips of that. He gets a little in his muesli for breakfast and a little in cooking, say pancakes.
Eggs?
At 6 months he would eat an entire egg (made like a fritata, with cheese and veg in it for example, or hard boiled) but he won't any more. I think at 6 or 7 months he just ate anything put in front of him because he was SO hungry having some how survived on half the milk guidance amount of milk since birth. But when he started to realise things tasted differently he decided he didn't like egg. he gets hidden egg in pancakes or bean burgers but anything too eggy and he wont' eat it (some of the bean burgers I've made had been rejected for this reason). It sounds like he is really fussy, he isn't.
Have you tried other kinds of meat? Stewed lamb
I didn't eat meat other than fish and poultry for about 20 years and this remains my main source of protein but in the last couple of years I have started to occasionally eat a little lamb and pork. It's rare though. I have tried him with lamb, pork and beef (ie when Nana has beef in a restaurant she will give him a chunk) and he is the same, will sometimes try it but often spit it out or only take about a teaspoon worth. Again at 6 months he gummed a piece of beef down to almost nothing, now he will just move it off his plate.
Would it be the softness in stewed meat that he rejects?
He's the same with roasted meat or griddled (say a chicken steak). There was a very brief phase when he would eat roasted meat if it was in really super thin slices, but that was a good while back now. An even briefer phase he ate prawns (two meals then never again) but even then it was only 1 or 2 prawns.
You have so many wonderful ideas I feel terrible for saying, 'yes tried that, tried that'.
I appreciate your help and thoughts. It seems silly that with such a good eater I am resorting to processed protein especially as I enjoy cooking too. I think I'll just have to keep offering to him and whenever my mummy-worry gets the better of me shove a fish finger in front of him. I am sure at some point he must start to like meat, I mean he hated the potatoes until now, that's a full 11 months of only eating potato if it was chips/wedges/roast/sauted.
I am half tempted to use some salt just on fish/meat and see if it gets us anywhere, maybe it would give me a fighting chance against the supermarket fare :) I don't use salt in the rest of my cooking so it's only bread, cheese and that sort of thing that is salted.
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Use salt! haha sorry for only saying the obvious.
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:-*
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Hey, sorry to be back :P but i wonder if you use the foods as invitation to play ideas. Say you make your chicken/fish fingers/nuggets or whatever and place a picnic blanket in the living room or sit in the garden whatever appropriate, and see if he would accept it better?
I tired it when DS was 2 but not to get him to eat but we were having a picnic out and I just panfried some fish fillets whole with other things. He picked up the whole fillet and just ate it all! :P Just an idea :P
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He picked up the whole fillet and just ate it all!
Hey that's really funny!
I'll certainly try this. It would be a good thing to try when we go to Nana's house to play in the garden. He has a play house, toddler sized table and chairs etc there and I think he might get into the whole swing of it all and just eat without thinking about what it is. Even better if Nana, DP and I have the meal with him, he loves a sense of occasion.
We go for a picnic in the park (when the weather is good enough!) and this could also be a great time to try the meat and fish out.
Something tells me we'd need to take it out and about rather than at home.
Thanks!
(smoked salmon refusal today - I thought he liked smoked salmon!)
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meh @ salmon refusal!! You know what? DS gulped it down but not sure if he still does. I also think of something. If you want to make fish finger, e.g., don't try to make it look like the ones you buy, because he might be disappointed expecting a certain taste. I remember when I was a child, I would get really angry and offended when I was offered some food and be told it was X but turned out it was Y.
Have fun anyways! :)
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To be honest, I don't buy it all. I tried my son on fish fingers a few times when he was about a year old but he didn't seem bothered.
To be honest what does it matter if he eats 'really well' or just a bit? So many of these things are really easy to make at home with ingredients you'd like them to eat, so I'd give it a go personally. It's one of those self reinforcing things IMO, if you always give processed food because your child will eat it, they will always want processed food.
One of my friends is trying to get me to launch Mamacook ready meals for toddlers at the moment. It's a fun idea but it's frankly easy to do it at home!
If you are worried and wanting to do some 'hidden' protein in a meal, this is a good one:
http://mamacook.blogspot.co.uk/2011/06/salmon-and-spinach-fishcakes-for-babies.html
Or as he's fine with sausages, have you tried mini meatloaves?
http://mamacook.blogspot.co.uk/2011/08/meatloaf-for-babies-and-toddlers.html
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Hi LT
Thanks for taking the time to reply.
Yeah I've made heaps of different fish and meat dishes but he doesn't eat them. I suspect he only likes the bought ones because of the salt. I've thought this for a while but I can't be sure.
I've made fish cakes and meatloaves (with turkey mince or chicken breast which I've whizzed to a mince at home as we don't eat beef), he basically doesn't like them and even on the odd occasion he has eaten a bite they are never a sure thing and mostly result in me having a load left over that he won't touch.
When I've made fishcakes he wouldn't eat them, possibly because at that time he didn't like potato so anything with potato in he would refuse, but then he didn't take the ones I made with sweet pot either.
I think I either need to try cooking with some salt or accept he doesn't eat protein.
I don't use salt in any of my other cooking (pasta, veg) and he eats fine so he's not a total salt addict it's only my guess about protein and salt.
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Creations this is interesting as I have wondered the same thing! In nz we can get 100% hoki fish fillet in bite sizes, I managed to get Z to eat these instead of fish fingers, and same with kumera chips vs potato chips (hot, and now homemade in chip size) I'm not sure what it is with processed crap they like but I have found gently introducing the foods Z rejects in a sneaky form first, helps with general acceptance. Ie smoked salmon, cream cheese and spinach Sammie today when 2 weeks ago he would have rejected the spinach! I then showed him what it was he ate ( I had same) and said yummy spinach!
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Recently I bought some fish cake type things which have potato and veg in too (they are actually not bad in terms of ingredients). There is no problem with him eating veg so I wasn't looking for a hidden veg but I just decided to try it for the protein aspect. He ate it fine. Now that had potato in but he wouldn't eat mash potato, boiled potato at home or in a restaurant etc...which led me to think that his rejection of MY fish cakes was lack of salt. But also he has just recently eaten potato which he wouldn't before (he would eat home made oven baked chips or roast potato previously but not mash, boiled or pot salad).
Another thing that 'bothers' me is that even if he started eating home made fish cakes, fish fingers, meat loaves, meat balls this is not our normal family food. I don't mind making a batch of something for him that is different for him to eat at his snack time or supper time (when I don't eat. And I do do this with the bean burgers and pancakes, oaty bars etc) but at the root of it I'd like him to get used to real fish and meat so that he is eating our regular kind of protein at meal times.
I also make home made chicken pate (so it isn't salty like the shop bought pate) and smoked salmon mouse (which is salty because of the smoked salmon but at least doesn't have added salt too) which he likes and will eat sometimes.
Sara I think I got him to take potato in the sneaky way you did with spinach. So maybe one day he'll develop a taste for home made chicken or fish too.
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Just saw this thread. DS will not eat potato of any kind - not even deep fried store bought chips. Who in the world doesn't like potato!?
Anyway - thought I'd chime in with my 2 cents. I get you not wanting to cook separate meals...totally. To me it sounds like he's just following what his body needs and right now its not a lot of protein.
However, the key to the best home made fish fingers and chicken fingers is panko bread crumbs - these are flaky Japanese breadcrumbs - if there is an Asian store or large supermarket near by you should be able to get them. They crisp up so golden and crunchy - so much nicer than normal bread crumbs - give it a whirl, you will never go back to normal bread crumbs!
We also do sesame chicken fingers - I get a chick breast dip it in raw sesame seeds and then pan fry it till golden. Its a double whammy cause sesame has great protein and other stuff
The other thing to use if you want to boost his protein intake is chia seeds - you can sprinkle them on anything and everything and they are a great source of protein and best of all they have no flavour and you can hardly notice them. You'll find them in a health food store or bigger supermarkets. Check them out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salvia_hispanica#Nutrient_content_and_potential_health_benefits
xo
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I was also thinking that you might be ok to add some salt (try other things first of course- the other ladies have some AWESOME suggestions!)- in that probably the amount of salt you would add at home is not as much as the amount they manage to pack into it in a processed product (as well as everything else of course).. and it may only take a small amount of added salt to make all the difference...
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Chicane, thank you so much for taking the time. I love your suggestions. The sesame chicken sounds totally yummy!
So today's dinner was interesting.
Despite not usually providing DS with a different meal today I decided I'd do an experiment with turkey breast. I had two breast steaks for DP and me but in the pack were also a few small pieces too.
I marinated all of it in soy sauce (so there's the salt), lime (thinking might change the texture) and garlic. Then with the small pieces I did a bread crumb and cheese coating (dip flour, dip egg, then packed on a coating of home made multi-seed bread crumbs mixed with grated mature chedder). And did a semi deep fry. DP and I both thought they were lovely (we ate the 4 left over), but I don't want to be making stuff like that for us. I think DS likes things fried and I don't mind him having extra oil but DP and I don't make a habit of eating fatty or fried foods.
The steaks I griddled.
DS ate one and a half of the 'nuggets' so it seemed to be a winner.
I also gave him a piece of the griddled turkey meat. Initially he put it in his mouth and had a chew, then it came out of his mouth was thrown pretty harshly down onto his plate and then he threw his fork at me! Then hit me!!!
Goodness! Pretty mad then that I had given him a piece of my turkey. This is NOT his normal behaviour at meals.
So...if I hadn't provided the coated nugget then he would have done his usual of just eating the rest of his meal and zero protein. But I am really not going to start up making him separate things for family meal time. I never have and today was just an experiment with the turkey.
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I also gave him a piece of the griddled turkey meat. Initially he put it in his mouth and had a chew, then it came out of his mouth was thrown pretty harshly down onto his plate and then he threw his fork at me! Then hit me!!!
Goodness! Pretty mad then that I had given him a piece of my turkey. This is NOT his normal behaviour at meals.
hahaha that would have been how i wanted to do to my mother when she lied to me about what food she gave me!!! I never did, just boiling with anger inside. did you tell him what it was?
You did double salt which must be yummy :P
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Oh, you have probably figured this out already...but liking or not liking something only means how they feel TODAY.
My kids regularly tell me they "hate" their favorite foods, to the point of throwing tantrums and being sent away from the table because their world favorite food was put on their plate without asking them first.
A lot of this is his independence/personality developing, the food is just an opportunity to exercise it. (especially if it bothers you at all....they can tell, no matter how hard you work at not seeming bothered).
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did you tell him what it was?
He could see what it was. He watched as I cut it from my steak and put in on his 'centre' plate to cool, plus I told him what I was doing. Then he watched me transfer it to his eating plate, and I told him. Then I helped him load his fork with it (he is only just on the brink of self loading and it's clear if he wants to have a go himself or he will indicate he wants help or for me to do it, or he can use his fingers of course), this was hand over hand helping him stab the piece, he totally knew it was not the same as the crumb coated stuff. Odd little boy to get so mad at me!
You did double salt which must be yummy Tongue
Triple salt considering the salt level of bread in the UK is higher than other countries! There wasn't a LOT of cheese or soy sauce though, but even so...
but liking or not liking something only means how they feel TODAY
totally. His dislike of meat and fish has been going on for about 12 months though :) At 6 months he gummed down a big chunk of beef and would eat eggs like he'd never tasted anything so wonderful before. But I'm sure it was because he was just SO into solid food that he would eat anything at all (apart from broccoli, cauliflower, potato, rice and meatballs). I can really see his real dislike versus what he doesn't feel like eating today. Just this week he has accepted broccoli which was one of the few veg he really truly had a dislike for, he will now eat the long stalked variety with the flower head cut off as he still can't cope with that texture.
The stuff he just doesn't feel like eating today isn't a bother, I feel comfortable that I offer a reasonable selection for him and if he chooses not to eat any then he's either not hungry or teething.
I suppose I am a bit bothered by him not wanting to eat meat and fish, I must be to have started this thread, but I really don't think I show it.
Currently I work around it with chicken liver pate, beans, bean burgers, lentils and humus things like that...although he won't eat my salt free home made humus lol
It's swordfish tomorrow, I wonder if he will try some.
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vibes for tomorrow! :) i admire your determination.
Was it a warm day today there also? When DS sweats a lot, he wants more salt. From about 18mo, he actually wanted to dip in finger in salt to lick! lol.. or there were days he could eat a whole packet of salami (which is too salty even for me). Just thinking out loud.
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:o I shouldn't laugh.. but that really is a funny scene!!! How DARE you Mummy!!! I can see that this sort of behaviour lies in my future too... ah - the joys of toddlers!!
hmm... the weather thing sounds good..
AND- i'm sure it's just a phase- i'm sure he will come out the other end as a little foodie like you guys...
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It was warm and muggy here, rained a few times, enough to make the air hot and wet.
There is something else going on with him, prob teeth movement as he has been asking for the teething gel before bed (but who knows it could just taste great), yesterday he fell asleep on me at 11.30am (he does NOT sleep on me and nap time is 12.30) and today he nodded off in our toddler dance group at 10.15 so he is not himself. it was REALLY stuffy at the toddler group, he was a sweaty thing when he woke up.
i'm sure he will come out the other end as a little foodie like you guys...
My mum and my DP are both SO proud of the things he eats. DP loves that DS eats asparagus, to me it just seems normal, it's just veg.
But Katy, it suddenly occurs to me that you are THE girl to tell me what to offer DS. Hamish eats loads of meat and fish doesn't he? I have images of him chomping through an entire hog roast :)
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I have found the same thing about a preference for processed food. Although DD would eat ANYTHING as a young toddler just starting out on eating foods beyond baby foods. DS is another story altogether. And now DD can assert her preferences LOUD AND CLEAR and it is always less veggies than I'd like, much more fruit and PROCESSED stuff. I am just about to try making these homemade chicken nuggets where I actually food process and GRIND up the chicken to mimick the consistency of the processed stuff but so I KNOW what is in them and can modify as needed.
http://amandascookin.com/2011/09/homemade-chicken-nuggets.html
DD used to eat EVERYTHING...meatloaf, tilapia/salmon, steak, pork chops, chicken breast, etc. Tons of veggies. Now she turns her nose up at lost of these things.
Drives me mad.
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Hamish eats lots of meat, not as much fish- but we haven't offered him heaps lately.. DH isn't that into it- i need to get onto it! I think though that hamish is just a little younger and so is still happy to eat a wider range. We have been having a lot of slow cooker stews lately and he loves them- and he's always been a massive meatball fan. The FAVOURITE food is pasta with bolognaise sauce (like daddy). Did you say he eats tinned tuna? you could mix that into a tuna bake.. pasta and corn and such?
Will he eat more at different meals? Is dinner just not his meal at the moment? Hamish has always been a breakfast guy- so eats big and then eats less by the end of the day. Also- it occurs to me now that maybe he eats most at breakfast as it's ALWAYS THE SAME- you know how babies like predictability and routine. Perhaps the different meals every night are confronting? Get what i mean? It's just a theorey.. Perhaps you could try making up a larger serve of what you are having one night- and then offer him the same thing for a couple of nights- even though you have something different perhaps? Does that make sense? Perhaps the predictability might help? Dunno... just a thought. The thing with processed foods too is that they are always the same- a fish finger that you eat today is the same exactly as the one from next week... maybe this is something?
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Maybe I can marinade chicken breast in something before hand to make it tastier too.
MY dd loves pesto nuggets, I did pieces of chicken in pesto (red or green) instead of egg and coat with breadcrumbs, much nicer than plain nugets, DH and I like them too!
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Will he eat more at different meals? Is dinner just not his meal at the moment? Hamish has always been a breakfast guy- so eats big and then eats less by the end of the day. Also- it occurs to me now that maybe he eats most at breakfast as it's ALWAYS THE SAME- you know how babies like predictability and routine. Perhaps the different meals every night are confronting? Get what i mean? It's just a theorey.. Perhaps you could try making up a larger serve of what you are having one night- and then offer him the same thing for a couple of nights- even though you have something different perhaps? Does that make sense? Perhaps the predictability might help? Dunno... just a thought. The thing with processed foods too is that they are always the same- a fish finger that you eat today is the same exactly as the one from next week... maybe this is something?
Good point! Z eats the most at breakie too and it's the same really....I try to be more varied at lunch now because I have more success than with tea. And as H Z eats less as the day goes on...
OMG I'm making pesto nuggets, they sound good!!
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I actually food process and GRIND up the chicken to mimick the consistency of the processed stuff but so I KNOW what is in them and can modify as needed.
I've done this quite a few times with little success. Hence my initial question regarding texture or salt (or something else). He did eat a small amount of some chicken that I ground and made into little patties (with various flavours etc added) but on the whole most of it is wasted or eaten by me and DP and really although we do enjoy the food on the odd occasion we aren't really burger or nugget eaters. I do love cooking and I don't mind making additional items for DS (for him to eat at a different time to the family meal because I still think the family meal should be what we eat which any way is adapted to his needs, a compromise of sorts) but I do find it a drag to go through a whole cooking stint purely for DS to then have him only eat one tiny bit or reject it the same as he would if I just gave him what we are eating.
Will he eat more at different meals?
Oh yes for sure. DS has:
first thing, milk
hour later, breakfast, usually large
mid morning a LARGE snack which really is like early lunch (I seldom eat at this time and sometimes this is at play group where mums don't eat anyway), something like a sandwich, lots of pancakes or lentil mini loaves, bean burgers, oaty flap jacks, something I have made as a thing purely for him and which can be served cold and taken out and about without too much hassle.
mid afternoon (around 3pm to 3.30pm) dinner, this is our family meal, the main meal of the day where we all (if DP is here, otherwise just me and DS) sit down to eat a properly cooked meal together. The timing of this meal is to suit DS, not me. He eats a huge amount at this time. This is the time when he gets freshly cooked veg, pasta dishes, home baked pie, fish, chicken etc.
5.15pm his supper. This is a light snack plus a tiny sippy milk. Sometimes just fruit, sometimes cracker and cheese, depends what he has had in the day and how hungry he is. I don't eat at this time either so sometimes I give a bean burger or pancake or whatever has recently been made or defrosted but he doesn't eat a lot of them, just a little. Really this is just to make sure he isn't hungry going to bed.
(if DP and I are hungry later in the evening after DS's BT we have something light and easy to rustle up or something naughty like a cake with sugar in it!)
Understand the theory that different meals every night could be off putting...DS is the opposite, I cannot get away with giving him the same meal two days running. No point in making large quantities of spag bol here as he will only eat it the first day. The second day he just looks at me in disgust, 'What's this? I've been working my a** off playing and developing ALL day and you couldn't even be bothered to cook a fresh meal? You lazy, good for nothing.' He then requests his fruit and if it isn't forthcoming asks to leave the table. He's quite a character.
However, I do always include in the meal something I know he likes in terms of veg so the entire meal is not something new and different to him.
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LOL!! Crack up!! I believe DS signed 'finished' to me by wagging a piece of chicken at me tonight.. i'll get what i can take! See- I know the point of your questions was about avoiding processed food.. and alternatives... but i would think that you can probably relax if he only picks at his dinner and not offer the processed foods. We generally just offer the rest- so tonight he ate perhaps 1 small piece of chicken.. say 2cmx2cm worth if you can imagine.. a bunch of mushrooms (heaps) and 1 small carrot piece- AND his mandarin.. BUT he'd eaten heaps today- and across the day has probably got protien and iron from other sources. I feel for us that i'd prefer this to offerring him processed chicken nuggets for example that he may eat heaps of... Does that make sense? He really may not be hungry at dinner- but will eat something salty or sugary.. How often do we as adults feel full from a meal, but can be convinced to eat chips or dessert after..
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Had to dash off before I'd finished replying earlier.
Did you say he eats tinned tuna? you could mix that into a tuna bake.. pasta and corn and such?
Yes I make these sorts of meals too. Canned tuna and canned mackerel, still processed though and maybe it's the salt and texture that is more appealing than fresh mackerel and tuna?
Another question. Those of you who make things like home made chicken nuggets (pesto sounds good) do you all eat them as a family meal or do you and OH have something else and give the healthier home made nuggets etc to LO?
See I never give DS something that is not part of the meal because I don't want to make more than one meal and because I think this would encourage him to only like the nuggety type foods rather than 'grown up' food iyswim.
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Ooh!! Found this website!! Haven't had time to look at it.. but the title seemed to be interesting!
http://outoftheboxfood.com/2011/06/30/the-corn-dog-days-of-summer/
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We also eat the nuggets, we don't have them often but have them as a bit of a junky meal with oven chips and salad.
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Ooh!! Found this website!!
Well that's opened my eyes Katy. I've never seen or heard of a corn dog before. I'd have a go at making some just to see what they are like but I don't think turkey hotdogs exist in the UK...or at least I've never seen them.
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WE DONT have corn dogs either...
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the site has other recipes too..
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I've book marked it. The other recipes look GREAT!
Kale crisps, wow!
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We all eat the same for lunch time, for tea, my son eats before we do so he either has the same cooked earlier or something else.
I don't think there's anything wrong with the nuggety foods occasionally but I find because I make my own chicken nuggets I'm not tempted to make them very often.
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Here in a nutshell is why toddlers - heck, why most people :-\ - prefer processed food: "Your tongue can be fooled and your brain can become addicted to the slick combinations of fat, sugar, and salt pumped into factory-made foods..."
From this article here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-mark-hyman/food-industry_b_1559920.html
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This just reminded me of a show we have on Telly. The food truck. This chef goes around Nz creating heathy alternatives for fast food faves and having them trailed by kiwis ;)
Here are the recipes
http://tvnz.co.nz/the-food-truck/recipes-group-4174247 I've had the fish and chips, it is Devine and uses breadcrumbs and mustard for the crust. :P
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hmm... sounds great!
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Bookmarked it!
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Quote from: ~*Nicole*~ on June 28, 2012, 06:02:16 PM
I actually food process and GRIND up the chicken to mimick the consistency of the processed stuff but so I KNOW what is in them and can modify as needed.
I've done this quite a few times with little success.
I didn't realize this read as though I had already done this....I meant for it to say that I WOULD do that as I have not made them that way yet. I've made them from chicken breast tenderized but not ground...for DD. She "tolerated" them but they were not as preferred as the store bought processed kind.
I do love cooking and I don't mind making additional items for DS (for him to eat at a different time to the family meal because I still think the family meal should be what we eat which any way is adapted to his needs, a compromise of sorts) but I do find it a drag to go through a whole cooking stint purely for DS to then have him only eat one tiny bit or reject it the same as he would if I just gave him what we are eating.
This is my problem. I do NOT love cooking. I find no pleasure in it at all. I want to make food in the quickest, easiest way possible. But, I do agree that I hate to make something special just to find it is rejected and therefore wasted. I end up eating a lot of DS's and DD's rejected foods. I end up making things that DS will eat for me and DD (DH isn't home for most of our meals as he is working). So if I make some type of nugget...I will eat them as well. I do enjoy fresh foods myself, but I was raised on boxed processed garbage or quick and easy meals. Mac n' cheese, nuggets, fish sticks, cheese sandwiches....etc. So I have a taste for both and crave different things at different times. My mom was a single mother who relied heavily on that type of thing. I did grow to LOVE fresh and more varied foods as I got older....so I don't think her choices were any detriment to me overall. I even enjoy a lot more vegetables than she ever made/offered. My sister on the other hand is a different story. She will NOT eat a vegetable and she prefers processed, quick, and/or fairly unhealthy meals.
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Ha ha, one of my friends is trying to persuade me to launch ready meals based on my blog. I'm trying to say "no, that's not the point..." but I'm surprised the more and more people I find who hate cooking.
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Interesting article Deb
"Today there are not even enough fruits and vegetables in this country to allow all Americans to follow the government guidelines to eat five to nine servings a day." scary!
Great site for recipes Sara, thanks for sharing. I've book marked it. Already looked at the beans recipe as DS loves beans but they have to be in a sauce of some sort. I can give him almost any sort of beans so long as there is a teaspoon of ketchup or BBQ sauce or something like that mixed through, just a coating really...but he loves canned baked beans in the tom sauce (or course he does, more processed food!). I noticed that the recipe for the bean sauce has sugar in it which is something I avoid, think I'll try it without and see what happens.
Nicole, it's really interesting to read about the foods you had as a child. We has ready foods and real fresh food. Marvellous stews and 'concoctions' (my mum called them) although she would often put a 'cook in sauce' into the fresh meat and veg in the pot and a proper Sunday Roast for much of my childhood. I grew up loving healthy foods (more and more) and my sister became a fast food and chocolate junky, super morbidly obese, no energy, depression...all the symptoms of a body being starved of nutrients.
I did read something once though (no link) that the fast food or 'our generation' was SO much healthier than the junk food of today. We used to love those pies in a tin (Fray Bentos) and frozen filled crispy pancakes, both of which are just hugely better than the majority of today's options on junk food/convenience food.
One thing that I think about is that when I provide DS with a healthy alternative, be it sugar free fruit/veg filled pancakes, muffins, fish cakes or chicken nuggets, whatever, am I really helping him to make a better choice later in life? If someone is brought up eating lots of healthy cakes do they then just go and buy lots of unhealthy cakes as soon as they are independent? If I feed healthy chicken nuggets, wouldn't he have a habit of liking chicken nuggets and just buy crap? I am prob way over thinking it. I would rather he have the food I make him and I suppose part of his education is to teach him the different between THIS cake and THAT cake. But even so...
Anyway, he didn't touch the swordfish and yesterday he put a piece of roast turkey leg in his mouth chewed for about 20 seconds then took it out and politely put it back on his plate. He did get some protein in the day though, a canned tuna and mayo sandwich, so again processed and bares just about no resemblance to real tuna at all.
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When Josie was jut turning 4YO, we began our extremely restricted diet. At the time, the working theory was that carbs were feeding candida in the body, which in turn could cause physical and behavioral symptoms, so the diet was to starve them out. We do still keep this in the backs of our minds when we choose foods, as candida can indeed do all kinds of weird stuff in our bodies, including reinforcing that addictive feeling. We simplified the explanation for Josie, explained about "yeasties" in the body and what they could do, and how we wanted to starve them out. We were up front that there could be "die-off" reactions (the technical term is Herxheimer Response) where her body and "the yeasties" would be wanting their regular food back but that this would pass in a couple of days. And we told her WHY the bad food WAS bad for her, and what good nutrients were in the good foods.
She is now, at 10YO, a very well-informed food consumer. She reads labels possibly a little too obsessively, but as we're now dealing with a possible gluten allergy in her case, that's probably OK for now. She knows that on the rare occasions we have actual dessert food (like at restaurants, not the yogurt or fruit or dark chocolate we have at home dessert), she'll probably have a tummy-ache, and she's happy to share a dessert 2 or 3 ways to minimize it.
That's how we deal with that stuff: with information. We let the girls know what nutrients are in what foods - they were shocked once they realized that pizza basically has nothing but calories and little bits of other stuff like calcium (cheese) and the few nutrients in the toppings and tomato sauce, and happy to snarf down spinach sauteed in butter (as long as there's enough garlic LOL) - and they also plan and help prepare a meal once a week (with guidance). As we pick foods for that meal, we talk about the nutrition that goes into it, and try to pick a variety of foods with the challenge being to get as many nutrients into the meal as possible. :)
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That's really interesting Deb, thanks for sharing your experiences.
I think it will be natural for me to do this sort of explaining as DS gets older and can understand more. I'm sure i am just over thinking things atm and that in time he will gradually begin to get a taste for the fresh fish and meat on offer.
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I am of the belief that information and moderation are the keys to success in this area. DD has an obvious preference for the taste of processed foods, but the more we talk about things and the more open and honest we are the better she seems to understand. A few examples are:
*She loves juice. I keep explaining that juice is something we can have (diluted for her) sometimes but should not be what we have all the time. She came back with but I LIKE juice. So we talked about how that was fine, but that water or milk were healthier choices and so if she's already had one or two cups of juice that day, then she may have water or milk at this point (usually dinnertime). She dug her heels in a few times, but now generally chooses milk. She will also tell others that milk and water are healthy for your body.
*In the store, she picked up one of those horribly sugar filled overly colored yogurts with something like Spongebob on the box. She was DELIGHTED. It looked bright and cheery and she LOVES yogurt. I told her that we had yogurt at home (plain greek yogurt) and that it was better than that brightly colored stuff. I explained how they just use colors to make it pretty and add a lot of sugar which tastes really good but is not so great for your body to have that much and they put a picture on it to trick kids into buying it! She put it back gladly once she understood that it wasn't any better.
*DD is allergic to celery and knows about DS's MSPI to the extent that she can. She tells people that "Lukey is allergic to cheese." or whatever....and that she is "allergic to celery" because we have talked to her about these things.
Overall, I think that not exposing them to certain things on occasion (barring a true need to avoid completely like an allergy or behavioral component or other health related need) leads them to want to try them out and go overboard when left to their own devices. But explanations and information and letting them enjoy things in moderation lead to more wise choices when they are older. So we allow for "ready" made stuff and also do some homemade fresher stuff (less often now that I am trying to juggle both kids, and with my dislike for cooking, etc.). It works for us and DD seems to really take in the information.
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Yes I think you are absolutely right.
I think the consistency and information and helping children needs to continue and continue. I think one of my worries (not that I am hugely worried because i know DS has a good diet even if the protein aspect is tricky) has been seeing my sister with her daughter, who started on a great, varied and healthy diet when she was very young but at some point (I think around age 5 or 7) my sister just seemed to give up and by the time her DD went to high school there wasn't a uniform to fit her she had grown so big and unhealthy :( It really really saddened me.
Of course I shouldn't be worried by things my sister has done, she has her issues and I am a completely different person. I suppose I just saw first hand what can happen when the 'reigns' are released.
Like you have said, there were forbidden foods, SO forbidden that they became THE goal to eat them as much as possible.
I'm glad that you reminded me of that as it is something I already noted with my niece but wasn't thinking about in terms of the odd bit of processed food or home made alternatives.
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when I provide DS with a healthy alternative, be it sugar free fruit/veg filled pancakes, muffins, fish cakes or chicken nuggets, whatever, am I really helping him to make a better choice later in life?
At this age I think you are doing what you need to do to get the 'good stuff' in really. At this age they aren't being 'picky' as such, it seems to be a common stage for 12-24mth olds especially. I got very stressed over this when Z started being a bit fussy and now I focus on his overall diet over 3 days. Esp with teething in the mix, and textural/temp sensitivities they get I found once I did this Zs diet was actually ok YK? Dinner is always tough, but he eats a good breakie, good AM snack, good lunch...and his vege intake is low, but fruit is high...and I just keep offering ;) one day he will eat the broccoli :P
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I focus on his overall diet over 3 days.
It's at about this point that I resort to home made falafel, baked beans or bean/lentil burgers etc to get some protein in.
DS's fruit intake was also very high. I knew there were a couple of veg he didn't like but on the whole he DOES like veg but wasn't eating much. I cut down on his fruit (which didn't go down too well for a day or two) and he increased his veg.
one day he will eat the broccoli
I know it's going a bit OT but I found just recently DS will eat the long stalk variety if I remove the flower head. I serve it to his plate whole but then cut it so he can see and he will eat the stalk part.
At this age I think you are doing what you need to do to get the 'good stuff' in really.
Yes I think you're right.
I wonder if I really should start to serve DS's protein differently for his main meal. When we had the swordfish a couple of days back, maybe if I'd cut a piece off and bread-crumbed and fried it he might have eaten it. I've been so against doing this as I wanted him to see we all have the same, but it might at least get him used to the flavour and texture of the different foods INSIDE the crumb coating and perhaps eventually I could reduce the crumb.
Anyone know how to store home made breadcrumbs? Can I make one slice worth and keep it for a few days in the fridge or freezer to make cooking a separate item a bit quicker?
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Anyone know how to store home made breadcrumbs? Can I make one slice worth and keep it for a few days in the fridge or freezer to make cooking a separate item a bit quicker?
I think if you dry them out in the oven (dry out the bread first- then process it) that you can keep them in an airtight container. Otherwise you could probably keep them in the freezer. Possibly you could keep them in little zip-lock bags- then you'd be able to pop the meat right in to the bag and coat it in the bag?
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I just use stale bread, whizz in a food processor and then freeze. I then use straight from frozen.
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Thanks ladies, I thought it was ok to freeze whizzed crumbs but thought I better check. Good to know they can be used from frozen too.
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You could probably freeze whizzed crumbs- but then they would possibly clump more when frozen and you'd have to defrost them. either way!
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No they don't clump, they break apart really easily and you can use them from frozen. Honest!
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you can use them from frozen
I'm certainly going to do this. It's not really a big deal to whizz fresh as I have a small whizzer so can do just one piece of bread, or half, but even so that is quite a lot of bread crumbs when I am only going to crumb DS's bits.
I'm wondering about something 'sticky' to coat the meat/fish in prior to the crumbs to avoid wasting a whole egg just for one little dip. Pesto sounds great, what else? I'm thinking a little tom puree? cream cheese? mustard?
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YAY!
hmm- unless someone else has some experience with it then i reckon you could try any of those! Actually.. i would put the cream cheese at the bottom of my list.. it might be ok- but i think the thinner things might be better.. What about some milk even? cream? (if you have those... not as tasty- but trying to think of things that coat like egg white...
The other thing- is your DS teething? could it be that his mouth is sensitive lately- making him not want to bite hard/chewy adult foods but prefer mushier/softer things?
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See, this is where I am often surprised by those who enjoy cooking...I've never made fresh breadcrumbs in my life. I've never made bread either for that matter. LOL
I have been buying panko crumbs b/c they are dairy/soy free....haha
Coating with something else and then coating sounds interesting though.
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I've never made fresh breadcrumbs in my life.
It's not a big deal. I open the whizzer drop a slice of (pre-pack bought from the supermarket bakery) bread in, put the lid on a press 'go' for about 30 seconds and they're done.
Sometimes I use a left over pitta bread or chapati etc if there happens to be one hanging around unlikely to be eaten.
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Panko breadcrumbs are great, make things really crispy but they're tricky to get hold of in the UK.
To be honest, I use an egg. Eggs aren't that expensive and why not cook enough for you and your child so you don't waste it?
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why not cook enough for you and your child so you don't waste it?
Because I'm not making full meals crumbed. My plan is to keep my food (and DPs) as regular meat or fish and offer a piece of this to DS as per usual (which he ignores), whilst also sometimes making him a small piece of it in crumb. It is not something I want to do but a compromise to feed him real meat and fish via the crumb disguise.
It also means when we have different types of fish for example that he will be getting a different flavour in his 'fish finger'.
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You could crumb yours with something more exotic; we sometimes do shredded unsweetened coconut with Thai seasoning as a crust, or coconut flour with Italian seasoning. And really, you could eventually make it all like that for everyone once he gets used to the textures and flavors of the different seasonings. :) (We have to go gluten-free here so no panko in our house. *sigh*)
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A partial success today.
I was having salmon so I made DS a couple of 'fish fingers' out of a piece. They were more squarish than fingers, covered in breadcrumbs with cheese parsley and a little shake of bbq seasoning then fried. The result looked nothing like salmon obviously, served with a mint mayo dip (plus a ton of veg). He tucked in and thoroughly enjoyed it.
When it was cut open you could see the inside looked different to a fish finger and at one point some of it was almost crumbless because of the way it had been cut and then sort of broke up a bit when he was trying to stab with his fork. I thought he was going to notice but he didn't, he just kept eating and didn't seem to mind the salmon taste or texture at all. Prior to this he has put a piece of 'real' salmon in his mouth, moved it around a bit and then spat it out so I think this is a step in the right direction even though it was crumbed.
Not been able to get hold of any panko breadcrumbs yet, so for now it is still home made breadcrumbs. Today's salmon was crumbed with tortilla wrap.
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I've not managed to find Panko breadcrumbs yet. They're Japanese so there's a small chance you could get them in an oriental supermarket or alternatively they sell them in the grocery section of Amazon! I might get some, I keep being tempted to make Katsu.
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I 'think' they are just white breadcrumbs with no crust ;) so you could make Some If you had the energy lol. http://www.food.com/recipe/homemade-panko-bread-crumbs-167729
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Sara, there seem to be two varieties, one without the crust and one with, but what I read was the main difference is the crumb being larger and more flake-like. Apparently they don't soak up so much fat so are lighter and more crunchy then regular bread crumbs.
And thanks for the recipe but I started to feel a little exhausted just reading it haha. I do like cooking but I'm not hard-core :) Besides I don't have a shredding disc for a food processor which I think is one of the key aspects to get the larger crumb. My whizzer is really basic and just whizzes. Does the job though.
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Lol don't worry, I could never be bothered to make my own breadcrumbs ;) just an option for those who may have more energy than me.
Z hates the whiz so it's a no go in our house anyway ::)
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Perhaps you can try seasoning with things that naturally contain salt, instead of adding salt, like cheese. And also the texture, a lot of kids like the crispiness of the breading of fish fingers.
Despite having had mixed success with crumbong fresh fish and meat before starting this thread I think the real winner has been mixing grated cheese with the crumb. He really does seem to be going for it.
He ate real fish crumbed again a couple of days back and yesterday ate more chicken than I've ever seen him eat before, 4 'nuggets' of about 2-3cm square which is LOADS. So I wanted to say thanks to everyone who offered their help and a particular thanks for this suggestion of cheese.
I did chicken thigh cut into pieces, dipped in flour, then tom puree watered down, then breadcrumbs with cheese and mixed herbs. Then fried.
He loved them.
It still isn't 'real' iyswim, but i think over time I might reduce the crumb to one side of the meat/fish and perhaps wena him off the breadcrumbs. For now breadcrumbs with cheese are a winner and at least I know he is gettng a mix of protein sources and flavours :)
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SO glad!!!
I know it's still not "real" but I would keep offering real versions and interjecting the "kid friendly" options occasionally so he has exposure and still gets some protein.
Hopefully he'll come around and be "weaned" off of the crumb.
FWIW my two wouldn't touch salmon fillets with a crumbed layer on top last night for dinner. :( Made me so sad.
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There really is nothing wrong with seasoning with salt in moderation. It enhances tastes and we need some salt. Use good salt and he might just eat pan fried fish like yours. worth experimenting.
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More success today...
Chicken wings roasted with a sprinkle of some bbq seasoning (it has a range of spices plus some salt and sugar but he's getting so little of it I don't think it can be that 'bad'). I ran out of time and didn't do him a crumb version so just served him the same as we were having plus he got a teaspoon of 'dip dip' (bbq sauce). He helped cut some of the chicken up and stabbed it with his fork and dipped it and...ate it! He had about 5 mouth fulls which is the most chicken I've ever seen him eat, not one bit came back out of his mouth and some of it he even forgot to dip in sauce but still ate it :)
I would keep offering real versions
Yes, this is my plan. When he gets a crumb version he also gets a piece exactly the same as mine so both are on his plate.
I think we've made a lot of progress in a reasonably short time. I'm so pleased. I don't mind the small quantities of dip sauce with sugar in because he doesn't have anything else with sugar at all. I watch his salt intake but I think it's fine.
It was really tempting to praise him for eating chicken today, but I didn't, I managed to hold back and just kept praise to what a good job he did of using his fork which is a relatively new and improving skill.
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I'm back with an update.
A couple of days ago he ate pan fried trout without any crumb or special treatment, just the say as mine. He fed himself 3 mouthfuls :)
And today we had sprats and he ate almost 2 full ones, heads and all :)
Yum yum ;D
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YAY!!
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wonderful! My DS has got more fussy this week grrrrr.....I blame a flu and canine #4 ;)
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Hey - scallops today :)
OK so he did his 'I'm being polite and I'll swallow the one in my mouth but I'm not going to stab any more of them' thing and only ate one, but one is one, it is better than pretending it is not even on his plate :) Again no crumb, no special, just the same as mine (bet he would have eaten ten if they were crumbed though).
Hey Sara, poor Z :(
Tooth fairy making further deliveries here too. Damn her, she better pay top whack when it comes to repossession. DS has suffered SO much he deserves a whacking good pay out.
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she bette pay top whack when it comes to repossession.
Um- you do know where the tooth fairy money comes from don't you :-\ Other wise i think there's a discussion we need to have...:P
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scallops today
Yum, can i come live with you!
DS has suffered SO much he deserves a whacking good pay out.
lol same here...he'll we deserve a pay out too...maybe we could get a bonus ;)
you do know where the tooth fairy money comes from don't you
the tooth fairy Katy - duh!
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LOL!!!
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Quote from: amayzie on Today at 10:47:09 AM
you do know where the tooth fairy money comes from don't you
the tooth fairy
OBVIOUSLY!
maybe we could get a bonus
I've put in a request to get my bonus off the Sandman.
:)
I should balance up our progress report with what he DIDN'T eat - Morrocan lambs heart kebabs for our picnic at the weekend. Even DP was suspicious of these, he's not an offal lover, but did eat them and decided very tasty.
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Morrocan lambs heart kebabs for our picnic at the weekend.
hmm... i'm pretty suspicious of these too! I'm sure it was nice... No way i could get MY DH to eat it though!
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Morrocan lambs heart kebabs
Okay, there's having high expectations and then there's off the charts.
I am not a fussy eater but to me that's in the category with eating bugs or cow's eyes- I'd probably do it if we were starving but not till then.
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Wow! Lots of things I've not even tried my adventurous sort on! But my little man does love his mussels!
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The lambs heart isn't something we eat every week, it was a one off.
He'll now eat a few bites (say 2 or 3 pieces each 1cm square, very thinly sliced) of lamb or chicken, no crumb, just like mine.
Sprats are a winner, he's had them a few more times and eats 1.5 - 2 full ones (and they are quite big really), he makes the fish sound just before eating them :)
Garlic prawns, no crumb, will eat about 2 - they have to be fresh raw prawns that I cook, not the pre-cooked wet tasteless ones.
He is still rejecting pan fried smoked sardines. Doesn't even acknowledge they are on his plate.
All in all there is steady progress. Every now and then he still gets a fish finger or sausage if I feel like he's been several days without a decent bite of protein but he will also take eggy bread for breakfast most mornings now which means half an egg (or up to a full egg) going in, so I am far less concerned about his protein.
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FWIW, I just re-read my post above and it was meant to be jokey but did not come off that way.
Where are my emoticons when i need them?
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FWIW is was British lamb in a Moroccan marinade. Not actual Morrocan lamb from Morroco.
So, not quite as off the charts as you might have assumed
;D :D ;D :D ;D :D ;D :D
:-*
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Hey, I may be squeamish but i am not prejuduced! ;)
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You found the winky then
:)