Kids' eating habits

I saw something pretty disturbing on tv yesterday. It's the Jamie Oliver Food Revolution. It's a challenge to try to change eating habits in America as well as what schools feed kids. I didn't realize since I was in grade school that kids are fed Breakfast and lunch at school. I believe, when I was in high school we could pick up a snack or something in the cafeteria but I never really spent time in the lunch room other than lunch time. I'm shocked at what they were feeding kids for breakfast from the cafeteria. Giving kids at such a young age the choice of all these different flavored milks, and the lack of fruits and vegetables. The ones that were served were canned which are high in fructose syrup. Made me think about what I feed the boys in the evening.

I was always really good about what I fed Andersen as a toddler and even the twins last winter. I think it was last summer that I began changing what I made the boys. I don't tend to put much thought into what we're going to eat for dinner and when I do I stick to the same menu. Chicken, salmon, pasta, hamburgers, fishsticks, grilled cheese, pizza, Rice with Chicken and peppers, hotdogs, chicken nuggets, mac n' cheese (with tuna/chicken, and vegetables mixed in), etc. Those are typical main courses I feed the boys in our household. Each one with a fruit and or vegetable on the side. Never really put any thought into making a salad to eat on the side, which was a dinner routine for us growing up. Over the year I've gotten away from making salmon and chicken b/c there's preparation and thought I have to put in it and I've been working off of last minute ideas that I can throw together quickly. Another change is since the twins have gotten older each boy likes something different so I've stopped serving some stuff and will try to accommodate everyone.

Since watching the show I've started trying to change things up. Last night we did grilled chicken, Greek salad on the side with apple slices. Boys seem to really eat it up. Tonight I served a romaine salad for the first time. We played outside for three hours so the boys are exhausted and something fresh really seemed to hit the spot for them. Romaine lettuce with sliced cucumbers, sliced grape tomatoes, yellow and red peppers, and squeezed some fresh cut lemon to taste. I bought a dressing that I know is not over the top fattening but something the boys may enjoy, Catalina. The boys surprised me and actually ate it. Jasper wouldn't eat the cucumbers and yellow peppers. Carter wouldn't eat the tomatoes, and Andersen wouldn't eat the yellow peppers. Oh well can't please them all but whatever one wouldn't eat just gave to the other. Next as the main dish I baked some Tilapia marinated in lemon pepper. I chopped up a portabello mushroom, red peppers, yellow peppers, sliced up a lemon and squeezed it in. When done, I placed the Tilapia on a bed of rice and drizzled the lemon pepper sauce around. Boys weren't too pleased by it. Andersen ate up most of the rice, little fish, Carter's my human trash can and just ate. And Jasper took a couple of bites and said he was done. I thought it was a little bland mixed with too sweet.

Out of today's experiment I will definitely keep making a salad to add more color to the boys' diets and work on the fish. When I make salmon the boys eat it up no questions asked though I wanted to change it up and see what they'll eat. Next time I'll prepare the tilapia a bit different and see if I can get them to eat more of it. I must say I have some left overs that I can eat for dinner tomorrow and the next day! yay!