Taste the Rainbow

It’s nearing the end of Lent, and I’m running low on no meat ideas for Friday dinners.  I’m fine eating a bowl of cereal (yum!) but I don’t think my meat-eating family would like that every week.

In an effort to jazz up the lunch box when Samantha started taking her lunch to school last fall, I started reading a few lunch box blogs.  It takes only a little more effort to make lunch special, which then means, it will get eaten.  I have to admit, these days, Brian usually makes her lunch.  However, Samantha has always been pretty good about eating vegetables and fruits of all kinds.  (Her favorite vegetables are peas and beans.  My least favorite!)  The common theme in getting kids to eat healthier is fun.  We had some discussions about superpowers.  For example, carrots make you have super sight.  I make Ants on a Log and arrange food playfully on the plate.

So, last week I decided that a hot meal was out since it was so hot outside.  Samantha loves rainbows, and I’m trying to instill that we need to eat food of all colors, so I had the idea to make a rainbow dinner.  Nothing fancy.  It received great reviews though.  It even inspired Sam to eat her squash, which is her absolute least favorite veggie (and one of my favorites!).

Ellie on the other hand is trickier.  Her diet consists of dairy, fruit and crackers.  That’s about all she’ll eat.  I’ll keep working on her.

strawberries, sweet potatoes, yellow squash, asparagus, blueberries and purple grapes

Eating

Samantha has always been a good eater. I really don’t have a reference for this, but she always eats what we eat, so I figure that’s pretty good.

She loves peas or beans. To be even more specific, butter peas are her favorite. I never knew what these were until I married Brian, so go figure. I have always hated peas (and most beans). I know that her Papa’s favorite is butter peas, so it’s no surprise where she gets this taste from. It astounds me though when she asks for more at dinner, which happened tonight. More peas? Who would eat more than the required amount? Silly girl.

Oh and edamame is pretty high on the list too. I can’t shell them fast enough to keep up with her eating them.

EDIT (from Brian):  We can’t shell them fast enough…