Food and Menus

I try very, very hard to prepare my daughter's meals from scratch using as many real food ingredients that I can. I research recipes, read food labels and try my best to feed her as few processed foods as possible. I also try hard to steer clear of high fructose corn syrup, food coloring, chemicals, trans fats, etc. I am proud of this fact and as her mother I make these decisions with careful thought and consideration. I do not know the details of her nutritional past but I feel like she (or any child for that matter) should be fed nourishing meals as much as possible to aid in growth and brain development. The occasional store-bought cupcake, slice of pizza, juice box won't completely undo my hard work and is totally allowed (since I can't say no to all junk forever!) but for the most part it's not a part of her daily diet. I feel the need to make up for lost--or shall I say unknown--time. She was supposedly breast fed as an infant, which is great, but the list of foods they say she enjoyed in the orphanage only included bananas, cookies, juice, injera & wot and tea with sugar. Some families put more of an emphasis on exercise, cultural exposure, teaching academics, playing, socializing, spirituality or other things which are also important. For me, nutrition is very important to do now though while she's still under age 3 and growing so much and it's something that I can do fairly easily.
tasting mango for the first time March 26, 2011 (it was a big hit!)

To accomplish this, I pack her breakfast and lunch every day. This takes work and sometimes I have to set my alarm extra early if I haven't prepared it the night before. A daily meal plan is available at her daycare (both breakfast and lunch) so it would be so much easier to just sleep in and write a check but it's the same thing served by my school district so I know exactly what it is. It's highly processed foods with white sugar and white flour and rarely any enticing fruits or veggies. The breakfasts are processed dry cereals, sweet rolls laden with sugar, white flour bagels filled with cream cheese and egg wraps made with white flour torillas. The breakfasts also include fruit and bottled cow's milk. The fruit is rarely whole (usually individual serving cups of fruit in heavy syrup) but if it is, it's often not ripe. The lunches are similar. Most often they serve chicken nuggets or pizza. More fruit cups and milk. I feel much better sending her to school with yogurt, fresh fruit, nut butter sandwiches on homemade almond flour tortillas, sliced veggies with dips, hard boiled eggs, slices of baked chicken, etc.

Foods that will keep her satiated and focused in school and full of nutrition. I know exactly what she eats for breakfast and therefore how much she needs packed in her lunch. When I prepare her sandwich with almond butter on an almond flour tortilla, I know how incredibly filling it is on its own so the side of vegetables, fruit and almond milk and an occasional treat I know it's more than enough. She is two and doesn't need an adult-sized meal but this is on the larger size compared to what her classmates eat. So it really annoys me when her teachers decide that she is still hungry and supplement it with more food! Of course I don't want my child to be hungry but I know she can't possibly be with all that plus what I send in for her breakfast. Yes, she eats fast and finishes way before her classmates who are typical toddlers who pick at their meals. But this doesn't mean feed her more!

I need to suggest to them ways to occupy her and give her the emotional support she may be craving, like perhaps through a snuggle or special one on one time with the teacher after meal time. Because by the time she finishes her lunch, I am sure she's not hungry anymore. I feel so controlling, but when they tell me "she didn't want to eat her carrots but was still hungry so we gave her some fruit" I want to scream! First of all, if she is still hungry then have her eat the rest of what I put into her lunch! The fruit they give her is that heavy-syrup laden stuff from the cafeteria. I have seen her take a few bites of the fruit and happily slurp down the sugar water. I know they're just trying to be helpful but it annoys me.

I'm OK with letting her eat as much as she feels she needs, as long as it's not sugary or starchy. I don't want her addicted to sugar and carbs like me!! And food is a big thing with her. I pay attention to the fact that she has done the following:

She ate (or tired to eat) the button off one of her sweaters once
She ate one of my hairs of of her shirt
She will occasionally take food out of the trash can or eat food off the floor
She must carry her breakfast with her in the car so it's in her eyesight or she cries
She crunches on crayons
She must carry her lunchbox and hold it in the car on the way home

Those are just a few that come to mind immediately and may be typical toddler behaviors --or they may be somehow connected to her institutionalized past. I just take note and continue to provide healthy choices and try to create a healthy attitude about food as much as possible. Moving for my new job will make it easier. We will eat healthy foods and be outside in warm weather year round. I can't wait!

On to this week's meals that I have planned:

1. Coconut Flour Pizza
2. Spaghetti Squash chili
3. Raw Pad Thai or baked chicken and spinach
4. leftovers or change out one of those dishes for coconut flour pan fried fish
5. Almi to her teacher's house (rescheduled for the 4th time!!) and I will eat out

Stats:
Weight - 149
Vitamins - 1x
Work outs - none
Joint Pain - minimal
Stress level - on the lower side