Eating the French Way?

Courtesy of French Kids Eat Everything, by Karen LeBillon

Here's a polarizing issue for you... will your picky eaters be "cured" if they eat The French Way? ​Karen LeBillon's book ​​French Kids Eat Everything offers an interesting perspective on an age old question: how do I get my kids to stop being picky eaters? 

I have met families where one child eats everything and anything and the other child eats only one color of food - beige. This must be frustrating. But I don't believe there is one approach to solve issues like these.

There are aspects of LeBillon's philosophy that I completely agree with: parents are in charge of food education, slow food is happy food and eat mostly real food. While I agree with many of her other points, I don't find them as universal. I would love to eat family meals together but with small children and working parents that is not always possible. In my house, the rule is to try a bite of everything on your plate. My kids don't have to like it and they definitely don't have to finish everything on their plate but to me as a parent it's important that they explore tastes beyond their comfort zone. My daughter tried sea urchin last night for the first time while we were out to dinner. Turns out she didn't like it but we were thrilled that she gave it a go. ​

I definitely disagree with the thought that parents should schedule meals and menus without kids. I love that my kids have opinions about what they do and don't like. I have found that involvement in cooking and menu planning has made my kids more enthusiastic about their meals. I believe that because we've set reasonable guidelines, they know they can't have cake for dinner or the same lunch every day. 

What's your take on Eating the French Way? ​

Lunch Packing Made Easy

Using a new app is usually lots of fun but is sometimes peppered with (potentially frustrating) unknowns. In an effort to make packing lunch for your kid(s) as easy as planning lunch - I wanted to call attention to the button circled here in orange. Click this button to go back and forth between lunchbox view and list view: 

List View

List View Button

You can swipe through each day of the week to clearly see what should be packed on which day. Unfortunately, the app can't pack the lunches for you, but every bit of help in the school lunch department goes a long way. 

How It All Began...

My daughter starting going to school full time in pre-kindergarten. I was pregnant with my little guy and working full time so I needed a system to stay on top of the whole lunch box thing. ​

The original LaLa Lunchbox

Everything mattered, it seemed. She had very strong feelings about her lunchbox, her water bottle and of course, what she would and would not eat at school. As you can see, she's not the typical sandwich-eating girl, which I suppose is what helped me come up with this system in the first place. 

I designed this "menu" and laminated it for our fridge. While it's mainly all about the pictures, I labeled everything to help my gal with her emerging reading skills. We sat together every Saturday morning and she would rattle off what she wanted for the following week. Every day consisted of fruit, vegetables, protein and snack. I noticed that she built in variety to her week. Healthy habits were forming! Each week I took her choices to the grocery store and shopped accordingly. Mornings were a breeze - I just consulted the list and packed her lunch. We were both delighted. 

I figured that there had to be an easier (less paper-wasting) way. And thus, LaLa Lunchbox was born. I hope you enjoy using it and look forward to your feedback! 

LaLa Lunchbox has Launched!

LaLa Lunchbox has hit the App Store! Now you and your hungry little monsters can download and have fun packing and planning lunches...

Beets for Kids? You Bet!

I love beets. Red ones. Golden ones. Candy striped ones. They're delicious and nutritious -- high in folic acid and potassium and said to be an antioxidant and super food. There was a while where I was roasting them for dinner almost every night but my husband gently let me know that he needed a bit of a break. ​

The break is over. Yesterday, my mom brought over some beet soup that she made recently. I almost gobbled the whole thing myself but my little guy wanted in on the action. What a hit! Turns out Beet Soup with Orange and Mint is a palette pleaser for all ages. ​

Click here for my mom's terrific recipe and enjoy! ​