Good intentions

I have good intentions, I have for the better part of my life. But the problem is, I have a hard time seeing them through. Some days I feel like a complete failure because of this. I honestly feel like when I die, I will be known as the girl (okay, woman) with the best of intentions BUT... fill in the blanks.

I have to change my success to failure ratio. But from where I'm sitting (imagine a small apartment with crumbs, toys, dishes, other misc clutter and a decent supply of convenience snacks in the cabinet), it seems close to impossible. Do I get stuck because it's truly overwhelming or is it because making homemade mac and cheese instead of grabbing a box (albeit a well researched better than big brand box) half the time or keeping the sink empty and the laundry kept up is just not me? I ponder this every day. One of the few things that keeps me from losing all hope is I know I can't be alone on this.

As mothers, we strive for perfection where there really can't be any. I read a good amount of parenting blogs and food blogs that make it appear that perfection IS a possibility. Come on people, give me a break. But I guess that's why I started Medium Food Mama to begin with. And I suppose this is where I need to focus and continue to help myself and others be okay with giving the kids a Trader Joe's trail mix bar instead of a homemade one every now and then because it was cheaper and less time consuming and occasionally letting the house get to the point it looks like robbers ransacked it (this will be my excuse if someone shows up unexpectedly today by the way). But sometimes I still ask, are these things a reflection of who I really am and are my good intentions worthless? Ugh.

Well now that I've gotten that off my chest, I think I can move forward. My good intentions this week are to make a yummy meatloaf that will make me smile when the kiddos gobble it up, this fennel side dish, a couple quick breads and homemade graham crackers to hand the kids for snack in place of that convenience bar I mentioned earlier, keep the dishes under control, do some laundry and maybe get to the much needed shampooing of the rug. And a few other things of course but you get the picture. Here's to a good week. Deep breath. Fingers crossed.

Sneaky Chef to the rescue

We're still trying to rebound from the poor eating habits while at the hospital. Insisting on "real" food has been tough. The main reason is my concern for my son's health. Which in itself makes this weirder. Real food is best for his health but him continuing to eat is equally important. So if it's boxed mac and cheese for every meal with only a fresh strawberry and a cup of yogurt thrown in during the day, I'm just grateful he's eating.

In my core though, there is the need to make good food even out of a box of mac and cheese or a plain cheese pizza. Starting with the best of the processed choices is the first step. For instance, Trader Joe's makes a decent box of mac and cheese and so does Annie's. Next is making it with quality dairy. Then adding vegetables and/or protein. But if your child is anything like mine (the three year old anyway), adding veggies or protein he can see won't fly. And that's why I am thankful for the The Sneaky Chef.

I purchased the Sneaky Chef book a couple of years ago. I believe the purchase was made as a result of my first son's lack of desire for variety in his diet. As I was fretting a bit the other night about the abundance of mac and cheese my kid has been eating, I remembered the book. I quickly pulled it off the shelf and became reacquainted with it. The make-ahead puree recipes are genius. And they work. The orange puree is so subtle it goes undetected even in my son's beloved mac and cheese.

If you have trouble getting your kids to eat veggies or other nutritious items as is, I highly recommend giving the Sneaky Chef book a try. It has made it easier to deal with my son's current food rut and makes the food my toddler is eating even more nutritious. Can't go wrong with that! And in honor of the box and the Sneaky Chef, here is the Orange Puree recipe:

Orange Puree
1 medium sweet potato or yam, rough chopped
3 medium to large carrots, peeled and sliced into thick chunks
3-4 tablespoons water

In a medium pot, cover carrots and sweet potatoes with cold water and boil for about 20 minutes until yams, and especially carrots are very tender. If the carrots aren't thoroughly cooked, they'll leave telltale little nuggets of vegetables, which will reveal their presence (a gigantic no-no for the sneaky chef).

Drain yams and carrots and put them in the food processor with two tablespoons of water. Puree on high until smooth; no chunks should remain. Stop occasionally to push the contents from the top to the bottom. If necessary, add the rest of the water to make a smooth puree, but the less water the better.

This makes about two cups of puree. Store in the refrigerator for up to three days, or freeze 1/4 cup portions in sealed plastic bags or small plastic containers.

To add to boxed mac and cheese: Prepare according to directions on package. Add 2-4 tablespoons orange puree into the cheese sauce, mixing until well blended. Note: Adding a 1/4 cup of grated cheese into the sauce will help mask the carrots a bit more if your little one detects them.

These faces make it all worth it

I get stressed out. Way out. Some days the stress gets to me so intensely I feel like checking myself in to the mental ward - for the betterment of my family.

On these particularly stressful days, I often get the urge to not take the time to make my boys the healthiest snacks or the healthiest meals. Instead I feel like reaching for the nearest box of cereal bars or the microwavable mac & cheese. And you know what? Sometimes I do. I am the medium food mama and all. More importantly though, I'm human.

But with that said, watching my boys enjoy one of my homemade snacks as they did this morning, keeps me motivated even in the most stressful times. I know feeding them real food and teaching them the value of it will not only benefit their growing bodies but create a natural propensity for healthy eating. To this day I crave white flour quesadillas and caramel apples over whole meals and fresh fruit; proof that what you grow up on influences your palate - for life.

Yes, we all crave foods that are less than healthy once in a while but some of us more often than others. My husband for instance grew up with no soda and little to no packaged junk in the house, homemade school lunches and family dinners. He has always preferred healthy food. I thought he was kind of a square at first (15+ years ago) especially when he would give me a grossed out look while I nuked a can of Spaghettios for dinner. Oh and the worst was his lack of desire (need) for dessert. What do you mean NO dessert? OMG. This was especially hard in the early days as I didn't want him to think I was a pig or anything. No girl wants her boyfriend to think that. Am I right? The hubby's natural preference for good food and little desire for junk illustrates my point. So does my preference for the opposite.

Don't get me wrong, hubby likes ice cream, chocolate (thank God), pie and the occasional soda but it's very occasional and he prefers it if we make the pie and the soda is not a Pepsi but a Hansen's. That sort of thing. I enjoy eating this way too but it's not without hard work - daily. I still indulge in foods that comfort me more often than I should. My take on it is, they comfort me because that's what my mama fed me. I know it seems hard to believe but I'm convinced that if she had prepared fresh fruit salads as an after school snack, I'd find comfort in fruit salad to this day.

The smiles on my boys faces while they eat something I made and that's good for them, makes this mission so worth it. Also, the knowledge that what and how they eat now will stick with them for a lifetime is an incredible thing to get the honor to influence.

Convenience foods

Part of the medium food life is some convenience foods. Although my goal is to reduce as many of the "boxes" as possible, I do need to have some in the cabinet. My approach is to buy items with an acceptable ingredient list, good nutritional value, responsible packaging and reasonable price. I also research the companies. I feel better knowing more than just their name. As with most healthier options, they're typically more expensive so I make a point to buy when they're on sale.

Items like cereal bars, brown rice treats and crackers I buy at Trader Joe's. The ingredients are decent and the price is almost always less than anywhere else. If you're familiar with Trader Joe's they don't have sales as most grocery stores do but they do take coupons on the few products they sell that aren't private label such as Kashi or Earth's Path. I've also recently started to buy tortillas, another item I want to make from scratch eventually, at TJ's. Can't beat $1.69 for 10 tortillas.

I'm also known to have a few frozen meals on hand as well as a back up jar of pasta sauce. Although I enjoy my husband's homemade marinara so much more than what comes in a jar, some nights it comes down to lack of time, energy and planning. Just part of the medium food life, I suppose! Here are some convenience items you may spot in my freezer or cabinet:

Amy's Frozen Whole Meals
Ice cream
Whole grain cheese pizza or flatbread
Frozen Organic Brown Rice
Boxed Mac and Cheese
Pasta Sauce
Canned beans
Quick cooking rice
Snack items like Annie's crackers, grahams and bunny fruit snacks

It's super nice to have these kind of items on hand but the more I put in my shopping cart, the higher my bill is. I plan to do cost comparisons on convenience versions vs. from scratch versions and post my findings. Should be fun and educational.

Mac and cheese challenge

Boxed mac and cheese. A staple in a lot of American homes, yes? Ours too, unfortunately. I figured after how well the chocolate shake switch went, I'd take on the mac and cheese. Well let's just say, it did not go smoothly. And nor has it been accepted as a replacement for the box with the orange powder. Yet.

I found a great recipe in our America's Test Kitchen cookbook. It's the "light" version and it is fantastic. Due to Gavin's turned up nose, my husband and I were forced to eat it all ourselves, not a problem. Every time I took a bite, I couldn't understand how my son could resist such a wonderful dish. And not only that but prefer the stuff in the box.

I'm fully aware why Gav has developed a propensity for the boxed version, it's what I started him on and have consistently given him. That specific taste, smell, color and those uniquely shaped noodles, that's what he craves. We buy the Trader Joe's or Whole Foods brand but is it really any better than the blue box? Yes, actually. Ingredients below.

So I'm stuck at the moment. The only thing to do at this point is to continue to try. I will serve him my mac and cheese and go from there. The bright side is he's only three, there is still time to wean him off the box and for him to develop a taste for the real stuff.

Trader Joe's ingredients: Sauce (cheddar cheese [cultured pasteurized milk, salt, enzymes], whey, buttermilk, butter [cream, salt], disodium phosphate, extractives of annatto and beta carotine [for color]).

Kraft ingredients: whey, milkfat, milk protein concentrate, salt, sodium tripolyphosphate, contains less than 2% of citric acid, sodium phosphate, lactic acid, milk, calcium phosphate, yellow 5, yellow 6, cheese culture, enzymes.