Food exposure....

[jewellsmommy]

I was discussing my efforts to branch out with food choices on another thread and wanted to discuss and hear other people's experiences.

 

Most people on here would probably be appalled with how I was raised regarding food :001_huh:. My mother's only knowledge of veggies included canned peas, canned corn, and canned gr. beans. I didn't experience brocoli until early teenage yrs. I discovered spinach, zucchini, yellow squash, spaghetti squash and eggplant as an adult. There is a whole world of veggies that I have never tried still. I love my mom. I even live next door to her! But, she is not a veggie person. She jokes that if it is green and does not have an "m" on it then she won't eat it.

 

I was raised thinking that everybody drank soda all the time. That is just how its done. She also likes a little tea in her sugar.:lol: I grew up on white bread and cocoa puffs. My mother thinks ritz crackers and hamburger helper are healthy. And, she never used herbs or seasonings. I have gotten her to branch out a bit. She will even eat my wheat bread and now only uses a cup of sugar in her 2qt tea. Baby steps.

 

As an adult, I cannot stand soda. I just can't drink it. I drink unsweet tea and water. I grind wheat and have even tried a small variety of wheats and ground beans! I do not use canned veggies. I have eliminated HFCS and most sources of MSG. It's been over 4 yrs since I made a box of hamburger helper. But, I feel like I have a way to go still, kwim?

 

Did you get a good start on your food exposure as a child or did you discover and grow when you got on your own? How do you keep yourself from stagnating?

 

 

Oh, and the kicker? My darling mother who eats a 1/2 pound of bacon and crackers for a dinner while drinking her sugar, weighs about 60 lbs less then I do. :001_huh: How does that work? (However, her cholesterol and triglycerides are off the charts.)

[ChristusG]

I think we were raised in the same family.

 

I remember going to the grocery store with my mom and throwing in all sorts of junk food. I'd come home and eat 5 little debbie cakes in a row. My mom made my lunch to take to school....I'd have a sandwich and two treats. No veggies, no fruits.

 

All veggies were from a can. I was not made to eat them if I didn't want to though....I rarely touched a veggie. Never touched a fruit. I have no idea how I escaped childhood as skinny as I was. I was always running around outside, which was probably the only thing that saved me.

 

I wonder if they just didn't worry about food as much back then? We're much more "in the know" today, if you know what I mean. I am EXTREMELY picky now though....it's probably due to my lack of food exposure growing up.

[jewellsmommy]

I think we were raised in the same family.

 

I remember going to the grocery store with my mom and throwing in all sorts of junk food. I'd come home and eat 5 little debbie cakes in a row. My mom made my lunch to take to school....I'd have a sandwich and two treats. No veggies, no fruits.

 

All veggies were from a can. I was not made to eat them if I didn't want to though....I rarely touched a veggie. Never touched a fruit. I have no idea how I escaped childhood as skinny as I was. I was always running around outside, which was probably the only thing that saved me.

 

I wonder if they just didn't worry about food as much back then? We're much more "in the know" today, if you know what I mean. I am EXTREMELY picky now though....it's probably due to my lack of food exposure growing up.

 

 

This should say something...

My mom just bought a 3lb bunch of bananas from a wharehouse store. I was proud. She shows them to me and says "guess how much I paid?" I say about $1.50. She looks deflated and I am like "what" and she says "well, how much are they in the store?" I say "roughly .49 a lb." She says "well, I paid 1.30ish" and I say "that's great." Then she's like "why are they so cheap, I though maybe I got a better savings?" At 50 yrs of age can you guess how often she has bought bananas? :lol:

[Parrothead]

I could have written your post. My problem was our dad instead of our mom. When daddy went to sea, we eat more adventurously. But that wasn't too adventurous. We delved into canned spinach and lima bean. :willy_nilly:

 

Finally after years of living down south were veggies were viewed differently by people we met mom branched out into fresh on occasion. It took years for Daddy to eat broccoli.

 

Then they hit their 40s about the time I moved out. Mom was getting into fiber. Since I wasn't living with them while they experimented with more of a whole foods type diet, I missed out on a more healthy food education.

 

I didn't come into my own until reading these boards. Then this past December I quit smoking and went on a full out whole food lifestyle. We are still working on it. There is still quit a bit dh isn't ready to give up. And it is getting a bit expensive.

 

I think there is something wrong with this world when I can get 5 boxes of mac and cheese for $2.00 and real cheddar is $7.00 a pound

[amy g.]

We ate a salad plus another vegetable with dinner every night.

 

My mother never bought processed food sugar cereal, sugar peanut butter or white bread.

[Parrothead]

 

I wonder if they just didn't worry about food as much back then? We're much more "in the know" today, if you know what I mean. I am EXTREMELY picky now though....it's probably due to my lack of food exposure growing up.

I think it came about in our grandparents time. Finally, tins of food were cheap and convenient. Truth in advertising wasn't all that great and if it looked like a green bean, tasted okay and cost half a penny a tin it was good for the family. A veggie is a veggie. Of course medical science was about as advanced as truth in advertising. Doctors were advocating for smoking.

[jewellsmommy]

I could have written your post. My problem was our dad instead of our mom. When daddy went to sea, we eat more adventurously. But that wasn't too adventurous. We delved into canned spinach and lima bean. :willy_nilly:

 

Finally after years of living down south were veggies were viewed differently by people we met mom branched out into fresh on occasion. It took years for Daddy to eat broccoli.

 

Then they hit their 40s about the time I moved out. Mom was getting into fiber. Since I wasn't living with them while they experimented with more of a whole foods type diet, I missed out on a more healthy food education.

 

I didn't come into my own until reading these boards. Then this past December I quit smoking and went on a full out whole food lifestyle. We are still working on it. There is still quit a bit dh isn't ready to give up. And it is getting a bit expensive.

 

I think there is something wrong with this world when I can get 5 boxes of mac and cheese for $2.00 and real cheddar is $7.00 a pound

 

 

YES! I hate this. Unhealthy food is sooo cheap. Ramen noodles, hello?

 

My dad is pretty bad too. They still have not gotten on board. She is suspicious of organic and freaked out when we started taking probiotics last year! She is a tough nut to crack. I have almost convinced her to give up HFCS. I told her her triglycerides would come down if she would stop. She has taken to vitamin water more than soda but she is sooo stubborn. :D. That's ok though, I am stubborn too. We have always had a battle of wills. Now, if I could just get them to stop smoking :glare:. Thank the Lord, I am asthmatic and was never tempted to smoke! It's bad enough that I have to figure out how to integrate asparagus . That is my new veggie and next on the target. Dh is so not into veggies either! Atleat I got him to eat spinach and dd loves it too. We eat it raw.

[jewellsmommy]

We ate a salad plus another vegetable with dinner every night.

 

My mother never bought processed food sugar cereal, sugar peanut butter or white bread.

 

Oh how blessed! Do you follow suit? Did you take it a step stricter or did you get more lenient?

[Food4Thought]

Did you get a good start on your food exposure as a child or did you discover and grow when you got on your own? How do you keep yourself from stagnating?

 

 

I grew up on government issue processed cheese food. Canned green beans were the only vegetables I ever ate, and I considered Ramen a source of protein since it had something resembling chicken broth in it. :lol:

 

That all changed when I married my husband. His brother had food sensitivities, so DH grew up on the Feingold diet. He was appalled at the things I considered food. When we had DS and noticed he had food issues too, I started doing my research.

 

Now I'm gluten-free, additive- and coloring-free and have green smoothies (especially kale & avocado, yum!) for breakfast. I'm growing zukes, squashes and eggplant in the garden, and the kids and I have an afternoon snack of sugar snap peas and raspberries right off the plants out back. Most of my friends think I'm a total weirdo for not living off the SAD (Standard American Diet), but BOY! do I feel GOOD!! :D

[Amy in NH]

Asparagus:

 

1. Cut off woody end (1" off bottom of store-bought stalks), wash, and pat dry.

2. Place in a single layer on a broiler sheet; preheat broiler.

3. Brush with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper.

4. Broil 6 minutes, flip asparagus over with a turner, and broil 4 more minutes.

5. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and serve. SO good, even my little kids love it!

[jewellsmommy]

I grew up on government issue processed cheese food. Canned green beans were the only vegetables I ever ate, and I considered Ramen a source of protein since it had something resembling chicken broth in it. :lol:

 

That all changed when I married my husband. His brother had food sensitivities, so DH grew up on the Feingold diet. He was appalled at the things I considered food. When we had DS and noticed he had food issues too, I started doing my research.

 

Now I'm gluten-free, additive- and coloring-free and have green smoothies (especially kale & avocado, yum!) for breakfast. I'm growing zukes, squashes and eggplant in the garden, and the kids and I have an afternoon snack of sugar snap peas and raspberries right off the plants out back. Most of my friends think I'm a total weirdo for not living off the SAD (Standard American Diet), but BOY! do I feel GOOD!! :D

 

How do you prepare your eggplant. I can't seem to a way to like it. And please tell me you mean cukes, not zukes! Or is there a new veggie that I don't even know the name of.:willy_nilly:

[Jean in Newcastle]

We went to visit my parents this summer. We eat so much healthier than they do. I was shocked when I realized that iceberg lettuce, wonder bread and a bit of tuna with our mayo was a normal lunch growing up. I'd forgotten. I was further shocked when my mom had a major emotional outburst of "where did she go wrong" when she realized that we were stocking up on fruit and water and other healthy snacks to eat in our motel room!! (Oh the horror!):rolleyes:

[LauraGB]

Ugh, yes! If it wasn't previously frozen as an entire meal (or of the pot pie sort), boxed or canned, we didn't eat it. And if it required combining more than two of the above, we didn't eat it, either. Oh, and lots of boxed cakes and brownies.

 

So, to answer your question, I discovered it on my own. But, I was the kid that didn't want to eat meat in a family of hunters. And I hated all the ick meals my mom made (I love my mom, but cooking is not one of her gifts), so I started cooking meals at about 12 years old - the problem was Mom's grocery list; there is only so much one can do with frozen chipped beef and a can of peas, you know?

 

They eat better now, but not by much. My father is severely overweight and feels the Atkins approach is the best (it's been almost 4 years and no weight loss...:glare:) and my Mom weighs less than me, but it 2 inches taller (I think it's the stress of living with my father, lol).

 

My kids like to eat different foods. Ds loves to cook. We eat primarily fresh foods when we can (yay summer!), and I haven't bought sugar in years (opting for raw honey or maple syrup instead if necessary).

 

 

I think it came about in our grandparents time. Finally, tins of food were cheap and convenient. Truth in advertising wasn't all that great and if it looked like a green bean, tasted okay and cost half a penny a tin it was good for the family. A veggie is a veggie. Of course medical science was about as advanced as truth in advertising. Doctors were advocating for smoking.

 

I really think this had a lot to do with it. I think it stemmed from rationing during the wars. I also think that's why sweets are so special and often now - because it meant you were rich if you had them during that time since sugar was so severely rationed. When the war was over, sugar was the big thing to show how well-to-do families were then (when they were starving before that). The industry that helped us out of the Depression also played a lot into what we would eat for generations to come.

Edited July 19, 2010 by LauraGB

[jewellsmommy]

Asparagus:

 

1. Cut off woody end (1" off bottom of store-bought stalks), wash, and pat dry.

2. Place in a single layer on a broiler sheet; preheat broiler.

3. Brush with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper.

4. Broil 6 minutes, flip asparagus over with a turner, and broil 4 more minutes.

5. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and serve. SO good, even my little kids love it!

 

 

Yay! Thank you! I will let you know how it goes!

[jewellsmommy]

Ugh, yes! If it wasn't previously frozen as an entire meal (or of the pot pie sort), boxed or canned, we didn't eat it. And if it required combining more than two of the above, we didn't eat it, either. Oh, and lots of boxed cakes and brownies.

 

So, to answer your question, I discovered it on my own. But, I was the kid that didn't want to eat meat in a family of hunters. And I hated all the ick meals my mom made (I love my mom, but cooking is not one of her gifts), so I started cooking meals at about 12 years old - the problem was Mom's grocery list; there is only so much one can do with frozen chipped beef and a can of peas, you know?

 

They eat better now, but not by much. My father is severely overweight and feels the Atkins approach is the best (it's been almost 4 years and no weight loss...:glare:) and my Mom weighs less than me, but it 2 inches taller (I think it's the stress of living with my father, lol).

 

My kids like to eat different foods. Ds loves to cook. We eat primarily fresh foods when we can (yay summer!), and I haven't bought sugar in years (opting for raw honey or maple syrup instead if necessary).

 

 

This has been my newest venture. No more table sugar. I have used honey for a while but had not ditched the bad stuff until about 5 months ago. I am using succanut, stevia, honey, and still experimenting.

[eternalknot]

Did you get a good start on your food exposure as a child or did you discover and grow when you got on your own? How do you keep yourself from stagnating?

 

My kids' dad and I both come from (different) ethnic farming/live-off-of-the-land families. It's interesting, though, how differently he and I eat TODAY.

 

I still eat pretty much the same way I was raised. We grew much of our own produce. No dairy, save for the occasional egg at someone else's home. Healthy fats, lots of fresh veggies, fruit from the trees in our backyard, and my grandfather caught his own fish (the rest of us abstained from animal meats). I don't live off of MY land, but I do buy local and seasonal foods. My kids don't drink juice/soda, eat sugary cereals, or consume copious amounts of white/brown foods like the standard fried chicken fingers, fries, and breads, because I never did. I don't have a taste for those things, so don't offer them to my kids. They don't even do birthday cakes for their own parties because they don't like the taste of cakes; they do muffins or carrot & zucchini bread. :tongue_smilie:. We eat well by default, because it's how I grew up. Not because I'm on the up and up about nutrition and health (I assure you, I'm not.)

 

Meanwhile, my kids' dad currently eats a cruddy, standard Western diet -- he has done a 180 from how he grew up, and how his family continues to eat. His mom makes chicken soup from the flock in the backyard; he'll pass on it and make a run to KFC for their chicken instead :confused:. He indulges in daily meals out, lots of canned and boxed convenience foods, everything low-fat/no-fat or chemically-laden in some other manner. Several ounces of soda daily, and he probably bleeds fried foods and white flour products. He also struggles with his weight and other physical health issues (which are, IMO, aggravated by his diet).

 

He does a great job of compromising when the kids are with him. He either lets them eat whatever his mom makes, or he'll make the two dishes he knows how to make that he knows I would approve of. Gets boring for the kids sometimes, but is preferable (even to them) than eating out every day. My eldest hates fast-food; my youngest likes it, but only every once in awhile because it always leads to BM-issues and gas. Their bodies just aren't used to handling the crap.

 

I'll say that this makes them weird in the eyes of their peers. I grew up in an ethnic community where we all ate the same way (though not all of us were veg*ns), so I stood out much less than they do.

[jewellsmommy]

We went to visit my parents this summer. We eat so much healthier than they do. I was shocked when I realized that iceberg lettuce, wonder bread and a bit of tuna with our mayo was a normal lunch growing up. I'd forgotten. I was further shocked when my mom had a major emotional outburst of "where did she go wrong" when she realized that we were stocking up on fruit and water and other healthy snacks to eat in our motel room!! (Oh the horror!):rolleyes:

 

Yes, I get this. My mother gets nervous with each new phase of my development! She is not hostile about it but thinks I go 'overboard' sometimes. Whenever dd goes over there, which is often seeing as how its next door, she comes back with some 'treat.' It's a Grammy thing my mother explains :glare: . Thankfully dd eats well at home. I don't ever buy treats because I know they will trickle over.

[amy g.]

Yes, it was a blessing to be raised on healthy food. I remember when my parents got a divorce, my dad would give us $20 to get groceries for the weekend. The first time, we got pop tarts and sugar cereal.

 

Oh, we were so sick. he didn't feel sorry for us. we picked it out, so we had to eat it. We never did that again. We would usually eat buy eggs, cheese, peanut butter and apples. It's hard to believe you could buy all that with $20.

 

My kids don't like processed food. I'm okay with their eating sugar in a homemade dessert.

[jewellsmommy]

My kids' dad and I both come from (different) ethnic farming/live-off-of-the-land families. It's interesting, though, how differently he and I eat TODAY.

 

I still eat pretty much the same way I was raised. We grew much of our own produce. No dairy, save for the occasional egg at someone else's home. Healthy fats, lots of fresh veggies, fruit from the trees in our backyard, and my grandfather caught his own fish (the rest of us abstained from animal meats). I don't live off of MY land, but I do buy local and seasonal foods. My kids don't drink juice/soda, eat sugary cereals, or consume copious amounts of white/brown foods like the standard fried chicken fingers, fries, and breads, because I never did. I don't have a taste for those things, so don't offer them to my kids. They don't even do birthday cakes for their own parties because they don't like the taste of cakes; they do muffins or carrot & zucchini bread. :tongue_smilie:. We eat well by default, because it's how I grew up. Not because I'm on the up and up about nutrition and health (I assure you, I'm not.)

 

Meanwhile, my kids' dad currently eats a cruddy, standard Western diet -- he has done a 180 from how he grew up, and how his family continues to eat. His mom makes chicken soup from the flock in the backyard; he'll pass on it and make a run to KFC for their chicken instead :confused:. He indulges in daily meals out, lots of canned and boxed convenience foods, everything low-fat/no-fat or chemically-laden in some other manner. Several ounces of soda daily, and he probably bleeds fried foods and white flour products. He also struggles with his weight and other physical health issues (which are, IMO, aggravated by his diet).

 

He does a great job of compromising when the kids are with him. He either lets them eat whatever his mom makes, or he'll make the two dishes he knows how to make that he knows I would approve of. Gets boring for the kids sometimes, but is preferable (even to them) than eating out every day. My eldest hates fast-food; my youngest likes it, but only every once in awhile because it always leads to BM-issues and gas. Their bodies just aren't used to handling the crap.

 

I'll say that this makes them weird in the eyes of their peers. I grew up in an ethnic community where we all ate the same way (though not all of us were veg*ns), so I stood out much less than they do.

 

 

I wish it were second nature to me. It is a struggle constantly 'going against my nature.' Normal is so subjective, kwim? Plus, dh is less adventurous than I. I have to blend up veggies to hide them or else he will pick them out :glare:.

[fairfarmhand]

Asparagus:

 

1. Cut off woody end (1" off bottom of store-bought stalks), wash, and pat dry.

2. Place in a single layer on a broiler sheet; preheat broiler.

3. Brush with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper.

4. Broil 6 minutes, flip asparagus over with a turner, and broil 4 more minutes.

5. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and serve. SO good, even my little kids love it!

 

 

ok....confession...I eat lots of healthy stuff and love it, but I have never had asparagus. I' wasn't exposed to many veggies growing up, and I;m kind of scared to try it. Especially since It is not cheap at the store and I don't know...it just looks weird.

 

I just need to get up my nerve and try it sometime.

 

(we do love broccoli in all forms...is that a good sign?)

[Rosie_0801]

My mother wasn't the greatest cook, but she did cook from scratch the majority of the time, so food tasted like food. The only tinned goods I remember being used frequently were tomatoes. I remember her making changes in light of new nutritional information. One day the dripping pan left our fridge, never to be seen again. She started sprinkling seeds on our salads, and shock of all shocks (as far as other people were concerned) she cooked lentils! We also shopped at one of the largest markets in town. What wonderful experience that was, when I went for a job in a greengrocer later on, I got it easily because the only things in the shop I couldn't identify were the endives. We had other people applying who didn't know a potato when it wasn't chip shaped. Occasionally we would see something new at the market and were able to ask what it was. Sometimes Mum and Dad would buy it so we could try it.

 

We had the canned veggies and tinned corn beef at Grandma's and thought they were wonderfully prestigious! Now I think :ack2: hehe.

 

Rosie

[jewellsmommy]

ok....confession...I eat lots of healthy stuff and love it, but I have never had asparagus. I' wasn't exposed to many veggies growing up, and I;m kind of scared to try it. Especially since It is not cheap at the store and I don't know...it just looks weird.

 

I just need to get up my nerve and try it sometime.

 

(we do love broccoli in all forms...is that a good sign?)

 

 

I'm so glad that I am not the only one! :D I love broccoli too, but dd and dh do not so I don't make it as much as I would like.

[jewellsmommy]

My mother wasn't the greatest cook, but she did cook from scratch the majority of the time, so food tasted like food. The only tinned goods I remember being used frequently were tomatoes. I remember her making changes in light of new nutritional information. One day the dripping pan left our fridge, never to be seen again. She started sprinkling seeds on our salads, and shock of all shocks (as far as other people were concerned) she cooked lentils! We also shopped at one of the largest markets in town. What wonderful experience that was, when I went for a job in a greengrocer later on, I got it easily because the only things in the shop I couldn't identify were the endives. We had other people applying who didn't know a potato when it wasn't chip shaped. Occasionally we would see something new at the market and were able to ask what it was. Sometimes Mum and Dad would buy it so we could try it.

 

We had the canned veggies and tinned corn beef at Grandma's and thought they were wonderfully prestigious! Now I think :ack2: hehe.

 

Rosie

 

 

Hey, glad you joined the discussion. My brother got a job as a produce clerk at Fresh market. It has been interesting. My mother feels surrounded now :D. he is younger and I tried to introduce him to veggies when he visited dh and I (he is 7 yrs younger.) He has started to venture out even more with exotic looking fruits! I search the internet for recipes to help spur me on to new things, but there are so many and I want to make sure that I start with a good one, you know. If I feed dh a yucky recipe then he won't often give me second shot, kwim?

 

He banned spaghetti squash for 3 yrs after he cut through his hand trying to cut into it. whoops. I finally snuck one in. I microwaved it, whole, for like 30 sec and it was easier to cut. He actually liked it. Although he still can't forgive it for his stitches. He gives all the squashes nasty looks in the produce dept. He says they are all out to get him.:glare:

[fairfarmhand]

you know I go home to visit my parents and end up CRAVING fruits and veggies after a few days.

 

 

My dh's family is not much better. My mil makes veggies but keeps a JAR OF BACON GREASE in the fridge which she spoons into every veggie dish she makes. (I nearly threw up the first time I saw this) Then she cooks the veggies till they are mush.

 

We've come a long way from our raising.

 

When we were first married, I was fixing my dh's plate at our house and put some green beans on his plate. My mil said "Oh, I can see you've not been married long. He doesn't like green beans." I replied, "well, he's always eaten them when I've fixed them before!" (He likes mine but not hers!!!)

[Rosie_0801]

If I feed dh a yucky recipe then he won't often give me second shot, kwim?

 

 

I'm very lucky with my hubby. If I see something or read in a cookbook and tell him it looks or sounds gross, he says "we'd better try it then!" :lol:

 

Dd has been off her veggies for weeks. I don't know why, my kids want to eat all morning then skip dinner. Weird, but they are tots and will get over it. Now she's sitting on the couch eating nori sheets. She had the whole packet spread out on the couch and I had to rescue some for me! This is the same kid who was raiding the pantry for wasabi peas at age 2. :001_huh:

 

Oh, I often think it safer when trying a new veggie or spice to cook from a library book rather than the internet. I daresay the Hive can offer cookbook recs on anything you might want!

 

Rosie

Edited July 19, 2010 by Rosie_0801

[jewellsmommy]

I'm very lucky with my hubby. If I see something or read in a cookbook and tell him it looks or sounds gross, he says "we'd better try it then!" :lol:

 

Dd has been off her veggies for weeks. I don't know why, my kids want to eat all morning then skip dinner. Weird, but they are tots and will get over it. Now she's sitting on the couch eating nori sheets. She had the whole packet spread out on the couch and I had to rescue some for me! This is the same kid who was raiding the pantry for wasabi peas at age 2. :001_huh:

 

Oh, I often think it safer when trying a new veggie or spice to cook from a library book rather than the internet. I daresay the Hive can offer cookbook recs on anything you might want!

 

Rosie

 

 

Rats, I have not tried wasabi peas. I'm going to have to add that to the list. What are nori sheets?

[Rosie_0801]

What are nori sheets?

 

The green seaweed paper wrapped around sushi hand rolls.

 

Yum, yum.

 

When most people talk of a day out shopping, they are talking clothes and shoes. For us, it means a tour of ethnic groceries and organic shops :)

 

Rosie

Edited July 19, 2010 by Rosie_0801

[jewellsmommy]

The green seaweed paper wrapped around sushi hand rolls.

 

Yum, yum.

 

 

Gotcha, thanks. :001_smile:

[Parrothead]

YES! I hate this. Unhealthy food is sooo cheap. Ramen noodles, hello?

 

My dad is pretty bad too. They still have not gotten on board. She is suspicious of organic and freaked out when we started taking probiotics last year! She is a tough nut to crack. I have almost convinced her to give up HFCS. I told her her triglycerides would come down if she would stop. She has taken to vitamin water more than soda but she is sooo stubborn. :D. That's ok though, I am stubborn too. We have always had a battle of wills. Now, if I could just get them to stop smoking :glare:. Thank the Lord, I am asthmatic and was never tempted to smoke! It's bad enough that I have to figure out how to integrate asparagus . That is my new veggie and next on the target. Dh is so not into veggies either! Atleat I got him to eat spinach and dd loves it too. We eat it raw.

Mmmm... asparagus pesto over medium shells.

[jewellsmommy]

Mmmm... asparagus pesto over medium shells.

 

sounds interesting, but it could be the lack of sleep talking :D. Is there any vegetable you can put in cereal. Oh, wait, now all the threads are running together.

[Parrothead]

sounds interesting, but it could be the lack of sleep talking :D. Is there any vegetable you can put in cereal. Oh, wait, now all the threads are running together.

Hmmm... veggies on cereal. What about jimica or water chestnuts. Both have a very mild flavor and crunch well. Or... hmm... I wonder how lentils and milk with a bit of honey would go.

[Rosie_0801]

Is there any vegetable you can put in cereal. Oh, wait, now all the threads are running together.

 

Actually, I have served oatmeal porridge with a spicey soup. Dh couldn't handle that, but I thought it was quite tasty.

 

:)

Rosie "Food, glorious fooooooood!"

 

P.S Now Parrothead has reminded me of a millet and pumpkin breakfast porridge I made a few times...

Edited July 19, 2010 by Rosie_0801

[jewellsmommy]

Actually, I have served oatmeal porridge with a spicey soup. Dh couldn't handle that, but I thought it was quite tasty.

 

:)

Rosie "Food, glorious fooooooood!"

 

P.S Now Parrothead has reminded me of a millet and pumpkin breakfast porridge I made a few times...

 

 

I have done pumpkin in oatmeal before. That was good. I have come to like steel cut oats prepared in the crock pot.

[Caitilin]

My mother puts squash of all kinds in pancakes; it's not cereal, but it IS breakfast.;) It's good too, though it takes a kind of psychological jump to get there.

[Food4Thought]

How do you prepare your eggplant. I can't seem to a way to like it. And please tell me you mean cukes, not zukes! Or is there a new veggie that I don't even know the name of.:willy_nilly:

 

I'm lazy - I meant zucchini. A friend and I call them zukes and cukes. :lol:

 

I found a recipe for ratatouille based on the recipe from the Pixar movie, so I do the eggplant that way (which is why I'm growing zucchini and summer squash too). http://smittenkitchen.com/2007/07/rat-a-too-ee-for-you-ee/

[MotherGoose]

I am thankful that I was raised by parents who had/had a large vegetable garden and made me eat my vegetables. They spoiled me on corn fresh from the field forever. My dh grew up in a family similar to yours: Tab was his breakfast drink of choice when he was with his mom. However, the vegetables I did eat were of the boiled-to-death variety. I remember eating English peas fresh from teh garden and loving them but not canned peas, and the green beans my mother blanched before she canned them but not liking the canned variety. What got me to branch out was eating at nice restaurants (before kids) and watching cooking shows/reading cookbooks. I'd say check out some cookbooks from the library that are something different: Julia Child, Italian, Emeril, whatever strikes your fancy, just not your usual Better Homes and Garden, and try some recipes. Or if you watch cooking shows, make something that looks good from there. And use lots of garlic (freshly garlic you mince yourself, not the powdered variety).

[Tabrett]

How about having fresh from the garden veggies battered up white flour and fried in drippings or cooked to mush with fatback? I had lots of mutilated fresh veggies growing up. Still to this day my mother says I don't cook my food!:lol:

I refuse to use lard or fatback in any of my food. Actually, I refuse to use any pig product.

I rarely buy iceberg lettuce. I normally by mixed spring greens, romaine and baby spinach to make salad. My mothers says I have taken to eating WEEDS!:svengo:

[TXMomof4]

ok....confession...I eat lots of healthy stuff and love it, but I have never had asparagus. I' wasn't exposed to many veggies growing up, and I;m kind of scared to try it. Especially since It is not cheap at the store and I don't know...it just looks weird.

 

I just need to get up my nerve and try it sometime.

 

(we do love broccoli in all forms...is that a good sign?)

 

I'd only had canned asparagus til a few years ago and I thought I hated it. Fresh asparagus is a whole different animal though! I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it. Just chop off the woody ends and pop in boiling water for 3 minutes. It still has a little crunch and is wonderful all by itself. My kids do like it better with dressing of some sort, but will eat it plain.

 

I also have a great recipe for asparagus lasagna - it is definately my favorite meal in the entire world. I'll have to find it and post it if you'd like. It used to be on food network, but I didn't see it just now.

[Carrie12345]

My house was a mixed bag. Fresh vegetables, but a hefty dose of Hamburger Helper. No soda, but reduced sugar in Kool Aid. (3/4 c. instead of a full cup. I still remember that!) Plenty of fruit, but also plenty of butter.

 

MY house is a mixed bag of its own, but probably better than Mom's. I've been buying my whole grain breads lately, since it's too hot to bake. I don't eat my veggies (but 3 out of 4 of my kids do). Store bought peanut butter has once again become a staple in our house. My kids had chips with lunch yesterday!

 

Evolution takes time. ;)

[Jen in PA]

No soda, but reduced sugar in Kool Aid. (3/4 c. instead of a full cup. I still remember that!)

 

 

 

Oh my, I thought my mother was the only one who made it that way!

[texasmama]

My family's eating habits when I was growing up were "fair". No lunch meat, white bread, packaged cold cereals chips or desserts. Mostly that was because they were expensive (the chips and desserts). I did crave them, though, because we never got them. I had the same lunch every day at school - a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on whole wheat with a ripe banana, usually overripe. I traded the sandwiches for potted meat ones whenever possible. (Ewww, gross...potted meat!) We rarely ate salad, though and all meals were quick to prepare and heavy on cheap ground beef. Only canned veggies. My mom hated to cook.

 

Dh's family food choices were horrendous. White bread, chips, little debbie snack cakes, no fruits, very few veggies. I think he lived on frozen pizza, chips and brownies as a kid. He was not exposed to any cuisine besides American. He is, to this day, very picky about food, though he has cleaned up his diet a lot and will eat salad.

 

We eat much better now than I did growing up. I give my littles salad from the time they are able to chew it, at about the age of two. I only have one picky eater and that is due to sensory issues.