Well, my kids still don’t like tempeh. So that’s a bummer. At least it means more for me and Kyle.
I marinated the tempeh in a combo of olive oil/tamari/balsamic vinegar/salt/pepper in the pan for a couple of hours before I fried it. It absorbed all the marinade, so I added a little more olive oil before turning the stove on. I also added a little water a few times as it cooked so that it would broil and steam a bit and not burn.
Meanwhile I steamed corn in the IP.
And made slaw.
The sides were Valley girl’s request. She wants corn on the cob for every meal and claims that slaw is her favorite salad (although truth be told, I think she likes Caesar more).
Anyway, the reason I made both of her faves were because I knew she would potentially reject the tempeh (which I was right about).
Rather than force it, I just let her try a few bites and then ate her portion myself. Food battles are never worth it, and just make a bigger deal out of the whole thing, so my strategy is simply going to be offering it every once in a while like I have been and seeing if her tastes change. Tempeh is not for everyone and she likes basically 99% of the food in the world, so there’s no point in making this a source of stress for me and her. I don’t know if my feelings on feeding my kids would be different if I had picky eaters, but ESPECIALLY right now, we don’t need any more areas of conflict.
If I am being honest, I am letting her “get away with” much more questionable behavior these days in general because I feel like she is struggling with all the new restrictions but doesn’t know how to express it. My patience is being tested every second, but if there is anything I want her to remember (amid being trapped inside, without the ability to see her friends, play any sports, go to school, or have any time away from us), it is that she is loved and supported. No matter how much she acts out.
Wow, that was a tangent from slaw.
Hope you are all coping ok and staying safe. You can always vent to me in the comments and I will reply because at least we have the internet to help us connect in this very isolating time.
I have a one-year-old and we are planning on, for the most part, the ellyn satter approach to feeding kids. We choose the food being offered and kids get to choose what they want out of those offerings. I really like her recommendation to always include one or two things that you know the kids will eat, but continuing to offer new things and foods they may not be huge fans of without any pressure to eat it. I am really hoping to avoid food battles and bartering with my kids. I don’t want to the dinner table to be a stressful place. As someone who has struggled for 20 years with an eating disorder, I have given a ton of thought to this! I don’t want it to feel stressful, but inevitably it does. It’s just food, right!?
i love her – she is the one who came up w division of responsibility.