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April 17, 2012

Modeling Good Habits with Play Food...Or Not...

For Christmas just before their second birthday, the girls got a play kitchen. It came with a small assortment of food…but about 1/3 of that went straight in the trash.

We’re so fortunate that our girls eat a very healthy diet. They eat the same dishes that we eat, and they love their fruits and vegetables. It’s not unusual to hear specific requests for Brussels sprouts, or beets, or exclamations such as, “We haven’t had kidney beans in soooo long, Mommy!

The girls have tasted French fries a time or two, off Daddy’s plate at a restaurant, but we call them “potatoes”. And I’ve offered them a taste of chicken fingers, again off Daddy’s plate, but they spit them out both times.

So, back to the play food, I didn’t want to glamorize some of the foods that were included in their set…pretzels, fries, potato chips, fish sticks…ack!

Over the next few months, I bought a couple of additional sets that I was able to piece together…again throwing away some things…until we had a pretty decent assortment of plastic food. I was particularly excited to have a head of garlic, an artichoke, and an eggplant. And you’d better believe my girlies can whip up some tasty combinations!

Over the past year, I’ve allowed the girls to sample a few more things…things that fit in that teeny-tiny spot on the food pyramid. Particularly if I make a dessert from scratch, I’m fine if they occasionally enjoy a small serving.

I’ve even introduced some packaged items here and there…a couple of pieces of candy corn at Halloween…a handful of M&Ms at Christmas…rationalizing that they are part of our culture, and I’d rather the girls understand from me that a little taste now and again is an OK thing.

While I never grew up eating Peeps, I think Pinterest got me thinking about them this spring. And they are so darn cute with all their colors and adorable little shapes.

Yes…I let my girls have a couple of Peeps this Easter! Actually, they each ate ½ of one Peep, on two separate occasions…as an accompaniment to some wheat crackers and a glass of milk.

So…

What could I not resist when I saw them on markdown after the Easter holiday?

Plush Peeps, that’s what. Are they not The Cutest Little Things???


The girls have been pretending they’re cookies. And so far – as I’ve been holding my breath – they haven’t sparked the girls to ask for any sugar treats.

5 comments:

Miss Megan said...

Good idea to call french fries potatoes! That is what they are after all. My hubby LOVES french fries, and we have kept them from the girls, but since they eat what we eat, when they are on his plate and not on theirs, they ask for some. We have been baking french fries about 2x a month, and the girls love the change in texture.
I think it's great that your girls love fruits and veggies as much as they do! Our girls (at 18 months) have just started eating some veggies again (they went through a no veggie stage) and I was thrilled the first time they gobbled down a piece of broccoli and asked for more! I hope we can follow in your footsteps!!
Great job momma!
And those peeps are super cute...I wouldn't have been able to resist either!

Marcia (123 blog) said...

Do you guys get oven bake chips? They sell chips which are just potatoes and we bake them in the oven. They even make weigh-less ones. We don't buy them very often simply because I have one very small fridge and no freezer.

I love how you've been weeding out the stuff you don't like - do you think they'd notice if I threw out their chalkboards? :) I really don't mind them outside but I can't stand the dust inside.

IASoupMama said...

Those Peeps are adorable!

And fish sticks are non-existent in this house, too. Blech...

cat said...

These looks cute - what are they exactly?

Mine do have junk food now and again- mostly when we eat out. In honesty bu about 6 the world of food is out there. Everywhere.

Brad Jenkins said...

Julia loves those things for reasons I can't explain. She only eats them after opening the container and letting them sit out to get hard for a few days. Personally, I won't touch them...other than to put them in the microwave for a minute or two. Try that, in case you haven't already, but stay close to watch as to avoid a mess.