Survival of the fittest!
Nope... just a wrap up pf Battle Dish Month! We survived!
Results:
- Children will now eat marinara sauce no matter what crazy veggies concoctions (various types of onions, peppers, mushrooms, tomatoes, etc) I put in it and eat the sauce on top without having to pick out anything.
- Children eat whole grain pasta.
- Mom will now eat whole grain pasta and not complain.
- Children have started eating "Daddy Bread" (aka crazy whole wheat/grainy/oaty/flaxy/chunky bread Josh bakes in the bread machine) like it is going out of style.
- Children eat oatmeal, cottage cheese, applesauce without complaining and now love them!
- Mom will even eat "Daddy Bread."
- Children will eat Wild Rice Soup, Broccoli and Cheese Soup, Jambalaya, etc, without having to pick anything out.
- Mom and children now eat cauliflower.
- Children now eat asparagus.
- Children now eat whatever fruit is served (even pears!) and if the skin is edible, they will eat said skin.
- Mom will eat pears.
- Family has found some edible casseroles that they enjoy.
- Children eat omelets with everything in them.
- Children eat lettuce and other salad greens.
- Children eat caramelized onions and olives on pizza.
- Children eat spinach in their lasagna.
- Children eat a white sauce on their pasta.
- Children have grown to expect weird things in their food and will eat said weird things.
- Food budget has come way down! Hip, hip hooray!
All in all, I think it has definitely been a success! After one meal toward the end of the month (I think the one with the spinach in the seafood lasagna) the kids all ate up their food quickly and without complaining and I was simply beaming from ear to ear... I was one proud Mama!
I am very excited too that I found ways to plan meals better with new recipes and use fresh ingredients and use them all wisely. I am also very glad to get the budget way down and still be healthy and not sacrifice on quality.
However, I think the ultimate test will be the next house church dinner... the proof of the pudding is (definitely) in the eating!
Congratulations on getting the kids to eat the food and getting the food budget way down! My boys can't get passed the onions right now but we are still making strides!
You know, I don't think I started eating any of these things until I was well into my college years so I think any children making any attempts is an amazing feat in itself!
You should share some of your new recipes! :) I've been looking for recipes lately that feature beans, the classic staple of frugal cooking. This week I tried black bean and salsa soup and it was so yummy!
Black Bean and Salsa soup sounds yummy! You should share it! I only used 2 bean recipes during March because I was actually trying to find some better recipes still for beans. I made one with White Beans, Chives, Tomatoes and Red Wine Vinegar that was delicious but then I made one with lentils and tuna that was not good at all and I got turned off. That one I could barely feed the family and I gave us all small portions that day, :)!
My recipes.com is featuring a meatless menu every day in April that you may want to check out. I'm not sure if was yesterday or the day before that had a pinto bean burger that I'm going to try. There may be some really good stuff there for bean recipes. We really like Vegetarian Tortilla Soup from allrecipes.com. It's super super simple and very tasty. (it has pinto beans in it) A staple in our house is a black bean dish that I vary based on what I have on hand. Do your basic saute of onions, garlic and green peppers or celery or what you happen to have or want. Add black beans, tomatoes (or rotel if you like it hot) and corn and spices - usually some cumin and red pepper. Serve over rice - brown rice is pretty good with this. We often top with shredded cheese and cilantro. When I make this I often keep some of the ingredients separate because my boys will eat all of these things separate but not always together.