Meals in our household are always an adventure.  Colin is a growing boy, and when he is hungry and in the mood to actually eat, he can take down more than I can.  Other times, he will be hungry but overtired or too busy playing to have the patience to eat, and no amount of coercion or bargaining can get him to ingest anything.  Despite all sorts of reading when C was an infant about the best ways to start solids so that your child will not be picky and will love vegetables, nothing I attempted had much of an impact.  My child is fickle – and unpredictably so.  One day, he will guzzle peas by the handful, and the next day, they go untouched.  One day he is a carnivore, and the next, the chicken goes untouched.  Ah, toddlers.

Breakfast:

First thing in the morning, Colin has a 6 oz cup of milk, with a splash of prune juice (not pictured).  For breakfast, we rotate between eggs and pancakes, and today is an egg day. I make Colin two eggs, scrambled, and made in the microwave. On days where he is reluctant to eat them, I will offer him a bit of ketchup to dip them in (which he loves). I always offer fruit with breakfast, since C tends to have constipation issues, and today, it is mandarin oranges.  He always shares a bit of my cereal as well, usually stealing the good bites with dried fruit. All of Colin’s meals are served with water.

Nearly every day, mid-morning, while we are out and about, Colin eats a mini box of raisins while we are in the car, both to satisfy his hunger and to keep him happily occupied in the car.

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Lunch:

Our lunches and dinner rotate between leftovers (I cook the bulk of our food for the week on Sunday nights) and what I call “convenience foods” – foods that I can throw together easily for Colin like turkey sausage, tortellini, or PB&J (most of which I will usually eat right along with him).  I try to read his moods, and at lunch, I decide if he’ll be more likely to eat “real” food at lunch or dinner or both, and roll with it.  Basically, I pick my battles.

Today, at lunch time, Colin is edgy from a poor night’s sleep (thank you two-year molars), so I just roll with it and offer up some easy favorites. Colin has a turkey sausage, diced roasted carrots, a pickle and a plum (which I eventually cut up after he gnawed on it for a bit).  He would eat a whole jar of pickles if given the opportunity, crazy kid.

Snack:

After nap, we have a snack.  Sometimes, we eat seated at the table, or if we have time-sensitive plans, it’s more of a grab and go situation.  Today, we hustle out the door to head to playgroup with a Munchkin snack container of whole grain goldfish crackers and a string cheese stick.  On days where his tummy needs it, I will offer extra fruit at this time too.

Dinner:

Tonight, we are having baked ziti with hidden veggies and marinara sauce.  Tucked in the sauce are extra veggies – carrots, yellow pepper and onion – which Colin ate without even noticing (big mama victory!).  While he didn’t come close to clearing his plate, I didn’t worry too much about it, since he still has his cup of milk before bed time.  And of course, because it seems like no meal in our house is complete without a fruit, there are a few blueberries thrown in for good measure.

That’s a day in the life of Colin’s belly.  Is your LO a fickle eater?