Sarah and Tim said… I do have to ask however, the snack drawer… Do your boy’s still eat their lunch and dinner? I have 3 1/2 and 4 1/2 year old girls. I love this idea, but think they may not eat their meals if we did this… I really want to though! I guess we could alway’s try it out, and then stop, if it spoiled their meals…
Sarah, I should have mentioned this in my post… The Snack Drawer Rule (there is only one rule) is as follows: No more Snack Drawer after 4:00 p.m. I learned long ago to cut them off around 4:00. From that point on they can have only water (which they can also help themselves to anytime without asking). We eat dinner around 5:30-or-6:00ish. If they snack after 4:00 it does ruin their appetite for dinner. As far as the morning goes… basically it seems like no matter how many snacks they have in the morning their appetite for lunch is never ruined. There is only one exception to this and that is drinking too much juice — if they drink too much juice right before a meal, it ruins their appetite for that meal regardless of whether it is breakfast, lunch, or dinner. At school they eat HUGE (I mean, huge!!!) “snacks” each day. It is part of the school (Waldorf Early Education) routine — they make these snacks, together as a class, each day in their classrooms — i.e., heaping bowls of hot oatmeal with raisins and syrup and milk stirred in; heaping bowls of rice topped with tahini sauce or soy sauce; freshly made wheat bread slathered with fresh farm churned butter; vegetable noodle soup; etc, etc, etc… and their teachers tell me that my boys eat a TON and will oftentimes request seconds or thirds (and sometimes even fourths; note: i have had to reassure their teachers that they do, indeed, eat a full breakfast each day). Apparently K & O have been known to set school-snack-eating-records. Anyway, because of this, I think they’ve become accustomed to eating a lot in the morning– and their lunches almost always come home completely empty (see my School Lunch Post for reference as to how much food I’m packing for them). These boys, basically, just have huge appetites and high metabolisms, so we don’t need to worry too much about monitoring their snacks. We pretty much let them eat whatever/whenever they want to eat. Along the same lines– because of the 0% body fat thing they have going on, I really don’t need to keep them clear from high-fat or high-calorie foods. Owen, in particular, loves sweets and, although we don’t have much of that stuff around the house on a regular basis, when we do have it around I do not hold him back from eating it (see photo a couple photos down of Owen with a mongo-huge candy jawbreaker — that was his prize possession there for awhile… of course, after a couple days he quickly lost interest in it and it has been sitting on the counter in a zip loc bag ever since). When MorMor comes to visit, for example, Owen will often eat cookies 24×7 (and still eat a decent supper). 😉 I am a firm believer in not restricting too much (with the idea being that it will backlash if you do). Luckily, so far, it is working for us alright.Ani said… is there anything they will NOT eat?
Ani, Oh yes, yes, yes, there is plenty they won’t eat!!! Kyle really doesn’t like much meat, actually. He could very easily be a vegetarian (but definitely not a vegan). Kyle also doesn’t care for sweets (cakes, cookies, chocolate, candy,etc.), although he loves ice cream. Owen likes most meat, but refuses to eat it if it has “black marks” on it (i.e., grill searing marks), and makes us cut the “black marks” off. Which we do oblige (although it drives me crazy; I am the GRILL MASTER and I grill 12 months of the year and I take great pride in my searing techniques!). And sadly (this really bothers me), neither K nor O likes eggs. They used to love eggs (for awhile there, from the age that they were about 10 months old until they were about 14 months old, in an effort to increase their iron [they had serious iron deficiencies from their time in Haiti] I was scrambling them 2 eggs each every single morning), but around age 18 months they suddenly stopped eating eggs altogether and have refused to eat them ever since (there is actually a good reason for this– in a nutshell… the daycare they went to served “scrambled eggs” once a week– I put that in quotes because they were not what I would consider edible… and K & O apparently agreed with me because after a few months both of them united in a Major Act of Resistance and they flat out refused to eat the daycare eggs. Fortunately for them, the daycare staff gave in and eventually started serving the two of them cereal instead of the “eggs” on egg days… but unfortunately K & O’s Daycare Induced Egg Fast has still yet to end (despite my valiant efforts every once in a while to tempt them with ridiculously delicious eggs of all varieties the only egg-related-food I can get them to eat is quiche [they love quiche]). Anyway, in terms of their pickiness or lack thereof… Actually, Braydon and I have a big disagreement over this. From my perspective, our boys are not adventurous enough (and too picky). From Braydon’s perspective, our boys are very adventurous (and not picky at all). I’m sure the truth lies somewhere in between. A lot of my own vantage point on this stems from my own upbringing. I think that they should eat absolutely EVERYTHING/ANYTHING that is put in front of them. This is in large part because that is how I was raised— I grew up living at a camp in the summer (my parents were Camp Directors), we ate our meals in the Dining Hall, and we ate whatever everybody else was eating, always, with absolutely no exceptions, ever. I grew up eating absolutely everything with very, very, very few exceptions and I also grew up being taught to be grateful for food. I became a very adventurous eater. I’ll try just about anything (and have eaten some pretty crazy things in my time — especially abroad — and have often been told that I have a “stomach of steel” [something I’ve taken great pride in!]). Braydon, on the other hand, had an extremely limited palate when I first met him. His food horizons have been hugely expanded in the past 15 years! (to the point where he now rivals me — and actually probably surpasses me] in his culinary adventuresomeness and openness). For us, this is a ‘spice of life’ thing and it is important to us that K & O appreciate food— all kinds of food. When we travel we try to get them to experiment with the authentic local cuisine, just like we do, and that is a big part of travel for us. Although they will try just about anything, they often won’t eat unfamiliar foods in large quantities (and they need large quantities in order to function). Owen is much more out-going with food than Kyle, but still, they are both really only big eaters with the foods they are used to. A good example is this~~~ at home we do not eat very ‘traditional’ middle-America ‘meat and potatoes’ meals very often. So, this is very unfamiliar to them. Thus, often, when we’re eating at other people’s houses (friends, family, etc.) K & O have trouble eating what is served. They are pretty much totally unaccustomed to eating that way. While they will usually try what is put in front of them, they won’t eat it with gusto (and will often refuse to clear their plates). For me, this is frustrating. For Braydon, it just is to be expected. In general, we don’t push the issue and we just try to be as polite as humanly possible to our hosts. On the other hand, bring them to Chinatown or an Indian Buffet or a beachside seafood grill or a Burrito Stand or an Italian Bistro and they’ll find plenty to chow down on! But this is all just to say— yes, there is plenty that they don’t eat… it just isn’t necessarily the typical stuff that you’d expect (stereotypically at least) from two upper-middle-class boys being raised by white folks in suburban Pennsylvania (i.e., they will not eat meatloaf; they will not eat cheeseburgers; they will not eat fish sticks). My hope is that by the time they are teenagers they’ll appreciate all sorts of food… even meatloaf and fish sticks!Nadia said… have you ever tried pea butter..it’s supposed to be more similar to peanut butter but made with peas!
Nadia, Nope, I can’t say that I have tried pea butter! I’ll look for it! Thanks for the tip!– – –Jess said… Would you please pack my lunches? I can provide self-addressed stamped envelopes.Jess, Sorry, but the answer is: no, I cannot pack your lunches… even if you do provide self-addressed stamped envelopes. I’ve got my hands MORE than full here! Although, now that I think of it, if I ever quit my job maybe I could try that instead: a lunch-packing business?!!! 😉Malia’sMama said… Oh great, I see the drinks and now I want a MIMOSA! If I manage to get one of Mal’s tutus around my thigh, can you make me one- AND a fancy snack?
MM, Come to think of it, I’d like a mimosa right now too. So, you can count on it- if we ever meet in real life then I will definitely make you a mimosa and a fancy snack—and we can both wear our kids’ tutus around our thighs while we indulge in the fancy schmanciest of snacks and drinks!Laurie said… Hey Heather…we have the Bento boxes also and love them! I must say you are a bit more creative than I am in what gets packed. Do you have the insulated cases for them? Instead of the plastic water bottles that came with the boxes I put a Horizon Organic milk box on the side. They fit perfectly!
Laurie, Yes, we have the insulated cases for them, and I love the whole system except for the water bottles that came with (ours broke almost immediately — K & O are very rough on stuff, but still… I thought those water bottles were particularly junky). Anyhoo– yes, I’ve too found things that fit perfectly in the little drink slots! I’ve used the Horizon milk boxes too! As well as Welch’s juice bottles and ‘Balance Water for Children’ water bottles — I bought a six-pack of each of those at the start of the school year and have been re-using the same 12 plastic bottles ever since. With very rare exceptions, however, K & O get only water with their lunches. Every once in a while they’ll get a milk or a juice– but that is a big treat. I pack them water because they eat their lunch better if they have only water to go with it. If I pack juice or milk they’ll just chug that first and then not eat much of their lunches.– – –Kristen, They are Laptop Lunch Systems. You can find them at: www.laptoplunches.com/products.htmlLori said… Will one of the posts be about STARBUCKS CARAMEL MACCHIATO ICE CREAM?????? ha! xoxoxlori
Lori, No, since I haven’t had the opportunity to try it yet. To be honest, I’m sort of avoiding that opportunity altogether since I’m worried what will happen if I do try it. Given what happened when I tried the LORI’S STYLE UPSIDE DOWN STARBUCKS CARAMEL MACCHIATO…. well…. you know the story…. the rest is history. Like I’ve said, THANKS FOR NOTHING GIRLFRIEND!!!!!!!!!! You can serve me the ice cream the next time we’re at your house… in the meantime… I’m in a stand-off with the stuff!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 😉
Today was a day. Owen was sick again (his fever came back with a vengeance), Margie had to cancel, and it was just one of those days when the whole just-barely-holding-it-all-together life that we have going here felt like it was teetering on the edge of complete collapse. Suffice it to say, it was a tough day. But as the hours moved forward (and Owen’s appointment with the pediatrician assured us that he is going to be o.k.), the day got better and better. And by 5:00 it felt like all was o.k. again. Funny how that is. The ups and downs of it all. Anyway… The boys have no school tomorrow (Parent Teacher Conferences), so –treat! treat!– they got to watch Curious George tonight when I was making dinner. And oh what a special dinner it was!!!– to try to lift the spirits of two cranky boys just coming off of a week of Owen being sick (I don’t know about other twins, but when one of these twins is sick it absolutely wreaks havoc on both of them), and to try to tempt Owen to eat something substantial, I made them their favorite: Chicken & Pasta in a Creamy Pesto Sauce. While Braydon, Meera, and I waited in the kitchen for the Curious George fest to end in the family room, Little Miss got her very first taste of the Creamy Pesto that her brothers love so. And now, it is official; we’re batting 3 for 3; Little Miss loves it just as much as her big bro’s. Once dinner was served she proceeded to eat what Braydon referred to as “a healthy toddler sized portion” of Creamy Pesto pasta. These photos, which I think are some of my favorites ever of Meera, were taken while she had her first tastes in the kitchen. I know I’m seriously biased, but seriously, I think she is seriously cute!
Owen has been sick since Friday. I think it was the flu. We don’t get flu shots. Maybe we should! His fever was 102-104 consistently all weekend. The highest we got was 105.7, with an ear thermometer. Other than the fever, and a complete loss of appetite (ah, the irony! Food Week!), he showed no other symptoms. But then again, this kid has the highest pain tolerance of any human being I’ve ever known (and that is coming from a Mama who labored on Pitocin for 9 hours with NO DRUGS WHATSOEVER!!!!!)… so who really knows!? Anyway, his fever broke in the night Sunday-Monday. We kept him home from school yesterday to recover. Today he went back to school with Kyle and started eating semi-normally again. So now we’re trying to get life back on track for the whole family (and hoping hoping hoping that nobody else gets it). In a desperate attempt to get Owen to eat something –anything!– on Sunday morning Braydon bought him these Breyers pomegranate popsicles that it turns out Owen absolutely adores. His favorite is the mango-pomegranate, but he’s happy with any of them. From Friday-Monday he basically survived on these popsicles and these popsicles alone. I think he lost at least 3-4 pounds (3-4 pounds that this 0%-body-fat boy cannot afford to lose). Owen’s sickness has done a number on the whole family, actually. We’re all out of whack. Me especially. I slept with him Saturday and Sunday nights. To say that I got very little sleep is the understatement of the year. Braydon and I are currently running on empty. With no obvious place in sight to refuel. So, we’re gonna try to get some sleep tonight and we’ll start answering all the Food Week Questions tomorrow or the next day. Cheers from the crazy whacked out J-M household!NOTE: We couldn’t get Blogger to work last night, so we’re posting our last FOOD WEEK entries tonight. We’ll start answering questions tomorrow– so if you have a question related to food, be sure to leave it now or forever hold your peace! 😉
La Palapa, photo taken on New Year’s Eve 2004 (one of a few New Year’s Eve’s there)
Back pre-kids we used to go out to eat a lot. I’d venture to say that we (especially I) were getting very close to the edge… the edge of what might be considered Food Snobiness. We were getting a little too close for comfort to that category of people labeled ‘Foodies.’ You know, people who are totally up-to-speed on the latest trends in food, wine, and Zagats. I read cooking magazines and cookbooks as if they were engulfing novels of literature. They were stacked up on my bedside table with sticky notes and pens in piles neatly beside them. I watched The Cooking Channel. We dined at fine restaurants regularly. Very regularly. I knew wine. Like, really knew wine. Like, we spent a few days exploring the vineyards of Burgundy, France and I was not at all intimidated or overwhelmed. Well, times have changed. Oh, how times have changed. Back then I would not have touched a hot dog with a ten foot pole. Tonight, I just grilled hot dogs for dinner. Back then I would have poured the bottle out if the wine wasn’t tasting just so (regardless of how pricey that bottle was). Right now, I’m sipping a glass of mediocre (very mediocre) wine. Back then I would not have stepped foot into a Red Robin if you had paid me (let alone a McDonalds!). But now… well… Red Robin is one of the boys’ favorite restaurants (and although they refuse to eat the food at McDonalds –other than the french fries; they will eat those– they LOVE the playspaces at “Ronald McDonald’s” and we go there sometimes… not out of desperation but totally voluntarily and with smiles on our faces [and yes, I eat a Quarter Pounder With Cheese about 3-4 times a year]). Yes, yes, yes, times have changed. Oh, how they’ve changed.The one thing I’m proud of though is that even in our food snobbiest of Foodie days we were always adventurous eaters, and we still are. Ethnic food? Yes. Holes-in-the-wall with mis-matched metal chairs? Yes. Restaurants that nobody ‘who knows’ has heard of because they are never reviewed in The New York Times? Yes. We have been there, and we go there. And we will admit, too, that we have dined in some of the most exquisite places on earth. Literally. And we’re not ashamed to tell the stories with sparkles in our eyes (and memories of unbelievable fois gras and champagne). So, when it comes to restaurants, we’re kind of a mixed bag. And proud of it. Or, at least, not ashamed of it. Here is our Top Ten (x2) Favorite Restaurants on the Planet List.
{in chronological order based on our own discovery of them… websites linked whenever the restaurant has one; some of these places are, unfortunately, now out of business}
- Slates ~ Hallowell, Maine
- Pinckney Street Cafe ~ Charleston, South Carolina (sadly the husband-wife chef team that owned this place divorced and dissolved the restaurant in the process… this is especially sad because this is/was our favorite restaurant of all time… such fond memories of sitting outside, on the porch, under the ceiling fans, pouring the house white wine out of a carafe, enjoying the view from this side-street-off-the-beaten-path in downtown Charleston… and they had the most unbelievable basil salad dressing [made with fresh basil from their own pots] and the most incredible fresh seafood stuffed ravioli and the most divine bourbon-glazed-bread-pudding… seriously it was PERFECTION– especially since I don’t think we ever had a bill there that was over $40 and that included the whole works from drinks to dessert)
- Sticky Fingers ~ Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina (walking distance from our little apartment)
- Sullivan’s Restaurant (not Sully’s– that’s where the tourists eat; Sullivan’s is where the locals eat) ~ Sullivan’s Island, South Carolina (gotta have the fried shrimp [B] and the fried oysters [H])
- Pho Pasteur Vietnamese ~ Brighton, Massachusetts
- Border Cafe ~ Harvard Square, Cambridge, Massachusetts (only the Harvard Square location; only with friends from grad school; only the queso dip and [lots of] the mixed margarita drinks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)
- Shalimar of India ~ Central Square, Cambridge, Massachusetts
- Vinny Testa’s ~ Brookline, Massachusetts (preferably the Brookline location; preferably with Beth and/or Maria)
- JP Seafood Cafe ~ Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts (during my dissertation I became addicted to this place/the sushi… and I still crave it to this day)
- Garduno’s of Mexico ~ Albuquerque, New Mexico
- Eccoqui Italian Bistro ~ Bernardsville, New Jersey (we have been ‘regulars’ at a bunch of restaurants, but we were really Regulars here – they knew us by name, made us special dishes not on the menu, and always gave us after-dinner-drinks-on-the-house; we were Regulars with a capital ‘R’)
- The Corner House Inn ~ Center Sandwich, New Hampshire (in the chronology this is not when we discovered The Corner House — my parents have been taking me/us there forever, and this is where Braydon got their ‘blessing’ to propose to me [while dining there alone with my parents for his birthday one year — I was away at a conference], but this is, in the chronology, when we had our Wedding Rehearsal Dinner there)
- La Palapa Cocina Mexicana ~ East Village, New York, NY
- Joe’s Shanghai ~ Chinatown, New York, NY (for the soup dumplings!)
- L’Esperance ~ Vezelay, France (ate there; stayed there; best.night.ever. — for real; and we have never been the same since)
- 3 West ~ Basking Ridge, NJ (preferably with Stacey & Matt; but just us will do just fine too)
- Pasion Latino Americano ~ Philadelphia, PA
- Ooka Sushi ~ Doylestown, PA
- The Flying Iguana ~ Virgin Gorda, British Virgin Islands
- Blue ~ Bethlehem, PA (our current date night fav)
While Heather is most definitely the chef in our house, I have liked to bake from time to time. And recently it’s taken a whole new turn…I received a sourdough starter from a friend at the River Valley Waldorf school. In truth I begged for it, and here I am now with it. ÂFor those who are sane enough to have not done artisinal baking, a primer: there are generally two classes of bread: leavened (eg: Italian loaf) and unleavened (eg: banana bread). And for leavened bread there are those that are straight dough and those that require a “starter”.  A starter is a portion of bread where you “pre-ferment” the yeast to it rises a little differently, thereby bringing out the sugar in the flour. And within the “starter” group of breads, there are those that you make from “old dough”, or things like Poolish, or Bigas, and those you make from sourdough starters.   PHEW – good times!So, here we are with this sourdough starter, that… you have to feed daily.  Feed daily. Feed daily. With more flour. And more flour. And throw out the excess. And more flour. And throw out the excess. And pretty soon you have this crazy living thing in your fridge.Owen named ours “Chupa.” We don’t know why or what it means, but the name stuck.And I can’t stand throwing out the excess, so I have been making bread non-stop. I was making about 6 artisan sourdough loaves a week. I was also making about 5-10 baguettes/french bread a week.ÂI played with the sour dough recipe that I had:Original (loosely translated from the original)1.5 C flour2/3 C water2/3 semi-firm starter1 tsp salt.Mix flour and water together, knead (in mixer) until gluten starts to form (IOW, turns to dough). Cover, let rest 20 min.Mix in 1/3 C of starter, kneadMix in 1/3 C of started, kneadAdd salt, knead.Move to oiled bowl, cover and let rise 1 hour.  Punch down (if it has really risen), turn and let rise 5 hours.  Shape into boule (round shape that is pretty), cover in a little flour, sit it in a towel lined bowl and let rise 2 hours.  Put it on a silpat lined sheet, score the top, sprinkle a little flour on it (for that rustic look and flavor) and pop in the preheated 450 degree oven (put the pan on top of a pizza stone if you can). Bake 20 minutes, until you thump it with your finger and it sounds hollow.  They also suggest dropping ice into a pan beneath the bread if you did not flour it.  It’s supposed to keep the crust moist letting the yeast do a hot rise until it dies. Nope, not doing that, using flour.With some experimentation, I modified it to make it take less time and conform to my schedule:1. Mix all ingredients together, knead for a while.2. Let rise for 4 hours3. Shape in to boule4. Let rise for 2 hours5. Bake as above.Note:  this did not work. It tasted good, but was mighty dense.  Good to practice jaw strengthening, not good to give to friends or Heather’s colleagues (sorry Nikki!).  Oh well, stick with the first option above.After we totally carb’d out a couple weeks ago, and Heather kept saying “I can’t stand it, there is flour all over the kitchen,” I put Chupa in the fridge, so I only have to feed it weekly. Now I make one loaf once a week and maybe some baguettes from time to time (those are our favorite).  These are coming out quite nice.
The boys, but Kyle in particular, say they like my bread better than the “Yummy Bread Store” (Texas Roadhouse for real).  Now, this is a real compliment, but I harbor suspicions that he is just trying to make me feel good, although  he does eat it all. But then again, this kid can eat.Heather used to tell me that she liked to read cookbooks like they were fiction; I used to think that was crazy. Now I understand: I’ve been using two baking books that I love: The bread bible by Rose Levy Beranbaum and The bread bakers apprentice by Peter Reinhart. I have read them both at night and they sat on my bedside table for a while.  Good reads (if you can call them that).
In addition to the regular Sourdough (which is regularly being given away at this point), our favorites are the baguettes (and these are Heather’s top favorite) from the bread bible and the pain a l’Ancienne (this one is super easy to make and really good – although it does not seem to get as airy a crumb as I would like – any tips on that?) from the bread bakers apprentice. Â The carrot bread (not a leavened bread) in the bread bible is really great too. Â I find that where we live, in the winter, that I require quite a bit more liquid than the bread bible calls for (but I am also measuring and not weighing).Who knew!?!?Â
Owen and Kyle need to have snacks everyday after school, of course. What 4-year-old doesn’t?! 19 days out of 20 they just grab something quick out of “The Snack Drawer” and run off with it to play. This, “The Snack Drawer,” is a drawer in the kitchen filled with snacks for them. It is a ‘free-for-all’ snack bin– they can take anything out of it anytime. They are very good at self-monitoring. I re-fill “The Snack Drawer” every so often when it is getting low. It is filled with things like: granola bars, individual packs of nuts, dried fruit, goldfish, trail mix, yogurt covered raisins, fruit snacks, snack-pack size packages of popcorn/pretzels/animal crackers/cheeze-and-cracker-packs/peanut-butter-crackers, etc. “The Snack Drawer” is great… but every once in a while we have “FANCY SNACK!” This is maybe 1 day out of 20 (rare!), but it is a beloved ritual nonetheless! “Fancy Snack” involves me preparing a very fancy shmancy snack (!) and the boys dressing up very fancy shmancy to eat it. While I get the snack ready and set it out on the table for them downstairs, upstairs K & O go crazy with the dress-up-clothes-bin getting ready for their grand entrance. When they come downstairs — in all their very fancy shmancy glory — they go nutso when they discover the very fancy shmancy snack that is waiting for them (and I go nutso to discover them in all their very fancy shmancy fanciness). The photos here are from two different days of “Fancy Snack” a while back. The only real consistent theme with “Fancy Snack” seems to be that it always somehow involves the tutus.
OWEN:
- Fish
- Sausage (his favorite is sweet Italian style chicken or turkey sausage, but he loves any and all kinds of sausage)
- French Toast
- Quesadillas
- Cheese & Crackers
- Warm Milk
- Pomegranates
- Strawberries
- Queso Dip
- Chocolate; Chocolate Milk; Chocolate Chip Cookies
***
KYLE:
- Pasta, Pasta, Pasta (this little man loves it; any shape; any sauce; any time of day or night; he’s all pasta all the time)
- “Mexican Food” (I think he is mostly referring to his beloved burrito bowls at Chipotle, although he specifically noted “burritos” and “rice” and “beans”)
- Blueberries; Blueberry Muffins
- Hot Dogs
- Fig Newtons
- Green Beans
- Watermelon
- Bananas
- “French Fries with Ketchup”
- Chicken
***
K & O’s COMBINED FAVORITES:
- “Pesto and Creamy Pesto” (They consider these two separate distinct items; “Pesto” is plain pesto — with any kind of pasta [although their favorite is pesto with fresh tortellini or fresh ravioli]; and “Creamy Pesto” is a pasta dish I make: Chicken & Penne in a Pesto Cream Sauce)
- “Macaroni” (i.e., macaroni & cheese — they love most any/all mac n’ cheese [what kid doesn’t?!], but their favorite is “Bunny Macaroni” [which is Annie’s Organic Shells and White Cheddar either on its own, or sometimes I mix a few handfuls of baby peas into it])
- Yogurt (see this post) — Owen’s favorite is vanilla; Kyle’s favorite is blueberry
- Cheese CHEESE cheese Cheese CHEESE cheese
- Waffles — preferably from Waffle House, but homemade will do too
- Panera’s Broccoli Cheddar Soup (with multigrain baguette as their preferred side… and they always carefully tear the bread into bite sized bits, stir it all into the soup, and eat it like one big one-pot meal… they’ve been doing this whole Panera-soup-bread-ritual-thing — and each polishing off their own full-sized portions — since they were about 18 months old)
- Smoothies
- “Syrian Bars” (i.e., cereal bars)
- Orange Juice
- Pizza (either pepperoni or plain cheese)
***
MEERA:
She doesn’t have a top ten yet, but she’s working on it. Her current favorite meal is the one pictured above– a jar of Earth’s Best Spinach & Potatoes, diced cheese (mozzarella); diced fresh banana; and… drumroll please… water IN A SIPPY CUP (her new favorite mealtime activity: trying her darndest to drink out of a sippy cup)!
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