Saturday, June 18, 2011

Today I am grateful for ... pikelets

Pikelets of the gourmet variety from www.taste.com.au.
Mine don't look quite this impressive.
 ... seeing as Little E has decided they are a food group all on their own. 

Meal times have become a bit fraught lately. She won't sit in her chair - or if I insist, she attempts to climb out of it, heart-stopping Houdini style. She wants to snack constantly, tugging at the freezer door (the only one she can reach, and which has a baby lock on it) demanding "minga minga minga" as though she has not been fed for weeks. She will eat pikelets, or frozen vegetables, or rice cakes/crackers with hommus/cream cheese, or sliced cheese. That's about it. She's even off fruit, which if I'd heard a week or so ago I would have laughed at. The constant snacking is perpetuating the annoying cycle because I think part of the problem is that she eats so many snacks she's then not really hungry when it comes to meal time.

Yesterday for dinner I offered E:

* Boiled egg: doubly offensive because it had to come off a spoon, and being fed from a spoon is, like, worst ever nightmare territory - she would not open her mouth, shoved the spoon away, and when (even though I knew it was a bad idea) I tried to persist, she grabbed it and rubbed it in her hair;
* Mini raviolis (which a week ago she could not get enough of) - she ate two;
* Frozen vegetables - she ate a few bits of carrot and maybe three peas.

It is making me feel like some crazy bag lady who alternates between mumbling to herself and then bursting out into loud, unexplained rants.

I keep reminding myself that it's not the worst thing in the world; after all a homemade pikelet has nothing dreadful in it and incorporates a fair amount of egg and milk.

And I have a few strategies to attempt this weekend and next week:

1. Distraction. Instead of giving in to the demands for constant snacks, offering a book or something else fun. Hopefully she will then be hungrier at meal times.
2. Trying some savoury pikelet recipes; the old sneaky vegetable technique.
3. Maybe trying some other finger food that is similar to pikelets, little fritters or something. I just need to work up the enthusiasm to cook stuff even knowing that it will probably be rejected.

So there we are, gratitude for the old one cup of flour, one cup of milk, one egg (plus at our house at the moment, some mandatory mandarin rind).

This post is part of Maxabella's Grateful Saturday.

6 comments:

Alice Becomes said...

I feel your pain! My youngest is had work when it comes to meal times too. Never know when he will love or hate something. Go the Pikelets! Gill xo

Naturally Carol said...

Part of growing up I suspect, becoming aware of different things! I hope this week is better for you.

Domesblissity said...

Hi there. (Just popping over from "Maxabella Loves...". I've been dealing with a fussy eater for 4.5 years. What she'll eat one week, she won't touch the next. I have had some recent success with French toast. I mixed eggs, milk and cinnamon, coated the bread and fried in butter. I call it 'doughnut bread' and she eats it. She probably won't next week! Good luck with it. I learnt the best way to deal with it is not let it worry you. If she's eating something, it's better than nothing. People tell me they eventually grow out of it. I'm still waiting. LOL

Anne @ Domesblissity

kasia leach said...

Oooh.. Pikelets are a big thing around our place too!!
My fave: mix
Mini can of creamed corn, two eggs and two tablespoons of flour..
Fry them and that's it..
Cx

K said...

I love Picklets too! Double Cream drool!!!! My hubby has only just learned how to make them and he is now a expert, so much for no teaching a old dog new tricks! :) Thanks for visiting me :)

Maxabella said...

Ooh, the whole food thing in the under 5 set just did my head in!! I'd forgotten about pikelets - great snack option for the bigger kids too. I think I'll make some for afternoon tea this week.

Good luck with Little E's shanannigoating and remember who's boss!! Also remember that (as far as I know) no child of that age has willingly starved herself... that comes later? x

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