Trying new foods

Remember the amazing Secret Supper that I mentioned a few weeks ago? It was /drool/ heavenly. Even my Man said so.
The things is, he didn't grow up eating a variety of foods. He doesn't try new things, doesn't desire to, and doesn't understand why I do. This year will mark 14 years of marriage and he has yet to try a salad. not kidding.
But ~~shhh~~~ sometimes I sneak things like V8 into his chili and stew. He's never caught on. I might just save this man's health yet.

Annnnnywaaaay, I'm trying to get an earlier start with my kids. The boys are pretty good about eating anything. They love fruits and veggies, pastas and sauces, dips and even salsa and guacamole. My Girl, though, is not so easy.
And, really, when it comes to foreign foods, all of the kids may balk as much as my Man.
So, to encourage them to try things, I'm giving them a congratulatory sticker (or other non-munchable prize from the box) when they taste an unfamiliar food. It’s such a simple idea, yet it's working.
Today, thanks to Mong, we ate more goodies from Taiwan.

These are Wow Cow cracker/cookies. The only other English read, "The traditional cracker in the shape of an ox tongue." Mmmm... so appetizing.
They were actually quite good, slightly sweet

The snacks, below, were unbelievably thin cookie wafer things. I'm so articulate, I know. There's just nothing to compare it to.

Now this one I can describe. They're like sugar-coated gummy vitamins, only better! They're also organic and vegetarian (aren't the apple-head girl & crossed-out pig nice touches?)


The Energy E cookies were not a huge hit with the kids, but I like them. Without being able to read the label, though, I'm limiting myself to just a few a day. ;)



Have you tried anything new lately?

Monster meals on rainy days

Today started out all rainy and booming. Actually, I've been enjoying the storms. We haven't gone swimming much this summer, and I'm longing for fall now. I miss firepit nights, bread baking in the evenings, long walks, playing in leaves...

This morning we felt the air tinged with that kind of fall crispness. Soooo, all before 8am, we baked Focaccia, wheat bread, and lemon pound cake. Mmmm....mmmmm... the house smelled so good!

Thanks again for planting the rosemary for me, Papaw! It has been delightful to have!

I found a new cookbook that I LOVE, The Essential Vegetarian Cookbook: Your Guide to the Best Foods on Earth. Yes, Fred is thrilled. (Okay, you'd really have to know him to understand just how sarcastic I am being.) He watched me stuffing those beautiful green bell peppers yesterday and said, "you know I'm not going to eat that." And he didn't. (Ah, but my feminine wiles may overtake him yet.)

I'm veering off of my intended path, but you need some background. We've been married for almost 12 years, and my husband has never eaten a salad. And I mean NEVER. He shuns all condiments, but especially salad dressing. (Go figure, he loves chips and dip!) He does NOT eat lettuce, spinach, or anything else healthy-sounding unless you put one of the weak white pieces on a cheeseburger. Tomatoes are never accepted unless they are in sauce.

It took me about 5 years to get him from whole milk down to 1%. Then I eased into skim milk sllll-oowww-llly. It took about the same amount of time to get him weaned from that white bread fluff. And straight Velveeta. (A unison EEWWWW please) He coated fruits with sugar to eat them. Ladies, make your sons eat well NOW, so their wives don't have to do it later on. C'mon, good foods are GOOD.

He's okay with the changes now, but this was a process. Why do I bother, you ask? Well, for one thing, I didn't want him to leave me widowed. For another, he feels better when he eats right. Plus the kids watch him... AND I don't enjoy cooking multiple meals for supper.

So, anyway, I try to compromise now and then. He buys chips when he goes shipping and I say nothing (well, I try to say nothing.) When I shop, I buy tons of fruits and veggies, and only healthier-alternatives-to-heart-attack-foods.

Take hot dogs. He loves them. And not just any hotdog, but the cheese-filled, extra-large Ballpark hotdogs. One has about all of your calories for the day.

My compromise? I buy turkey franks and make monster meals (or threaded dogs, depending on the child you're talking to.) It's not exactly something a foodie would endorse, but it's progress... And it's fun.

We sprinkled fiesta-blend cheese on the finished product.

I found this idea (and many other great ones) at Plum Pudding. :-)

Check out how Simply Stork made hers look like googly monsters with legs!