Feeding a family

Avatar for shandc
iVillage Member
Registered: 04-07-2003
Feeding a family
17
Mon, 12-27-2004 - 3:58pm

Hello all:

I need some tips for my new foray into SBD, since there's been a pretty major change in my situation!

My "new" boyfriend has a 5-y-o daughter, and they both eat at my house 2-3 nights a week now. He eats anything I put in front of him as long as I don't TELL him it's SBD, if his daughter isn't there, but when she is there I kind of have a dilemma on my hands...she's a picky eater and is used to being able to choose what everyone has for dinner because it's always been easier on him to just make one thing. So sometimes it's Mac N Cheese with hot dogs, sometimes it's picking up McDonald's on the way home, other times it's letting her eat that while her dad & I have something else.

Do any of you have any suggestions for how to be sneaky and start feeding them healthier meals when they're at my house without actually having to tell them that it's good for them, lol? Recipes for things picky children have enjoyed would be highly appreciated!!

On the plus side, she absolutely loves to help me cook, it's just convincing her that whatever we're cooking is worth eating that's the problem ;-)

Thanks!
Shan

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Avatar for shandc
iVillage Member
Registered: 04-07-2003
In reply to: shandc
Mon, 01-03-2005 - 2:34pm

Maggie,

Thank you so much for all this great info! I should probably clarify and say I wasn't planning to have her follow SBD with us...I've been very careful not to use the D-word around her or limit her portions of anything healthy that she'll eat, Dad and I have just been concentrating on getting vegetables into her and giving her choices between healthy foods except on special occasions (or when nothing else works!!)

I really don't know how far her mom is taking the Atkins thing with her, because she and I have no contact and I hear everything from either Kid or Dad (neither of which is a very reliable source when it comes to Mom!)...but there have been several nights when she comes home from school with a lunchbox that just had an egg, some rolled up lunchmeat, and cheese in it, and she's told me that she's "on a diet until me & Mommy get skinnier."

Her doctor has said that she's medically overweight, which is the one thing that Mom and Dad agree on here...but Dad lets Mom take care of all the doctor visits and such, that's a good idea about having him take her in for a second opinion and letting the doctor referee because I'm certainly not going to do it!

She was with Dad all of last week, which meant they were eating at my place every day. One positive thing that happened was that we established some common ground between Mom's house and mine...sugar is something we both avoid! She's only 5, so the complexities of why some sugar in natural things is OK while processed sugar in junk food is not is beyond her, but it's a start.

I will definitely read up on this info that you've given me, and give it to Dad next time we're talking about this.

Thanks again,
Shan

Avatar for shandc
iVillage Member
Registered: 04-07-2003
In reply to: shandc
Mon, 01-03-2005 - 2:51pm

Thanks, I like that way of looking at it!

Her Dad's totally on board with offering more fruits, veggies, and whole grains when she's with him, and I'm very glad to say that he is more than willing to be the Voice of Authority when it comes to "You absolutely have to eat at least some of it." His idea of health food is vegetarianism anyway, so he's thrilled when I make meatless dinners!

We did discuss this somewhat when they started eating with me more often, and decided that whenever possible she will eat what we eat and that there will be fewer meals that she gets to choose...last week, we tried still allowing her to choose between healthy meals A & B, and that seemed to help (except for the unfortunate incident where checking on ingredients for A & B led to her discovery that there were, in fact, hot dogs in there!)

I definitely never thought that loving to cook would lead to pseudo-step-mom-ism, lol!

Shan

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-19-2003
In reply to: shandc
Mon, 01-03-2005 - 4:19pm

Shan how about an eating sticker chart on your refrigerator?

Susan :)

 

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-19-2003
In reply to: shandc
Mon, 01-03-2005 - 4:23pm

Oh my!!!

Susan :)

 

iVillage Member
Registered: 12-19-2002
In reply to: shandc
Mon, 01-03-2005 - 4:36pm

Hi Shan, you are more than welcome.

Avatar for shandc
iVillage Member
Registered: 04-07-2003
In reply to: shandc
Mon, 01-03-2005 - 4:55pm

Thanks again Maggie!

I will keep you posted, and I'm sure I'll have plenty more questions to ask, lol...I always kind of thought I'd start out the mom-thing the usual way, but between teaching preschool awhile ago, babysitting my friends' kids, and now a pseudo-stepchild, whenever I get around to having kids of my own the poor things will have a rough time because I'll have had most of the tricks in the book thrown at me by preschoolers already, lol (but don't worry, I've had enough of them thrown at me already to know that they'll always come up with something new!!!!)

Shan

Avatar for shandc
iVillage Member
Registered: 04-07-2003
In reply to: shandc
Mon, 01-03-2005 - 4:56pm

Susan,

I LOVE that idea, thanks! We'll have to see what we can come up with :-)

Shan

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