SuperBabyFood

A friend and co-parent from B's class gave birth a few days ago.  I haven't found time to visit with her yet and will do so in a week's time, after the kids are done with school.  There was no one to pick up her daughter today so I offered to take her home.  And I asked her how well she liked her new baby brother.  "He is always crying that I cannot sleep," she complained.  Oh, how I DO NOT miss those days!


What I do remember, though, was that when B and R were still infants, I was made aware of the existence of this wonderful book called SuperBabyFood. It made feeding the kids so much easier; I knew what I was feeding them, and everything is as close to the source as possible (read: no preservatives).  And so I followed most of the author's suggestions with some exemptions, taking into account my kids' predisposed tendencies to certain allergens. It helped me shape my kids eating patterns and preferences that I highly recommend this book to everybody.

I remember every Monday afternoon was Super Vegetables Production Day. The yaya would cook lentils or split peas; steam broccoli, carrots and asparagus; and mash some avocados and papayas. She would then blend them in a food processor, and freeze them in ice cube trays. Once frozen, we transfer them to an individually labeled airtight container to keep in the freezer for our week's supply. We then mix these super healthy food cubes with our table food. We did this for about 3 years. And that has really done me well.  Five years down the line, the 2 younger ones snack on plain yogurt like it is ice cream, and second servings on broccoli for dinner is the norm in our dining table.  But chocolates and other cavity inducing treats are also eaten in high frequency, usually headed by the Dad. :)

I remember an incident when I took R with me to have lunch at my folks' two year ago. Lunch consisted on steamed fish, fried porkchops, and for soup, beef bulalo. Now R has a boy's appetite so asking for seconds is really nothing new, and is in fact, expected. He asked for a second serving of the soup, and emphasized that he wanted more of the green vegetables (bok choy and cabbage, actually) and then asked for a third, and a fourth, until my mom's cook went inside the dining room to inform us that R has finished all the vegetables already, there was none to give anymore. Upon finding out that there was none anymore, he suspiciously started eyeing the spring onions and leeks that were served as garnish on the fish, and asked if he could have some of those instead! Hainaku!

In another instance, B has appointed herself the school's canteen police. She is conscientiously labeling the food being served as healthy or junk, and of course getting into a discussion with the "ate" with regard as to why hotdogs are being served to the kids.

I would want for her to bring her own food but then her pre school requires everyone to pay for the canteen service for the the first 2 months of the schoolyear - regardless of whether you it eat or not.  Of course, when I tried to get out of that arrangement due to her numerous food allergies, the girl behind the counter told me that I can just pay for the 2-month canteen service even if I let my daughter bring her own snacks. Huh? What kind of logic is that? That said. I am now having the ultimate revenge as B continues to be the resident canteen police.

She recently relayed the conversation that they had, seemingly asking for a confirmation from me that she is right.

B: Ate cel, why are you serving hotdogs? It's junk food, right?

A: No, it's not.

B: But, right, it has a lot of preservatives?

A:  Hmmm.  (and turns the other way)

Image credit:  Julia Silge