Tomato Angst and Silis

 

Today was a day off for the kids, so I didn't pack lunches. Instead, we spent some time at the skate park with the balance bikes, then came home with two cranky kids who were feeling snacky-but-don't-want-anything-you-offer-y. The mister entertained them with a cardboard box while I put together a fanciful supper that was sure to turn the moods around (it totally worked!). 

-Way Better Snacks sweet potato chips (they have chia in them!)

-Kangaroo and elephant shaped sandwiches made with Earth Balance Mindful Mayo and Wellshire Turkey Ham

-Grape tomatoes arranged into a flower with an olive center

-Shredded turkey ham left over after using the cookie cutters for the sandwiches

-Scrambled egg (the boy's new "yes list" food!!)

-HealthyPants muffin 

Both kids came running when they heard me put the plates on the table. They immediately sat down and started to eat, but had to stop a few times to come over to hug me and say thanks for the muffin, or the sandwich, or the scrambled egg. You'd think they'd been eating only rice mush and overcooked green beans their whole lives, and were just tasting real food for the first time. The only actual new food was the tomatoes. They are tiny little grape tomatoes, and they are sweet and good. The girl loved them once she tried one, but she has always been a fan of tomatoes. The boy got worried. Furrowed his brows and everything. Here's his "this has touched my plate and contaminated all that is right in the world" face...

The tomato angst only lasted until he spotted the elephant sandwich on his plate. He was able to keep the tomatoes on his plate, though he wasn't able to try one. He did bring a few over to me and asked me to eat them, and wanted to watch me bite them so he could see if they'd squirt.

Eventually, they went to bed, and I got started on lunch...

-Half sandwich of Wellshire turkey canadian bacon and Earth Balance Mindful Mayo (egg and soy free!) on Rudi's gf multigrain bread
-Andean Dream quinoa/coconut cookie
-Peanut butter/cocoa/coconut milk yogurt smoothie
-Bare Fruit cinnamon apple chips will be put into their bags for snack

Our new Sili Squeezes have arrived! The kids have been super excited for these to come, and were thrilled to see them on our doorstep yesterday. I was planning on filling them with an old standby for the first time using them, but on a whim decided to try something new. I've been having such good luck introducing new foods at lunchtime, why not press my luck a little further. Tomorrow is a gym day, so they'll need lots of energy. Plus, by the end of a long day at school, they are hungry. This smoothie should have lots of sticking power, but hopefully not so much that they are too full for gym.
It's a little sweet for my taste, and I'm not a huge fan of the coconut milk yogurt. Hopefully the kids will like it. If not, I'll have an extra snack for them to eat when I pick them up. 

Ingredients (this made enough to fill 2 6oz silis, and a bit more for tasting) :
Honey, 2 tbsp
Dates - Medjool, 4 date, pitted
Cocoa Powder Organic, 1 tbsp (5g)
Flax Seed - Ground , 1 tablespoon
Nutiva Organic Hemp Protein - Organic Shelled Hemp Seed, 3 Tablespoons
Organic Peanut Butter - Smooth, No Salt Added, 2 tablespoons
So Delicious Cultured Coconut Milk - Vanilla - Yogurt, 8 oz
Bananas - Raw, 1 medium

UPDATE: Got a very interesting response to today's lunch. The boy declared this a "no list" lunch, but then went on to discuss (at length) how much he liked the smoothie. What he didn't like was the sandwich. That he ate. Somehow I went to bed last night like normal, but woke up this morning in some sort of food aversion Twilight Zone where my kid actually eats a food that he doesn't like. The girl also didn't like her sandwich, but clarified that she just wasn't into the mayo. She pulled off the turkey to eat, and left the bread and mayo.