I admit it -- my Little was living on chicken McNuggets last year and nowhere near enough of anything else. As a single mom, I was working full time, homeschooling her, dealing with a house, a dog, an ex-husband, the works. Exercise? Ummm, does walking upstairs to my home office work? Nutrition? French fries and Ramen are healthy, right?
Okay, okay, obviously I know I was wrong, and I had no way to justify it, other than the fact that I was downright beat-down tired and running to the Golden Arches was an easy way to get her to eat a full meal. Not to mention the emotional issues -- sitting side by side with our Happy Meals in the truck was at least some way to take a break for the day, and it saved me from standing in the kitchen trying to figure out how to cook a meal for one-and-a-half when I was used to cooking for a full family.
Fast forward to today, and I'm remarried to a bit of a health nut. McDonald's makes him blanche, and I actually sat through "SuperSize Me" by choice. Wow. Noticing that my little girl has a not-so-proportionate "Buddha belly" led to asking her pediatrician about it. Come to find out she's in the 90th percentile for her weight, but only the 50th percentile for her height. I can claim the height as genetic, as her father's not tall, nor am I, but the weight -- I have to admit, some of that's gotta be the McNuggets.
Thankfully, her pediatrician heard me out and understands that it's not easy, and that I see the error of my ways for both of us. This year we've gone from being in the parking lot of McDonald's almost daily to once a month, if that. She now drinks water almost exclusively, with milk being the other substitute, even when she does get fast food. And I've started to learn from books like Raising Healthy Eaters: 100 Tips for Parents, which I spotted at the library today.
Are you struggling with this situation too? If so, try some of these websites for help:
- www.TheLivingCookbook.com
- www.MealMaster.com
- www.CookingSoftware.com
- www.DVO.com
- www.SupperSmart.com
- www.OrganizedHome.com
- www.Chef365.com
- www.FamilyTimeZone.com
According to the book's author, Dr. Henry Legere, these sites are tops for planning menus, just like the school cafeteria does. His favorite is TheLivingCookbook.com, which he describes as being so easy to use you can let the kids do it, with your supervision. (No Ding-Dongs for dinner, kids!) Apparently it will also let you scale recipes up and down based on the number of servings you need.
How I could have used that last year! May it be of use to you, instead.
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