Or in this case, trick AND treat!
I know, I'm a few days late but I couldn't help myself, it suits today's lunch so well! It's been two months now that Chloe has almost totally refused vegetables along with just about everything else that's not a breakfast food. I was starting to worry, despite everything I've read about how it's "normal" at this age for them to suddenly become picky - even the most hearty eaters (like my little one). She's still eating, but it's down to porridge, toast, beans, and fruit. Everything else gets thrown on the floor with a look of disgust. She went so far as to actually cry when she mistook a mouthful of celeriac mash for porridge - Boy, was I in trouble for that one! I don't mean to make a mountain out of a molehill, it's just that I believe a healthy diet equals a happier disposition and I don't want her to feel yucky and irritable if she doesn't have to.
What to do? Yesterday I had a clever thought. Chloe LOVES the idea of drinking tea. She's used to seeing us grown-ups drink it and now and then I make her a cup of herbal tea so that she can partake in the ritual. She gets very excited about it. One of my cookbooks has a great cold remedy recipe for babies. It's basically home-made veggie broth. I made it, poured it into the ice cube tray for freezing, and I've been mixing the ice cubes with water from the kettle to make warm "tea" for Chloe. Yippeee! She is drinking her vitamins. And I kid you not, I can see the difference already. Ah. Happy happy day!
In case anyone else out there is dealing with this issue, here's the recipe (it's from the Petit Appetit Cookbook by Lisa Barnes):
1 Quart Cold Water, 1 Cup Cauliflower Florets, 1 Cup Broccoli Florets, 1 Cup Carrots (cut into rounds), 1 cup Dandelion Greens (rinsed and roughly chopped)
Place water and veggies in a pot and bring to boil. Reduce to simmer for 1 hour. Strain out veg and there you have it - veggie broth. (veg can be reserved to use, mash or whatever you like)
note: of course you can substitute. I can't find dandelion greens around here, so I used a bag of baby spinach, and I used parsnip in place of cauliflower, but really just chop up all your random veg and put it in the pot and that'll do!
Oh, and am I a convert, or what?! Look at my lunch today - the only thing missing is the blood puddin'