Food Revolution Phase 3: Family Style Meals

February 10, 2016Amber 11 Comments

mealtime peace

Dating back to our newlywed days, George and I have eaten dinner together at the table with no interruptions. Family meals were equally important with the addition of children. When the quads were babies, George constructed a quad feeding table, which worked well for spoon feeding them. When they were about two years old, we transitioned to a family dinner table, which helped us better enjoy family meals because we were facing each other. For a while, mealtime was a pleasurable experience, but then it became dreadful.

Eliminating snacks certainly didn’t improve mealtime, and changing our snack menu improved nutrition, but still did not alleviate mealtime stress. Once again, I was back to the drawing board. I thought back to a conversation I had with one of our ECI therapists about a year ago. She too experienced mealtime woes and found the work of Ellyn Satter quite helpful. The foundation of Ellyn Satter’s work hinges on this principle:

“The parent is responsible for what, when, where. The child is responsible for how much and whether.” – Ellyn Satter Institute (ESI)

I thought we’d done a decent job following this principle as well as many of the other recommendations of the ESI.

Served three meals a day at regular times with snacks in between
Sat at the table to eat
We ate as a family with no interruptions
We did not operate as short order cooks and did not limit our menu to appease anyone
We always served something the kids would like at meals, and included a satisfying starch
We let the kids choose which items from the meal to eat and how much of each item
We denied snacks between the regular meal and snack times

Despite all of these long standing mealtime habits, there were disgruntled children at our dinner table and it was unpleasant. Having quadruplets means that many of our daily tasks are completed in an assembly line manner, which makes things efficient and fair. The kid’s plates were no exception. In the past, after a meal was prepared, we set out the kids plates, filling them with each part of our meal. We ended up with four identical plates that were doled out at the table. During the meal, they were allowed to opt out of eating anything on their plate and were encouraged to put unwanted items to the side. They could also request more of anything they especially liked. Yet, there were many nights that kids screeched about something at dinner. I had one final idea I wanted to attempt.

While I was cooking dinner, I started asking the kids to set the table, giving each child something to set out. They took this new responsibility very seriously, and it really helped me because it completed a task and kept them occupied while I was busy. Once the meal was ready, we placed all of the food on the center of the table. Then, we’d take each dish, going around the table to ask each child if they wanted any. If it was an item they could self serve, we let them. If it was too difficult for them to manage, we’d ask them where (the where is critical) on their plate we should put the food, and how much. This small change was magical. Three year olds crave independence and control over anything they can manage. Giving them the control over what went on their plate and where it went alleviated our mealtime stress.

We’ve been serving all meals in this manner for about a month. In that time period, not one child has thrown a fit. In fact, the kids have been extremely complimentary about their meals saying things such as, “I like this meal, Mama!” (Mind you, they are complimenting the very meals that previously sent them into a tailspin.) They’ve also tried foods they previously denied. They don’t clean their plate, and I don’t want them to. Instead, they are eating until they feel satisfied and most of all, they are happy. Mealtime peace has been restored!

Rylin didn’t want to oblige me for a photo, but her plate is a really good example of how it was designed by her. She really loves tomatoes and she chose a tomato salad with Japanese dressing on it. The other three aren’t as keen on tomatoes and opted out.

How is dinner served at your house?

hugs!

Amber

Four Foodies

July 22, 2014Amber 12 Comments

Before the quads, George and I enjoyed trying local eateries, sampling different ethnic cuisines, and trying our own hands at the culinary arts. During my pregnancy with the quads, our foodie days quickly became a distant memory. I couldn’t venture out and there was no time for whipping up new dishes. Much to our dismay, many meals were reminiscent of our college years and newlywed days. You know, boxed macaroni and cheese and Hamburger Helper type meals. Not terribly adventurous or healthy stuff, but it was what we needed then.

As we began to adjust to life with quads, we slowly began cooking again, but meals were simple and often from the slow cooker. It was sustenance, not really anything a foodie would appreciate. When the quads were six months old, we excitedly began serving up homemade baby food and took great pride in expanding their palates.

Once the quads experienced a reasonable variety of foods AND had enough teeth for noshing, they started eating family dinners with us. Now, as toddlers they most certainly express their opinions on food. That doesn’t stop us from serving them a wide array of foods, and giving them many chances to decide if they are willing to sample them. I’ve heard it can take a toddler over a dozen exposures before they’ll decide if a food is liked or not! And, they are fickle. One day they’ll gorge themselves on something and the next day refuse the same item (this has happened with everything from bananas to tacos). They are fans of the usual kid favorites: chicken nuggets, macaroni and cheese, and yogurt. BUT atop the list of favorites are black beans, quinoa, curry chicken with roti or basmati rice, and pomegranite.

As they are maturing becoming easier to manage outside the home, we are gradually trying new eateries fit for foodies. At the start of the summer, our friends Allison and Preston, joined us for an al fresco meal at a food truck park. There, the quads enjoyed street tacos, tater tots with jack cheese and chives and salted watermelon lemonade.

Dining at the Food Truck Park with quads

The food truck park didn’t have high chairs or booster seats so we improvised with our Combi twin strollers.

street tacos and salted watermelon lemonade

Mmmmmm, street tacos with salted watermelon lemonade! I don’t even typically like watermelon and found this drink extremely refreshing as it screamed “summer!”

Though the quads enjoyed their meal from stroller seats, they proved they were capable of sitting a the big kids table. Next time, we probably won’t bother with strollers.

Not long after our food truck adventures, Aunt CiCi and Matt joined us for a Thai lunch. There, the crew scarfed fried rice, padthai, and spring rolls. This particular place may become a family hot spot since they also boast a toddler play area! It worked splendidly for occupying quaddlers as our meal was prepared. I love watching the quads as they experience these new things, and hope with continued exposure they develop an appreciation for trying new foods and of other cultures in general.

toddler play areas at restaurants help keep everyone happy

The toddler play area included a playhouse, which could have easily entertained the quads for hours. Thankfully, our food was ready much sooner than that.

I’d love to have a playhouse like this in our backyard!

Spring rolls and padthai were both beloved by the entire family, and everyone enjoyed eating leftovers later that night for dinner.

Restaurants with large tables and many high chairs are ideal for large families

Another perk of this establishment? HUGE tables and plenty of high chairs to accommodate our family.

Thai cuisine, quad approved!

What is your favorite type of cuisine?

Hugs!

Amber

Toddler Tip #457: Improvised Seats

July 12, 2014July 13, 2014Amber 3 Comments

This weekend, we headed to Nisey and Poppa’s for a family dinner. In the past, we brought our Super Seats for mealtime away from home. It was easy to line the babies up for a spoon feed, or to pull them right up to the dining room table for finger feeding.

However, we recently parted ways with our beloved seats as the quads were getting too big for them, and I was tired of storing them. I refuse to spend money on any more booster seats because I know they would be short lived.

Instead, we improvised at dinner using an old trick I learned from my cousin, Jennifer. We boosted each child with a floor cushion. We then tied the apron strings around the back of the chairs to keep each child seated. This little tip worked especially well since I forgot to put bibs in the diaper bag. The aprons covered the majority of the quad’s clothing and laps. For some reason, by parents happen to keep four aprons, which was perfect.

Use an apron and a pillow/ cushion/ phone book to make a booster seat when eating away from home with toddlers.

Phone books would have worked well for boosting, but Nisey and Poppa only had one remaining. I think the internet made phone books nearly obsolete.

The quads didn’t stay at the table as long as they have in booster chairs or the quad table, but our improvised seats enabled them to self feed and for the adults to enjoy dinner. A win-win in my book! After dinner, I just shook the crumbs off the aprons and hung them back in the pantry for next time.

Hugs!

Amber

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Toddler Tips #934: Yogurt Reinvented

March 4, 2014June 7, 2015Amber 9 Comments

With each passing day, I find myself trying to solve some new challenge with raising four toddlers, aka “quaddlers”. They are a cunning lot who inspires a little ingenuity on my part (and George’s) just to manage day to day life. While my ideas are born from being surrounded by four toddlers, I think many of them could be helpful to any parents of little ones so I’m sharing.

Being independent toddlers, the quads refuse to let me spoon feed them anything. For the most part, it’s not a problem because they are highly skilled at finger feeding and are using utensils a little better each day. Some foods such as applesauce and yogurt don’t lend themselves to finger feeding and aren’t ideal for novice utensil users. This led me to find some alternative solutions, especially for yogurt.

I snagged this little gem from Gwen’s Nest. I put a little yogurt in the bottom of a bowl or plate and top it with dry cereal. This is one of my favorite ways to serve yogurt because it helps the babies work on spoon-feeding themselves. The yogurt sticks to the dry cereal, making it easier to scoop. Sometimes they pick up the cereal as a finger food, and it’s a bit sticky, but it’s not terrible.

I also found a recipe for Orange Dreamsicle Bites from Cookies & Cups, which used Greek yogurt and orange flavored Jell-O. I experimented with it and found that other Jello flavors make tasty yogurt bites for the wee ones (and adults too!). Plus, using other flavors creates fun colors, which is helpful when teaching toddlers about colors. The best part- Greek yogurt transforms Jello-O into a snack packed with probiotics, calcium, and protein that is easy to serve and clean up!

You'll need just two ingredients to make yogurt bites: 1 1/2 cups Greek Yogurt 3 oz. box of Jell-O

You’ll need just two ingredients to make yogurt bites:
1 1/2 cups Chobani Greek Yogurt
3 oz. box of Jell-O

Note: I’ve experimented with various brands and flavors of Greek yogurt for this recipe, and Chobani vanilla results in the right texture.

Mix the yogurt and Jell-O in a microwave safe bowl

Microwave the mixture 1 minute then stir well. Microwave another minute then stir again.

Spoon the mixture into molds, or muffin tins with cupcake liners. If you use a mold, be sure to spray it with cooking spray first.

I forgot to spray my mold and only two of our animals came out clean. I found that mini muffin tins are just the right size for a snack, and clean up is easy.

I forgot to spray my mold and only two of our animals came out clean. I found that mini muffin tins are just the right size for a snack, and clean up is a cinch. I made these as a toddler snack so I didn’t get fancy, but at Cookies & Cups, she topped these with whipped cream and candy, which would be cute to serve at a party.

I’ve been serving banana milk shakes for a while, but recently began adding Greek yogurt to them. I also like adding yogurt to whole milk as a drink. This is by far the easiest way to serve yogurt to toddlers! I do this often for Mason and Sydney because they are so tiny and often need extra calories that are nutritious rather than empty junk food options.

Toddlers absolutely LOVE dipping. They recently discovered they joys of ketchup and sour cream so I began using yogurt as fruit dip for the quads. Sometimes they spear fruit with a fork, which is good utensil practice. They also do well just dipping fruit as a finger food.

The yogurt I used for this was white, but I added a drop of red food coloring to make it pretty for the picture. Rylin is currently obsessed with pink things and thought it was fantastic. I think I’ll experiment with making our yogurt other colors such as green and orange to help teach colors.

Do you have any clever ways to serve yogurt or otherwise messy foods to toddlers? I always enjoy tips for feeding toddlers, and have been enjoying the Tyke Bites series at Texas Tales.

hugs!

Amber

P. S. Since the original writing of this post, I began using plain Greek yogurt as a sour cream substitute as a condiment (e.g. over chili, tacos, in veggie dip), to add creaminess to pasta dishes, and in baked goods. There are so many creative ways to use Greek yogurt in your family’s meals. In fact, Chobani has an entire site devoted to such recipes!

These recipes are some of our family favorites-

Greek Yogurt Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

Oatmeal Blueberry Muffins

7 Up Biscuits (for this recipe just substitute the sour cream with Greek yogurt)

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