Edwin recently started his “picky eater” phase, and I’m now having trouble getting him to eat vegetables. I’m hoping it’s just a phase, because he used to love pureed veggies even more than the meats and fruits. But he’s started to eschew any food that comes on a spoon for things he can pick up with his fingers, and I guess he doesn’t like the feel of peas or carrots. So while I’m still offering him plain vegetables regularly, hoping he’ll adjust to the texture, I’ve started figuring out ways to sneak veggies into foods he does like, a la Jessica Seinfeld. He loves the whole wheat-pumpkin muffins I make for my own breakfasts, and I’m getting tired of him stealing half my food, so last weekend I decided to make him some carrot-zucchini muffins. I adapted a recipe I found on food.com, using only whole wheat flour and eliminating most of the sugar, since I used sweetened applesauce. They were a little moist and heavy, but held together well, and are easily frozen, microwaved and torn up into toddler bites.
Verdict: He loves them!
The whole idea of “hiding vegetables” bothered me at first, because I’d rather Edwin be aware that he’s eating- and liking- vegetables. But then it occurred to me that hiding something inside something else is a practice I do regularly. I bet you do it too. Think of a chore or a part of your job that you absolutely hate. In what way do you “repackage” that chore to make it more “palatable”? I bet you all have some tips and tricks to avoid focusing on the thing you hate, but need, to do.
Here’s an example: I hate vacuuming. I like the house being clean, but I dread having to vacuum. Over the years, I’ve figured out a few ways to make the chore, if not enjoyable, at least less painful.
How I repackaged the chore: I never vacuum the whole house at once. I used to do that, and I’d dread that hour all week. Instead, I broke the house up into zones. I vacuum the heavy-use zone (kitchen, dining room, living room, bathroom) more frequently, and the less-used zones (bedrooms, office, finished basement) less frequently. I do lose out on that “completely clean house” feeling, but the trade-off is that vacuuming takes less time and I always feel that the house is “clean enough.”
How I made it more palatable: I plug my wireless headphones into my iPod and listen to an audiobook or some fun dance music as I vacuum. (Yes, my husband has occasionally walked in on me dancing with the vacuum. I’m pretty sure these are the times he thinks, “My wife is crazy.”) Adding the musical element makes the time go by faster.
(Random question: Why don’t more people use wireless headphones? I got mine several years ago, and they’re fantastic, but I never see people at the gym, or walking on the street, using them. Why has this not caught on? Why do people choose to be wired? All you need is a tiny bluetooth adapter and a set of wireless headphones. You can get both for under $100.)
How do you “hide your vegetables”? What chores do you dread doing? How can you repackage them and give them a new flavor?
