helper

Since I've started on this latest Whole30, I have, out of necessity, been thinking more about food. While our usual fare is already pretty aligned with a paleo menu (minus our much beloved butter), this has been a good excuse to shake things up. I've been having fun finding new recipes and meal ideas to add variety, but I've also been thinking about ways to involve Squirt more in meal-time - especially selection and preparation. I firmly believe - and see time-and-time again - that one of the biggest causes of obesity and ill-health is poor knowledge of menu planning and food preparation. So few of my adult friends and colleagues actually know how to properly prepare nutritious meals and find it so daunting that they often reach for prepared substitutions (full of chemicals, mystery ingredients, and things I don't even want to mention). And how many young adults leave home even knowing how to plan a balanced meal and make wise choices, rather than living on take-out and fast food?

Yes, I realize Squirt is very young - too young, some might argue, to even understand this stuff. But I don't think it's ever too early to start building the foundation of good habits and smart choices. I'm going to start thinking of ways I can start involving Squirt more in mealtimes, so she can learn how to cook - and I mean really cook from scratch, no soup mixes, no canned foods, only fresh, whole ingredients - and learn how to make healthy choices while enjoying treats in moderation (rather than gorging on them excitedly every chance she gets because they're so restricted). Looking back, I've already started taking steps in this direction with her introduction to solids - baby led weaning. She has always been presented with real foods in their real form (she was never spoon-fed purees of whatever-the-heck-came-from-that-jar). She explored her foods, inspecting them, feeling them, smelling them, tasting them, and then, finally (and I really mean finally) eating them. She developed her own tastes and preferences. Another step in this direction was entirely incidental - throughout her life, she has been with me in the kitchen, quietly observing me from her perch on my back or hip as I prepare dinner. Now I plan on taking that passive observation into active participation. Right now it is as simple as her throwing ingredients in the pot and stirring. She smells the food with me and watches as I plate it. Soon, I will have her help me as I shop (and harvest), letting her select some of our produce. As she gets older, she can continue to help more in planning and preparation, and I will continue to introduce her to increasingly varied flavors and cooking styles.

Happy helper, mixing up her broccoli bites.