Wednesday, November 21, 2007

Banana Fanna Fo Fanna

Someone should have warned me that saying toddlers are "picky eaters" is the understatement of the year. I would have felt more adequately prepared if I had known that was simply a nice expression for "may love what you fix one day yet spit at it the next."

Park has gone through many dietary phases. At first, he would eat any and everything placed in front of him, but then the downhill slope began. It got so bad at one point in his toddlerhood that it seemed the only foods he found appetizing were any morsels he found on the floor.

And after he thumbed his nose at a nutritious dinner I spent an hour making one evening, I MAY have inadvertently tossed various pieces of the meal on the ground for him to stumble upon. If you are silently judging me right now, it is quite possible your child is still an infant or yet to be born, because I feel certain that anyone who has raised a toddler has reached a similar low point.

Or at least I'll tell myself that.

To make matters worse, what about certain advertising campaigns that are sweeping the nation, petitioning our children to hold out for ice cream and popsicles?

Now don't get me wrong, there is a special occasion place for such sugary goodness in the lives of our kiddos. But, I have a strong-willed son that, given an inch, yanks and pulls to go the full mile. So, I found a compromise that works for our family.

Enter Banana Pops.

In case you were wondering, I used all caps to give them a more sophisticated feel. Did it work?

These frozen goodies are cheap, nutritious, low maintenance to make, and loved by all ages.....husbands included. It doesn't get much better than that. Instructions are as follows: Peel banana, half it, stick a popsicle stick in each piece, and freeze.

Presto.

And here you people thought I couldn't cook!

Now, if you're wanting something with a little more umph, the same song second verse goes like this: Before freezing, dip the banana in carob (found at most health food stores) and then roll it in wheat germ.

And the best part is, you won't even have to throw it on the floor for your kids to eat it.

(Click on over to Rocks in My Dryer for more Works for me Wednesday tips)

Have a great Thanksgiving!

10 comments:

Mandy said...

LOL!! You crack me up!! And I so understand....my little man is super, super picky. I'm definitely trying this. He loves bananas.

Awesome Mom said...

That is just hilarious, leaving food for them to scavenge on the floor. I have given them snacks on the living room floors (crackers so it was fairly clean and I had just vacuumed) but never on the kitchen floor. I have noticed that food from my plate tastes so much better than the junk I am trying to foist on them (they are often the same exact thing despite what the kids think) so they will gobble it right up.

Sunshine said...

Happy Thanksgiving!
I used to eat bananas cubed and frozen when I was little - now this is a new trick I will try for my kiddos - they love bananas and think everything on a stick is a popsickle - so it is a win-win idea - I LIKE THOSE!

Sunshine

Anonymous said...

Love the idea of freezing the bananas!(Throwing the food on the floor is another idea I may try, as well:)
Feeling your pain,
Bria

Anonymous said...

I miss you and that little cutie! Let's STOP saying that we are going to get together...and GET TOGETHER!!!
Happy Thanksgiving!

Love,
Keri

Unknown said...

Great post!

I had one...just the same.
It came quite unexpected after some eager eaters.

I found my way out with the kitchenmachine.

I popped everything I wanted him to eat in it, the frozze it in the popsicle form.

When it didn't freeze well, he saw where it came from and ate it anyway.

It stopped gradually.

When I was cooking I just put the vegetables, sliced in long tsticks or in squares at the corner of the kitchentable. Like I'd forgotten them.

Haha...kids are curious...well, he was. Started to eat...


Feel welcome to visit me at:

Laane on the World

Happy Thanksgiving!

Anonymous said...

This is a wicked idea!! Will it work with green veg too?

Anyway, happy thanksgiving! Hoping you and your family have a fantastic time, Del xxx

Anonymous said...

Girl, you are so right that anyone who would judge you for the food on the floor definitely hasn't had a toddler yet! Only a fellow toddler parent veteran would understand that "Eat, Child. Eat!" desperation. I'll be trying the banana pops for sure.

Anonymous said...

I feel ya. I have three of them. My two year old is getting to the point that he turns down food more frequently and my four and seven year old girls STILL have days where they suddenly don't like something they couldn't get enough of last week. Go figure.

Anonymous said...

you are soooo funny! russ, too, eats from the floor. (I can't believe I just put this info on the web). I laughly call him my little bottom-dweller. we'll try the pops, for sure.