Kids: What to Eat

When I became a celiac vegan, I did not involve my family. But 6 earaches later and with my husband's encouragement, I cleared out the house and started over with my menu planning.

Was it easy? Are you crazy!? Are we healthier 9 years later? You wouldn't believe how healthy! I got in trouble the other day from the pediatrician because my 12 year old had not been to the doctor in 6 years.

How did I do it? This is where parenting-style becomes crucial.

1. I have control over the kitchen - you do not eat anything without my permission. We don't have the money for someone to eat a bag of tortilla chips and then not eat what has already been bought, cooked and planned for dinner. Which leads me to......
2. I plan the whole week of meals on Saturday morning and then shop for a week's worth of breakfasts, a weeks worth of sack lunches and dinner for Sunday through Thursday.
3. Water is our drink of choice. End of discussion.
4. I love dishes, china patterns and unique serving pieces. When the girls were little we had "fruit princess". I would cut up 4 different kinds of raw fruit, put it in my favorite chine, invite them to the table with their favorite baby doll and serve them on fancy plates. Even though the kids are too old for it, I still believe in presentation. Light candles, set the table properly, allow them to add their own sea salt, freshly ground pepper, cinnamon, honey etc.
5. No White Flour. I have already talked extensively about the multiple benefits of getting rid of flour. We eat rice linguini, rice spaghetti, Tinkyada rice lasagna, quinoa veggie curls, spelt bread, spelt tortillas, corn tortilla chips, rice cakes, potato chips, Fritos. We do not have wheat flour products at meal time.
6. The kids eat organic beef, chicken, fish and eggs. We try to limit meat to one serving per day preferably at dinner so that it will be the high quality organic grass fed kind that I buy. Two nights a week are vegetarian: baked potato night, and omelets and tater tot night.
7. No cow's milk. We use Vanilla Silk which as All Natural Evaporated Cane Juice but at least it is not a cow's milk product.
8. Every meal starts with a raw fruit or vegetable. Dinner starts with a green salad with raw veggies or carrot sticks. Breakfast starts with 1/2 apple, one banana, a large slice of cantaloupe or a large thin slice of watermelon.
9. The kids carry lunch to school 4 days a week. Their lunch bag contains chips, a spelt sandwich with almond butter, a clementine or bag of grapes, 2 wheat-free cookies and a bottle of water.

Eat the rainbow. Teach them to feed their bodies, their minds, their energy and even their souls. Teach them delayed gratification; dessert is for birthdays. Create joyful occasions that are not centered on food: trade treat times for $5 trips to CVS. You will be repaid with healthy, happy, even tempered, intelligent children who don't get every virus that goes through the school.

Applesauce

2 apples cored and skinned with one banana in the food processor. Let the kids add their own cinnamon. Eat immediately.