How to Feed a Henry

One of Henry's current favorite sayings is "I don't like it." He started using it a few weeks ago for all sort of situations, everything from naptime to visiting the walruses at the zoo. Mealtimes are no exception. Henry uses "I don't like it" when he does not want to eat the food on his plate, often before he has even given it a try. Frequently, he will want to eat one dish exclusively at a meal without tasting the others. Since Henry can now understand simple when/then statements , Daddy and I decided it was time to implement the taste test rule for Henry.  Good morning! What will Henry want to eat today? Here is our take on how to encourage Henry to continue to try a variety of foods using the taste test rule. Some families call this strategy " no thank you bites ," " green eggs & ham bites " or " the one bite rule ." We start by putting a small portion of each dish on Henry's plate. If he wants extr...

This recipe for pork schnitzel makes a frequent appearance on our family's dinner table. It's an easy weeknight meal to satisfy any hungry kiddo, especially Henry. This recipe is Henry-approved. Ingredients Pork Schnitzel 4-6 1/2-inch thick boneless pork chops (about 1-1.5 pounds) 1 egg 1 T milk 1 cup dry breadcrumbs 1 t paprika 1 t dried parsley 1 t salt 1 t pepper ¼ cup olive oil for pan frying 1 lemon Mushroom sauce 1 cup sliced mushrooms (5-6 small/med) 1 cup chopped onion (1/2 yellow onion) 1 cup vegetable broth ½ cup sour cream Salt and pepper to taste Pork schnitzel frying in the pan. Directions Prepare your breading station for the pork with two shallow dishes. I like to use pie plates, one for the egg dip and one for the dry ingredients. For the egg dip, use a fork to lightly whisk the egg and milk. For the dry ingredients, stir together breadcrumbs, paprika, parsley, salt and pepper. Preparing to bread the pork ...

I love having Henry help me in the garden. We are working together, getting dirty and discovering nature. Gardening also teaches patience -- Henry has already been asking when the strawberries, raspberries and blueberries will be ready to eat. We'll have to wait for the flowers, bees and sunshine to do their work first. There are lots of weeds to pull. Some weeds even have pretty purple flowers. Using a rake to turn the soil. Hoeing the dirt. Pulling more weeds. Finding wiggly worms. Planting peas and potatoes. Cooling off in the shade with a hard-earned snack -- strawberry yogurt popsicle.

Henry's milk strike at daycare continues. He is now drinking plenty of water using a straw cup, but his teacher reports that he is still not consuming much milk.  Henry usually sips (not gulps) his milk at breakfast. I talked with his teacher about how Henry had gone through a no-dairy trial last summer. When we brought dairy back into his diet, he enthusiastically ate yogurt and cheese again but his appetite for a stand-alone glass of milk dropped off noticeably.  Once each week, Henry and I make fruit smoothies for breakfast. As we were talking, the topic of whole milk versus skim milk came up. I mentioned that we use full-fat dairy products at home, including whole milk , real butter and yogurt. While Henry rarely drinks a full glass of milk with meals, I often use it for cooking and baking. As a family, we consume about one-half gallon of whole milk per week. His teacher said that under the USDA guidelines she is only supposed to serve low fat milk to ...

Henry recently switched to a new childcare provider. It was a difficult decision to move him to a new environment, but Daddy and I felt it was the right time to make a change.  Henry loves peanut butter & jelly pancakes for breakfast. After the new year, Henry was no longer seeing his two best friends at daycare -- one advanced to the preschool room and another moved away. His teachers rotated to new classrooms, and he was not connecting as well with the new lead teacher. Plus, the new staff's approach did not align with our values at home; the children started watching lots of movies and I observed kids frequently being sent to time - out . Henry splashes in a mud puddle. I spent a few weeks searching for a new facility that would provide a more positive space for Henry. After interviewing a few options, Daddy and I were thrilled to find a great match. We chose a small in-home childcare run by a creative, loving grandma. Henry loved visiting her house during two tes...

This recipe is a sweet ending to a winter weeknight meal using an assortment of winter pears and apples, with no added sugar. Henry had as much fun helping to get this dessert ready, as he did eating it. I used raisins and dried apricots for the filling. This recipe is Henry-approved. Henry helped himself to a huge handful of raisins while we were preparing the pears and apples. Photo courtesy of http://taniakristyphotography.squarespace.com/ . Ingredients 3 winter pears or apples ¼ cup raisins or other chopped dried fruits Cinnamon Nutmeg ¼ cup + ¼ cup whole milk Directions Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Remove the core of the pears and apples. Place the pears and apples in a pie pan or other shallow oven-safe pan. Fill the center of each pear and apple with dried fruits. Sprinkle generously with cinnamon and nutmeg. Pour ¼ cup of milk in the bottom of the pie pan. Bake for 40 minutes. Remove pears and apples from the oven and allow them to coo...

Last week, Tania, a local photographer, visited our home. She specializes in lifestyle photography and asked if she could do the shoot at our home during dinnertime.  Our family enjoying dinner together. Photo courtesy of http://taniakristyphotography.squarespace.com/ . I must admit that Daddy and I were a bit unsure of this approach at first. Our house is kind of dark and there isn't much evening light in these winter months. Could she really capture a decent image? Cleaning the whole house for a photo shoot seemed overwhelming with all the other things we are juggling right now. Would we have time to make the house look decent enough to be a photo backdrop? And while I take lots of pictures of Henry eating, I wasn't so sure about having shots of me trying to chew my dinner, talk with Daddy about our day, and wrangle a toddler. Would this really result in the most appetizing pictures? Daddy asked if a true-to-life picture of dinnertime should include the pile of dish...