Eating with color

I’ve been having some problems in the feeding department lately. I thought it must have begun a few weeks ago when Matthew got sick with a bad cold — he lost his appetite and was allowed to have barely anything besides milk. When he got back to his happy, healthy self, I was bothered that the mealtimes had become a battlefield.

Reading up and researching, I found out that I had to get a hold of myself: eating should not be stressful because I will lose every time I try to argue with a preschooler. More reading made me realize that many three-year-olds lose interest in eating — and it was perfectly alright if handled properly.

This meant making sure that every time he does eat — or graze, at the rate we’re going — constituted of something healthy. No empty calories, no junk food. A grilled cheese sandwich instead of sugar-rich chocolate cereal, a few pieces of grapes and a melon kebab instead of a bag of chips. I have given up on real meals; besides a hearty appetite over panfried cream dory and rice, Matthew has preferred sticking his nose up over what’s served for lunch or dinner.

I tried to explain to him at one time to try to eat as many different colors of food, just to get variety into his meals. That went not too far, unfortunately.

What eventually happened was a different integration of color in food. On one shopping trip, I remembered that one of Matthew’s favorite books these days is Green Eggs and Ham. Armand even found him a video game to play, which totally makes him guffaw each time he plays it.

While doing the groceries, I picked up my key ingredient and told Matthew, “We’re going to make green eggs and ham!”

Yesterday, I reminded Matthew about his special treat. He ignored me… or so I thought. After he was done playing with his trains (which he does every morning when he wakes up), he exclaimed, “Time for green eggs and ham!”

I quickly scoured the internet for the quickest way to make them. I placed Matthew on the kitchen counter, separated the eggs, and put a few drops of green food coloring on the egg whites and told Matthew to mix them with a fork. I placed a few more drops in some water to dilute it and painted a slice of chicken ham. Then I place the greened egg whites on a pan to fry, and added the yolks (which sadly broke, but I will do it better next time!). When they were done, we cooked the ham.

A slice of raisin bread completed the meal for one happy meal.

Do you have your own Green Eggs and Ham recipe? My friend just shared another one to try for next time. Let’s see how that one fares with our little food critic.