brown sugar in meat loaf?

**rikorikojie** · 10-02-2009, 01:56 PM

Originally Posted by CandleLite

very amieable idea. i think all parents think that befor they become parents. i know i did. let me tell you once they tast the 'good stuff' its very hard to go back to friuts and vegtabuls.
you cant wrap your kids in plastic and shelter them from life. when they go to school they will meet other kids who have cookies and cup cakes and twinkies and such and they will gladly trade their bowl of graps for a crumb of cookie.

I guess your right and I know you can't sheild your kids forever.

**~~CandleLite~~** · 10-02-2009, 02:14 PM

like i said its a good goal and no mater how hopless one all parents should at least try. all the experts say feed your kids veg befor fruit and no prossesd sugar for as long as possible.
i know that as i get older i am enjoying more foods. Peach has recently replaced chocolate as my fav flav

**TheEclipse** · 10-02-2009, 04:49 PM

Originally Posted by FoxyBunny

Does it bother you to be a picky eater? I mean honestly, I'm not going to trash anyone for that kind of thing as it is a very personal issue. But I have always felt that with so many wonderful flavors and combinations available with food, that this is the one luxury that almost anyone can afford no matter what. I can't take my kids to see all the places I got to visit growing up, but I can share with them the flavors of the foods from all over the world. I have worked hard on making sure my kids are NOT picky eaters and will eat virtually anything. Personally, if it isn't making noises or actively trying to escape my plate, I'll probably eat it. Hubby is about the same, and my kids are rapidly getting to that point. We have a fantastic variety of foods in my house and I think people who are picky are missing out.

So all that babbling boils down to the first question again....does it bother you to be a picky eater? Do you feel you are missing out on things? Or do you find people like me to be weird?

i'm a pretty picky eater. i'll try almost anything once, but i dont like a whole lot of things. and the stuff i do like is usually pretty weird. for example, the other day in one of my classes it was my teacher's b-day and one student brought cookies and then my teacher gave us some diet coke and i dipped the cookies in the coke which was pretty good...

dont knock it til you try it.

**Milonius** · 10-02-2009, 04:50 PM

Anybody ever had Manwich in Ramen?

**~~FoxyBunny~~** · 10-02-2009, 05:13 PM

I don't believe in depriving kids or into making food a battle. My kids wouldn't know a happy meal if it came up and bit them, but they have plenty of sweets and other "junk". We just do it in moderation.

We allow our kids a lot of choices, and we don't pressure them about it. There's plenty of yummy but healthy foods out there, and if you have a good variety available in your house, the kids get to choose for themselves and be happy about it. And of course, YOU get to choose what items are available for snacks, breakfast, lunch, etc. I don't believe you have to force raw veggies down your children to make them healthy. But I do make a serious effort to limit sodium and sugar, add whole grains and fruits and veggies, and make things generally healthy. The kids have a snack jar and a whole drawer in the fridge dedicated to them and they can pretty much help themselves anytime. We stock things like fruit, applesauce, chewy granola bars, string cheese, peanut butter crackers, etc.

For meals, we have a simple rule: We put a little bit of everything on their plates. They have to at least TRY everything, even if they've had it before. We found that sometimes it takes dozens of times trying something for them to suddenly decide they like it. So you have to take a small bite to taste everything. You also must eat a fair portion of each thing if you want seconds. Seconds are your choice...whatever you want. If you want a whole plate of mashed potatoes, you are going to have to eat some chicken and some green beans first. If you don't want to eat the foods on your plate, you don't have to. But don't ask for anything else. That's dinner and I am not inclined to make special order meals.

And finally, nothing is truly forbidden. Dessert is offered daily, and frankly I don't think a scoop of ice cream or a few cookies each day is going to hurt a thing, especially if they spent the rest of the day downing whole grains and fruits and veggies and protein and calcium. Holidays change the rules, of course, too. Christmas morning, your stocking is YOURS and if you eat all the chocolate before I get energy to make breakfast, so be it. Same with Easter. And Halloween almost mandates a sugar rush before bed.

**Cyhort** · 10-02-2009, 05:27 PM

Originally Posted by FoxyBunny

Does it bother you to be a picky eater? I mean honestly, I'm not going to trash anyone for that kind of thing as it is a very personal issue. But I have always felt that with so many wonderful flavors and combinations available with food, that this is the one luxury that almost anyone can afford no matter what. I can't take my kids to see all the places I got to visit growing up, but I can share with them the flavors of the foods from all over the world. I have worked hard on making sure my kids are NOT picky eaters and will eat virtually anything. Personally, if it isn't making noises or actively trying to escape my plate, I'll probably eat it. Hubby is about the same, and my kids are rapidly getting to that point. We have a fantastic variety of foods in my house and I think people who are picky are missing out.

So all that babbling boils down to the first question again....does it bother you to be a picky eater? Do you feel you are missing out on things? Or do you find people like me to be weird?

Not at all. I'm one of those people who is very content with what I have. I have no great desire to travel the world or experience everything I possibly can before I die. Most food either looks or smells really bad to me and if I can't stand the way something looks or smells I'm not going to try putting it in my mouth. Sometimes though the planets are in alignment, the moon is full and a virgin has been sacrificed and I will try something new and actually like it. But those times are few and very far between. And it doesn't bother me.

**rikorikojie** · 10-02-2009, 06:30 PM

Originally Posted by FoxyBunny

I don't believe in depriving kids or into making food a battle. My kids wouldn't know a happy meal if it came up and bit them, but they have plenty of sweets and other "junk". We just do it in moderation.

We allow our kids a lot of choices, and we don't pressure them about it. There's plenty of yummy but healthy foods out there, and if you have a good variety available in your house, the kids get to choose for themselves and be happy about it. And of course, YOU get to choose what items are available for snacks, breakfast, lunch, etc. I don't believe you have to force raw veggies down your children to make them healthy. But I do make a serious effort to limit sodium and sugar, add whole grains and fruits and veggies, and make things generally healthy. The kids have a snack jar and a whole drawer in the fridge dedicated to them and they can pretty much help themselves anytime. We stock things like fruit, applesauce, chewy granola bars, string cheese, peanut butter crackers, etc.

For meals, we have a simple rule: We put a little bit of everything on their plates. They have to at least TRY everything, even if they've had it before. We found that sometimes it takes dozens of times trying something for them to suddenly decide they like it. So you have to take a small bite to taste everything. You also must eat a fair portion of each thing if you want seconds. Seconds are your choice...whatever you want. If you want a whole plate of mashed potatoes, you are going to have to eat some chicken and some green beans first. If you don't want to eat the foods on your plate, you don't have to. But don't ask for anything else. That's dinner and I am not inclined to make special order meals.

And finally, nothing is truly forbidden. Dessert is offered daily, and frankly I don't think a scoop of ice cream or a few cookies each day is going to hurt a thing, especially if they spent the rest of the day downing whole grains and fruits and veggies and protein and calcium. Holidays change the rules, of course, too. Christmas morning, your stocking is YOURS and if you eat all the chocolate before I get energy to make breakfast, so be it. Same with Easter. And Halloween almost mandates a sugar rush before bed.

your are a good parent foxybunny so I think I'll follow you but I will inspect all the holloween candy before I'd let my kids eat them as all good parents should know about that part.

**Milonius** · 10-02-2009, 06:41 PM

I honestly think the whole Halloween candy thing is just a bunch of worry-inspiring hype. Seriously...who's going to poison Halloween candy?

**TheEclipse** · 10-02-2009, 06:42 PM

^ agreed

RAWR!!

haha foxybunny i wish you were my mom. my mom didnt make me eat healthy foods as a kid so now i mostly like junk food. well i do like healthy food but i never eat it.