Mealtime meltdowns

I'm trying not to get frustrated by Molly's picky eating habits at home, but it's hard not to. Especially because I know she eats well at daycare. There, she almost always clears her plate and has even been known to steal food from other kids who aren't as quick to finish.

But at home... Molly will hardly touch anything we cook. She likes cheese, fruit, black beans, mac and cheese (sometimes), chicken noodle soup, yogurt, cereal, and hot dogs. That's about it. Vegetables as long as they are made fresh and not reheated :) Today, she threw a tantrum in her high chair over pizza and peas. Yes, pizza and peas. She has been known to pig out on both of those items on different occasions. What gives? Jason and I were sitting there, eating the same meal, trying to be good examples like they say in all the parenting books and magazines.

I've heard that it can take up to 20 times to get a kid to like something. But who really has that kind of patience! 20 uneaten dinners? I'm not sure I feel right about that anyway since I'm dealing with a child who is only in about the 10th percentile in weight.

I also need things that are easy to prepare. We don't get home until close to 6 and, by that point, Molly is usually banging on the refrigerator door whining for cheese. I've tried to do casseroles ahead of time so we can all eat together as a family, but it usually turns into Jason and I eating the casserole and Molly pushing the food to the corner of her tray and saying "no." She has also (consistently) rejected polenta, pasta with red sauce, spaghetti-o's, veggie burgers, chicken nuggets, mashed potatoes, baked potatoes, scrambled eggs, lunch meat, BBQ, quesadillas, PB&J...need I go on?

The doctor said not to worry if she doesn't eat her dinner because toddlers usually only eat 2 good meals a day. The doctor also said not to worry about feeding her hot dogs if that's what she likes. But it's hard not to feel bad about feeding her processed or canned foods when other parents we know are feeding their toddlers quinoa and eggplant!

My latest idea is to bust out the slow cooker and see if that works. Molly does like soup. I won her over with Progresso low sodium chicken noodle, finally, after offering it about 5 different times. So hopefully if we make our own soup/stew, it will meet with her approval. And we'll be able to get everything in the slow cooker in the morning so that dinner will be ready and waiting when we walk in the door at 6. Keep 'yer fingers crossed!

Molly chooses a recipe from the slow cooker cook book. Looks like we'll be trying lamb shanks on Monday!