Peas

Recently I became aware that I was failing with my children in the nutrition department. Grains - check. Protein - check. Dairy - check, check (my children will not have a calcium deficiency at all). Fruit - usually. Vegetables - fail. Sugar - WAY TOO MUCH. I realized my need for change during a week that consisted of more fruit snacks than fresh fruit (but hey - 100% vitamin c) & carrot sticks & ranch being the ONLY veggie of the week. Matt and I eat a lot of fresh salad, but the 4 year old and 2 year old just don't dig lettuce yet and usually end up eating only croutons. I vowed to add more variety to our fruit/veggie palette.

Enter peas. I rarely cook peas because they are one of the only things Matt does not enjoy eating. He'll eat them, but prefers everything from zuccini to bok choy. I had a mission though, so peas were prepared. To no avail. Kaylee threw them to the dogs. Danny rolled them around on his plate. And then, an epiphany. TOOTHPICKS.

And suddenly, the peas were delightfully delicious. Sliding the the round peas down the toothpick until a little green caterpillar was achieved became a game. The kids ate one toothpickful and wanted another right away. And another, and another. And now weeks, and dozens of toothpicks, later, we are a pea family.

Tonight's discovery was the joy of serving sugar snap peas. The kids were enthralled by shelling the peas. It was so fun for them to remove the pod and see how many peas were inside. I knew I was making progress on my quest to incorporate more veggies when the following occurred. Kaylee, as she often does at mealtime, signed more. I reached for another piece of pizza and she shook her head no. I was confused until she clearly pointed at the pea pods and signed again. "More peas please."