Like many families, dinnertime at Chez T can be a challenge. My kids, like many others, are picky. Peach isn't so bad and will at least try new things. Pumpkin on the other hand, refuses to eat any fruits, vegetables, and many proteins. The child is made of carbs and dairy. In fact last summer we took a family cruise for the first time and, deciding I didn't want any food battles on vacation, I let Pumpkin eat whatever she wanted for the most part. She proved that a 9 year old can survive for 7 days on nothing but desserts. It's not my proudest parenting moment, but parenting isn't always glamorous and I am far from Supermom.
Aside from picky kids there's another challenge. Food allergies. B (still looking for that clever nickname suggestion, folks) is allergic to....well, it's easier to say what he is not allergic to. Five years ago he was diagnosed with 14 food allergies. FOURTEEN. It took awhile but we got used to accommodating his dietary restrictions. Recently B noticed some new reactions so he got all new testing done and when the bloodwork came back he called me laughing (because if you don't laugh about it you cry, or he was amused at the new dinnertime challenges I was facing). Out of all the foods they are able to test for he is NOT allergic to legumes or soy. I'll just let that sink in for a minute. Did I mention he's a picky eater as well?
Now I refuse to be a short order cook and make 3 or 4 different meals each night. In our house it is "eat it or wait for breakfast" and my kids are great about not complaining about that policy. B could take a lesson from them. So now I am trying to navigate this new world of (in addition to the more common food allergies) no chicken, no steak, limited pork, limited fish, and "no I do not want to become a vegetarian" while I sit back and wait to start culinary school. The irony of the situation is not lost on me.
Time to get creative! I have 4 months until classes start so look for some more food related posts regarding my at-home culinary adventure. Thanks for sticking with me, I can't wait until the REAL adventure begins and there is a lot more to write about!
