How can a simple thing like dinner be so darn difficult? Why do I bother preparing nutritious meals when they are met with such disdain? Why? Because I have to. I have to at least try to get my picky children to eat something decent. My 5-year-old son is no longer a problem. He will pretty much eat whatever we put in front of him. He understands consequences. Oh?but not my 3-year-old. He turns his nose up to just about anything that isn?Tt cake, consequences be damned.

If I could figure out how to make a high fiber, fruity cake that tastes like a birthday cake, I would have it made. Or if I could make vegetables look and taste like chicken frickin nuggets, I would have it made. My youngest?Ts diet would be in good shape. But I don?Tt know how. So I make what I want and hope for the best.

Well I must have been out of my mind tonight. I don?Tt know what got into me putting brown rice on my son?Ts plate. The minute I set his plate down, he screamed at the top of his lungs, ?oI don?Tt want that brown stuff! Mommy! I don?Tt like that brown stuff.? He carried on and on. ?oMommy! I want a cracker!? I was not about to give in. I worked too hard on dinner to be defeated that easily. I?Tm convinced that crackers are simultaneously a gift and a curse for parents. Great when you?Tre out and about and you need to keep your kids from embarrassing you. But terrible when you need them to eat something of substance.

So he threw his fit, I didn?Tt give in, and he eventually ate some of the bread and bananas. Not the best. But at least I didn?Tt?T pull out the peanut butter this time. He?Ts lucky. It could?Tve been Goulash on his plate. Yuck! That?Ts what I grew up with. And I couldn?Tt leave the table without eating at least some of it. Hmmmm. Maybe I need to take a cue from MY mommy.

In the meantime, I’m going to scour the recipe pages on JustBreatheMom for more meal ideals. Something has got to give with this kid.