The Children that would eat no meat

When choosing meals for a family of my size it would be ideal to plan meals as if everyone to eat the same food and ENJOY IT!  hahahahahaha....well my friend, this is not only a laugh but a cruel joke.  I have very picky eaters, a sometime vegan/vegetarian, a moody eater and an athlete.  Then I have the rest of the family. (shaking my head)

 My youngest mini told me she wanted to be a superhero aka "Melanin Shero" but her kryptonite is this tricky weather and shortness of breath.  Her diagnosis of asthma did not lessen her desire to be heroic but strengthen her search for Superhero food.  :)

And then there were my other minis, who also decided they no longer wanted to hurt any animal or for a momma chicken to miss her baby chick.  Which made me want to scream to the heavens when trying to find a lunch my children could take to school daily for lunch.  They would not eat lunch meat sandwiches or the regular PBJ.  Let me be clear....I AM A SOUTHERN COOK WHO USES MEAT TO SEASON VEGGIES AND SEASON OTHER MEATS!  How can I put together a meal for children who not only are disgusted by the site of raw meat and blood but also by the thought of hurting anything that had a heart beat?  Whose children are these!!!!???

And while I have several vegetarian friends, as adults, I did not know of any children who chose to not eat meat. I mean...come on... didn't the bible say God created animals for us to eat or was that something my southern grandma made up?  Wasn't bacon a part of the food pyramid?  I mean....after all...we are talking about BACON.

Either way....what was I expected to do when I knew ABSOLUTELY nothing about how to make sure my children ate a healthy balanced diet did not include our usual protein intake.  What was a mother to do?

I had to seek out other parents for "moral" support.  They all seemed to be amazed and even amused at my story of the "Children that would eat no meat".

However, there is a happy ending to this story. Apparently there are other children who are characters in the story (who knew). And while handing my children over to the first vegetarian family I met IS HIGHLY FROWNED UPON....I eventually found meals that would be easy not only on my schedule but on my wallet.  I found items that I never would have incorporated in my menu/meal planning.  Items like avocados, lentils and other legumes I never tasted yet alone knew how to make. I am so grateful for YouTube and apps like Pinterest.   We sat down with the children to see what they would be interested in and created a Pinterest board specifically with items they selected.  (Be Still my Vegetarian Heart)

As a working mom, there are many battles we face daily in our comings and goings throughout the day.  We do the laundry, assist with homework, serve as Uber drivers and alarm clocks.  We have to pick our battles carefully.  And while I am a southern cook, the battle for meals was a small loss in the larger scheme of things.  I lowered my stress level because I no longer had children crying at the dinner table, or wasted food from their lunch boxes.

Listen, there are no magic wands to make them love the same food at the same time but there are ways to make your life less stressful. Find what works for you...AND them.  Include them in the process.  Allow their voices to be heard.  You may be surprised to learn...Our minis are all a big part of the same story.