feeding kids

The big kids and I have been in San Diego this past week, which is why I haven’t had time to blog. We’re finally getting back into our usual routine, and back on east coast time. My kids go back to school the day after Labor Day so we’ll be working on getting back on our (horribly early) morning schedule next week. I know many of your kids are already back at school. With that being said, the make ahead meals I’ve been posting on here are a great way to eliminate dinner time stress and make your life easier. Here’s a tasty recipe to try next week. If you’re from the mid-west like me, you’ve had your share of broccoli cheese casserole over the years. This is a healthier, vegan version, but the result is just as tasty and comforting as you remember. Happy Eating!

Recipe adapted from: Whatvegankidseat.com

After generally being lazy all of last week while we were in the mountains, my big kids were back at summer camp yesterday morning from a gorgeous 9 am to 4 pm (what?!! oh yeah!). As awesome, and oh so peaceful, as this has been for me and Baby N, this means that they come home tired, hungry and whinier than I thought humanly possible. It also means I spend most of my time with them yelling: Eat your breakfast! Put on your shoes! Hurry up! For God’s sake, put the Pokemon cards down!

As they whined and complained for the duration of our twenty minute drive home from camp yesterday, mostly about how hungry they were, I became increasingly frustrated, ok, I was straight up pissed off. What did they expect me to do? My husband had just cleaned out the van, so there were no snacks to be had, and I was in the middle of the highway. I started to realize that my kids are almost always ravenous at the worst possible moments.

This is what a HANGRY boy looks like.

My Kids Are Always Hungry:

At 5:00 am on a Saturday-Didn’t I just spend the entire week dragging you out of bed at 6:45? GAH, WHY??

At the start of every grocery trip-Can I get this sugary crap, Mom?? Please! Please! Please!

1 minute after leaving the house-But Mom, why didn’t you just know that I wanted a banana?

Any time we pass a Five Guys-This one I have to give to them. I get it.

2 minutes before needing to catch the school bus-Mom, I need one more piece of chocolate bread or I will die!

When returning home from a potluck at 9:00 pm-Hello, you just left a house full of food!

After hearing only the first bar of the ice cream truck’s jingle-It’s completely Pavlovian.

15 minutes after bedtime-Last night, my son NEEDED a pickle with his entire being at 9 pm. WTF?

And my personal favorite, When I’ve just sat down to eat my own (insert any and all meals here)-EVERY DAMN TIME!

And they’re so dramatic about it. I live here. I know that they’re fed three solid meals, plus snacks, every day. Most of the time I have to get on them to eat these meals, only for them to complain of their overwhelming huger two hours later. I have a feeling I’m not alone in this. Please share your kids’ most annoying hungry times or food habits in the comments. Some day we’ll be able to sit down and eat a meal again, uninterrupted, and we’ll probably even miss those punks, but not today. Good luck with your little monsters and keep on keeping on!

🙂 Erin