Children As Meal Planners

[Pontormo]

If you teach your children well, you feed them on dreams.

You also coax them to try the green beans...just one more.

Maybe a bite of the fish, not just the oven fries.

Some of them don't need coaxing and clammer for more fruit, cherry tomato seeds freckling their cheeks as their parents push the stroller through the farmer's market on a bright, sunny morning. They like capers and olives, too!

Then there are the ones who go through phases when they'll eat only spaghetti with butter, or only white food, none of it touching on their plates.

When they hit nine, all they ever really want to dooooo, is, baby, order pizza to chew.

BUT,

what if they got to choose what everyone in their family ate for a day?

Would they make the same choices they would make for themselves? Nothing green? Cheese, salt, ice cream and cookies? Or would they follow your lead?

I'd love to hear what they say if you ask.

You be the judge. If the child you poll is very young and would find the prospect of planning an entire day of meals too much of a challenge, ask just about dinner.

This is by no means a scientific study, but answers might be less susceptible to your influence if questions were posed at a time when meals were not being planned or served. No prompting, please. If there is no main course and nothing with leaves, so be it.

I hope parents will not be the only ones who participate. Uncles? Teachers? Godmothers?

If you don't mind sharing the ages of the child who plans his or her family's meals, it might be interesting to see how different the menus of younger and older children are.

Any thoughts of your own regarding their responses?

Edited November 20, 2005 by Pontormo (log)

[srhcb]

Cookies!

[Pontormo]

Too quick!

Round' em up!

Ask!

[tejon]

My oldest (almost 7): steamed dumplings, sticky rice, stir-frid broccoli, with cinnamon rolls for dessert

My youngest (almost 5): rice and soy sauce with panna cotta for dessert (he has an all-consuming love for panna cotta)

Not exactly the answers I expected. I was sure my older son would pick pizza and salad. He got very excited about planning dinner, down to asking if he could help make the dumplings. Hopefully they won't be too dissappointed when dinner time comes around tonight

[Pontormo]

Cool!

The older one likes broccoli, my oh my!

The younger's into the All White Phase, I see...if fashionably multi-cultural

[tejon]

Got breakfast and lunch plans from my oldest:

breakfast: pancakes, blackberries, and bacon (shares his mom's love of bacon )

lunch: go to McDonald's!

Well, the golden arches had to fall in there somewhere . But breakfast is pretty balanced, at least. And yes, he does love broccoli! He gets mad if I serve dumplings with any other vegetable, even if it's one he likes.

The youngest is very much in an all white phase, though he's slowly broadening his tastes. When asked at school what he was thankful for, he said, "apples, my mommy, my daddy, and my brother"

Edited November 19, 2005 by tejon (log)

[Rebecca263]

The younger's into the All White Phase, I see...if fashionably multi-cultural

←

The all white phase! My sister did that when she was about 5! Bare macaroni, Hydrox middles, mashed potatoes and white rice, for months! I remember that my parents accomodated her, everywhere, even in the best restaurants.

How did I forget those days? Oh, wait, now she's the skinny one, hmmm.

[therese]

As per my 12 year old daughter...

Breakfast: Dutch Babies

Lunch: Tuna Fish Sandwiches

Carrot Sticks

Dinner: Country Ham

Mashed Potatoes

Asparagus (though she'd be okay with green beans)

Gelato (Ciao Bella, her current favorite)

[srhcb]

Cookies!

←

My Grandson Zack just turned two, and cookies would indeed be his first choice of food any time of the day. If he could be brought to understand that he could plan entire meals, he might be persuaded to broaden the choices somewhat.

Since his vocabulary and syntax are somewhat limited, a lot of the choice process would literally be hands-on. I could exercise some control as "opener of the refrigerator and reacher into the cupboards", thus avoiding french fries for breakfast or "pizzi" for lunch. again! "Okay", "Mine" or "nummy" indicate positive response to a suggested menu item, while "no way" or "icka" can be taken as a rejection.

Here are my predictions:

Breakfast could be Cheerios or oatmeal with sliced banana accompanied by milk and either apple or orange juice. I'd have to sneak a cup of coffee We would eat this while watching "The Wiggles" on Disney Channel. There might be a cookie afterwards for good boys who ate their breakfast "all gone".

For lunch, if Zack's Mommy was around he could probably talk her into "more pizzi" (a frozen mini-pizza is fine by his standards). Otherwise soup, chicken noodle, or mac & cheese might be acceptable. Ketchup on mac & cheese? No thank you. Chocolate milk would be the beverage of choice. Once again, good boys might get a cookie.

[Note: Due to Zack's proximity to the floor, my dogs often end up with the good boy's cookies, either inadvertantly or due to a sudden burst of toddler generosity which is soon regretted and followed by plaintive crying.]

For a snack, of course you already guessed it, along with water, juice or chocolate milk. Although he can be trusted to drink from a glass or cup at the table, as long as you keep a sponge and dish towel handy. liquids are served in "sippy" (sic) cups.

[Note: Zack has several sippy's, mostly decorated with Disney licensed characters, which are used interchangably depending on what's clean, what's in the sink, and what's temporarily missing, either in whole or part. He used this circumstance to play his first prank by confusing me between which cup that required refillng contained water and which one juice. He laughed uproariously when I poured juice into the "water" cup.]

Dinner time would involve a lot of picking and choosing. Zack would start with a cheese course. Plastic wrapped American slices, shredded mozeralla or cottage cheese are acceptable. He doesn't care for lettuce, but will eat carrots, black olives, cucumber and tomato, (which he refers to as "apple", along with everything else that's red and remotely edible looking) in place of a salad.

For the entree, we will actually have home made "pizzi" once every couple weeks, but he's pretty good about eating most foods. Any Italian dish with lots of red sauce is fine, and is often referred to as "pizzi". the sponge and dish towel serve dual purpose.

Zack isn't real carnivorous, probably due to having only recently grown the teeth required for meat eating, but he'll eat chicken, beef or pork if it's cut into small enough pieces. the small pieces are also easily smuggled to the dogs, who circle his chair like furry four-legged vultures whenever he eats. Potato, pasta or rice in almost any form is acceptable. although I hope the addition of ketchup to virtually everything proves to be a dis-aquired taste. Peas are the favored vegetable, although corn on the cob, in season, was a great hit, and the consumption was great fun to watch!

His dessert preferences have been expanding not so much in actuality but by definition. Where nearly anything sweet used to be "cookie", Zack now recognizes cake and pie as a distinct items. although he's a traditionalist in insisting they be appropriately garnished with a cookie.

Ice cream is fine, and both he and "Nana" enjoy pudding, especially tapioca. These should, of course ....

These are only my predictions, which are no doubt overly optimistic. Since Zack enjoys being in the kitchen while I cook, I'll give him a little leaway tonite in picking menu items, but I don't think anybody could survive and prosper very long on repast 100% chosen by a two-year old?

SB (although I do like cookies)

[Pontormo]

Ahhhh...so cookies, it is, Mr. Baker!

Keep this thread in mind when Zack's vocabulary increases and enunciation becomes more coherent!

Now, I didn't give an age limit for the children....

Edited November 19, 2005 by Pontormo (log)

[Pontormo]

As per my 12 year old daughter...

Breakfast: Dutch Babies

Lunch: Tuna Fish Sandwiches

          Carrot Sticks

Dinner: Country Ham

            Mashed Potatoes

            Asparagus (though she'd be okay with green beans)

            Gelato (Ciao Bella, her current favorite)

←

What are Dutch Babies, first?

Second, I think it's interesting that she included THREE vegetables!

And one of them's green!

But no fresh fruit, unless there are berries or bananas on her gelato (how sophisticated!)

[Pontormo]

The younger's into the All White Phase, I see...if fashionably multi-cultural

←

The all white phase! My sister did that when she was about 5! Bare macaroni, Hydrox middles, mashed potatoes and white rice, for months!

←

Do you understand the all white phase?

I have been told that the tastebuds of children are extremely sensitive, though, I don't recall anything about the source and its scienitific accuracy.

Is it just a bland thing or is there something about the lack of color, too?

[Pontormo]

Got breakfast and lunch plans from my oldest:

breakfast: pancakes, blackberries, and bacon (shares his mom's love of bacon )

lunch: go to McDonald's!

←

Kathy: May I come to breakfast?

Much thanks to you and your children for the comprehensive meal plans!

One thing that strikes me about the Golden Arches is that they accommodate personal choice to a large degree. Your son is not just selfish in his selection, he's giving his parents and brother a chance to eat what they want.

[tejon]

Kathy: May I come to breakfast?

Any time

Much thanks to you and your children for the comprehensive meal plans!

I was a bit surprised that breakfast and lunch were so well balanced. I think my oldest is used to hearing me meal plan for the week (the pattern is main course, starch if needed, plus fruit or vegetable) so he assumes meals should have all of these componants.

One thing that strikes me about the Golden Arches is that they accommodate personal choice to a large degree.  Your son is not just selfish in his selection, he's giving his parents and brother a chance to eat what they want.

←

Well, I think that was less thinking of the rest of us and more remembering that they have a climber so he can run around after eating

[MomOfLittleFoodies]

Hmmm... they get to choose meals for a day

8 year old son would choose the following

breakfast- pancakes and maple sausages

lunch- tuna salad sandwiches, chips apple slices and edamame

dinner- roast chicken with steamed rice, brocolli or artichokes, and gravy

6 year old son would choose the following

breakfast- pancakes and sausage

lunch- corn dogs, yogurt and watermelon

dinner- plain pasta, meatballs and more watermelon

3 year old daughter would choose the following

breakfast- pancakes or waffles with sausage

lunch- sunflower seed butter sandwiches, ramen noodles, and soy yogurt

dinner- yakisoba

My 8 year old is something of a gourmet compared to his peers. He likes good cheese, green veggies, sushi, fish, bbq anything and ethnic foods. He has multiple food allergies, so he learned from a young age to enjoy "different" foods, although he's glad he can eat wheat and soy again.

My 6 year old is kind of picky... he likes fish, loves rice, noodles and bread and loves most things deep fried. He hasn't met a sausage he doesn't like either. He will eat pretty much any fruit but citrus... loves melon, grapes and bananas.

The 3 year old is going through a picky stage. Loves scrambled eggs, noodles, spicy food. The only green things she allows on her plate at sugar snap peas and avocado. She's allergic to dairy products and apples so a lot of typical kid favorites are a no go for her.

[nan]

I just asked my 4-year-old son. Here is his menu:

BREAKFAST

Waffle sticks for him & I (his with syrup to dip in, mine without "dip")

Plain waffles for my husband

LUNCH

Turkey kielbasa

Hard salami

Grapes

Red bell pepper

DINNER

Rice & lentils

Turkey kielbasa & rice

Macaroni & cheese

Little smokies

Chili & rice

A lot of these choices are based on what he's had the past few days. The rice & lentils is something he used to eat at his old daycare provider, who is Peruvian. I've promised him I'll make this the week after Thanksgiving. Now I just have to find a proper recipe... Little smokies are something they serve at school for snacktime. We always serve our chili over rice. Not sure where that started, but we'll be having that next week.

[Pan]

This is such a fascinating, fun thread! I have no children, but I think my favorite meal c. age 7 (1972) would have been ziti, mostaciolli, or farfalle (al dente, please) with tomato sauce, meatballs, and sausage (all home-made except for the sausage and based on Ada Boni's Talismano della Cucina), topped by Parmesan and Romano cheese and accompanied by sliced cucumber (raw) or broccoli (boiled until cooked but not mushy) and baked sweet potato, with really good watermelon or some slices of my mother's apple pie topped with vanilla ice cream for dessert.

I just realized, that's dinner only. For breakfast, I might have chosen either two Pop Tarts (I think I liked cinammon, among others) or two Breakfast Treats or Frosted Flakes or Corn Flakes or Rice Crispies, but my favorite thing was my father's Italian special egg dish, which was very buttery and probably wouldn't have been good for me to eat all the time. Preferred drink would have been milk. For lunch, I would have chosen either a peanut butter and strawberry or raspberry jam sandwich or an extra-sharp cheddar or some other kind of cheese (_not_ "American cheese") sandwich accompanied by Tropicana orange juice, a good pear or apple or bunch of green grapes, and some slices of Hebrew National salami (which might be in the sandwich if it were a cheese sandwich -- yeah, we didn't keep kosher).

Edited November 20, 2005 by Pan (log)

[hjshorter]

I asked my 6-year old.

Breakfast: Cereal with milk, toast, and orange juice.

Lunch: tuna sandwiches, apples, and milk

Dinner: Pizza, salad with vegetables, and water.

3-year-old, when asked what his favorite breakfast was replied "pizza!". His favorite lunch would be pizza and peppers, and dinner would be burgers.

[Ling]

My student (9 years old) is waiting to get picked up by his mom, so I asked him this question.

He says:

Breakfast

those Chinese buns with a weiner baked right inside

scrambled eggs

Lunch

McDonald's (Supersize fries, McChicken, Coke)

Snack

chips (BBQ flavour)

Dinner

cubed, fried Spam on rice, with lots of soy sauce

Coffee Crisp

***

If I were 9, I would've picked:

Breakfast

Corn pops and milk

poached eggs

sausages

hashbrowns (the frozen kind is OK...just as long as they get good and crispy in the pan!!)

snack at school

Chinese coconut bun, or sour cream and onion Pringles

Lunch

pork schnitzel with gravy, mashed potatoes with lots of butter, corn on the cob

chocolate-covered Digestive biscuits

chocolate milk

Snack

Cinnabon cinnamon bun, warmed in the microwave and with that extra plastic container of cream cheese icing

Dinner

blue-rare steak (or prime rib with gravy)

rice with butter and the meat drippings

chicken and abalone soup

my mom's Cream horns (puff pastry made from scratch)...at least 3 pastries, pretty please!

Edited November 19, 2005 by Ling (log)

[Carrot Top]

I asked my eleven year old son this question earlier this afternoon and this was his reply (sung out with a rough-hewn deep voiced Appalachian accent to assure me of his sincerity):

"Ooooh, Mommy do you know how to skin a gopher? Tell you what I like. I like a good grilled nunchuk. Nothin' like a grilled nunchuk. Alongside that just give me some o' them phlem cakes. Phlem cakes, phlem cakes. Hey Mom, is there really anything called a phlem cake? I want some. Gimme some chili*pik*onn*tey that's chili pik*onn* tey sauce on the side! Grilled nunchuk! Phlem cakes! An' chili pik*onn*tey mmm mmm mmm. Can't beat that, mm mm."

Of course I know how to skin a gopher. But these phlem cakes might be a problem.

..........................................................

What, you wanted a serious answer from him?

...........................................................

Both children gave me full menus when I asked. The thing is, that I am sure the menus they "wrote" today will be different tomorrow when I ask. How long they could or would go on for with a new or altered menu each day, I'm not sure. That might be interesting to find out.

In the meantime, I'm going on a gopher hunt. And am hoping he'll forget about "phlem cakes".

[Gifted Gourmet]

What are Dutch Babies, first?

←

Skipping backwards just a bit, Pontormo, an answer to your question:

here are the incredible Dutch babies ...

and, had I asked your question of my daughter when she was younger and still living in my home, her answers to what I really should eat (and revel in!) would reflect, I assume, her favorite foods: steak teriyaki, baked potatoes, her only green vegetable: tiny green baby peas, and a dessert of chocolate pie ... and I would have eaten it if I had known she'd grow up to be a hardcore vegetarian ...

Skip forward to the present ... Jessica is now living in the heart of organic central California and is making dishes appropriate to her milieu (and she hasn't a clue as to why I don't adore these) tofu and seitan for main courses, freshly trucked-in produce from the local open air market, artichokes from just south of her in Castroville, garlic from neighboring Gilroy, and her peppered strawberries over vanilla ice cream from Watsonville ...

while I envy her her proximity to the gorgeous produce in her area, I do dearly miss that damned teriyaki steak ...

[Megan Blocker]

I can't remember exactly when in elementary school it happened, but at some point we had to write a story about how our favorite meal was made. I wrote about lamb chops, salad and blueberry pie.

ETA: No kids here, but I should be spending time with loads this week - I'll do some research and report back!

Edited November 20, 2005 by Megan Blocker (log)

[I_call_the_duck]

If I were 9, I would've picked:

Breakfast

Corn pops and milk

poached eggs

sausages

hashbrowns (the frozen kind is OK...just as long as they get good and crispy in the pan!!)

snack at school

Chinese coconut bun, or sour cream and onion Pringles

Lunch

pork schnitzel with gravy, mashed potatoes with lots of butter, corn on the cob

chocolate-covered Digestive biscuits

chocolate milk

Snack

Cinnabon cinnamon bun, warmed in the microwave and with that extra plastic container of cream cheese icing

Dinner

blue-rare steak (or prime rib with gravy)

rice with butter and the meat drippings

chicken and abalone soup

my mom's Cream horns (puff pastry made from scratch)...at least 3 pastries, pretty please! 

←

Ling,

What, no ribs?

[I_call_the_duck]

No kids myself, so I'll have to grill my nieces and nephews about that intriguing question.

The older one likes broccoli, my oh my!

←

When my favorite niece was about seven, she said her favorite food was broccoli. I told her she was weird. She's fifteen now, and still remembers that, and I don't think broccoli is her favorite food at the moment.

[Pontormo]

These are all so wonderful, everyone!

Loopy

Just a wee bit icky

Delightful.

Serious & balanced or serious & not.

What you'd expect, along with surprises.

And Ling, thanks for piping up, especially (I didn't know you teach!), not only because you got a response from a young student, but because you're adding things like cut up Spam and Chinese buns to the list. I must say, the differences between your guess at your own childish menu and the dishes you list as a signature line are noteworthy.

I am clapping my hands, but only figuratively speaking, of course, not just because I am typing, but because my lids are drooping.

So, I will respond to some of your posts at greater length some time soon, if not tomorrow. Meanwhile, I am learning a lot!

I hope they'll be some contributions from around the world, especially from a blogging mother in Japan!

Edited November 20, 2005 by Pontormo (log)