a carrot by any other name would taste as sweet...

So we were eating carrots and cucumbers last night with our home-made ginger dressing. (We had leftover turkey curry, home-made bread, and broccoli cream soup experiment.*) She used to like eating carrots cut into thin fingers. She was not interested last night, and I started cutting the carrots into little circles and dipped them myself. I said, "would you like some carrot coins?" She thought this was pretty nifty and nibbled on several more carrot and cucumber coins.

I didn't pressure, but offered another option, a fancy name. There are studies that suggest some kids eat more veggies when given exciting names like "X-ray carrots" or "Power peas." Most of the time that feels like too much work and energy, but give it a shot.

Remember, kids are fickle. They like things one day and reject them another. They might like crust on a sandwich one day, and not the next. The more you can relax and keep the power struggles out the better.

broccoli soup: in an effort to not throw so much food away, I froze leftover broccoli from the last two times we cooked it. I sauteed an onion, added a Tbspn of butter, a box of broth, the broccoli and a half can of evaporated milk. I blended it all. Verdict? Good flavor, a little watery. Maybe I'll add potatoes next time...