Of all the challenges parenthood brings, thank heavens, raising picky eaters hasn’t been one of them that I’ve dealt with. I’d like to think it’s because I’ve done something right, but more than likely my little guys just have healthy appetites (which they come by honestly) and inhale whatever is put before them. Sure, they have personal preferences- things they clearly favor, like Veggie Straws and Greek yogurt- and then there are things they’re not all that crazy about like lima beans and, well, lima beans (but I don’t hold that against them, because let’s be honest… who really DOES like lima beans?!?!). We try to aim for variety throughout our meals and snacks usually come in some form of fruits or veggies, since they’re not only healthy but quick and easy to grab on the way out the door. I made most of my own baby food for our oldest two which was surprisingly simple and I believe helped whet their appetite for a broad variety of produce. I never made large batches and froze it to keep on hand like I know some do, but because I steam so many veggies would simply take what cooked vegetable we had for the night and process it in our blender or use a little hand held food mill. It did the job. Over the last few months, I’ve noticed my older two prefer to have their veggies raw- carrots with hummus, celery sticks with peanut butter, salad with dried fruit, nuts, and balsamic vinegarette- which is fantastic for them, but I’ve realized our youngest at thirteen months has been short-changed the amount of veggies he’s getting at dinner time since nothing steamed has been on the menu. You see, Mr. One Year Old has these adorable four front teeth that are fantastic for showing off in a drooly, gappy grin but not so good at chewing. It fact, poor little guy has zero skills in the chewing and mashing department which means his dinner of choice comes from a selection of things he can suck until soft (Cheerios, crackers, puffs) or things that are soft to begin with like bananas, cheese sticks, and lunch meat. It’s an interesting transitional period he’s at, past the point of baby food, but not quite ready for everything that all the big people at the table are getting ready to chow down on.
Thankfully, summer has beseeched us with the perfect solution. Our backyard garden is just now starting to repay the favor of all the watering, pruning, and tending it’s received over the last several months and we have found ourselves with an influx of tomatoes, peppers and onions on hand. Add to that, on a recent trip to the farmer’s market I convinced myself to bring home way more crookneck squash and zucchini than any one family could possibly consume because they were ripe and beautiful and twenty five cents apiece (and, hey, I told myself… it supports the local economy!)… and then, low and behold, I come home to discover we have all this abundance of food with absolutely zero shelf life. But did I panic? Oh, no, I did not. Because when you have a crazy amount of veggies like this, well, there’s only one thing to do. Make Summer Medley. What is Summer Medley, you may ask? Well, it’s just about the best thing to hit your mouth from the months of July to September, when all that is in it is ripe and in abundance. (Oh, and if you’re not aboard the veggie fan train, don’t worry. It has bacon. And cheese. The two sure fire ways to win anyone over!) It’s guaranteed to delight all that partake, including the transitional food-eating, four-toothed wonders in your life! Have a bowl. Or two. I won’t tell. Because I’ll be right alongside you, eating my weight in nature’s bounty and not feeling one bit guilty about it.
Summer Medley
- 4 fresh medium unpeeled summer squash of any variety (I like a combination of ½ yellow squash and ½ zucchini)
- ½ green pepper, chopped
- 3 medium ripe tomatoes, peeled and chopped
- 6 strips of bacon (cooked, drained, and crumbled)
- 1 ½ cups shredded cheddar
- ⅓ cup chopped onion
- ½ tsp salt
- pepper to taste
- ½ c. dry bread crumbs
- 2 tbsp. butter
Instructions: Parboil squash in boiling water (zucchini take around 3 minutes, yellow squash around 5 minutes). Combine green pepper, tomatoes, bacon, cheese, onion, salt and pepper in a bowl. Mix well. Slice parboiled squash thinly. Place in baking dish alternating squash and filling. Top with bread crumbs and dot with butter. Bake at 375 degrees for 35 minutes. Makes 6-8 servings.