The joy of cooking.

I would like to say, "Bonjour!" to the author of French Kids Eat Everything, Karen Le Billon, who actually took the time to read about my efforts to improve mealtimes in our home. I'm so glad she had a chance to see how her book is transforming lives in sweet home Alabama! In some way I feel like Julie in the movie Julie and Julia, except let's hope I don't let it go to my head. :)

Tonight, I made homemade veggie pizza, similar to this recipe I've shared before. This time, I topped it with freshly sliced zucchini and red, yellow, and green bell peppers (and left off the tomatoes and garlic; the brand of sauce I used had both in it, along with carrots). Following Le Billon's advice, I got Liam involved in the fun by letting him sprinkle the cheese on top of the pizza. He took his job very seriously! I turned the oven light on and let him watch the pizza bake, the cheese on top melting and browning. The anticipation was almost too much for his little two-year-old soul to bear, and he gave an enthusiastic "Okay!" when I told him to help Daddy set the table.

And guess what. He ate five bites! And not just bites with sauce and cheese, but bites that had vegetables on them. I'm such a proud mama!

I have to make a confession, though. Even after reading the chapter about eating food slowly to really appreciate the taste, I did NOT eat my pizza slowly at all. It was so yummy that I pretty much inhaled it. The French are much more self-controlled about delicious food than I am; they eat slower and so consume less than us Americans. I'll work on that...eventually.

I also toasted turkey and cheese hoagies for lunch with homemade guacamole spread. I made my own salsa to add to the guacamole (instead of the On The Border brand I mention in the recipe), and I let Liam watch as I explained the process. At one point, he even wanted to taste a piece of onion. He didn't eat it, of course; he made a face and spit it right back out, but I'm pleased that his interest in food is growing.

Conclusion: The guideline about making food fun and festive seems to work. 

Another discovery: Cooking every meal is a LOT of work. And a LOT of time. I spent so much of this weekend in the kitchen. I'm not sure how the French do it, honestly. (Except I think that the majority of their meals are a little simpler than ours.) I won't be able to do this for every meal; we eat lots of leftovers in this house. But with some careful planning and organization, I think fresh homemade meals can be the rule and not the exception. (Maybe if I spend less time engaging in social media every day, I'll find the extra time I need to make it work.) At any rate, I think we're off to a good start!