The most depressing new show on TV

I don't have cable, but I'm going to try and catch this show online - although the trailer is mighty depressing...



Other people, who can't see YouTube may be able to see this video at this link. Seriously, how sad is this? I can't believe kids couldn't even get the simplest of veggies. We don't buy beets often, but other than that, my son knew these veggies.

Do you think your kids could name the vegetables in this video? AND will you be watching this show? 

Well, to be fair my son was raised vegetarian for the first 6-7 years or so of his life, but still... I don't think that has much to do with kids knowing or not knowing that vegetables exist. Kids should be offered vegetables by their parents even if they do eat meat obviously. 

What I honestly think the problem is in this country is that parents treat kids different from how they treat themselves or they're just making bad purchasing decisions. I can't tell you how many times I've been at someone's house and their kid has to eat veggies (i.e. you see them on the kid's plate) while the parents have none on their own plate. OR worse, you hear adults say, "I can't afford veggies" but they do have chips in the pantry and three TVs.

I do think it's lame that produce costs more than chips and soda but I really don't think cost is a good excuse in the long run. If you don't buy a bunch of stuff you don't need and don't buy junk food you can afford vegetables and fruits, EVEN over-priced organics. Vegetables just aren't marketed as well as other foods, and people seemingly can't budget correctly.

Stuff like this frustrates me to no end. Half of my son's friends are overweight and it's so so so frustrating and upsetting! We're not building a healthy community or planet. Ok, stopping before I rant for an hour.

PS - Russ, for some reason I had no idea you had kids! How many? 

I know, if you really try to eat in season it can be hard. When Cedar was a baby I did not only buy in season produce because I wanted him to have a larger selection. I did always buy organic through when I couldn't get local, or I'd buy frozen organic veggies.

As for root veggies have you tried roasting some, them cutting them small or mashing them? Cedar loved mashed yams and sweet potatoes as a baby, and later he just liked root veggies steamed or roasted and cut. You can also mix them up.

If anyone is looking for baby-toddler recipes, here are some of Cedar's fave recipes when he was little. If you've got a child who is old enough to chew properly you don't have to mash the food so much... Just adjust the texture with or without liquid.

Organic broccoli and tofu with peanut sauce

Steam broccoli until very soft. Cut firm organic tofu into tiny baby bite size pieces and heat it a little to warm (like 15 seconds in the microwave). Mix a tablespoon or two of organic peanut butter in a small sauce pan with some liquid - apple juice or milk – until sauce-like. Toss the broccoli into a bowl the tofu squares. Then drizzle the sauce over it.

Soybean & pineapple crush:

Boil one cup of frozen shelled organic soybeans for about 5 minutes. Puree or mash soybeans with 1/2 cup crushed pineapple. You can use canned or fresh pineapple. Add 1/2 cup of pineapple juice until the mash or puree is at the desired consistency.You can add a little pinch of ginger for flavor.

Lentils or brown rice & carrots:

Mince 1/2 of a red pepper, and saute in a wee bit of olive oil until soft. Mix in 1/2 pound of dry lentils, 4 cups water, and 1/2 pound organic carrots. Bring to a boil, then turn down the heat and simmer for about an hour; until everything is very soft. Cool, then mash or puree, depending on the texture your little one can handle. If you’re using brown rice: saute the pepper, then add carrots and 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil and then turn down to simmer - cook for 1/2 hour or until carrots are very soft. Make four cups of brown rice according to the package directions in another pot. Once both the rice and veggies are done; cool, then puree or mash everything together.

Sweet carrots:

Steam one organic carrot and about half an organic red apple until very soft (until easy to mash). The apple will be done sooner so take it out as the carrot finishes steaming. Add both to blender with a dash of cinnamon and nutmeg. Puree.

Also for kids who won't eat plain veggies you can add herbs and spices rather than butter. I've never added butter or salt to veggies, because I don't want Cedar to not know how things taste. Good herb and spice additions for babies:

• Add cinnamon or nutmeg to pumpkin, apples, or pears.
• Add mint to peas, potatoes, or berries.
• Add lemongrass to broccoli and carrots.
• Add cilantro to melon or avocado.
• Add ginger to lentils, bananas, or apples.

Edited by JenniferChait - 3/2/10 at 10:35pm

You're lucky she'll eat pasta and sauce! Cedar will eat noodles plain - but no butter, no sauce, no anything. He's super picky. It could be worse. Everyone thinks I cast some spell on him because he'll literally ask for "steamed broccoli, steamed carrots, and water" for dinner and "A whole red bell pepper and a lemon" for breakfast - but really, he's hard to feed. He won't, for example, eat typical kid fare - NO PB&J, no mac N cheese, no cold cereal with milk, etc. He just barely started eating pizza and granola last year. Luckily he does like grain stuff so long as it's wheat - wheat bagels, bread, and so on. But his meals are super boring for the most part.

So long as we're offering healthy stuff most of the time I suppose we're doing ok. Kids are picky!

That's awesome. I have no clue how I missed you having kids. Three is a great number!