Food

Food has been a major issue for Max sense arriving on the scene. It's lessening quite a lot now, as he's gotten used to eating what we have. However, he'd still be happy to live on french fries, chicken nuggets, hot dogs, Kraft macaroni and cheese and cookies and to never, ever see a fruit or veggie again in his life.

Max's foster family did not eat fruit and veggies beyond a little bit of corn or canned green beans in casseroles. They ate a lot of processed foods - crackers and cheese packets, Kraft, canned foods, instant sugary oatmeal. The only fruit he ate when he moved in was bananas.

We try to eat lots of fruits and veggies, beans, whole grains, raw nuts - that sort of thing. We do stray and we do enjoy having junk food from time to time, but most meals are drawn from those food items. And we believe that fruits and veggies are the most important part of one's diet.

That was quite a change for him. Huge. He is fine with whole grains. He does like beans - out of a can, that is. If I make a bean dish myself, he's pretty darn not excited. The main things, though, was we seriously expected him to eat fruits and veggies. Wow. It was a shock.

He now eats grapes, apples, orange type fruits (we usually eat Clementines or such) and some melon in addition to his bananas. He also eats steamed green beans, carrots (both cooked and raw), corn, peas, broccoli, a little bit of cabbage, a little bit of lettuce and a little bit of other veggies. And he loves raw nuts. Of course, anything is better than fruits and veggies.

Max loves it when we eat out and he can eat whatever junk he wants. He loves it when I open a can of beans for dinner rather than making them in the crockpot. And yet. He tells me I'm the best cook ever. Sweet? Yes. But does it ring true? Well, not so much.

Lately I've noticed that his talk is coming around. He says things that are along the party lines - "We don't like McDonald's, right?" "You're the best cook ever, Mommy!" "I'd choose apples over cupcakes!" - but he doesn't actually choose those things if he doesn't have to. I still give him credit, though. "You sure are talking the talk, Max."

And the whole cupcake vs apples thing? Well, it depends on the situation. I do choose apples over cupcakes on a day to day basis, but put a cupcake and some apple slices in front of me and I'm betting I'd eat them both. LOL