Meanwhile, Little A has found her "sugar" in carrots. I mix her yeast medicine with peanut butter which she happily scoops up with some crunchy carrots. I know, I know... carrots are "carby" and higher in sugar than other vegetables (and therefore feed the yeast in her belly more than a piece of spinach), but give me a break, right? It's a vegetable and she loves them. And she doesn't have a lot of yeast in her belly anyway or else I would be a lot more strict.
Last night Little A even ate some spaghetti squash for the first time. Big C was made to take one bite which made her grimace even though she was trying hard not to make a face, and then she promptly announced, "I don't like it." She got down from the table with that one bite being her entire dinner. Sigh. I've done about every piece of advice out there regarding picky eaters, and I've come to this conclusion: most "picky" eaters written about in parenting/food books are not really picky, they're just choosy at times. But when push comes to shove, they'll usually take a bite and begin to like new foods. Then there are the truly picky eaters, like Big C, who, despite a myriad of positive food experiences regarding food, gardening and cooking, do not want to eat anything unfamiliar. She already has her mind made up that she's not going to like it before it even goes in her mouth. James fell into this category as a kid, so I use him as guidance as to the best method we should pursue to get Big C to try and maybe even like some new foods. As you can see, it's an ongoing process. Supposedly, when we eradicate the yeast in her belly, that may change her tastebuds and reduce her craving for sugar. Perhaps then she'll be open to liking new tastes.
Last night I made meatballs with spaghetti squash. The first time I had spaghetti squash -- about a year ago -- I was excited to try a new vegetable that everyone raved about, saying it tasted just like spaghetti. Personally, I don't like it when people make up stuff like that -- I was really thinking the squash would taste just like spaghetti. But when you're coming down off of a high-carb, spaghetti-lovin' diet and sink your teeth into a plate of spaghetti squash, it just doesn't have the same taste and texture. I was a bit disappointed with that first experience, but I hadn't written spaghetti squash off forever. Fast forward several months, many of those without grains (no gluten-free spaghetti!), and I was faced with a plate of spaghetti squash and meatballs. Would I like it the same as last time -- aka mediocre? Well, a funny thing happens when you haven't had any kind of pasta in several months -- spaghetti squash doesn't taste just like spaghetti, but when you pair it with some marinara and tasty meatballs, that squash tastes really good. And no gluten-free or Paleo recipe blog would be complete without this dish.
Spaghetti and Simple Meatballs
1 medium spaghetti squash
1 egg
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp salt
dash pepper
1 lb ground beef or pork
2 1/2 cups Marinara
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut the spaghetti squash in half length wise (with a really sharp knife and some muscle). Place cut side down on a small rimmed baking sheet then put enough water on the baking sheet to come up about 1/4 inch. Bake until fork tender, about 1 hour.
2. When spaghetti squash is about half way done, prepare the meatballs. In a large bowl, whisk together egg, oregano, salt and pepper. Thoroughly mix in beef or pork until well combined. Roll into 2-inch balls -- about 10 -- and place on a plate.
3. Heat a large skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Place meatballs in skillet, turning them once they've browned but have not cooked all the way through.
4. Pour marinara into skillet, bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer about 15 minutes until meatballs are cooked all the way through (165 degrees).
5. To prepare spaghetti squash, use a fork to scoop out and shred the inside into noodle-like threads. Serve with meatballs and sauce on top.