Meals, Monkey platters and diversity
Claire Darbaud
Hello,
My family and I are experimenting with monkey platters. My son loves them,
my daughter is not so sure. Sometimes she loves them and sometimes she
complains that she wants a "real" meal with warm food.
I wonder if you would share how diverse you make your monkey platters.
Making one is fun, but making them more often I'm not sure. I would like to
get more confortable with it, but right now, I spend a lot of time
wondering what to put on them. I have looked at the monkey platters page
for ideas, but if you reduce that to what my children like there aren't
that many things to choose from...
Do you have a sort of base of stuff that's always there and then change one
thing or two? How many platters do you make in a day? Do you make them
everyday? Do you make one for each person or a big one for all the family
to share? Have you tried a buffet? How do you store the left overs?
Do you still make regular meals? How diverse do you make your meails? I
seem to end up cooking a lot of pasta because my kids like them, but we all
get bored of too much pasta, more and more the kids welcome the pasta dish
with a "not again!". But a lot of times, when I try and cook something
else, they don't want it either...
Any hints will be super appreciated :-)
Thanks
Claire
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
My family and I are experimenting with monkey platters. My son loves them,
my daughter is not so sure. Sometimes she loves them and sometimes she
complains that she wants a "real" meal with warm food.
I wonder if you would share how diverse you make your monkey platters.
Making one is fun, but making them more often I'm not sure. I would like to
get more confortable with it, but right now, I spend a lot of time
wondering what to put on them. I have looked at the monkey platters page
for ideas, but if you reduce that to what my children like there aren't
that many things to choose from...
Do you have a sort of base of stuff that's always there and then change one
thing or two? How many platters do you make in a day? Do you make them
everyday? Do you make one for each person or a big one for all the family
to share? Have you tried a buffet? How do you store the left overs?
Do you still make regular meals? How diverse do you make your meails? I
seem to end up cooking a lot of pasta because my kids like them, but we all
get bored of too much pasta, more and more the kids welcome the pasta dish
with a "not again!". But a lot of times, when I try and cook something
else, they don't want it either...
Any hints will be super appreciated :-)
Thanks
Claire
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Sandra Dodd
-=-My family and I are experimenting with monkey platters. My son loves them,
my daughter is not so sure. Sometimes she loves them and sometimes she
complains that she wants a "real" meal with warm food.-=-
They shouldn't take the place of meals. I'm going to reclaim this idea as I did strewing. Some people are taking it to extreme and questionable places.
When I had a contest for photos, people were sending platters with dips and marshmallows and all kinds of sweety, sticky, messy things which wasn't my original recommendation. I hesitate to take all those photos down, but they do disturb me some.
Not every family makes three sit-down meals a day. If your kids like your breakfast routine, don't change it, ever!! Why change something that's beloved and comforting?
But while kids are watching a movie, or playing make-believe games, or setting up lego, or playing Minecraft, a small plate of easy, non-messy foods that will sustain and restore them physically can be a very good thing.
-=-My family and I are experimenting with monkey platters. My son loves them,
my daughter is not so sure. Sometimes she loves them and sometimes ...-=-
That sounds like you're measuring and encouraging and maybe almost requiring. You're certainly comparing, and being disappointed.
None of those things should have anything to do with providing an entirely optional source of easily-accessible food.
-=-I wonder if you would share how diverse you make your monkey platters.
Making one is fun, but making them more often I'm not sure. I would like to
get more confortable with it, but right now, I spend a lot of time
wondering what to put on them.-=-
Put what you know they like, and maybe add a little of something new and different. See how it goes without comment and analysis (either verbal to them, or even in your head.
If they haven't had much fruit lately, that would be a good time to have more fruit than you might otherwise have. If you have a child who seems to need more protein than another (I have two, and one who has no special benefit from protein snacks), and if it's been a while since protein, lean that way. If it's cold outside, think of warm or warming things. Bread and cheese. If it's hot outside, think of cool or cooling things.
-=-Do you have a sort of base of stuff that's always there and then change one
thing or two? How many platters do you make in a day? Do you make them
everyday? Do you make one for each person or a big one for all the family
to share? Have you tried a buffet? How do you store the left overs?-=-
That's a lot of worry over a simple recommendation.
-=-Do you have a sort of base of stuff that's always there and then change one
thing or two?-=-
They're for the child's benefit; put what they like, and what you think they will eat, and just a little of it.
-=-How many platters do you make in a day? -=-
I've never made more than one in a week or two, but I've refilled them if the kids had friends, or if one food item went quickly and first I've replenished it.
-=-Do you make them everyday?-=-
Like on a schedule? Like a curriculum of monkeyplatters? No.
-=-Do you make one for each person or a big one for all the family to share?-=-
A small one for a table or place where people are sitting or working or playing.
-=-Have you tried a buffet?-=-
This is a whole different topic. We often put our dinner food lined up on the counter, and people come by and get food, and some will sit at the table, maybe, or all will take the food back where they came from, to their computer or movie or game. But that's a buffet, and not a monkey platter. That involves newly-cooked food and plates and forks.
-=-How do you store the left overs?-=-
What answer are you hoping for?
We rarely had leftovers, but if it was something dry (goldfish crackers) they went back in the container. If it was something perishable (cheese, meat) it went in a plastic baggie. If it was fruit, or too small a quantity to store, I ate it or put it in the compost.
-=-Do you still make regular meals? How diverse do you make your meails?-=-
Monkey platters are not intended to change the fabric or tradition of family meals. They're a gift of situation and time and place, each one for a purpose. They're party food when there's not a party. They're fuel for thought.
-=- I seem to end up cooking a lot of pasta because my kids like them, but we all
get bored of too much pasta, more and more the kids welcome the pasta dish
with a "not again!". But a lot of times, when I try and cook something
else, they don't want it either...-=-
This is a matter for cookbooks for kids, or a websearch for fun foods for kids. Sometimes party foods sites have good ideas. New things to do with eggs or celery. But it's not an unschooling question, really. Young kids the world over like their local version of pasta or rice or bland fruit or vegetables without a lot of additives. You could supplement with fancy smoothies. And they'll get older and probably more adventurous.
Sandra
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
my daughter is not so sure. Sometimes she loves them and sometimes she
complains that she wants a "real" meal with warm food.-=-
They shouldn't take the place of meals. I'm going to reclaim this idea as I did strewing. Some people are taking it to extreme and questionable places.
When I had a contest for photos, people were sending platters with dips and marshmallows and all kinds of sweety, sticky, messy things which wasn't my original recommendation. I hesitate to take all those photos down, but they do disturb me some.
Not every family makes three sit-down meals a day. If your kids like your breakfast routine, don't change it, ever!! Why change something that's beloved and comforting?
But while kids are watching a movie, or playing make-believe games, or setting up lego, or playing Minecraft, a small plate of easy, non-messy foods that will sustain and restore them physically can be a very good thing.
-=-My family and I are experimenting with monkey platters. My son loves them,
my daughter is not so sure. Sometimes she loves them and sometimes ...-=-
That sounds like you're measuring and encouraging and maybe almost requiring. You're certainly comparing, and being disappointed.
None of those things should have anything to do with providing an entirely optional source of easily-accessible food.
-=-I wonder if you would share how diverse you make your monkey platters.
Making one is fun, but making them more often I'm not sure. I would like to
get more confortable with it, but right now, I spend a lot of time
wondering what to put on them.-=-
Put what you know they like, and maybe add a little of something new and different. See how it goes without comment and analysis (either verbal to them, or even in your head.
If they haven't had much fruit lately, that would be a good time to have more fruit than you might otherwise have. If you have a child who seems to need more protein than another (I have two, and one who has no special benefit from protein snacks), and if it's been a while since protein, lean that way. If it's cold outside, think of warm or warming things. Bread and cheese. If it's hot outside, think of cool or cooling things.
-=-Do you have a sort of base of stuff that's always there and then change one
thing or two? How many platters do you make in a day? Do you make them
everyday? Do you make one for each person or a big one for all the family
to share? Have you tried a buffet? How do you store the left overs?-=-
That's a lot of worry over a simple recommendation.
-=-Do you have a sort of base of stuff that's always there and then change one
thing or two?-=-
They're for the child's benefit; put what they like, and what you think they will eat, and just a little of it.
-=-How many platters do you make in a day? -=-
I've never made more than one in a week or two, but I've refilled them if the kids had friends, or if one food item went quickly and first I've replenished it.
-=-Do you make them everyday?-=-
Like on a schedule? Like a curriculum of monkeyplatters? No.
-=-Do you make one for each person or a big one for all the family to share?-=-
A small one for a table or place where people are sitting or working or playing.
-=-Have you tried a buffet?-=-
This is a whole different topic. We often put our dinner food lined up on the counter, and people come by and get food, and some will sit at the table, maybe, or all will take the food back where they came from, to their computer or movie or game. But that's a buffet, and not a monkey platter. That involves newly-cooked food and plates and forks.
-=-How do you store the left overs?-=-
What answer are you hoping for?
We rarely had leftovers, but if it was something dry (goldfish crackers) they went back in the container. If it was something perishable (cheese, meat) it went in a plastic baggie. If it was fruit, or too small a quantity to store, I ate it or put it in the compost.
-=-Do you still make regular meals? How diverse do you make your meails?-=-
Monkey platters are not intended to change the fabric or tradition of family meals. They're a gift of situation and time and place, each one for a purpose. They're party food when there's not a party. They're fuel for thought.
-=- I seem to end up cooking a lot of pasta because my kids like them, but we all
get bored of too much pasta, more and more the kids welcome the pasta dish
with a "not again!". But a lot of times, when I try and cook something
else, they don't want it either...-=-
This is a matter for cookbooks for kids, or a websearch for fun foods for kids. Sometimes party foods sites have good ideas. New things to do with eggs or celery. But it's not an unschooling question, really. Young kids the world over like their local version of pasta or rice or bland fruit or vegetables without a lot of additives. You could supplement with fancy smoothies. And they'll get older and probably more adventurous.
Sandra
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Sandra Dodd
I wrote a long response to Claire's monkey-platter worries, but I could have just used this as a response:
Read a little, try a little, wait a while, watch.
People keep leaving out the "wait a while" and the "watch."
The ideas on my site and Joyce's are lots of thoughts and suggestions from lots of discussions over lots of years. They're not a blueprint from which one can build a kid like hers or mine. Each unschooler has kids others haven't had before, and is in a house and neighborhood and town that might never have had an unschooler before. That's why people should go with principles and not rules (and "exactly how do I do this?" sounds like a desire for rules more than seeking to understand principles better.
The principles involved in providing non-messy food to a kid who is engrossed in something have to do with
food is important
equipment (puzzles, keyboards, games) should be maintained (not gotten greasy or messy)
kindness is kind
generosity is generous
encouragement is encouraging.... things like that
It's about the kind of person the mother is, and the kind of relationship she's fostering, and the environment she's creating. That should be calm and loving, not jittery and worried. So when making a choice, make the peaceful choice, and if monkey platters are not peaceful, come back to that when you can see it from a different angle, in a month or a year.
Sandra
Read a little, try a little, wait a while, watch.
People keep leaving out the "wait a while" and the "watch."
The ideas on my site and Joyce's are lots of thoughts and suggestions from lots of discussions over lots of years. They're not a blueprint from which one can build a kid like hers or mine. Each unschooler has kids others haven't had before, and is in a house and neighborhood and town that might never have had an unschooler before. That's why people should go with principles and not rules (and "exactly how do I do this?" sounds like a desire for rules more than seeking to understand principles better.
The principles involved in providing non-messy food to a kid who is engrossed in something have to do with
food is important
equipment (puzzles, keyboards, games) should be maintained (not gotten greasy or messy)
kindness is kind
generosity is generous
encouragement is encouraging.... things like that
It's about the kind of person the mother is, and the kind of relationship she's fostering, and the environment she's creating. That should be calm and loving, not jittery and worried. So when making a choice, make the peaceful choice, and if monkey platters are not peaceful, come back to that when you can see it from a different angle, in a month or a year.
Sandra
Claire Darbaud
2012/4/6 Sandra Dodd <Sandra@...>
there is worry inside that I am not aware of and that comes out in my
writing... I'll think about it... - or should I say I'll "feel" about it
? ;-)
Anyway, what I felt like I meant to say is someting like: mealtimes here
are somewhat dull and boring. Not always, but often enough. I often find
myself out of ideas for what I could cook, not sure what I would feel like
eating, let alone what my kids would feel like eating. The kids are
complaining that I cook too much pasta... I'd love insight for how to make
cooking/eating more sparkly and fun... and I would love to be able to relax
more around preparing food. Wondering what to eat and having a hard time
coming up with ideas is not fun... I'd like to be able to prepare food on
"auto pilot" a little more, like I can be on auto pilot for doing the
dishes or driving or tidying the house or many things... when you just know
what to do and you just do it without spending a lot of time thinking about
how to do it, and sometimes you do it a little differently just because
it's fun... (I guess some of that is about healing my own relationship to
food...).
I'm not looking for a curriculum at all, I'm just curious what seasonned
unschoolers eat/cook in their homes, day after day...
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
> **I find it interesting that I came across as worried... It could be that
> *** I wrote a long response to Claire's monkey-platter worries ***
>
there is worry inside that I am not aware of and that comes out in my
writing... I'll think about it... - or should I say I'll "feel" about it
? ;-)
Anyway, what I felt like I meant to say is someting like: mealtimes here
are somewhat dull and boring. Not always, but often enough. I often find
myself out of ideas for what I could cook, not sure what I would feel like
eating, let alone what my kids would feel like eating. The kids are
complaining that I cook too much pasta... I'd love insight for how to make
cooking/eating more sparkly and fun... and I would love to be able to relax
more around preparing food. Wondering what to eat and having a hard time
coming up with ideas is not fun... I'd like to be able to prepare food on
"auto pilot" a little more, like I can be on auto pilot for doing the
dishes or driving or tidying the house or many things... when you just know
what to do and you just do it without spending a lot of time thinking about
how to do it, and sometimes you do it a little differently just because
it's fun... (I guess some of that is about healing my own relationship to
food...).
I'm not looking for a curriculum at all, I'm just curious what seasonned
unschoolers eat/cook in their homes, day after day...
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Sandra Dodd
-=-I'm not looking for a curriculum at all, I'm just curious what seasonned
unschoolers eat/cook in their homes, day after day...-=-
It doesn't matter. Some are great cooks, some aren't; some are vegetarian or vegan; some own restaurants that serve bacon and chicken.
What matters is that you make choices based on principles that lead you closer to the kind of mother you want to be.
Your kids know more about what they want to eat than anyone here does.
Sandra
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
unschoolers eat/cook in their homes, day after day...-=-
It doesn't matter. Some are great cooks, some aren't; some are vegetarian or vegan; some own restaurants that serve bacon and chicken.
What matters is that you make choices based on principles that lead you closer to the kind of mother you want to be.
Your kids know more about what they want to eat than anyone here does.
Sandra
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Robert and Colleen
> *****I'd love insight for how to make cooking/eating more sparkly and fun... and I would love to be able to relax more around preparing food. Wondering what to eat and having a hard timeYou could look at food and recipe websites together with your children for inspiration - foodnetwork.com, tastespotting.com, foodgawker.com, food related blogs, etc.
> coming up with ideas is not fun.*****_
>
Pinterest also has lots of food photos and recipe links -
You could go to the grocery store together - your regular store, a new store, an ethnic store, etc - browse the aisles and see what looks fun to try -
You could go to a bunch of restaurants and get their take-out menus, look at them together, and see what dishes you'd like to try to recreate at home -
Farmers' markets are also fun places to go and pick out new-to-you foods to try -
And library book sales tend to have lots of cookbooks - I love to buy a bunch and look through them - for 50 cents a book or so, I don't mind if I only get one or two recipe ideas from each one :-)
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Sylvia Woodman
When I first started making monkey platters I made a list for myself of
things my kids liked to eat. I was going through a period where I was
sleep deprived and having trouble coming up with ideas beyond string cheese
and pistachio nuts. I *knew* my kids ate more than that but in the moment
I was having trouble coming up with something. So over a couple of days I
made a list on a sheet of paper and pasted it on the inside door of one of
my cabinets. We still have sit down breakfasts and either my husband or I
make dinner every night however Harry who is 5 has never much liked sitting
down to dinner. He is usually too busy playing so he sort of pops in and
out to give us updates on what he's doing. Harry tends to have days where
it seems like he eats nothing (although that isn't true) so I try to bring
him snacks where he is so he doesn't run out of fuel. I bring him a plate
with small amounts of things. 1/2 an apple sliced thin; a few crackers,
maybe 1/2 a grilled cheese sandwich, some nuts or mellon, or slices of
salami or turkey or something like that. Some times he eats it sometimes
not. He is always pleased when I bring it to him either way. I think the
purpose of Monkey Platters is getting away from the idea that you eat at
mealtimes whatever Mom is serving or go hungry. People can't learn when
they are hungry; many children need to fuel up frequently; so don't limit
food to three times a day.
Just because you are unschooling doesn't mean you never cook a meal again.
If your daughter wants warm food then make some warm food. Some times I
make meals with different components and people can assemble their own
plates (some times it's make your own salad, or tacos, or pizza) Sometimes
we have sandwich night and at least a couple of times a month Jim cooks
breakfast for dinner. Sometimes we make plain chicken for the kids and
make a fancy sauce or or salsa for us. Some day they will want to try it.
Until then focus on trying to make meal times a time of connection and use
the monkey platters to help keep kids fueled up between times.
Warmly,
Sylvia (Gabriella 7.5 and Harry 5.5)
things my kids liked to eat. I was going through a period where I was
sleep deprived and having trouble coming up with ideas beyond string cheese
and pistachio nuts. I *knew* my kids ate more than that but in the moment
I was having trouble coming up with something. So over a couple of days I
made a list on a sheet of paper and pasted it on the inside door of one of
my cabinets. We still have sit down breakfasts and either my husband or I
make dinner every night however Harry who is 5 has never much liked sitting
down to dinner. He is usually too busy playing so he sort of pops in and
out to give us updates on what he's doing. Harry tends to have days where
it seems like he eats nothing (although that isn't true) so I try to bring
him snacks where he is so he doesn't run out of fuel. I bring him a plate
with small amounts of things. 1/2 an apple sliced thin; a few crackers,
maybe 1/2 a grilled cheese sandwich, some nuts or mellon, or slices of
salami or turkey or something like that. Some times he eats it sometimes
not. He is always pleased when I bring it to him either way. I think the
purpose of Monkey Platters is getting away from the idea that you eat at
mealtimes whatever Mom is serving or go hungry. People can't learn when
they are hungry; many children need to fuel up frequently; so don't limit
food to three times a day.
Just because you are unschooling doesn't mean you never cook a meal again.
If your daughter wants warm food then make some warm food. Some times I
make meals with different components and people can assemble their own
plates (some times it's make your own salad, or tacos, or pizza) Sometimes
we have sandwich night and at least a couple of times a month Jim cooks
breakfast for dinner. Sometimes we make plain chicken for the kids and
make a fancy sauce or or salsa for us. Some day they will want to try it.
Until then focus on trying to make meal times a time of connection and use
the monkey platters to help keep kids fueled up between times.
Warmly,
Sylvia (Gabriella 7.5 and Harry 5.5)
On Fri, Apr 6, 2012 at 9:10 AM, Claire Darbaud <cdarbaud@...> wrote:
> **
>
>
> Hello,
>
> My family and I are experimenting with monkey platters. My son loves them,
> my daughter is not so sure. Sometimes she loves them and sometimes she
> complains that she wants a "real" meal with warm food.
>
> I wonder if you would share how diverse you make your monkey platters.
> Making one is fun, but making them more often I'm not sure. I would like to
> get more confortable with it, but right now, I spend a lot of time
> wondering what to put on them. I have looked at the monkey platters page
> for ideas, but if you reduce that to what my children like there aren't
> that many things to choose from...
>
> Do you have a sort of base of stuff that's always there and then change one
> thing or two? How many platters do you make in a day? Do you make them
> everyday? Do you make one for each person or a big one for all the family
> to share? Have you tried a buffet? How do you store the left overs?
>
> Do you still make regular meals? How diverse do you make your meails? I
> seem to end up cooking a lot of pasta because my kids like them, but we all
> get bored of too much pasta, more and more the kids welcome the pasta dish
> with a "not again!". But a lot of times, when I try and cook something
> else, they don't want it either...
>
> Any hints will be super appreciated :-)
>
> Thanks
> Claire
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>
>
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Joyce Fetteroll
On Apr 6, 2012, at 10:26 AM, Claire Darbaud wrote:
Also growing food can make it more interesting. Be prepared to do the work and invite them along to help. Container gardens can be less involving.
The other suggestions to go to different and ethnic stores is another way to get them interested. Being personally invested can make food more appealing than plopping another new food in front of them.
Joyce
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
> I'm not looking for a curriculum at all, I'm just curious what seasonnedCooking together can make food more interesting. Kat was only interested in making desserts. But that's something!
> unschoolers eat/cook in their homes, day after day...
Also growing food can make it more interesting. Be prepared to do the work and invite them along to help. Container gardens can be less involving.
The other suggestions to go to different and ethnic stores is another way to get them interested. Being personally invested can make food more appealing than plopping another new food in front of them.
Joyce
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
hamsder clan
My daughter, Larkin, has always had a pretty narrow palate when it comes to
food she enjoys. I felt similarly at a loss about what to cook and felt
like I was making the same things over and over and she was getting bored.
When she was 5 (she's 7 now), we took pictures of some of the foods she
enjoyed. We focused on only home-made food that we almost always had
ingredients for in the house so she could browse the album and we could
make something from it right away.
If you're interested, the album is here:
https://picasaweb.google.com/115287519051158239183/LarkinSFoodAlbum
I haven't added to the album in over a year, mostly because Larkin has
expanded her likes somewhat, and partly because it served its purpose of
helping both she and I feel like there was a fair bit of variety and choice
in her diet.
As an aside, I put Larkin's food album alongside all our other family
pictures that relatives check in with pretty often. My parents often
complained (to me) about my children's diet. Seeing the things that Larkin
was actually eating on a daily basis (as opposed to the always-skewed diet
they usually saw when we were on vacation visiting them) helped assuage
their fears somewhat.
We have always used monkey platters pretty regularly, mostly as snacks
while the kids are engaged in other things. I use a 6-tin muffin tray and
always include some protein and some fruit and/or vegetables then fill in
any gaps with whatever crunchy carbohydrate snack food we have around.
Occasionally, I get a request for a monkey platter lunch when they're not
sure exactly what sounds good because they know I'll come up with a variety
of things they enjoy.
jenny (Larkin 7, Finn 5)
food she enjoys. I felt similarly at a loss about what to cook and felt
like I was making the same things over and over and she was getting bored.
When she was 5 (she's 7 now), we took pictures of some of the foods she
enjoyed. We focused on only home-made food that we almost always had
ingredients for in the house so she could browse the album and we could
make something from it right away.
If you're interested, the album is here:
https://picasaweb.google.com/115287519051158239183/LarkinSFoodAlbum
I haven't added to the album in over a year, mostly because Larkin has
expanded her likes somewhat, and partly because it served its purpose of
helping both she and I feel like there was a fair bit of variety and choice
in her diet.
As an aside, I put Larkin's food album alongside all our other family
pictures that relatives check in with pretty often. My parents often
complained (to me) about my children's diet. Seeing the things that Larkin
was actually eating on a daily basis (as opposed to the always-skewed diet
they usually saw when we were on vacation visiting them) helped assuage
their fears somewhat.
We have always used monkey platters pretty regularly, mostly as snacks
while the kids are engaged in other things. I use a 6-tin muffin tray and
always include some protein and some fruit and/or vegetables then fill in
any gaps with whatever crunchy carbohydrate snack food we have around.
Occasionally, I get a request for a monkey platter lunch when they're not
sure exactly what sounds good because they know I'll come up with a variety
of things they enjoy.
jenny (Larkin 7, Finn 5)
On Apr 6, 2012, at 10:26 AM, Claire Darbaud wrote:
>
> > I'm not looking for a curriculum at all, I'm just curious what seasonned
> > unschoolers eat/cook in their homes, day after day...
>
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Karen
> Anyway, what I felt like I meant to say is someting like: mealtimes hereSoups are easy, and you can cook some of them all day in a crock pot. They are easy to eat and easy to prepare. I often freeze the leftover soup in single serving pyrex dishes for reheating when my son says he would like something warm. You could make a kind of stone soup with your kids, getting them to add one thing from the fridge that they think would be good.
> are somewhat dull and boring. Not always, but often enough. I often find
> myself out of ideas for what I could cook, not sure what I would feel like
> eating, let alone what my kids would feel like eating.
One thing we have done to make meal times more fun is introduce games. There are "Dinner Games" and dice games, story cubes, and spot it, card games, dominoes, pencil and paper games. The list is as long as you want to make it, really. It gives us something to laugh about while we eat, and makes coming together something to look forward to. Often we end up drifting away from the initial game into interesting conversational directions. Sometimes we put on the latest video game music in the background. Sometimes we like it quiet.
Sometimes I just put some interesting object in the middle of the table while we eat - a puzzle to solve, or a rock I found. Many times Ethan will run to join us, happily eat for a bit, and then run back to whatever he had been doing. Occasionally he eats wherever he was working, but most of the time he prefers to stop and join us. If you think of it as a fun time, most often that can be contagious enough for everyone else too.
Meredith
Claire Darbaud <cdarbaud@...> wrote:
For cooked foods, it could help to make up a bunch of portion-sized plates which could be reheated quickly in the microwave, if she particularly likes the sorts of things eaten warm. Those don't work well in a "monkey platter" sort of thing, but you can still have several choices in the fridge for when she's hungry.
If she especially likes eating together, eat with her! Not necessarily at the dining table, although that could be an option. Have little picnics with her or just sit on the couch and have a snack together. Don't use "monkey platters" as a way to avoid interacting - or let your kids think that's what they are.
I used to do some mixed plates of food for Mo when she was younger, but for the most part, I don't do that any more. The closest would be something like a picnic lunch. It's not a requirement of unschooling ;) Mo tends to like to eat just one thing at a time, so the mixed plates were mostly when she forgets to eat and I'm not sure what will entice her in the midst of her project, so I'll include a few favored snacks.
George and I eat dinner together most nights, and on weekends we often have breakfast together. We invite Mo to join us (Ray has a new diet and doesn't eat with us any more) and sometimes she does, but not all the time.
---Meredith
>sometimes sheIt could be worth trying to get a sense of if it's the warm food she wants or the sit-down sociability of a meal - they're two different things, after all, and can be dealt with in different ways.
> complains that she wants a "real" meal with warm food.
For cooked foods, it could help to make up a bunch of portion-sized plates which could be reheated quickly in the microwave, if she particularly likes the sorts of things eaten warm. Those don't work well in a "monkey platter" sort of thing, but you can still have several choices in the fridge for when she's hungry.
If she especially likes eating together, eat with her! Not necessarily at the dining table, although that could be an option. Have little picnics with her or just sit on the couch and have a snack together. Don't use "monkey platters" as a way to avoid interacting - or let your kids think that's what they are.
I used to do some mixed plates of food for Mo when she was younger, but for the most part, I don't do that any more. The closest would be something like a picnic lunch. It's not a requirement of unschooling ;) Mo tends to like to eat just one thing at a time, so the mixed plates were mostly when she forgets to eat and I'm not sure what will entice her in the midst of her project, so I'll include a few favored snacks.
George and I eat dinner together most nights, and on weekends we often have breakfast together. We invite Mo to join us (Ray has a new diet and doesn't eat with us any more) and sometimes she does, but not all the time.
---Meredith
Meredith
You have two competing goals here:
Going on "auto pilot" will involve paring down and making things easy. Sylvia suggested lists for monkey platters - we used to have a list posted in the kitchen of the foods Mo would eat so we could run down the options when she'd say "I'm hungry" without wracking our brains and maybe missing the one thing which would interest her that day. Lists are good for that sort of thing. Also, cooking in big batches so you can save servings to re-heat quickly, and when you're chopping vegetables for meals, chop extra to store for snacks.
Making more than you need of something is a good way to have a bit of both worlds - you can save things like sauces and dips to jazz up basic offerings like pasta, rice and bread and mix things up a bit. Pasta sauce on bread is different than on pasta - and if you add a slice of cheese and you have a mini pizza ;) Or try veggie dips on rice or pasta.
You can do that with desserts, too - make extra cake and freeze it to reheat later with yogurt or custard for a fancy snack. Or make extra cookie dough, extra pie crust, etc, to save and recombine in interesting ways - see if your kids want to experiment with you! If you have parts of things on hand, it's easier to jump into an experiment without so much preparation.
---Meredith
>I'd love insight for how to makeand
> cooking/eating more sparkly and fun...
>I'd like to be able to prepare food onThat doesn't mean you can't have a bit of both, but not at the same time ;) Making food sparkly and fun involves thinking about it, going on little food adventures by means of things like shopping, gardening, cookbooks, cake decorating, learning to carve flowers out of carrots - not necessarily all of those, but being thinking of food and various aspects of food as interesting avenues of exploration. Maybe not even the edible aspects but things like presentation - fancy toothpicks, candles, novelty dishware, chopsticks, origami wrappers for snacks.
> "auto pilot" a little more
Going on "auto pilot" will involve paring down and making things easy. Sylvia suggested lists for monkey platters - we used to have a list posted in the kitchen of the foods Mo would eat so we could run down the options when she'd say "I'm hungry" without wracking our brains and maybe missing the one thing which would interest her that day. Lists are good for that sort of thing. Also, cooking in big batches so you can save servings to re-heat quickly, and when you're chopping vegetables for meals, chop extra to store for snacks.
Making more than you need of something is a good way to have a bit of both worlds - you can save things like sauces and dips to jazz up basic offerings like pasta, rice and bread and mix things up a bit. Pasta sauce on bread is different than on pasta - and if you add a slice of cheese and you have a mini pizza ;) Or try veggie dips on rice or pasta.
You can do that with desserts, too - make extra cake and freeze it to reheat later with yogurt or custard for a fancy snack. Or make extra cookie dough, extra pie crust, etc, to save and recombine in interesting ways - see if your kids want to experiment with you! If you have parts of things on hand, it's easier to jump into an experiment without so much preparation.
---Meredith
Jo Isaac
==I find it interesting that I came across as worried...==
I thought you did also - or maybe just overthinking it all?
== I'm just curious what seasonned
unschoolers eat/cook in their homes, day after day==
I would think unschoolers eat similar things to none-unschoolers! Except we take more time, care and effort to listen to our children and don't force them to eat things they don't like, finish their plate before dessert, or limit/control certain food types, etc.
I actually do make monkey platters most days for our son (who is almost 6), because that is what he asks for - but if your child doesn't like monkey platters - well - don't do them! What is on them differs, but not massively - piece of bread with mayo, baby corn, strawberries or apple, craisins, nuts, cheese...just things he likes, snacky foods. They may replace lunch for him most days, and he'll often have another one next to the computer or while he's playing the Wii later in the day, but he has a regular breakfast and hot dinner...If I know he doesn't like what we are having for dinner, i'll make him something else that's not too complicated, baked beans, eggs, frozen fish with home-made wedges.
To make my life easier, I cook enough for two nights dinner each time I cook, so for example i'll cook Monday, and we have left-overs Tuesday, etc..
For a while, to make eating a bit more 'sparkly' sometimes, we did 'International Food Night'. We chose a country on the map and researched their national dish or most common food, and then we'd try and recreate it at home. Kai would help with the shopping and the chopping/cooking. We got a bit over it after a while, I think perhaps we were doing it a little too often! But now i've written about it, maybe it'd be fun to do again occasionally!
Jo
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
I thought you did also - or maybe just overthinking it all?
== I'm just curious what seasonned
unschoolers eat/cook in their homes, day after day==
I would think unschoolers eat similar things to none-unschoolers! Except we take more time, care and effort to listen to our children and don't force them to eat things they don't like, finish their plate before dessert, or limit/control certain food types, etc.
I actually do make monkey platters most days for our son (who is almost 6), because that is what he asks for - but if your child doesn't like monkey platters - well - don't do them! What is on them differs, but not massively - piece of bread with mayo, baby corn, strawberries or apple, craisins, nuts, cheese...just things he likes, snacky foods. They may replace lunch for him most days, and he'll often have another one next to the computer or while he's playing the Wii later in the day, but he has a regular breakfast and hot dinner...If I know he doesn't like what we are having for dinner, i'll make him something else that's not too complicated, baked beans, eggs, frozen fish with home-made wedges.
To make my life easier, I cook enough for two nights dinner each time I cook, so for example i'll cook Monday, and we have left-overs Tuesday, etc..
For a while, to make eating a bit more 'sparkly' sometimes, we did 'International Food Night'. We chose a country on the map and researched their national dish or most common food, and then we'd try and recreate it at home. Kai would help with the shopping and the chopping/cooking. We got a bit over it after a while, I think perhaps we were doing it a little too often! But now i've written about it, maybe it'd be fun to do again occasionally!
Jo
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
kristi_beguin
My Mother-in-Law has always made sure that a snack plate is available for guests--adults and kids--whenever they were over and they might get hungry. Simple stuff like crackers and cheese, salami, hard boiled eggs, maybe some chips and dip, sliced up veggies, olives. When I first heard about Monkey Platters, I thought "Wow! This is what my husband's Mom has always done!" She has done this for so long, and without any pretense or effort, it has always seemed natural.
In our house, we've followed her lead and have tried to have simple snack plates available for our kids when they are engrossed in play (and are probably going to feel hunger hard when it hits), as well as for guests who are visiting over a possible meal-time.
I think of monkey platters as nutritious fillers between meals, especially for kids who don't necessarily want to sit down to eat a big meal, or who might be apt to say they are not hungry when offered food.
In our house, we've followed her lead and have tried to have simple snack plates available for our kids when they are engrossed in play (and are probably going to feel hunger hard when it hits), as well as for guests who are visiting over a possible meal-time.
I think of monkey platters as nutritious fillers between meals, especially for kids who don't necessarily want to sit down to eat a big meal, or who might be apt to say they are not hungry when offered food.
chris ester
See, I thought maybe it was a function of my southern roots. This kind of
thing has always been a facet of our family as well.
I also think that because children can be so high energy with high
metabolism that they need to 'graze' instead of being restricted to meals
to be able to maintain their energy levels. I also noticed that when my
children were small, their tastes would change so quickly that I couldn't
always keep up so meals would not always be to their liking. I always had
backups--grilled cheese, rice, various veggies, potatoes, cheese, etc.
Family mealtime is about sitting down together and enjoying the nurturing
that a shared meal can bring, not over who gets to decide what we eat.
Chris
thing has always been a facet of our family as well.
I also think that because children can be so high energy with high
metabolism that they need to 'graze' instead of being restricted to meals
to be able to maintain their energy levels. I also noticed that when my
children were small, their tastes would change so quickly that I couldn't
always keep up so meals would not always be to their liking. I always had
backups--grilled cheese, rice, various veggies, potatoes, cheese, etc.
Family mealtime is about sitting down together and enjoying the nurturing
that a shared meal can bring, not over who gets to decide what we eat.
Chris
On Fri, Apr 6, 2012 at 10:51 PM, kristi_beguin <foehn_jye@...> wrote:
> **
>
>
> My Mother-in-Law has always made sure that a snack plate is available for
> guests--adults and kids--whenever they were over and they might get hungry.
> Simple stuff like crackers and cheese, salami, hard boiled eggs, maybe some
> chips and dip, sliced up veggies, olives. When I first heard about Monkey
> Platters, I thought "Wow! This is what my husband's Mom has always done!"
> She has done this for so long, and without any pretense or effort, it has
> always seemed natural.
>
> In our house, we've followed her lead and have tried to have simple snack
> plates available for our kids when they are engrossed in play (and are
> probably going to feel hunger hard when it hits), as well as for guests who
> are visiting over a possible meal-time.
>
> I think of monkey platters as nutritious fillers between meals, especially
> for kids who don't necessarily want to sit down to eat a big meal, or who
> might be apt to say they are not hungry when offered food.
>
>
>
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Rippy and Graham Dusseldorp
----My Mother-in-Law has always made sure that a snack plate is available for guests--adults and kids--whenever they were over and they might get hungry. Simple stuff like crackers and cheese, salami, hard boiled eggs, maybe some chips and dip, sliced up veggies, olives. When I first heard about Monkey Platters, I thought "Wow! This is what my husband's Mom has always done!" She has done this for so long, and without any pretense or effort, it has always seemed natural. ----
My mom did the same thing :-) Now that I think about it, she almost always made them while my brothers, cousins and I were happily playing games together. I think she wanted to extend the 'peace and quiet' for as long as possible and would make these fantastic mixed food plates for us and we'd all be delighted and it gave us fuel to play for longer.
She called them thalis (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thali), but the traditional thalis have lots of curries and sauces that can be very messy. Her thalis usually had easy to eat food - sliced up veggies and fruit, cheese, crackers, nuts, raisons, popcorn, etc.
The most sparkly ones I remember are when she'd make her favourite childhood foods or go to the asian market and bring back her favourite childhood treats. The thali would have things like mango, chikoo, pomegranate, spiced nuts and chips, homemade pakoras (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pakora) and Indian sweets. She would cut things up small and give us tiny forks to eat them with, or little bowls with little spoons. She'd usually leave it on the coffee table or have a large plastic picnic cloth she'd put on the carpet with the thali in the center of it. There was always a box of kleenex or a roll of paper towels next to it for messy hands. She made them with a lot of love, care and warmth.
I remember the moms of my Chinese friend, Korean friend, and Ukrainian friend often made similar mixed plates of their own ethnic foods to offer us when I visited. The food was given with a lot of warmth and affection. The moms would sweetly watch us eat the foods (usually in the background) and loved seeing me enjoy the different ethnic treats.
I especially loved it when my mom (or my friend's moms or my aunts) would tell us their childhood memories and stories associated with the different foods. It was fascinating stuff - stories of what they ate during war times, what foods their mom or grandmoms made for them when they were sad, what they ate for different festivals, what was served at weddings, what foods you were expected to make when you were newly wed, what foods they missed the most, etc. I learned that my mom and many, many other moms from all over the world had trespassed onto peoples gardens or orchards and stolen fruit or vegetables. Almost every mom recounted the 'thefts' with great fondness and pride. Which I remember thinking was incredibly cool, especially when I was about 8 or so.
Quite possibly my love for different cultures, religions, travel, food, and anthropology started with these moms sharing their food and their stories.
Rippy
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
My mom did the same thing :-) Now that I think about it, she almost always made them while my brothers, cousins and I were happily playing games together. I think she wanted to extend the 'peace and quiet' for as long as possible and would make these fantastic mixed food plates for us and we'd all be delighted and it gave us fuel to play for longer.
She called them thalis (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thali), but the traditional thalis have lots of curries and sauces that can be very messy. Her thalis usually had easy to eat food - sliced up veggies and fruit, cheese, crackers, nuts, raisons, popcorn, etc.
The most sparkly ones I remember are when she'd make her favourite childhood foods or go to the asian market and bring back her favourite childhood treats. The thali would have things like mango, chikoo, pomegranate, spiced nuts and chips, homemade pakoras (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pakora) and Indian sweets. She would cut things up small and give us tiny forks to eat them with, or little bowls with little spoons. She'd usually leave it on the coffee table or have a large plastic picnic cloth she'd put on the carpet with the thali in the center of it. There was always a box of kleenex or a roll of paper towels next to it for messy hands. She made them with a lot of love, care and warmth.
I remember the moms of my Chinese friend, Korean friend, and Ukrainian friend often made similar mixed plates of their own ethnic foods to offer us when I visited. The food was given with a lot of warmth and affection. The moms would sweetly watch us eat the foods (usually in the background) and loved seeing me enjoy the different ethnic treats.
I especially loved it when my mom (or my friend's moms or my aunts) would tell us their childhood memories and stories associated with the different foods. It was fascinating stuff - stories of what they ate during war times, what foods their mom or grandmoms made for them when they were sad, what they ate for different festivals, what was served at weddings, what foods you were expected to make when you were newly wed, what foods they missed the most, etc. I learned that my mom and many, many other moms from all over the world had trespassed onto peoples gardens or orchards and stolen fruit or vegetables. Almost every mom recounted the 'thefts' with great fondness and pride. Which I remember thinking was incredibly cool, especially when I was about 8 or so.
Quite possibly my love for different cultures, religions, travel, food, and anthropology started with these moms sharing their food and their stories.
Rippy
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Sandra Dodd
-=-I think of monkey platters as nutritious fillers between meals, especially for kids who don't necessarily want to sit down to eat a big meal, or who might be apt to say they are not hungry when offered food.-=-
THAT'S IT! That's what our first one ever was, and also done to be like the monkeys at the zoo. :-)
The primary reason I ever recommended it to others was because there seemed to be a steady stream of self-righteous mothers eager to criticize their children (almost always boys) for playing video games or watching their favorite shows until they were really hungry, but they weren't willing to turn them off to come and eat.
If eating is important, if food has a purpose, then it makes sense to put food where they're doing something that is THAT fascinating, and that engrossing.
And those discussions, years ago, came at the height of the days when just about every mom who came to unschooling discussions was flipped out because school or relatives or a doctor or the parents themselves were saying their child was ADD or ADHD (and there were daily discussions of the difference in those). Here they had a child clearly showing that he COULD pay serious attention to something for WAY more than two hours, and now they were complaining that he didn't have the ability to turn it off to go to another room and eat.
People hardly talk about ADHD anymore. Now they blame diet for things they see in their children that they wish were different. But still, a plate of food the mother has no fears or concerns about will help maintain health and a good mood.
I suspect that the idea of setting the food down without saying "i want you to eat this," or "Here, you should be hungry by now," but just setting it down with quiet sweetness and love, is related to the La Leche League practices (at least where I was, 20-25 years ago) of following a baby's cues, of not feeding on a schedule or trying to measure or count, but nurse the baby when he showed the desire or possible need, and be available, and to "wean" babies by neither offering nor refusing to nurse, as they got older and were starting to eat food.
Maybe when and how to offer monkey platters was, for me, an extension of that mothering that had made me aware of what might keep them content.
Sandra
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
THAT'S IT! That's what our first one ever was, and also done to be like the monkeys at the zoo. :-)
The primary reason I ever recommended it to others was because there seemed to be a steady stream of self-righteous mothers eager to criticize their children (almost always boys) for playing video games or watching their favorite shows until they were really hungry, but they weren't willing to turn them off to come and eat.
If eating is important, if food has a purpose, then it makes sense to put food where they're doing something that is THAT fascinating, and that engrossing.
And those discussions, years ago, came at the height of the days when just about every mom who came to unschooling discussions was flipped out because school or relatives or a doctor or the parents themselves were saying their child was ADD or ADHD (and there were daily discussions of the difference in those). Here they had a child clearly showing that he COULD pay serious attention to something for WAY more than two hours, and now they were complaining that he didn't have the ability to turn it off to go to another room and eat.
People hardly talk about ADHD anymore. Now they blame diet for things they see in their children that they wish were different. But still, a plate of food the mother has no fears or concerns about will help maintain health and a good mood.
I suspect that the idea of setting the food down without saying "i want you to eat this," or "Here, you should be hungry by now," but just setting it down with quiet sweetness and love, is related to the La Leche League practices (at least where I was, 20-25 years ago) of following a baby's cues, of not feeding on a schedule or trying to measure or count, but nurse the baby when he showed the desire or possible need, and be available, and to "wean" babies by neither offering nor refusing to nurse, as they got older and were starting to eat food.
Maybe when and how to offer monkey platters was, for me, an extension of that mothering that had made me aware of what might keep them content.
Sandra
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Sandra Dodd
-=- I think she wanted to extend the 'peace and quiet' for as long as possible and would make these fantastic mixed food plates for us and we'd all be delighted and it gave us fuel to play for longer.-=-
That too! :-)
They're like party food. When we have parties here, it's similar kinds of food out, only on their own plates, and not all on one.
-=- I learned that my mom and many, many other moms from all over the world had trespassed onto peoples gardens or orchards and stolen fruit or vegetables. Almost every mom recounted the 'thefts' with great fondness and pride. Which I remember thinking was incredibly cool, especially when I was about 8 or so.-=-
I had mixed feelings about my dads' stories of boys stealing watermelons when he was a kid, and a teen. They would sneak into someone else's watermelon patch and bring one out and eat it stealthily somewhere. He said "Stolen watermelons always taste the sweetest." I was little when he told me those stories and I thought he was a terrible person, but a philosopher. (Or something... some sort of mixed feelings in me.)
There was a cherry tree near our bus stop, and the owner had told his grandchildren to tell the rest of us that it was okay to eat those cherries. We would've anyway, but I liked it as a gift tree better than I would have liked to have felt I was stealing someone else's cherries.
-=-Quite possibly my love for different cultures, religions, travel, food, and anthropology started with these moms sharing their food and their stories.-=-
The prejudice for sit-down meals, and against food eaten whenever/wherever would suggest that conversations and bonding only happen at formal meals, but in my experience (and others have said so too) a formal meal can lead to stress and silence, or to "conversations" that are more like shaming lectures by the parents, or where kids say what they think the parents want to hear, instead of what is really in their hearts or bubbling up out of them. My mom had a "no singing at the table" rule. Because you could choke, was her explanation when I asked. But it meant someone couldn't even say "I heard a new song today, and it was like this..." and sing a phrase of it. Because it "broke a rule."
When I was in Bangalore, there were shops that said "Chat" and it wasn't about English chatting, and it wasn't a French cat. It was a snack shop--hand-held snacks and fresh-squeezed juice. "Chat" meant "snack" (I think).
Sandra
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
That too! :-)
They're like party food. When we have parties here, it's similar kinds of food out, only on their own plates, and not all on one.
-=- I learned that my mom and many, many other moms from all over the world had trespassed onto peoples gardens or orchards and stolen fruit or vegetables. Almost every mom recounted the 'thefts' with great fondness and pride. Which I remember thinking was incredibly cool, especially when I was about 8 or so.-=-
I had mixed feelings about my dads' stories of boys stealing watermelons when he was a kid, and a teen. They would sneak into someone else's watermelon patch and bring one out and eat it stealthily somewhere. He said "Stolen watermelons always taste the sweetest." I was little when he told me those stories and I thought he was a terrible person, but a philosopher. (Or something... some sort of mixed feelings in me.)
There was a cherry tree near our bus stop, and the owner had told his grandchildren to tell the rest of us that it was okay to eat those cherries. We would've anyway, but I liked it as a gift tree better than I would have liked to have felt I was stealing someone else's cherries.
-=-Quite possibly my love for different cultures, religions, travel, food, and anthropology started with these moms sharing their food and their stories.-=-
The prejudice for sit-down meals, and against food eaten whenever/wherever would suggest that conversations and bonding only happen at formal meals, but in my experience (and others have said so too) a formal meal can lead to stress and silence, or to "conversations" that are more like shaming lectures by the parents, or where kids say what they think the parents want to hear, instead of what is really in their hearts or bubbling up out of them. My mom had a "no singing at the table" rule. Because you could choke, was her explanation when I asked. But it meant someone couldn't even say "I heard a new song today, and it was like this..." and sing a phrase of it. Because it "broke a rule."
When I was in Bangalore, there were shops that said "Chat" and it wasn't about English chatting, and it wasn't a French cat. It was a snack shop--hand-held snacks and fresh-squeezed juice. "Chat" meant "snack" (I think).
Sandra
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Sylvia Woodman
On Sat, Apr 7, 2012 at 7:10 AM, Rippy and Graham Dusseldorp <
ripgray@...> wrote:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bento_box
Now I have to go check out Thali! Thank you!!!!
ripgray@...> wrote:
> **And I was reminded of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meze or
>
>
>
> She called them thalis (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thali), but the
> traditional thalis have lots of curries and sauces that can be very messy.
> Her thalis usually had easy to eat food - sliced up veggies and fruit,
> cheese, crackers, nuts, raisons, popcorn, etc.
>
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bento_box
Now I have to go check out Thali! Thank you!!!!
Tamara
There is also tapas
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tapas
before I knew about monkey plates I thought of my daughter as a tapas-eater. She likes the variety as well as the small bites.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tapas
before I knew about monkey plates I thought of my daughter as a tapas-eater. She likes the variety as well as the small bites.
--- In [email protected], Sylvia Woodman <sylvia057@...> wrote:
>
> On Sat, Apr 7, 2012 at 7:10 AM, Rippy and Graham Dusseldorp <
> ripgray@...> wrote:
>
> > **
> >
> >
> >
> > She called them thalis (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thali), but the
> > traditional thalis have lots of curries and sauces that can be very messy.
> > Her thalis usually had easy to eat food - sliced up veggies and fruit,
> > cheese, crackers, nuts, raisons, popcorn, etc.
> >
>
> And I was reminded of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meze or
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bento_box
>
> Now I have to go check out Thali! Thank you!!!!
>
Miliana Johnson
I found the Monkey Platter to be a wonderful idea for our family.
My daughters (4 & 6) and I have really enjoyed what we've called "the buffet table." In the morning I fill the table with a variety of things (sweet, salty, neutral, quick energy and filling) and by the end of the day most of it is gone.
I pay attention to what they won't eat and sometimes I'll ask why but I don't make an issue of it. If they don't eat it I probably will or, if I don't, I put it away and save it to try again in a few days. If it's something they've never had before I'll take a bite of it as I put it on the table as my nonverbal, no pressure way of "strewing." (because I know I have the tendency to be overly verbal)
Aloha,
Miliana
My daughters (4 & 6) and I have really enjoyed what we've called "the buffet table." In the morning I fill the table with a variety of things (sweet, salty, neutral, quick energy and filling) and by the end of the day most of it is gone.
I pay attention to what they won't eat and sometimes I'll ask why but I don't make an issue of it. If they don't eat it I probably will or, if I don't, I put it away and save it to try again in a few days. If it's something they've never had before I'll take a bite of it as I put it on the table as my nonverbal, no pressure way of "strewing." (because I know I have the tendency to be overly verbal)
Aloha,
Miliana
--- In [email protected], Claire Darbaud <cdarbaud@...> wrote:
>
> Hello,
>
> My family and I are experimenting with monkey platters. My son loves them,
> my daughter is not so sure. Sometimes she loves them and sometimes she
> complains that she wants a "real" meal with warm food.
>
> I wonder if you would share how diverse you make your monkey platters.
> Making one is fun, but making them more often I'm not sure. I would like to
> get more confortable with it, but right now, I spend a lot of time
> wondering what to put on them. I have looked at the monkey platters page
> for ideas, but if you reduce that to what my children like there aren't
> that many things to choose from...
>
> Do you have a sort of base of stuff that's always there and then change one
> thing or two? How many platters do you make in a day? Do you make them
> everyday? Do you make one for each person or a big one for all the family
> to share? Have you tried a buffet? How do you store the left overs?
>
> Do you still make regular meals? How diverse do you make your meails? I
> seem to end up cooking a lot of pasta because my kids like them, but we all
> get bored of too much pasta, more and more the kids welcome the pasta dish
> with a "not again!". But a lot of times, when I try and cook something
> else, they don't want it either...
>
> Any hints will be super appreciated :-)
>
> Thanks
> Claire
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
Sarah
Thank you Sandra for taking the time with both of these responses, but Thank you even more for the second. So very true. This seems to be taking an angle of rocket science and it really doesnt have to. For me its about being a peaceful parent and doing nice things for my family. Sometimes when I am sleeping in my children make my a fruit plate and bring it in to my bedroom, the pride in their eyes is something I cannot describe and I love it. Its the same idea. My children are not on groups or sites to lable that fruit plate a monkey platter. They did it cuz they know I love fruit , I would be hungry when I woke and they care about me. Thats it. And essentially thats all the monkey platter is. We dont have to think about it, and I think talking about it in this case as actully been a disadvantage. Just love on your kids , giving them things they might enjoy. done.
lots of kindness
Sarah
lots of kindness
Sarah
Sandra Dodd
-=- My children are not on groups or sites to lable that fruit plate a monkey platter. They did it cuz they know I love fruit , I would be hungry when I woke and they care about me. Thats it. And essentially thats all the monkey platter is. We dont have to think about it, and I think talking about it in this case as actully been a disadvantage.-=-
Some families might not have had the idea without being on groups or sites to read about it.
Too much thinking can sometimes be a disadvantage. That's why I've been asking people to read a little, try a little, wait a while and watch.
Sandra
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Some families might not have had the idea without being on groups or sites to read about it.
Too much thinking can sometimes be a disadvantage. That's why I've been asking people to read a little, try a little, wait a while and watch.
Sandra
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]