Recent Adventures in Food

We know that my diet is difficult with my hypoglycemia, but Regin also has his own set of peculiarities when it comes to food.  And though I know he doesn't mind the taste, I have a heckuva time trying to get his daily veggies in due to texture and other issues.   So I'm forever trying to find ways to make veggies more appetizing to him.  One solution I found was to make veggie smoothies.  He usually likes them, some versions more than others, but I'm not happy about the fruit juice/banana I have to use to make the smoothie sweet. 

Another solution I found was to cut steamed veggies with cookie cutters.

My first try was with sweet potato flowers.  Each had a dab of butter as the flower's center.  Regin loved them!

He went straight for the ones that still had visible centers first.  So... when I went to make veggie shapes again, and didn't have butter (or cream to make butter with), I dabbed ketchup for the centers.

He likes to explore the feeling of ketchup, but does not like to eat it.  Maybe that's why he's giving me the finger.

Another new thing we've tried is almond butter and jelly sandwiches.  I'm still too influenced my American fears to give him peanut butter even though it's probably fine.  But he's had almonds before, so I gave him almond butter (which is up to about $10 a teeny jar here!)  Another example of his texture issues...  It was all touch and no taste.

One important thing I've learned from all my research is that you can't assume that kids don't like something because they turn their noses up at it a couple of times.  Apparently you have to give it to them at least ten times before they'll start to accept and eat some things.  So I'm staying on with the veggies.  I refuse to be one of those mothers who feeds their kids crap because that's all they'll eat.  I know that can't be true.  It's not like kids in other cultures starve themselves rather than eating whatever rice and vegetables their mothers have prepared. 

As far as cooking for me.  I'm absolutely extatic, since having given up grain, to have discovered almond flour!  I have been making myself almond bread once or twice a week.  I've mostly used almonds I grind myself with a coffee grinder.  But those come out dense, heavy, and wet.  I've also tried store-bought almond powder which I have found in a couple of the tiny organic stores here.  That came out fluffy, almost like cake (using the same recipe)!  All I need is some stevia and I can have something baked AND sweet!  Haven't found stevia yet though, and no, I cannot eat artificial sweeteners.  They give an insulin response.  Besides, keep those yucky chemicals away from me! 

I've also tried combos of the almond flour with coconut flour, and some variations ended up like cornbread.  Yum!  But none of them will really hold as a piece of bread or cake.  Everything crumbles.  Time to try a new recipe perhaps.

Here's my cakey almond bread baking away in my tiny oven...

Ooh, I think I might make some more tonight.