Rachel would like to join us today on the blog. She has some thoughts on healthy eating, vegetables and whatnot. Here she is:
Hi everybody! How are you? I’m here, sitting in the famous orange chair, dictating my thoughts to Mom. 
First, I have to defend my taste of mushy broccoli. If you have to eat broccoli, the only way to possibly enjoy it (choke it down), is to have it cooked until it is soft and tender. Besides, Dad agrees with me. So there, Josh.
A note to Samuel – I happen to like salad (better than broccoli) so to think that it’s rotten lettuce is rather disturbing.
Anyhow. I like the exercise program even though it bugs me that Daniel and Joshua usually get ahead of me. Last night, Joshua, Mom and I went to the Y. There is a new family exercise room where kids and grownups can work out together. There are 2 treadmills, 2 elliptical machines, and 6 bikes. They have a table with coloring books and other toys.
We rotated from the elliptical to the treadmill to the bike, ten minutes each. Thirty minutes total. This is worth five points. I liked the elliptical the best. It was the easiest, in my opinion. I dreaded the bike because the 10 minutes seem to go on forever. I got cramps on the treadmill from going to fast. This doesn’t happen all the time.
Here I am on the treadmill at home, not the Y.
We started to do another half an hour when we decided to go home instead. Mom had a few errands to run.
The main things I have trouble with is getting in enough water and vegetables. I don’t drink that much water. I forget to drink extra water during the day. I think I drink a lot of half glasses, though.
For vegetables, the only ones I really like that are mostly available are carrots, lettuce and broccoli (we only have broccoli at dinner time). I get sick of carrots and I’m not that interested in eating five cups of salad a day. I’m the only one in the family (besides Mom and Dad) that likes cucumbers. Mom says I need to try some new vegetables.
What’s your favorite vegetable? Give me an idea of what to try? What do your kids like to eat? How many servings of vegetables do you think you eat a day? Have you ever counted?
As for measuring, I’m really good at that as I don’t eat that much. Weight training is hard to remember to fit in during the day. When you do do it, your muscles hurt really bad. When you’re done using the weights, it feels so good to lift up your arms and not have weights in hand. Push ups are not my strong point. I can, however, do sit ups.
All for now, see you later. Thanks for letting me blog.
Rachel
Rachel, I loved your thoughts on healthy eating and exercise. You are really getting to be a beautiful young girl. Your smile is my favorite. If I have to eat broccoli, I like it smushed too. Squash fixed any way is my favorite.
Have you tried that? Keep up the good work….and write in the blog again.
Malta
You are great, Rachel! So good to hear your ‘voice.’
I love spinach, zuccini, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, cauliflower (cooked mushy, of course- or esle raw, but NOT in-between).
I love YOU. Aunt Kate
Rachel,
Way to go on the excersing at the Y with your mom. I will admit when she first began reporting that you and she were taking ‘private’ trips to the Y for a workout, I was a bit jealous. Not only would I like to go to a gym and work out in airconditioning (ha!), I would love to hang out with your mom. Enjoy your times there, you will remember them fondly. Ok, maybe not the bike riding. I never liked that machine either. I agree, the elliptical is the best!
But I do have to disagree abou the broccoli. I do not like it mushed, but perfer it to be perfectly steamed. Slightly softer than the raw version, bright green with a slight crunch when bit. MMM. I NEVER thought I would even be able to eat it regularly let alone like it, but after a year on the ‘plan’, I have been converted! I have found that our kids liked their veggies pureed into soup. I snuck in lots of them that way. But now, no blender, so I just have to resort to the forcing method.
Miss you all so much!
Mrs. Burt
Hi, this is Ema.
My favorite vegetable is fresh broccoli. I do NOT like it cooked. I like carrots too. Corn, of course I like corn and I like cucumbers too, especially when they are in fried rice.
There are lots of really weird green vegetables here and other foods that I really do not want to try. But for fruits, I LOVE green mango. MMMMMM
I also like mangosteen. I do not know if you can get that in America. I like lychee too. It has a sweet sour taste at first. But it is so good.
I miss you Rachel!
EMA
Try roasted brussel sprouts, they are completely delicious! A little olive oil, a little kosher salt…YUM! Jesse and I were at the commissary, and could only find one bag of frozen sprouts (apparently EVERYBODY loves them as much as I’m starting to; either that, or, the store just doesn’t reorder them regularly), Jesse tried to hide that frozen bag of goodies under some frozen green beans and try to convince me that there weren’t any at all. I don’t know what got into him. I can’t believe I haven’t seen one mention of sugar snap peas.
Tracy
Rach, have you ever tryed completely raw onions? As long as you don’t eat the entire thing (of course don’t eat it with the skin on it though). Potatoes, green beens and peas are fine to me, Oh! And corn on the cob is also great. Anyway good job on the blog and please get Dan to be a guest blogger.
Clearly all this healthy eating is paying off, since Rachel was tied for first place in Putt-Putt golf last night. I can’t wait ’til she goes on the professional Putt-Putt circuit and I can be her manager, raking in endorsement cash by the barrel full.
Just to put the whole mushy vs. crisp broccoli controversy to rest, I would like to point out that many crisp broccoli eaters wastefully throw away much of the plant, only eating the soft tips of the tree. This is because the stalks (which probably contain the bulk of the nutrients) are too tough to eat when they are only lightly cooked. We hearty (but mushy) broccoli people have the moral high ground, and we don’t have to buy the more expensive ‘select’ broccoli tips like a bunch of sissies.
There. I’m glad I got that off my chest. Sometimes the truth hurts, but I find it best to just lay it out there, in cases like this.
Oh, and while I’m on my rant, I would like to point out that many of the respondents to this blog consider corn and potatoes to be legitimate vegetables (as opposed to the school of thought which foolishly maintains that “Potatoes and corn are starch, like rice or noodles”). I just want to take a moment to commend that attitude.
Hi Rachel! Great thoughts! We have two girls around your age (10 and 12) and they love vegetables and fruits. Veggies they love: Mukimame (shelled sweet green soybeans – we serve them with a little butter, salt, and pepper – they have a “bite” to them more like a boiled peanut if you eat those where you live. Asparagus, fresh of course, and cooked almost any way except mushy. Broccoli, steamed or raw with a yummy dip. Morgan (10) would add that one of her favorite veggies is okra – she likes it any way, even pickled. She is on her own with that one! The girls also enjoy baby carrots. Brooke’s favorite vegetable would be tomatoes – she’ll eat them like an apple! If I bring a pint of grape tomatoes in the house, they usually don’t make it to the salad bowl!
I think my girls would say their favorite fruit is the mango. They actually FIGHT over who gets to eat the flesh from around the large seed after I peel and slice it. They also both love fresh pineapple and bananas that still have a little bit of green on them. Oh – and apples, red for Brooke, green for Morgan.
Rachel, Uncle Thom and I always make sure to have onions and green peppers in the house. I can eat green peppers without anything else… I think they are THAT good. Thanks for your thoughts on this new routine. Good for you that you are doing it!
If you want a lot of comments, just write about a subject as emotionally charged as eating vegetables. That stands right up there with Calvinism vs. Arminianism as one of the most hotly debated topics.
Only one person mentioned my very favorite vegetable of all time which is asparagus. Here is the best way to prepare it. Spread the fresh stalks onto a cookie sheet and sprinkle with extra virgin olive oil, salt (sea salt or coarse ground is best), and fresh rosemary. Roll the spears around in the oil to coat them a bit. Put the sheet in the oven and bake at about 350-375°F until the color starts to darken. You can vary the time depending on how crispy/mushy you want them. I like them best when they just start to brown up from the olive oil and are crispy like French fries. Also spreading a bit of parmesan cheese on top is a tasty variation.
Dear Malta,
Well, I only like spaghetti squash. Which kind of squash do you like? I do like blogging even though I could have read more of my book last night. I think I stayed up too late blogging.
Aunt Kate – what about your grandkids? Do they like veggies or are they picky like me? What kind do they like? I can’t wait to see you in Michigan for Uncle Phil’s wedding. Love you too!
Mrs. Burt – I love going to the Y with Mom! I wish you could go with her and then I would stay home with Ema and Leah.
My mom makes soup a lot too. I usually never eat it. I don’t like beans. I like everything else but she puts in too many beans. What kind of soup do you make? Maybe you could give her a new recipe.
Ema – I like corn and cucumbers too! I miss you. What is green mango like? I’ve never heard of lychee or mangosteen. Is mangosteen a type of mango? You must have all sorts of different fruits and vegetables. Is it hot there today?
Mrs. Lenavitt – my dad likes brussel sprouts but my mom HATES them. She doesn’t ever buy them. I don’t like them either. Maybe I will try them again some time. My mom LOVES sugar snap peas. She eats them by the handful when we go to the produce store (even steals a taste before we check out – naughty!). Tell Jesse and Max that Daniel misses them. Joshua misses Phillip.
Samuel – I really like corn but it’s not a “green vegetable” so my mom doesn’t always let us count that one as a veggie. I like green beans and sometimes my mom will get me to eat potatoes with salt and butter. I’ve never tried onions. They make my eyes water when I chop them for Mom. Do you really eat them raw?? Weird. I’ll try to get Dan to blog soon.
Wow, Ginger. Your kids eat a LOT of veggies. I’d like to meet them sometime. How did you get them to try so many different foods? Were they ever picky? My mom says she has some soybeans and will get me to try them this weekend. Thanks for commenting!
Aunt Jenn, my mom doesn’t like green peppers, only the red and yellow ones. My daddy doesn’t like any kind of peppers and only barely eats onions (when they are well hidden). I’ve tried red peppers but didn’t like them that much (even though my mom says they are “sweet” she obviously needs more sugar in her system). My guinea pig adores them, however. If only he lived under the table so I could slip him some veggies during dinner. Of course, my mom says that would defeat the purpose of me trying to eat veggies. See you this summer!
I also drink lots of 1/2 glasses! Thanks for blogging!
Hi Rachel,
They’d love to meet you guys, too! They *know* you all from your mom’s blog. Come to Louisiana! We’d love to have you!
My girls aren’t picky eaters at all. They are very adventurous eaters. They love Lebanese food and sushi (but not at the same meal). My son (19) was a bit pickier – he WILL NOT eat green beans or any kind of squash. But he would eat almost any other vegetable. His only other big dislike is of roast beef – he thought it was too chewy.
*I* was the picky kid growing up. But I think my mom must have been picky, too. I don’t remember lots of different vegetables as a child – corn, green beans, peas I remember – I don’t remember broccoli or spinach. We did have asparagus, but it was out of a can and really mushy. Yuck. I didn’t like that.
When I got older, I decided to try some different foods and SURPRISE I liked almost all of them! My “don’t eat” list is very short – I don’t eat rodents. (Yes, in Louisiana, you must specify this. People here eat nutria. Look up what that is!) I don’t eat brussels sprouts, but I would be willing to try them again. I don’t eat okra. That’s probably about it.
My rule with my kids was simple – eat it or be hungry. :^D I didn’t want them to be picky like I was. So I never fixed something else if they said they didn’t want something. I usually had enough things, so if Joshua didn’t want green beans (which he never did – they make him throw up – I didn’t want him to eat them either), there was usually another veggie for him.
I also had “no thank you bites” for new foods or things they might not be wild about. A “no thank you bite” is a small portion of a food you aren’t sure you’ll like (or don’t like), but you put it on your plate and taste it as not to be rude. (We’re big on being polite down here in the south.) After a few “no thank you bites,” my kids would usually decide the offending food wasn’t so bad after all. I think you need to try something multiple times before your mouth can really decide if it likes it or not!
Enjoyed your view, Rachel. Thanks for sharing.
Ginger – thanks for that wonderful post! I think you are doing a wonderful job with your children. Have you always enjoyed cooking? My oldest likes to eat (as I’ve already shared several times) and is fairly open about what he’ll try. I’m still working on expanding our vegetable repetoire (dh is NOT a big vegetable eater).
No, I haven’t always enjoyed cooking. When we moved back to this house and only two burners on the stove worked (and then they’d randomly switch back and forth between high and off while you were trying to cook – no low, no medium, no medium high, just burnt or raw), I didn’t want to cook at all. But usually I do enjoy cooking. I like trying new recipes and having people enjoy them!
Green veggies. How about artichokes? And none of this steaming/boiling for 40 mins. on the stove . . . cut off the stem and the top 1″ and use a scissors to trim the rest of the pointed leaf ends. Rinse well under cold water. Wrap in plastic wrap and microwave on high for 6 mins. Let stand for 5 mins. when it’s done cooking. You can eat them warm or rinse off in cool water. We eat with — mayonnaise. (Okay, it’s light mayonnaise.)
Have you tried Caesar salad? This is the only green salad both of my kids will eat. We use romaine lettuce, a little fresh parmesan, and Paul Newman’s Creamy Caesar Dressing. You can add croutons if you want.
Technically, I think cucumbers, along with avocadoes, are fruits.
I’m not good at eating raw broccoli (or carrots or cauliflower). For me, it’s just a way to scoop dip into my mouth. I have to cook broccoli and carrots a LOT to like them. Cauliflower obviously isn’t green, but I have a couple of good recipes that my dh actually LOVES, so send me an email if you are interested . . .