My son had a cold all last week (translation: does not eat well when he’s stuffed up — who can blame him?) and then this week he threw up on Monday night and stopped eating very much. My husband and I haven’t been able to pin it down to anything in particular that caused his episode, but needless to say, his bad eating from having a cold changed to practically no eating…
Thankfully, he started eating a little better yesterday and ate really great today, which we hope is the end of roughly two weeks of us ripping our hair out. Hats off to all of you moms and dads who deal with this every day…
Click below for the photos…
MY SON’S LUNCHES
(gluten-free/dairy-free)
MONDAY
Basmati rice, sardines, green beans, pepitas,
strawberry coconut milk yogurt, crackers, and sliced pears
I asked my son what he ate for lunch and he told me, “beans.” He didn’t eat the rice or fish. The other stuff he ate during snack. I’m missing my sardine lover! The daycare menu was meat and cheese lasagna, pineapple bits, green beans with fruit and ice cream as snacks.
TUESDAY
Ground chicken taco meat (with corn and tomato paste), sliced baked potatoes,
green beans, Ella’s smoothie packet, crackers and cheese, bar
He was ill on Monday night, we all overslept since we were up in the night – this was a throw-it-together meal. Again he just ate the beans and then the rest of the “snacky” food. Daycare menu: ground beef, mashed potatoes, orange wedges, diced carrots with yogurt and bread with soynut butter as a snacks.
WEDNESDAY
Pasta and peas, sliced pears, hard-boiled egg, bacon,
blueberry muffin, crackers.
All he ate was the bacon. He even left the muffin, which I had made specifically because I knew the other kids were getting super junky blueberry muffins from a package. For snack he ate the crackers. When I picked him up, he was very fragile. Not a shocker since he didn’t eat! Daycare menu was tuna with whole wheat pasts, diced pears, peas with fruit and blueberry muffins as snacks.
THURSDAY
Soup, applesauce, muffin, pears, chocolate coconut milk yogurt,
muffin, sliced pears, bacon.
I gave him more bacon since that’s obviously a favorite. I’m told he didn’t touch the soup, but ate the bacon, yogurt and applesauce. He didn’t eat the muffin, but maybe had a slice of pear. Waaahhh, I want my soup lover back. Daycare menu was: cheese ravioli, strawberry yogurt, diced peaches, green beans with fruit and ice cream as snacks
FRIDAY
Applesauce, muffin, chocolate yogurt with pomegranate seeds,
baked trout with baked carrot sticks, cornbread with honey, pretzels in bag
That’s the same muffin by the way. They sent it back so I left it there. Thankfully they told me he ate a little of everything. Who knows if we’re out of the woods though. Daycare menu: chicken nuggets, mac & cheese, applesauce, diced carrots with yogurt and pretzels with cream cheese as snacks.
MY LUNCHES
MONDAY
Open face chicken salad sandwich, blueberries in passionfruit yogurt, grapes
(apple & KIND bar not pictured)
I didn’t make this chicken salad myself — we went out last weekend and I bought it at a gluten free restaurant. I had a ton leftover. It was amazing.
TUESDAY
Naked juice, more chicken salad, grapes, baked potato
I made the most divine baked potatoes with just olive oil and sea salt baked for an hour at 350. They were amazing for dinner, though not as delectable the next day but not terrible at all. I was in a hurry since we overslept.
WEDNESDAY
peas and pasta, egg, muffin, apple
There’s something simple and lovely about peas and pasta. I actually could have added more peas.
THURSDAY
Smoked salmon, avocado, spinach leaves, crackers (in foil bag),
applesauce and apple
I got out the salmon and put it in my lunch (having already made my son’s packed lunch). He saw the salmon and asked for some. Assuming he’d just eat one bite, I gave him a small piece. He ended up eating the rest of the package. So that was a good thing, but I didn’t have any left to put in his lunch…
FRIDAY
Crappy hurry up lentil soup, grapes and blueberries, cornbread with honey
apple, KIND bar
ο»Ώ
Friday was one of those days where I wish I could eat school lunch. We were in such a rush. I just had to throw together a crappy thin brown lentil soup from a can (I say crappy because I know it looks bad, but it actually tasted fine). I did find the time to squeeze honey all over my cornbread so by the time I ate my lunch, it had thoroughly sunk in and was delicious.
Some advice from a preschool teacher; PLEASE keep your sick son at home until he has properly recovered. It is inconsiderate to him, the other children and the staff to drop him off when he was throwing up a few hours earlier, feeling poorly or just not up to participating. We will not accept children until they are symptom free for 24 hours for fevers, tummy issues or rashes. He might just need a few days to rest. I hope he feels better soon.
I would eat every single one of those lunches! I am actually taking a page from these because I am dairy intolerant and gluten sensitive as well! Keep up feeding that wonderful food to yourself and your family. Hope your son feels better soon! Don't get discouraged with your meals, even the ones when you're "in a hurry" look great! π
have you looked into the GAPS diet? it sounds like your sons immunity is suffering, and it could clear up dairy and gluten sensitivities, improve digestion, etc. just a thought! it is an inconvenience for a while, but it makes for a long-term improved life.
the meals look great! love the sardines π
I loved seeing the Naked juice. I used to drink Naked juice all the time when I was having my parents buy my groceries for me, haha. It quite an expensive juice for a poor college student. Someday, I will drink it again.
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I am an American man, and I have decided to boycott American women. In a nutshell, American women are the most likely to cheat on you, to divorce you, to get fat, to steal half of your money in the divorce courts, donβt know how to cook or clean, donβt want to have children, etc. Therefore, what intelligent man would want to get involved with American women?
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BOYCOTT AMERICAN WOMEN!
Eh… now I see why Mrs. Q was approving the comments for so long… :\
Lunches all looked delicious by the way. I'm sorry to hear your little tyke's sick again. π
these lunches looks really good! I'm a student, and I was curious – do you put your smoke salmon in the fridge when you get to work?
I hope your son gets better soon
Just Better Together
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Boycott American women? What?!
Is there anything flavoring the peas and pasta? I have never seen that combination before.
I think boycotting American women based on poorly informed stereotypes is just plain wrong, and I'm in that commenter's "acceptable wenches" crowd, probably, because I'm born foreign… All the American women I know are good-hearted darlings, and I count many of them as friends, and my opinion is not swayed by this silly misinformed fool's hate speech.
As another thing, had Mrs.Q had the chance to stay at home with your son, she'd likely have taken it, so although the anonymous preschool teacher is right, at the same time, sometimes situations can be such that there is no other option.
@Mallory, based on the picture, it looks like plain frozen peas with pasta. My mother makes her simplified version of Pasta Carbonara with added frozen peas, and it's delicious, so to me, it's not so far fetched to just add plain peas, either.
I'm sure this has been addressed before, but I'm curious as to why lunches are made in the morning instead of at night so you don't have to rush. The beans and peas looked a little "white" are they frozen when you put them in the lunches or just leftovers from dinner and cold?
I could be wrong, but I *think* it's because Mrs. Q spends her nights blogging/writing, which she does from the time her son goes to bed until she goes to bed herself…
lirpalynn39 – I make the lunches in the morning. I'm usually doing something related to the blog until the wee hours. Yes, the peas were frozen when I put them in there. By lunch time they have defrosted completely. Love, love, love peas and pasta!
I also want to say that I made smoked salmon "sandwiches" with the crackers — delish
Is that pasta and frozen peas?!
I'm trying to find some new recipes for my lunch which are fairly easy to put together π
I miss Naked juice as well…haven't had it since I was in the dorms and bought it with meal points. Ah, the life of a poor college student. π
I am so going to ask for a laptop lunchbox for my 21st birthday π Hopefully we can get them in the UK!
Just want to reassure you — you're in the worst of it. Kids, during the first two years they spend with lots of other kids, get sick all the time. It can happen now, or (for stay-at-home parents) it can start in Kindergarten — but it will go on for about two years, and then suddenly, the child's illnesses will be much less frequent. They have developed immunity to all of the most common illnesses. For my son it was during the years from 1 -3. He was sick all winter, both winters, and had a couple of really nasty summer illnesses also. Now, at 9, he never gets sick. I think he's taken exactly one sick day this whole school year. Maybe 2 last year.
Also, for kids to not eat at all when sick is completely normal (and shouldn't worry you too much). Their body is using its energy healing itself, rather than growing. My "great-eater" would go through a 2-week period of eating next to nothing when he was ill, especially when he was two years old. I would swear, he had eaten nothing at all for days, and then suddenly, he would eat everything in sight, once he felt truly better. That also goes away somewhat; my son still eats when sick now that he's in 4th grade, though not quite as much (!).
Yeah, I remember those first several years, when my daughter was in daycare –my god, we were sick all the time. Our pediatrician told us to just expect her to be sick with colds all winter, and she was. Luckily, by the time she got to kindergarten, she was sick a lot less than kids who hadn't been in daycare. It happens whenever the kids first go to "school". Now that she's 10, she might get one, very mild, cold a year. And my husband and I (who both teach college) usually get a cold from our students, not from her anymore!
It's tough to work full time and be parents those first few years, but you get through it eventually. Hang in there, and take a break from the blog when you need to!
Don't worry too much about what he's eating. When kids are sick, they just aren't hungry. What you're doing seems very healthy–you just give him lots of healthy foods and let him find his own preferences without judging. He'll probably love (and then hate, and then love again) things like soup and sardines. It's wonderful that you're not making a power struggle of it.
I hope he feels better soon. By the way, those blueberry muffins you made look yummy!
Thanks! You guys are reassuring!
Yes, I was going to say the same thing as others above: The 1st couple of years in daycare/kindergarten/school are the worst, until the child develops immunity to the common viruses. My son was sick very often during his first winter in daycare, then the next fall/winter in preschool he developed a terrible cough that would not go away. He had it for more than 2 months and was eventually given an inhaler by his doctor; the doctor said he thought it was asthma. For those 2 years I was constantly sick myself catching all his colds and I started having frequent tonsil infections (fortunately he never got tonsilitis himself). Eventually his chronic cough went away and the next winter he had only one cold (February last year). Since then he hasn't had a single cold/cough. His sick days so far this winter were for a stomach virus that was going round his school.
Whenever he is sick he doesn't eat much; I just try to make sure he drinks enough liquids, and he will eat a piece of apple and a few bites of toast or crackers. I know he is over his illness when he starts eating again, gobbling up everything in sight. Your lunches look great (for a healthy person) but I would be surprised if a sick kid were to eat so much.
I am surprised that your daycare allows you to bring him there when he is sick and vomitting. Here, all daycares, preschools and schools have a universal rule that sick kids (with fever, vomitting, diarrhea, eye infections, or anything that makes them too sick to play outside) have to stay away until they have been symptom free for 24 (or in some places 48) hours. If you do take your child to school sick and they notice he has any of these symptoms they will call you to pick him up.
I know it's hard working full time and having a sick kid. I have three children and believe me, I get it. I don't have a job that's easy to leave either or to stay home from.
But you really do need to keep him home if he's been vomiting or has a fever within 24 hours. Most schools have this policy and it's unfair to lie to them by witholding the truth if he's been vomiting.
I know it's hard. But please do the unselfish thing and think of the other parents. Maybe your child is sick because another parent knowingly sent their child to school that way.
We both have hard to leave jobs, which is why we alternate when our kids need to stay home. It's not easy..but it really is the right thing to do.
I will just echo everyone's thoughts on the "it will get better" front. Two years ago we were so sick all the time that I think they named new diseases after us! Every month was something different–ear infections, sinus infections, seasonal flu, stomach flu, pink eye. Just awful!!! But things have gotten better. It just takes time. The best advice I can give is to teach your boy to blow his nose. That may not be easy, but I believe this goes a long way in getting them better, faster.
I've got to say–a lot of people are commenting about how kids don't like to eat when they get sick, however even as an adult, I'm the same way. I'm usually a chronic grazer in between my meals (healthy grazing, but still…). When I get sick though, all of my hunger just totally goes out the window. Even in my late teens/early twenties it drove my dad crazy, but over the years I've learned to accept that while I'm sick, I practically survive off herbal tea, and once I'm better, I make up for all the missed food by ravenously eating again.
I've learned to listen to my body when I'm sick. If I don't feel hungry, I don't bother trying to eat. If I am craving something specific, I eat it. As soon as I'm on the mend, I know my appetite will come roaring back, and my body will tell me exactly what it is that I need to be eating to get my strength back. Maybe your little guy is the same way. He seemed to know, by looking at his lunchbox each day, what foods he really wanted to eat, and which ones he didn't. I find it interesting that he went for the high calorie bacon and the nutrient-rich green beans. Sounds like exactly the stuff I'd nibble if I was really sick, too. It's like… if you're sick, and you know you're not going to be able to stomach much, you want as much bang for your buck as possible, I guess.
Yeah. If he's sick food might not appeal to him. If he is hungry, he will eat :)! And he does try! Did you know that most children eat until they are full? Never over?
Mrs. Q:
Does your son eat the food lukewarm? Or does the teacher microwave it for him?
And I am also curious, as other posters, what you flavor your pasta and peas with?
Thanks!!
Molly
They have a microwave!
Someone was looking for a recipe to brighten up their lunchbox. I thought I'd throw one out there, that does combine pasta and peas! π
Quick Pasta Carbonara
(My mother used to make this for us with pasta tricolore of red, white and green pasta dyed with tomato and spinach to make the colour of the Italian flag, when I was little, and I loved it, although it's a bit of a cheater's recipe!)
– Diced onion
– Diced ham (my mother used to use smoked ham)
– frozen peas
– Cooking cream (she often uses a vegetable oil based non-dairy cream, as those are readily available in Scandinavia)
– Pepper to taste
– A little vegetable oil for frying, if using low fat ham
First, prepare the pasta as instructed on the package.
Heat up a non-stick pan, add the diced ham, and let them get a little bit of colour on medium to medium-high heat. The ham will leak some of its fat into the pan, so you may not need oil at all. Add and sautΓ© the onions on medium heat until transparent, this will add sweetness to the dish. Add the cream and bring to a boil, mix in the frozen green peas just before serving, so they only defrost and heat up without cooking to retain their fresh flavour and colour.
Serve over pasta immediately. You may serve this with grated cheese, I don't feel the need for it.
I don't use salt for this recipe, as most hams are already a little over-salty to my taste.
I also occasionally make a variation of this recipe, where I leave out the ham, prepare as instructed, and add some cold smoked salmon to the dish just after the cream comes to a boil. It's tasty, and healthy (low fat non-dairy "cream" and fish for those Omega-3 fatty acids).
Enjoy. π
In my last two years of high school *graduated in '09* I started bringing my bento to school packed with sticky rice, freshly sliced strawberries, cherry tomatoes, anything that was good, but healthy. By the time I returned to class, I was one of the few who had any energy to do school work! If I didnt feel like having sticky rice, I'd replace that with wheat pasta! I also made onigiri with onigiri moulds, as well as hard boiled eggs in different shapes. You'd be amazed with what you can do with bento boxes!