to think it's not child abuse to make the DC's....

[BigMomma3]

eat spanish style chickpea stew with wilted spinach . DD has made herself choke to get out of eating it and DS1 has been in tears at the table. I cannot believe the fuss they made! DS2 ate it all after a slap bit of gentle encouragement!!

DD screamed 'why can't we eat normal food like normal families?' When asked to elaborate she said we should eat mashed potatoes, chips, fishfingers and sausages etc (which we do eat as well as my veggie concoctions ).

I have also refused to buy their usual Cocopops and Cheerios and am making organic porridge with dessicated coconut and golden syrup for their breakfast and we were late for school this morning due to the amount of time it took for DS1 to take one spoonful . I am sick of them always wanting to eat crap (although even if I give them pizza or chips they usually don't eat much because they are constantly raiding the fridge). AIBU to take a stand or am I wasting my time??? They are aged between 7 & 12 BTW

Oh yes,scone based pizza!

So easy.
I usually make a tuna one from M&S recipe book.

Think that´s tomorrow´s lunch sorted!

I cannot get DD to eat fish fingers, no matter how hard I try

No, tell a lie, yesterday I managed to get her to eat 2 mouthfuls by bribing her with ketchup (bad mummy).

We generally eat foods cooked from scratch but I know DD (2yo) wouldn't eat chickpea curry, but then neither would I, don't like pulses at all. DD is a fussy bugger though. I did BLW and 'they' all promised me it would make the child less fussy - they lied!

Right, in defence of my mum's cooking, here goes.

This is a traditional tapa from Seville (from the 'Moro' cookbook), and you can eat it as a supper on its own, although it also goes well with fish or pork.

I think it's delicious - but if you're keener on traditional British style stews, it may not be to your taste.

Garbanzos con espinacas

2 tins chickpeas
olive oil
500g spinach
75g white bread, cubed
3 garlic cloves, sliced
3/4 teaspoon cumin seeds
small bunch oregano, chopped
small dried red chili, crumbled
1 1/2 tbsp red wine vinegar
pinch saffron, infused in 4tbsp boiling water
1/2 tsp sweet smoked paprika

Wilt the spinach in half the olive oil. Take it out of the pan. Heat the chickpeas up in the pan, just so they're warm.
Heat the other half of the olive oil in a frying pan, and fry the bread for 5 mins till brown, add garlic, cumin, oreganoa dn chili, and cook for 1 more minute. Put this in a mortar with the vinegar and mash it up.
Put the bread mixture in the pan with the chickpeas, and the saffron-infused water. Make sure it's all hot, and season with salt and pepper. Put the spinach, make sure it's hot, season again if necessary. Sprinkle a little paprika on the top. You can serve it with fried bread or with toast if you like.

morningpaper "REALLY? for BREAKFAST? it is ALLOWED?"

It is always after 5pm somewhere in the world!

Hope you enjoy it Northener nothing better before a nice day out in the cold, really revs you up.

That sounds gorgeous, GrendelsMum. My three year old absolutely loves chickpeas and would like every bit of that apart from the dried red chili.

I love the sound of the chickpea and spinach stew. As a non veggie I'd pobably griddle some chorizo pieces and throw them on the top.

Yummy.

DS (3) would never eat it though.

Hiya, OMG I know exactley what you mean!!! My DD1 is now 3 n half and when she was younger she would eat anything!

I am overweight and have desperately tried to give her a good balanced diet and I have succeeded. I think as she's getting older though she's starting to be fussy. I also follow slimming world plan and make a lot of stuff from scratch, it all tastes delicious and not bland but she's not keen.

TBH I did look at her the other day eating some quorn concoction and felt a bit sorry for her...off I went to the supermarket where I bought so sausages, smily faces, cheese strings, bigger yogurts ( as still giving her little petit filous size things ) and some pomme bear crisp things and some oreo's. I had to stop and think, she is only 3 n half and has such a varied diet and will always eat well but she had no good stuff. She was in nursery 3 days a wk while I was working but I'm off on maternity now as just had my second DD so she's not going, they used to get more interesting stuff there.

So now I'm making the effort to make her flapjacks and cakes and if I'm making a 'boring' dinner for me and DP I'll stick her a sausage under the grill and do some seperate stuff.

Your chicpea things sounded lovely though! My kind of food. She still has fruit and veg and healthy cereal etc but just a few more kid friendly meals now too.

YANBU though the bloody fuss they make! I have often said to her that she's lucky to have such good food and sometimes children don't have any food ( fell on deaf ears, don't know why I was trying to preach to a toddler!)

Tonight I made a chcken hot pot and the fuss!!! there is nothing in it that she wouldn't eat sepearetly...ARGH! Anyway I'll go now before I continue ranting all night