Eat this...not that

If any of you have read any past posts about my Hunter and his eating, you would know that he's picky.  Picky like a scab.  And it's getting worse by the day.  It's not even that he'll only eat certain foods, it's more that he really only feels like eating when HE feels like eating, sometimes going days without a bite.  And even then he could refuse his favorite foods if they aren't cut right, or if he sees a spec of spinach poking out of his grilled cheese, or if cheese is ever so slightly hanging off a pizza. Its beyond annoying and has erupted into many a fight.  It's gotten so bad that Sonny and I were so happy that he ate chicken fingers the other night.  Like the worst food possible....but he was EATING.

So lately the no-fails are pizza, Pbj's, and faux fried zucchini (and apparently the random chicken finger).  The zucchini is awesome...he will, no joke, eat an entire one prepared this way.... but I cannot feed my child on these things alone!  I refuse to feed my child these things alone.  And trust, I always give him some kind of healthy option at every meal, peas, carrots, eggs, celery, spinach salad, something that may someday spark an interest.  And I am NOT that kind of mother who gives in easily to the food fights.  So, I've decided...in this year...that I will fight fire with fire.  If he wants Pbj's, its always on whole wheat bread, natural PB...and yesterday I mooshed up some raspberries and just spread them on instead of the jelly.  Cuts down on sugar and he is still happy.  And tonight, another successful fire fight.  I made pizza....out of EGGPLANTS!!  You heard right folks!!!  And he relished it.  Asked for more.  Ah-mazing! Sorry about the pics...they were taken mid bite....

{"E-Julius!" (that's "delicious" in Hunter speak) }

I used this recipe here from Cooking Light, making Sonny and I some delish low-fat, low-cal, eggplant parm.  Try it...you'll LOVE it.  Well I reserved a few of the pieces and just made little pizzas out of them, the crispy eggplant serving as the "crust".  A little homemade marinara, a little mozz, and voila!!  Eggplant pizza!  He gobbled them all up.  Not only am I giving him something that he likes, but I'm giving him something I like too.  And it's so much better than pureeing foods and hiding them (although I am going to do that as well....just to shove a little more in that tummy). He's seeing what it is, and I flat out told him "This is eggplant pizza."  He just heard pizza and started eating.  I'm hoping to come up with a few more twists on things he likes this year, and of course I'll keep introducing the things I would like him to eat.  But for now, I'm just happy that the food is going down!!!