My picky little eater

I will be the first to admit; I have a picky eater. It is partly my doing; I offer her choices, and she chooses. She chooses when to eat and what to eat. She even chooses how to eat; standing up mostly when we are home. Although I have been trying to promote sit-down meals at home, I am not disciplined enough to enforce them. I pick my battles, and asking JR to sit down at a table and eat is not high enough on my list. Chairs are modern day artifacts, and I want her to continue squatting and sitting on the floor as long as she can. 

So she picks what she wants to eat. Some days, she has carrots for breakfast, others she has pasta. Some dinners consist of French toast or pancakes, while lunches can range from sliced turkey breast, to avocado to a full meal with fruit afterwards. Every day is different. Every meal brings a surprise element.  But one thing holds true, she makes the right choice every time.

I have a kid who gobbles down a legume salad, have plain asparagus and broccoli for dinner, and snack on green beans and beets; she even ate Brussels sprout once or twice. My girl eats Labneh (kefir cheese) with a spoon, drinks Ayran (a Lebanese yogurt drink), and nibbles on cheese and zaatar after dinner. She has never had a hamburger, does not know Slurpees, and has yet to set foot in McDonalds.

The above being true, when JR asks for chocolate, you can be sure she gets some; but not just any kind of chocolate. The only chocolate this little girl has a taste for is Godiva; the treat Teta brings her after work. "While other kids will have Hershey bars in their lunch boxes at school, this girl will take Govida Gems," I tease. But that's ok; I am intentionally cultivating a picky eater, even when it comes to chocolate.