So, as of today, DAY 25, we are more than halfway through our No More Grocery Shopping challenge. We've also taken the SNAP challenge to keep our food expenditures under $4.50 per person per day (as an average). Honestly, staying out of the grocery store is by far the more difficult challenge when compared to coming in under budget. But, since I am committed to both, and we are doing reasonably well, I thought it would be fun to get another plate spinning in this whole food challenge circus side show.
Enter the 52 New Foods Challenge! Jennifer Tyler Lee, creator of this engaging game and 300+ page recourse guide and recipe book, is a writer, a foodie, and a mom committed to helping build strong, healthy families through fresh food experiments. As you know, my blog is all about experiments, especially with food. So, Jennifer's mission immediately resonated with me. The 52 New Foods Challenge is built around 7 Principles, all of which are easier said than done. However, as a mom of four, myself, I know that's the case with most things that are worth pursuing and family related. It takes commitment, creativity and connection to see a challenge through, and I know Jennifer Tyler Lee understands this, too. She never claims a quick fix though this process. Rather, she suggests a systematic, planned approach to introducing new foods and recipes to your family. That said, let me share with you two of my favorite principles from her book, and how we've incorporated them in our family over the years of raising children.
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| The 52 New Foods Challenge |
Let Kids Lead
If you've followed this blog at all, you have seen the kids leading out. If you are new to this blog, you should know that they have they taken each meal for the last month from the planning stages to the table , including making all the purchases before we started this crazy 40 day fast from grocery shopping. Through our experiments over the years, our kids have learned to do more with less, eat fresh on a dime, make a meal out of whatever is in the fridge even when you are exhausted at the end of a long day, and push the limits of their own creativity in the kitchen and in life.
"Can we have breakfast for dinner a bunch of times during my turn?" our youngest child, Hannah, asks.
"You can't do it a bunch of times because dad doesn't think breakfast for dinner is really a legitimate option, remember," responds her 16-year-old-sister, KC.
"What's not legitimate about waffles?" Hannah asks. The question actually inspires KC to go on a quest for hardy, not-your-regular-run-of-the-flour-mill waffle recipes. She found some and made them. They were legit.
They have also learned to tolerate frustration and failure to the point of trying again until they are happy with the results they get from a given recipe or experiment.
"Mom, you made the curry without me? it's my week and i suck at making curry. i really wanted to make it." Caleb, 13 complains.
"Well, you were napping and i tried to wake you, but you just didn't get up. So, I made it by myself. I'm sorry. And, how can you say you're not good at curry when poor, pregnant Aunt Katie tells me every time we talk about food how she craves that cilantro lime curry you made at her house this summer. She dreams about it. She loves it so much that even in restaurants she compares other curries to yours and they don't meet the standard."
"Well, she is pregnant," he replies, with a smirk. "Anyway, that was Thai. It wasn't as tricky as Indian curries, there are so many spices to keep track of, and I really wanted to learn the ones we did for Brennan's wedding." Our other son got married last December. We served Coconut Korma and Chickpea Tikka Masala, along with a lot of other highly seasoned menu items.
"Fine, I'm making it again later this week to post on the blog. If you are all caught up on school I'll keep you home for an hour so I can walk you through it." He has straight A's for the first time in his life. He mastered the Coconut Korma.
Cooking Together
While letting kids lead has gone a long way to teach our children new skills around meal prep, cooking, and budgeting, I have to say that the habit of "Cooking Together" actually saved our family. 2 1/2 years ago, our oldest child, Brennan, became ill with what turned out to be chronic, recurrent mono. Previously an avid eater and fan of all things foodie, he lost his appetite, lost 20% of his body mass, and lost his connection to most of the important things in his life - relationships, music, intellectual pursuits, food. He was sick. For a long time. It was life-altering. Still, throughout this trying time, we kept our habit of cooking together, entertaining a small crowd on Sundays, and planning food for special occasions . I have to give him an immense amount of credit for his example to our family, because even though he rarely felt like it, he always participated in the kitchen as an effort, actually, as an act of hope, to one day reconnect with food and people and life as he knew it.
During this time Brennan chose to become a vegetarian. This gave our whole family an opportunity to learn new recipes and reimagine old favorites. It also inspired us all to examine what we were eating more closely. Since then, every kid in our house has chosen a vegetarian diet. Caleb, has also chosen to quit refined sugar. (I tell him, "that is a great choice," as i shudder at the thought of taking that on personally.) Here, I have to say, feeding a bunch of vegetarians is the easiest family challenge I have ever confronted. My husband jokes about this because even though he still eats meat occasionally, he has always had more vegetation on his plate than anyone else, and hangs on to his "youthful figure" by consuming a colorful palette of fruits and vegetables. Me, I pretty much only eat meat on my date night, always incorporate as much color as i can encourage into our various kid managed menus, and will always be trailing my husband as far as overall fitness goes.
Wrap Up
So, here's what I've learned about family challenges: the bad news is, some of them you don't get to opt in and out of, and, sometimes they take a lot longer than you ever thought they would. The good news is, when you have foundational practices in place, like letting kids lead, and things as everyday as planning and preparing meals as a family, or looking forward to Sunday dinner entertaining, you can pull through just about anything together.
And, now, for the Caleb's Coconut Korma, prominently featuring 52 New Foods Challenge Ingredients: Garlic and Cauliflower (so, the ingredients aren't new, but the final outcome is unique).
Thanks, Dawni, for your beautiful photography.
Coconut Korma
2 Tbsp butter
1 medium onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups cauliflower florets
1 cup veggie broth
1 1/2 tbsp curry powder
1 1/2 tbsp garam masala
2 1/2 tsp salt
2 cups chickpeas
1 15oz can chopped tomatoes
1 15oz (regular size) can coconut milk
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 c toasted cashews
1/2 c golden raisins
2 tsp chopped chilis of choice
cilantro and rice to serve
1. Sauté onions and garlic in a large pan over medium-high heat.
2. In a separate pan, steam cauliflower in one cup of veggie broth. When cauliflower is steamed but still firm, add it, along with the broth to the onions and garlic.
3. Add spices and stir well. Reduce heat to medium. Add all additional ingredients.
4. Simmer to a gentle bubble for 15 minutes. Serve piping hot over rice.
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