Yesterday was a great day for learning Spanish as well as delicious meals. I don’t know why I decided to experiment a little, but I’m glad I did. The boys were extremely happy with their meals and that doesn’t happen very often. There are days that one meal works and another doesn’t. There are also days that meal time can feel like it takes forever because they eat it so slowly. I can’t complain too much, though, at least they eat healthy. They always eat their fruits and veggies, thank goodness. For that reason I’m so glad we started them early on the love of healthy food. I am also very glad they like to try new foods even if I have to sell it a little. When I found these recipes online, I knew I had to share them with the boys.
For lunch I decided to try a recipe I found for “sopa de fideo” which is a tomato based soup with thin noodles. You can use actual fideo noodles or if your grocery story doesn’t carry them, then you can just cut noodles you have. I used angle hair noodles and broke them into small pieces.
We would eat sopa de fideo a lot as kids. It brings back very lovely memories. This soup is one of those comfort foods that make you feel so warm and happy inside. I just had no idea how much work went into it at all. I should ask my mom her recipe for it to compare, but I must say this one was close. It makes me want to grow a bunch more tomato plants so I can make my own sauces and soups. I adjusted the recipe here a little as I didn’t have and don’t like onions and garlic (crazy, I know). Instead I added half a teaspoon of cumin which happens to be my favorite spice.
As far as a teaching moment with this, I used the whole dining experience to tell them about how I grew up. We sat at the table and as we ate, I talked about Mexico and yummy food. We talked about family and how wonderful it was to bond in the kitchen and at the dining room table. We talked about how important it is to keep traditions alive even if they are just cooking or playing in the kitchen and family meals. In Mexico, my family has been known to sit for hours at the dining room table, chatting about our lives, laughing at each other jokes, reliving old memories and just being happy together. It wasn’t only a tasty meal, but one that made me feel a little closer to my boys.
Then it was time for dinner. I let them play while I prepared the main components. We decided to do our take on “make-your-own-taco” night and it was awesome! I have been reading a lot about how to get kids involved and make them feel independent at the same time. I saw a post about letting kids make their own sandwiches on Super Healthy Kids and thought, why can’t it be tacos? I’m so glad I did. I even made our own taco shells.
All you have to do is warm the tortillas just a bit in the microwave (no more than 30 seconds) and then spray both sides of a tortilla with cooking spray. Lay them in a preheated oven at a temperature of 375. Place the tortilla over two of the bars of the oven rack as shown and bake for 8 minutes or until crispy. This makes awesome shells and because of the rack makes them stand up on their own which is great for little hands. I also cut the tortilla in half before I baked them so they could have mini tacos making it easier for them to have full control.
such concentration!
Something as simple as choosing what they put on a taco can do wonders for their self-esteem. They were so excited that they created their dinner that there was not a single complaint. I think they thought their own taco creation was the greatest thing they had ever tasted because they made them themselves. They devoured them and wanted more! Hooray!
Our teaching lesson this time was naming and recognizing the ingredients. We would name the ingredients as they filled up their tacos. They put everything I put on the cupcake tray on their taco which made me happy as they were mostly veggies.
green peppers, lime and cilantro, lettuce, avocado, tomatoes, sour cream, salsa, cottage cheese and shredded cheese
There is a a game the boys like to play in the kindle which also reviews foods as a guy eats them and says “gracias” (thank you) and then makes munching sounds every time he gets food. My little one loves this game and at dinner said “gracias” and munched every time he took a bite. Now that is a compliment in my book!
All in all, I feel amazing about the day. We shared, we learned, we grew, we ate good food. I have to find a way to keep this going. Any suggestions?
Bilinguazo 