Wikipedia: Edamame bean is a preparation of immature soybeans in the pod…
…sounds like the kind of treatment my kids need before being presented with a vegetable.
Forever a challenge: sneaking something green and healthy onto my kids' dinner plates.
Yesterday, it was -18 degrees Celsius (0 Fahrenheit) without the wind, -32 C (-25 F) once it was factored in. A second consecutive day of skating on the outdoor rink was out of the question; my cut-off is -15. A round of phone calls determined play dates were an impossibility…what to do allllll afternoon? MOVIE!
To the theatre we went to catch the 1:30 showing of Puss In Boots. (Before I go any further, is it wrong - or in anyway unhealthy - to admire the virility, and swashbuckling style of a fictional, animated cat? I think I need help). We each had our own portion of popcorn, the kids each had a can of Fruitopia after the man at the concession stand swore it had significantly less sugar than apple juice (he even offered to wait while I compared labels – I have a feeling he's never stood in a line with a child overheating in a snowsuit).
Either way, I didn't really care. I was killing three hours, we were all happy and out of the cold, and besides, it's not like I was giving them soda, right?…Right?
They both fell asleep in the car on the way home. Perfect. 4 o'clock, the kids were passed out. All which remained in the day was to transfer them to the sofa, and let them work out the fuzzies and play while I figured out what to serve for supper, which I swore to myself would have to be healthy.
Rummage, rummage, rummage…chicken breast, excellent.
Rummage, rummage, rummage…salsa….hmmmm….interesting. Is it mild? Yes. Perfect. Are there enough vegetables in salsa to allow me to possibly justify serving only….ok, ok, no.
Alrighty, so we have: chicken, salsa, and a little rice in the rice-cooker to absorb juices and sauces at the bottom of the bowl. All that's left are those pesky veggies.
What is it about veggies? How often can you give a kid raw carrot sticks? Doesn't the carotene eventually give them a form of veggie-jaundice?
Broccoli? That was yesterday, and it was a fight. We tried Brussel Sprouts the day before…."Look kids, they're little, tiny, mini-cabbages…cute!"
"Really? How many do I have to eat before I get my cookie?"
Sigh.
But, alas! In the freezer: what light through yonder window breaks? I see a bag of corn kernels, and….edamame.
They're just like sweet peas, right? Nutritious, right? Says so on the package…
Everything, save the rice, gets dumped into a wok, and, voilà: 'Salsa Chicken with Corn and Edamame.' It always sounds so official when it's strung together like cooking shows do.
Now, to the table.
I preceded this meal with a short speech summarizing the great day that was: movie, popcorn, 'juice', etc. I state the price for this is no complaining about supper! Your bodies need veggies or you'll be 4.5 feet tall for the rest of your life.
At first, of course, I'm always told hot meals are too hot; can I get an ice cube? This time I resisted since often the ice cube not only over-cools the meal, but creates a watery base which saps most of the flavor.
The Boy insists it's still too hot, and just sits there, moping. He awoke at 6am and the fatigue is catching up…please, just eat some food. "It's too hot." It's not, I just tried it, and look, your sister's eating it. "I'm too tired". Please give me a break, you can't go to bed without supper, you'll be starving. '"Pout, pout, whine, whine, gulp."…a mouthful finally makes its way down his throat…then another.
The Girl, oddly, is not refusing the veggies, but rather rummaging through the meal with her index finger. Why? She likes those little green things. She's searching for edamame. Naturally, it can never be too easy; she doesn't like the salsa, which is poured over everything. As a solution, she's picking out the edamame, and cleaning it before she eats it.
Once again, I drag out daddy's favorite line: "Look, kids: you had snacks at the movie, so, after this, there's no dessert. If you don't eat enough supper, too bad, you'll be hungry."
No one seems to really care.
I suppose neither do I; not for one meal.
I remember, when they were infants, they would go through periods of refusing breast milk or whatever was on the menu that hour. The pediatrician comforted us by promising children will never let themselves starve to death; we should just wait it out and try again later.
When is later for broccoli? When is the breakthrough for Brussel Sprouts, spinach, bok choy, asparagus, tomato slices, and all that other good stuff?
I’ll wait it out and try again later. Until then, I need to know: can a child survive on popcorn and edamame? I have to begin prepping supper service in a few hours…
KennyBodanis.com 
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