green beans please

With our new kitchen remodel almost completely done - my vow to start cooking has arrived. *Gulp* But it wasn't until the kids came home "starvin'" after school that really propelled me to wear the apron.

Our routine has always been for Aaron to come home, shop for dinner, and then cook a meal... which usually would present itself by 8pm. The kids couldn't do this anymore with school in full swing. They would fill up on so many pantry snacks - it was driving me crazy.

So I've taken dinner duty seriously for the past few weeks - balancing out flavor, colors, nutrition and the time. I personally didn't grow up eating "vegetables" - Mom cooked those inside the meal. And I'd just eat my favorites, like spinach (turnips - yuck!). But what about these others... green beans, peas, asparagus, etc.... They are so foreign to me, that unfortunately my kids aren't growing up eating them either.

So there they were - on our plates for dinner. And just like that - they were outcasted before they had a chance to introduce themselves. Ava was easy to bribe.

Yes. I said it. Bribed. With a Blue Bell Fudge bar. And within seconds, all the greenery on her plate disappeared. She looked at Noah and said she'll wait to have dessert with him. But Noah wouldn't budge with his grin.

He had to inspect it, rip it, smell it... and then whine about it. Looking down at my own plate, I realized I hadn't touched mine either. So I distracted myself and started to chew. For the next 20 minutes, Aaron, Ava and I talked about vegetables - how they weren't just going to go away. We talked about Popeye, how his cells need the nutrients -  you name it. Before I knew it, my own green beans were gone. It's by no means my favorite - but they are good for us. They are vibrant and beautifully green. Crunchy and soft... with a punch of water inside of our mouths. There's nothing else like it. I say, more green beans please... 

We're still working on convincing Noah though... 

What kind of veggies do you love?