Garden Update: Early Girls Are Here!

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Yesterday, I went to the store to pick up some things to make sandwiches for dinner. I can not have a sandwich without tomatoes. And, of course, that’s the one thing I forgot to grab! And you know how it is, unless it’s a dire ingredient, I wasn’t heading back out just for tomatoes.

So I went out to water the garden, and check on progress before dinner. Low and behold, I had tomatoes ripe and ready to go! I swear it happened over night. They were green forever.

I was so excited! I brought some in, washed them, and left them hanging around on the counter until it was time for dinner. Meanwhile, Little Miss Sassy Pants was running around the house like a headless chicken. I was standing at the counter making sandwiches, and suddenly, here comes the tornado -A.K.A. my child.

Without thought, and before I could grab a camera, she reached up and snagged a tomato off the counter, and immediately started munching! She ate the whole thing just like an apple. Like mother – like daughter I guess! Then she was fishing around for more, so I gave up the only other tomato to her. How can you deny a two-year old a fresh picked tomato? You can’t!

So I had a tomato-less sandwich, but I did get to steal a bite of hers. Let me just say, you haven’t tasted a tomato until you’ve picked one and eaten it straight off the vine within minutes. These might be small, but they pack a huge flavor! I don’t know what I did wrong to keep them from growing to average tomato size like they should have, but I don’t care. They taste so good, who cares how big they are? My daughter didn’t, that’s for sure. There’s at least 20 more on the vine looking close to turning red, so I’ll be keeping a close eye on them.

I was going to make and can salsa and tomato sauce with them, but I don’t think there will be enough after me and the kiddo get through with them.

And on that note, I’m thinking I need to pop some cherry tomatoes in Chloe’s lunch more often. Lunches have gotten soooooooo boring around my house. Ever get in those slumps where you swear you’re putting the same food in the lunch box day after day? I usually pack leftovers for her, but I haven’t been cooking much with the air being out. It was fixed last night though! Yay!

I’ve been reduced to stuff like PB&J’s and leftover mac and cheese. I’ve noticed her lunchbox coming home with about half her lunch left. I think she’s out of her growth spurt now, so it doesn’t surprise me. I notice it more now when she grows. She will eat for what seems like two weeks straight – non-stop. Just anything and everything. We call her the human garbage disposal, because she really will try anything. Then, all of a sudden, her clothes don’t fit right, and she looks like a bean pole again. Tall and skinny. That’s about the time her appetite hits the road and we go into about a week of picky eating. She won’t try anything new, and suddenly ousts what used to be her favorites. Lately, she’s put a ban on green food. She will not, under any circumstances, eat green food.

I can’t wait for that to pass.

So, what do you put in your toddlers lunches? I need some ideas to get my inspiration rolling!