Peachy Appetit: Whipped Cream, Please

So all you health conscious peachy mommas out there.. I am one of you. Really, I am. I only give my toddler water and milk as thirst quenchers. I avoid juice and offer fresh fruit instead. As I make my grocery shopping rounds, I read the nutrition labels on everything.

But, sometimes I do have to bend the rules a bit for the greater end goal of getting a good balance of foods in TJ's diet. So, although it may seem a bit of a guilty pleasure, I have been serving up berries with whipped cream for TJ.

Why? .. Some of you die hard, unadulterated-fruit-fanatics out there are gasping (I can hear you!). I've been serving whipped cream with berries because they aren't always sweet. To entice TJ, whipped cream has an element of fun, as I spray a small squirt onto his plate. I figured, hey, my pediatrician recommends that TJ continue with whole milk anyways, there isn't any fear of having some fat in whipped cream.

Plus, it's only a small squiggle of cream. It's not like I'm serving whipped cream with berries. It's berries with whipped cream.

Well, it worked. I first start off with some reverse psychology. I have some myself and pretend that it's off limits to TJ. Then, as he's pawing for it, I say, "Okay, you can try some." And for showmanship, I shake up the can, wide eyed, and go, "ooooohhh, berries and whipped cream." And voila, the little munchkin bites, literally.

TJ has a super sour face, but he laughs open wide, like a little kid who just got away with something awfully off limits. It turns out that the whipped cream really doesn't even stay on the berries as he dips them in, one at a time. TJ doesn't know how to scoop yet, so he ends up really eating the berries a la natural.

After a half a dozen days of serving this, TJ doesn't realize it, but his taste buds have acclimated to the tartness of berries. So, one day, I served it up without whipped cream. I held my breath, fearing I'd have to buy a 20 can case of whipped cream at Costco. (Exhale) The little cutie didn't even flinch. He just popped them in and gave me a big, peachy smile. Good job, buddy!