I fully recognize that I maintain somewhat restrictive dietary habits. I also have two teenage sons (almost; my younger son turns 13 in November). I encourage their love of food by preparing things they’ll thoroughly dig eating. Eating rules.
One of the many advantages of this arrangement is gleefully experiencing indulgences through my young men. I normally dodge pasta as part of my menu, but today, I whipped up a breakfast pasta dish.
Dry, boxed or packaged pasta is heavily processed and therefore falls on my personal avoid list. From getfit.com:
Semolina flour is a refined flour made from the heart of the durum wheat kernel — a type of hard wheat with high protein and gluten content and a relatively low carbohydrate content. The flour is mixed with water and formed into a dough, which is then extruded or forced through a metal die to produce the many classic shapes of pasta. Semolina pasta is not a whole-grain pasta. Therefore, it contains less dietary fiber, vitamins and minerals than whole-wheat pasta.
To be clear, whole-grain pasta doesn’t change my narrative. If any food product looks and feels nothing like when removed from the earth or the animal, I have less interest. Quite simply, I urge us to eat foods as close to their natural form as possible. I stick to the flesh of humanely raised animals that ate their natural diet and organic, fresh veggies as my staples.
That doesn’t mean there is no room for flexibility. At Kaplifestyle, I emphasize finding your own way and progressing through trial and error. I follow that principle when it comes to feeding my sons as well. They’re young men now. I’m not carrying them in a baby Bjorn through their high school cafeteria, although I’d like to have a photo of that scene to share with you. They’re making the majority of decisions about what to regularly ingest. This is a totally natural progression.
As a moppet of 12 at Portola Junior High School in Los Angeles, I had a routine of scarfing two hefty chocolate chip cookies and a carton of milk at “nutrition” (the first break of the day at LAUSD schools), and there wasn’t a damn thing my folks were going to do about it. I was out in the world exploring flavors on my own, namely warm, under-baked, soft, processed, chocolate-y deliciousness.
My boys dig pasta, and that’s fine. I’m willing to make the compromise on boxed pasta dishes. Over time, their values may change as they select foods to meet their personal quality criteria. For now, I’ll do my best to make their taste buds sing (within the confines of my comfort level).
Today, I started with organic ziti. After lightly salting my water and bringing it to a boil, I added the pasta. As it cooked, I prepared organic bacon in a frying pan. When the bacon was crispy, I removed it from the heat and set it aside. In the same pan, with some added grass fed butter, I scrambled two free-range, organic eggs. After the quick cook, I added them to the bacon and tossed in a few tablespoons of chopped cilantro. At this point, my pasta was al dente and ready to be drained. The pasta and the egg/bacon mixture went back into the frying pan on low heat. I folded everything together just until well coated with the remaining butter and bacon fat, and then divided it out into bowls. I tossed in some finely chopped, raw, grass-fed Parmesan and Cheddar cheeses and gave it a good mix.
My growing monsters started their day with full bellies and big smiles. They don’t think about restrictions; they just appreciate tasty food. This is our mission as it stands. The last thing I want is for them to say, “Dad, I’m Paleo now” at age 12. Be a kid, kiddo. At least for a little while longer.
Kap
Susan Altman says
Love this Gabe. You are an exceptional dad!
Julie Dewing says
Susan, you are spot on!!!
Gabe Kapler says
Thanks, Jules and SA. Love you both.
slappythefishman says
Kap,
Good for you for not limiting your kids, nothing worse than a child who has been robbed of his or her sense of adventure.
It is a little bit time consuming but when I need a past fix…I make homemade sweet potato gnocchi in butter and sage…. It has that starchy comfort your get from a noodle but not nearly as processed.
Gabe Kapler says
Sweet potato gnocchi? Tell me more.
Joel Sproul says
Amen. Growing up is challenging enough without having parental imposed restrictions that keep kids isolated (unless it’s required for serious health reasons). Make mostly paleo meals at home and then let them indulge a bit. I’m sure they’re still eating pretty damn healthy in your household. I’m thrilled my 3-year old has no interest in sweets. Chocolate, ice cream, birthday cake – no thanks. I’ll take it for now. He does, however, LOVE pasta. But he also loves salmon, broccoli, cauliflower, & carrots.
This reminds me of Todd Marinovich, the QB prodigy. Remember him? I’m assuming he may have had other issues, but I remember reading how his dad was strict in his diet/training and his focus on preparing him to be an NFL Quarterback that when he got to college and had freedom to choose, he really let loose. Helping growing kids learn about choices and teaching them to make wise ones on their own is important. No doubt you are dong this.
Gabe Kapler says
How could we forget Todd? Tragic. Thanks for bringing a strong take us, Joel. Nice work.
Mike says
Kap,
Any advice or resources on some good ideas in your methodology that toddlers will eat? My 4 and 2 1/2 year old can love something one day and walk away from it the next. As a busy dad trying to please everyone, sometimes I feel like no one wins and we all end up choking down organic PB&J on organic bread. Not the worst choice, but could be better…
Gabe Kapler says
Mike, if I could go back in time to when my boys were 2 and 4, I’d have made one tasty meal for everyone, encouraged enjoyment and not prepared backups. In other words, “Men, today we’ve got skirt steaks and sweet potatoes for lunch. Not hungry? No problem, see you at dinner.” Same deal for snacks. Obviously, providing a great deal of variety is important, but you are not a caterer, you are a dad. Be fair and firm and enjoy your food in the presence of your youngsters. They will follow suit. There is much, much more to this, but I’m hoping you’re picking up what I’m putting down.
Kap
Richie says
My mom & mom in law are both Italian, so despite my own diet preferences, pasta has been a mainstay in my life. Let kids make the decision on where they want to go with their diets. Life is tough and short, so enjoy every minute. I eat a quality diet, yet I cheat a little here and there, even though I hate myself after..lol!
Gabe Kapler says
Be you, Richie.
Tim H says
Kap, have you tried the eizekiel pasta? I know you’re a fan of the bread (as am I). I tried the pasta last month and it wasn’t so bad
Gabe Kapler says
Thanks for the heads up, Tim. I’ll look into it.
Duane says
Great post Kap. Sounds like a good breakfast. As our daughter heads off to college next year we hope we’ve educated her enough to make wise decisions in all aspects of her life. Fingers crossed!
Gabe Kapler says
Thanks, Duane. Glad to have your daily contributions.
Duane says
KLS family is growing! Check in daily or ya might miss something.
Michelle says
Never need to compromise at Chez Michelle but you could make my egg white-oatmeal omelette sound appealing
Gabe Kapler says
Egg whites? What is this, 2002?
Terry says
I struggle everyday trying to get my 2 1/2 year old boy to eat healthy options(or anything at all during dinner time). Most nights I prepare two meals, one for mom and dad, and the second for him. That second meal could be crackers and cheese. How did you handle this when your boys were young Gabe?
Gabe Kapler says
Hey, Terry. I’ll write a post on this at some point. Stay tuned. If you don’t see one in the next 30 days, check back in.
kbeyazdancer says
Seriously-Can I eat at your house? I’ll chip for groceries.
I love your ingenuity! Your kids are lucky. As I have said previously, my father could not cook and whenever he made an attempt to cook, we usually ended up buying a new stove shortly thereafter (my parents had an electric stove and I can remember at least 3 being sent away because of damage he caused). His most creative meals were eggs and bologna. My mother was the one who kept all 8 of us and my father on the straight and narrow when it came to food. The fact that you are willing to try new ideas in order to satisfy their palates without shoving nonsense down their throats is really awesome. I dig that!
Strong, healthy, young men-Great job!
-Kelebek
Gabe Kapler says
Bologna and eggs? That actually sounds good. Thanks as always.
Jarrod says
Hey Kap,
Pasta is a real weakness of mine, I could eat it all day but clearly that isn’t going to do me any favours. I have taken to making my own pasta (simply eggs and flour) when I do give in and was wondering if that is beneficial or am I wasting my time?
Gabe Kapler says
I don’t ever think taking time to prepare food, even if it’s pasta, is a waste of time. Trial and error, brother. Stay strong.
Ed H says
I always like your family eating topics.
Gabe Kapler says
Thank you, Ed.
Msquared says
Kap-
I read this post while getting ready to prepare my mother a dish of whole grain vegan linguini (Fresh purchsed at whole foods; see fridge) with an organic ground turkey meat sauce….
Me, being somewhat of a breakfast connoisseur, totally digs the morning pasta fancy you have concieved within your scullery.
Some quick thoughts around this…
1) I echo the compliments you have recieved on side-stepping the tragedy that Mr. Marinovich helped create (somehow, sadly, my posts keep coming back to failed Raider quarterbacks…. ). Congrats on being a solid padre
2) like Slappy mentions, if the boys have a hunkering for pasta, I’d def urge you to explore the world of gnocchi.. (a personal fav of mine)… You can make it homemade with egg (organic), potato (sweet or regular, also organic) and flour (whole wheat or whole grain, organic as well). While time consuming, it is quite tasty and hearty once created. This can be something that you even recruit the young Kaplers to assist you in, as it requires some finishing touches via the human hand.
Good luck.
Read you mañana.
PS-
Reading all of the posts from the followers on here generally makes me hungry.
I see a Kap-potluck in the future…
I’m envisioning: Malibu, beach, sea breeze, organics, plenty of animal flesh, veges, volleyball nets, maybe some NWA on the speakers…… Steph tending bar…
And plenty of shared rumination……Boom.
Gabe Kapler says
You’re a beast.
slappythefishman says
one more thing…if you want to get away from flour…you can use a you can grind either hazelnut or red lentils combine with parmesan cheese….that will bind anything
Craig says
Kap,
P1 day one. How do you feel about before pasta? Is it that much better for you than the processed pasta we ate used to?
Craig says
Sorry. Auto correct. Veggie pasta. How do you feel about veggie pasta? Is it that much better than the processed pasta we are used to?
…….I’ll use my laptop from now on…..
Gabe Kapler says
Hmmmm. Veggie pasta? Will need to do some research. Sounds strange.
Chester says
Macaroni Salad is the new 40.
Gabe Kapler says
And all along I thought potato salad was.
Gabe Kapler says
I don’t ever think taking time to prepare food, even if it’s pasta, is a waste of time. Trial and error, brother. Stay strong.
Marshall Thomas Alexander says
Definitely having this for breakfast tomorrow.