The Caveman diet

I heard people talking recently about "The Caveman Diet". Apparently it's a way to eat like our ancestors did 10,000 years ago and has health benefits, at least according to some.

Well, at our place in Fitzroy, we have our own version of the Caveman Diet. I thought I would share with blog readers the particular dietary foibles of the T-ball Caveman. As regular readers know, he's got his, shall we say, 'unique attributes'. Don't get me wrong, he likes a lot of food that 'normal' five year old kids eat. But he does have some interesting habits.

First of all, the kid likes to eat. Ever see a kindergarten student polish off four hotdogs in one sitting? I have. (He had a baked potato too). Or try frying up half a pound of bacon like I did on Sunday - he'll match the old man piece for piece to finish it off.

But I think most interesting are his likes and dislikes in food. Check out the list below for what to serve him if you are ever hosting the Caveman:

Dislikes: Cake. Doesn't like it, don't bother to save him a piece. Sure, he wants to blow out the birthday cake candles at his own party, but doesn't want have any of the actual cake. Vanilla, chocolate, store bought, home made - doesn't matter. We've starting warning other parents since he was going to birthday parties and the other moms and dads were worried that he was "sick" since he didn't want any cake. Well, he's "sick" alright, but not that kind of sick!

Likes: Asparagus (or as he calls it "SPER-igus"). Loves it, can't get enough, thrilled when he sees it cooking. Because of course, what five year old doesn't get excited when asparagus is on the menu? Just tonight he was complaining at dinner that we hadn't had "SPER-igus" in a while and asked Mrs Fastball if we could have some soon. She said "sure we'll have it tomorrow" - much to Fitzroy Junior's disappointment.

Dislikes: Homemade chocolate chip cookies. Yes, he'll eat Oreos, and Fudgee-Os and other mass-produced cookies, but if you were to whip up a batch of homemade chocolate chip cookies, he'll say "no thanks". Not interested. Might be the only person alive who can resist freshly baked cookies.

Likes: Risotto. If you haven't had it, it's a broth-cooked creamy Italian rice dish. Pretty tasty stuff, but not something you think your wee lad would flip for. Fitzroy Junior actual starts tearing up and saying "please don't make me eat it" when Mrs Fastball cooks some. But the Caveman wants more "RIZ-atta please!".

Dislikes: Cheese. Well, not entirely true - he likes melted cheese on pizza, a 'gorilla cheese' sandwich, etc. But he hates cheese in its non-melted form. I've seen Fitzroy Junior actually chase him around the house with a piece of hard cheese...."Ahhhhhh cheese get it away from me!"

Likes: Broccoli. Caveman really enjoys chowing down on broccoli. 'White broccoli' (cauliflower) , green beans and Brussels sprouts are also OK by him, but he really enjoys a good feed of broccoli. One night, we are back at the homestead after a night of kids' softball. Mrs Fastball is out so I'm getting the young lads ready for the night. Caveman asks for a snack before bed. "No problem" I say, "but it has to be healthy". I offer an apple, a banana, some strawberries, but he doesn't want any of them. We go through a few more options and he keeps saying no. I'm getting exasperated so I say "Well what do you want? Broccoli?" The Caveman says "Sure!". Turns out he's serious, he'd like broccoli for a bed time snack. I get the bag of Green Giant frozen stuff out, put it in the microwave, whip him up a bowl. And there's the Caveman, sitting in front of the TV watching cartoons before bed, snacking on bowl of broccoli like it was popcorn!

So there you have it, some meal ideas if you have the Caveman over to eat anytime soon.