We’ve officially hit the stage where Roslyn thinks she’s the queen of mealtime. At just over 13 months, she has opinions, strategies, and apparently, a very firm stance on citrus. Spoiler: oranges reign supreme, pork is for peasants.
This week’s HelloFresh adventure was the Carb Smart Rainbow Pork Tenderloin. Colorful, bright, and balanced — it’s the kind of dish that makes you feel smug about how well you’re eating, until you watch a toddler rip it apart with the glee of a raccoon discovering a garbage bin.
The Adult Meal
HelloFresh describes this one as pork tenderloin with roasted beets, carrots, and juicy orange slices. My husband did his usual magic in the kitchen — searing, roasting, plating — while I stood around pretending to be “helpful” but really just stealing orange wedges before they made it to the cutting board.
The end result looked like a rainbow on a plate. Tender pork, earthy roasted veggies, a drizzle of sauce, and those glorious citrus slices that brightened everything up.
The Baby Modifications
For Roslyn, we went the obvious route: cut everything into bite-sized pieces. No salad, no fancy drizzles, nothing with sharp edges. Just good old baby-friendly chunks of pork, carrots, beets, and oranges.
Now here’s where it gets entertaining.
- The Oranges: These disappeared faster than I could blink. She stuffed wedge after wedge into her mouth like she was storing food for winter. The child could live off citrus if we let her.
- The Beets: Surprisingly, a mild success. She gave them a few thoughtful chews, got that “earthy” face toddlers make (like, “why does this taste like dirt?”), and then decided they were acceptable enough to swallow.
- The Carrots: Solid. Nothing groundbreaking, but they made the cut.
- The Pork: Dead to her. Absolutely not. But to be fair, she hasn’t been much of a meat eater lately. It’s like she took one look at the pork, weighed her options, and went, “Why waste belly space when there are oranges?”
Toddler Dining Habits, Volume II
The newest trick in Roslyn’s playbook is food ripping. She’ll grab a piece of pork or carrot, tear it apart with impressive toddler strength, and then toss the remains to the floor. The dog, of course, thinks this is the best development in human history.
Our approach? No eye contact. No dramatic “Roslyn, no!” speeches. Just a casual, stone-faced commitment to ignoring the chaos. I’ve read (and been told by seasoned parents) that drawing attention to the food-flinging only encourages it. So we’re trying the “we don’t care” strategy. Internally, though? I care deeply when she launches my husband’s perfectly roasted beets onto the floor.
Another current highlight is her insistence on feeding herself with a fork. She’s surprisingly good at it! We load the fork, she grabs it, and proudly shoves the food in her mouth. Unless, of course, she decides the dog deserves it more. Then the fork gets waved around like a magic wand before handing over the goods.
Final Thoughts
The adults gave this HelloFresh meal two enthusiastic thumbs up. The pork was juicy, the veggies roasted to perfection, and the oranges tied everything together. Roslyn, however, gave it… one orange-stained smile and a lot of dramatic pork rejection.
But that’s the beauty of this stage: it’s messy, it’s unpredictable, and it’s hilarious. I’ll take the flying food, the dog bribes, and the citrus obsession — because watching her figure out food on her own is half the fun.
Verdict:
- Adults: Clean plates.
- Roslyn: Team Orange, forever and always.
Pictures of the event:
Here are some sweet pictures of Roslyn chowing her supper down. The clean plate was after she’d gifted her food to the dog. Sigh.
