Photo: coal

Who knew watching an “innocent” nature flick called Microcosmos with my almost-three-year-old ChowBaby would lead to tough questions about the food chain? Yet there we were. Snuggling on the sofa. Enjoying our nightly TV ration. Watching a spider spinning a web. When, suddenly, a cricket launched itself into the picture and I knew it couldn’t end well.
 
What to do? Hit the pause button and attempt to redirect? Cover his eyes with my hands? Let him watch and use it as an opportunity to teach something about the circle of life? I have no idea if I did the right thing. But in the moment, I opted for the latter.
 

Living in an urban area, I make a point of reminding Atticus  where his food comes from. He’s got the fruit and veggie thing pretty down since we grew our own produce last summer in our front yard garden in Maplewood, NJ. (Check out our old garden courtesy of Fritz Haeg of Edible Estates here.) 
 
Grapes grow on a vine…right, Mama? Blueberries grow on a bush…right, Mama? Carrots grow in the ground…right, Mama? This is a game he likes to play while standing in front of the open refrigerator (wasting energy). But the animal thing? Now that’s a different story.
 
I grew up in farm country. And I knew from the get-go that the meat on my plate was (recently) the animal chilling in the barn. I don’t think my parents once worried that I was too young to make that connection. Or if the information was too much for my little psyche to handle. It just was what it was. But I have the luxury (or the misfortune, depending how you look at it) of keeping this information from my son. At least for a while longer.
 
Still, I’m trying to keep it real. In a way that teaches him that food doesn’t grow on the shelf in the supermarket. That food shouldn’t be wasted. That food (and our food supply) must be treated with care and respect. I know it sounds weighty. And it should be for us adults (we’re seeing the consequences when we take it for granted). But from Atticus’s preschool perspective, it mostly means don’t throw your dinner on the floor!
 
Anyway, while we were watching the movie, I took my cue from Atticus. He leaned toward the screen to get a closer look at the spider “mummify-ing” the cricket and sucking its juices. And when he asked what was happening, I told him the spider was making and eating his dinner. Just like we make and eat our dinner. (Sort of.) He seemed satisfied and jumped off the sofa to read his shark book. Leaving me to worry that I just scarred him for life.
 
So far, it seems not. In fact, when we were playing the refrigerator game yesterday, he pointed to ham and asked where it came from. I told him it came from pigs. “Pigs?! Nooooo waaaay!” And then asked for a bite.
 
Here’s a super easy recipe for chicken, chickpea, and cauliflower korma that I make every other week. It combines fresh ingredients and a prepared sauce–so you get a complex dish with minutes of prep (the slow cooker does the rest). And because it contains both chicken and chickpeas, it gives you the option of leaving out the animal protein. Especially if your little one is feeling funny about chowing down on chicken after you’ve told him that chicken comes from chickens.
 
 
Slow Cooker Chicken, Chickpea, and Cauliflower Korma 

(can be served to kids 10+ mos)

4 skinless boneless organic chicken thighs (can leave this out)
1 container Maya Kaimal korma simmer sauce
1 15-oz can organic chickpeas (also known as garbanzo beans), drained
1 head fresh organic cauliflower (broken or cut into florets) (you can also use kale or swiss chard)
1/2 cup organic chicken broth

1. Place chicken thighs in bottom of slow cooker.

2. Cover with drained chickpeas.

3. Add korma sauce and chicken broth.

4. Top with cauliflower (or kale or chard).

5. Set slow cooker to low and cook 7 hours until done. 

Tips: Salt to taste for bigger kids and adults.  Serve with rice.