"Eggplant Rolls ...Coming Right Up!"

When Marisa was little, I never thought the day would come when she would be able to eat a varied diet. Then when I started offering 10 points for trying a new food, she ever so slowly started to expand her food choices.

Today, at 19, Marisa has become a true food connoisseur, always ready to try just about anything. Presently, when she approaches me with a new recipe, though I might not be that eager to venture too far from my tried and true favorites, I have to be willing to comply with her request. How can I in good conscience, possibly say no to someone who is so eager to expand her culinary experiences ... especially someone who used to be so limited in her food choices?

How can I say no to such recipes as:

Cherry Tomato Salmon, which by the way turned out to be spectacular,

Black Bean Tacos, which needed a bit of tweaking to make it a winner,

Grilled Asparagus and Zucchini Lasagna, which made me complain about the steps involved, but I tried to sound optimistic, because it wouldn't have been fair to discourage Marisa. As it turned out it was also quite good, and I assured Marisa that next time will be easier because, as I pointed out to her, experience with recipes is like anything else ... you improve and perfect after the first time, because we all learn by doing.

Tonight's recipe will be Eggplant Rolls. I can't say how it will turn out, because Marisa and I haven't made this one yet, but after reading the recipe over a few times, I am hopeful, even though I'm not very good with eggplant.

Marisa has not only learned to try many different foods, but she has taken it upon herself to pursue a healthy and nutritious diet, one with a good deal of fruits and vegetables, high fiber, and foods that include heart healthy fats.

This crusade to eat healthy was with the intention of losing the extra 25 pounds she carried around from years of eating fast food as a young child. This all stemmed from being on a stubbornly limited diet. I honestly have to say that I didn't think she would succeed in reaching her weight loss goal, but succeed she did ... reaching her goal weight by making healthy food choices and exercising daily.

There is a lesson to be learned from this. Have faith in the goals our children set for themselves. If something is important for us to achieve, we try to find a way to motivate ourselves to reach that goal. Why should it be any different for our special needs kids? We need to find out what it is that motivates each of our children, so they can work on reaching their goals.

So these days when Marisa approaches me with a new recipe to try, I think, Good for you! You're going to make us a healthier family. Then what else can I say, but "Eggplant Rolls coming right up!"

I hope this will be another winner!