Okay, so here's what I made for dinner last night:

Couscous with Lemon (lemon juice, lemon zest, evoo)

Macadamia Nut Crusted Chicken (chicken;  flour dipped, egg dipped, then dipped in macadamias ground with panko bread crumbs, sauteed in evoo and finished in oven)

Roasted Brussels Sprouts (the usual, vegetable roasted with evoo, coarse grain salt and pepper)

My Plate:  little bit of couscous, trying to cut back on carbs, big piece of chicken.

Hubby's plate: everything, he could eat six double-doubles a day and not gain an ounce

Zoe's plate: everything, "I only like your chicken Mama, take these green things away"

Melia's highchair tray: everything, she's a baby and I have to offer all food groups or I'll be voted off good mommy island

Alex's plate: everything, never know what food my little Taurus will be in the mood for, but unexpectedly, "Can I have more green stuff? I don't want this chicken"

My seven year old son ate his brussels sprouts ("baby cabbages", actually) and finished everyone else's. I had eaten my share as I roasted them in the Advantium, "checking them" every so often, letting the earthy goodness break apart in my mouth.

What kid does that - gobbles up brussels sprouts with out being threatened? I've seen him eat two plates of broccoli for dinner before, but brussels sprouts? I swear by roasting veggies to make them tasty, but my son devouring brussels sprouts made me think I have less to do with his genetics than ever before. I'm not bragging about my child's precocious food choices or sophisticated palate - I'm envious that little shit who is my child is so voluntarily healthy.

Couple of weeks ago, baby Melia scarfed up the golden beets I roasted. "That's the Greek in her," says hubby. Oh, of course, Celtic people, like my ancestors, never ate root vegetables at all. There was never any crisis called a "potato famine", apparently.

But I have to admit he was right...beets are native Mediterranean plants and my kids have a tendency to eat the way their Aegean ancestors did, they seemed programmed to eat food in its most organic, close to natural state. I grew up on mayonnaise and Lawry's! I have had to re-program my metabolism and seek therapy for my eating habits, but my kids gravitate towards fructose and whole grains over processed, refined sugar and have the energy of ten Olympians. Plus, their gorgeous olive skin hardly ever burns, even when I don't apply SPF 2,000+. Every vacation I went on as a child involved long, painful vinegar baths due to overexposure to El Sol.

Then there was a time in Hawai'i when someone asked me if I was my child's Nanny. Yep, I did all that gestating just to be considered hired help.

Oh well, next time they have a temper tantrum or get dramatic over the seams of their socks "poking" them, I will be reminded of how much they are like me.

But at the dinner table, I'll be envious of my own kin as I scrape the burnt, oil-laden breading crusties from the bottom of the pan and my son opts for green vegetables.

I imagine my son, years from now, reading Plato's Republic on a beach in Santorini..."So, what did Celtic people contribute to the world, Mom?"

"Why, Stonehenge, Camelot, corned beef, cabbage, potatoes and ale, honey." And probably sunscreen.