Kids Eat Plants, Too

I always find it interesting when parents tell me that their kids "only" eat chicken nuggets, macaroni & cheese, french fries, etc. When folks see how Lily eats with us, there are always remarks.
"My kids would NEVER eat that!" "Wow...will she really eat that?!" "How do you get her to do that?"
I used to laugh it off. Then I got defensive. Now, I've just resigned myself to being weird by other people's standards. Feeding Lily a variety of foods has always been a priority for us. We never wanted to raise a picky eater. We love trying new things and experimenting in the kitchen; it's important to us to cultivate that lifestyle for our children, regardless of age.
So with Lily, we started early. I made her first foods to ensure she was exposed to variety of textures and flavors. The end result is we now have a toddler who eats just about anything that doesn't eat her first.
Lily loves beans, greens and almost everything in between. Her favorite foods include avocado, broccoli, greens, nuts, fruits and nut butters. She likes ethnic food and American standards. She also loves everything she's allergic to, but that's a different story.
She also has dislikes. She prefers cooked veggies over raw ones, peeled fruits over those with skin and sweet potatoes over white ones.
I don't judge others for what they feed their kids, but I do object to parents who act as if they are powerless victims. A child cannot force an adult to do anything that adult doesn't want to do. Our daughter doesn't eat chicken nuggets and mac & cheese because those are foods we never bothered to introduce into her diet. It hasn't been convenient, but it's been worth it.