B.R.A.T. stands for..

Bland, Repetitive, And Tortuous?

My girl has been suffering from some stomach issues of the especially yucky variety.  I'll spare you the details, but let me just say thank goodness at least one of us parents has overcome squeamishness in this last year.  (That would be me.)

Actually, it stands for Bananas, Rice, Applesauce, Toast.  The pediatrician's office didn't even want to see us when I called in to discuss Victoria's symptoms.  They just diagnosed over the phone that it's some kind of stomach flu, and told me to put her on a strict BRAT diet for two weeks.

On this, Day Four, I can tell you the poor little thing is out of her mind with displeasure at being denied all her favorite foods.... fruits, tomatos, and of course milk.  Saltines, plain pasta, and clear liquids are an extremely poor substitute for her usual diet.  The worst part is that all the rest of us are eating normally.  So when she has to sit down at the table in front of her plate of white food, and her brother is sitting next to her happily eating broccoli, pizza, and cherries, she tells me, "I want dat food, Mommy."

On Friday, she stayed with my sister N for a half day while I was at work, and told her that she wanted N's food, not "Mommy food" from the bag of starch I brought with me.

Today at a restaurant, I allowed both children to have a blue, slurpee-type drink, after confirming with the server that "This is not juice, right?  It's just artificially flavored, artificially colored sugar water, right? Excellent, I'll take two."  Wow, I never thought I would hear those words coming out of my mouth.

My cousin, a doctor, suggested broth, so I've been making a "soup" of chicken broth, pasta shells, and a small amount of "sneeze-a-ning."  This seems to be marginally more appetizing than the other foods I've been giving her.

Suggestions on how to make something tasty out of rice, pasta, cereal, crackers, clear liquids, bananas, Jello, applesauce, breads, or other simple starches?