I am no Chef, my husband can attest to that but when it comes to cooking meals for our son something has clicked. I made all his baby food from scratch from the start of solids.
I would go to the farmers market once a week grab veggies and fruit and steam, puree and put into reusable squeeze packets to use out and about. This was very shocking to everyone who knows me. I mean I still eat McDonalds on occasion.
MY BABY EATS ESSENTIALS
Anders was a dream eater up until he became 20 months, he started getting toddler picky. I mean this child would eat anything we gave him and all of it. Seriously he eat 6 ounces of white fish one night, we were all shocked. He then smelled like fish for the next 24 hours, like it was coming out of his pores, so wouldn't suggest this much in one sitting but just an example of this kids enormous appetite. As we approached toddlerhood we became picky about foods and that is completely normal. I didn't want to loose my good eater for good so I tweaked some meals to make sure he was getting in lots of veggies and protein. Here are a few of our favorite toddler meals.
VEGGIE & FRUIT SMOOTHIE
- Spinach and/or Kale
- Frozen fruit {blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, basically all the berries)
- Full fat greek yogurt
- Chia seeds (teaspoon)
- Raw organic milled flax seed (teaspoon)
- Water (sub almond, coconut milk)
During the summer and hotter months, I would use the extra smoothie and turn into smoothie Popsicles. Even my picky eater nephew devoured his yogurt smoothie secretly getting lots of nutrients. Also, great for those teething!
{ POPSICLE MOLDS }
PROTEIN SMOOTHIE
- Spinach
- Half Avocado
- Half Banana
- Almond butter
- Coconut milk or Almond milk
- Raw organic milled flax seed (teaspoon)
- Local honey
We have always seasoned all his food from the beginning, obviously lighter then we would for ourselves. I think it helps make a less picky eater. So these are meals that I would cook for us and then just cut the veggies super small and season less for Anders. He loves rice, around the age of 12 months we started making these Rice/Orzo bowls for him and he eats them right up. Combine everything too in hopes of avoiding the, "I don't want anything touching type of eater"
ORZO BOWL
- Orzo pasta
- Chopped mushrooms
- Chopped Zucchini
- Chopped Squash
- Avocado oil, Salt, Pepper & Garlic to taste
- Goat Cheese
- Option to add a meat like turkey or a chicken sausage
MEXICAN RICE BOWL
- Rice of your choice
- Corn
- Avocado
- Beans
- Shredded or Chopped Chiken
- Shredded Cheese
LEFT OVER RICE BOWL
- Any type of rice (in the photo above we used left over take out white rice)
- Whatever meat you have left over cut up small
- Riced Broccoli or Cauliflower (most grocery stores have this now)
- Avocado oil, seasoning to taste
When all else fails and he really won't eat any of the above I got to the tried and true plain pasta or mac & cheese. Half the time Anders doesn't like mac& cheese (I know, it's weird} but when he does here is how we make it so it has some protein and or fiber.
This brand BANZA is a must in our house when the picky toddler takes over meals. The pasta is made of Chickpeas and taste really good still, I swear! It has tons more protein & fiber.
- Banza pasta
- Avocado Oil
- Garlic, Salt & Pepper
- Parmesan and sometimes goat cheese
HEALTHIER MAC & CHEESE
We usually use a different boxed mac & cheese but when my husband shops at the grocery store he always buys the blue box. When you make the mac & cheese sub the milk and butter for Full Fall Plain Greek Yogurt. It is creamier (think velveeta & shells type) and adds some much needed protein! I found this recipe from FEEDING LITTLES , They are a great resource, I have mentioned them before in previous blog post
SHOP TODDLER EATS ITEMS
