Need Recipes for Parents and Baby to Enjoy Together

[hennaLisa]

Hey Everybody!
My husband and I are admittedly not the healthiest eaters. We have so little time that we eat way too much canned, frozen, and fast food. We have a 13 month old and have been making his food separately from scratch. We haven't given him added salt and sugar or any processed foods. I would like to get my act together and have some simple, healthy meals planned that the three of us can enjoy together on a weekly or biweekly rotation. Can anyone recommend some recipes?
Thanks!!
Lisa

[Wendy79]

I mentioned a book down below that is exactly about this--pretty much all of the recipes are things that parents would enjoy just as much as kids.

http://www.hungrymonkeybook.com

[henny penny]

I love Feeding the Whole Family by Cynthia Lair. Great information on nutrition and easy recipes for, well, the whole family! She includes convenient meal planning tips and strategies that could be helpful to you.

[hennaLisa]

Some Ideas...

Thanks for the reading suggestions. I'll take a look at those. For now, I brainstormed a few ideas for things we could eat that would utilize common finger foods our son enjoys. I'll put them here in case anyone else wants to use them, or comment on how I could alter them.

Breakfasts:

toast
eggs
cantaloupe

puffed wheat (not sure why, but he adores this cereal)
milk
blueberries

oatmeal w/flax
coconut milk
banana

puffed wheat
yogurt
peaches

English muffin
cream cheese
baked apple dices

pancakes
banana & blueberries
sauted cauliflower

baked breakfast casserole with:
oatmeal
cottage cheese
apple

Lunches:

Quiche
eggs
crust
broccoli
spinach
cheese
orange slices on the side

Spinach Casserole
eggs
cottage cheese, cheddar
bread topping
spinach, onion

Corn Casserole
eggs
milk
flour
corn

Sandwiches
turkey
cheese
bread
lettuce
tomato
avocado

Dinners:

Fajitas
cubed chicken
pinto beans
cheese
diced bell pepper and onion
diced tomato
lettuce
tortillas
optional: salsa, sour cream (more for adults)

Black Bean Burgers
black bean burgers, prepared ahead and frozen (w/ onion, garlic, bread crumbs, parsley)
served with:
cheese
buns
avocado
diced vege blend on the side (green beans, corn, peas, carrots) - my son LOVES this!

Indian (this one is still in the brainstorming stage, but my husband loves Indian food, and my son loves tofu)
cubed tofu
diced tomato
yogurt
coconut milk
rice
cauliflower
peas
optional: curry sauce (more for adults)

Steak and Potato
lean cubed beaf
black eyed peas
sweet potato
green beans or vege blend

Italian (I'm not sure how finger-friendly this one will be...)
ground turkey
pasta, garlic toast
tomato sauce, diced tomatos
spinach
onion, bell pepper
mushrooms

Taco Salad
beans
cheese
rice
lettuce
tomato
avocado
corn
peas
optional: salsa, sour cream (more for adults)

[hennaLisa]

by the way

I should mention that we are trying to think of more calorie dense healthy foods to offer to him because he has been losing ground quickly in the weight area. He was at the 90th percentile for weight and height when he was just a few months old, but was literally nursing non-stop. Then when I returned to work, he dropped off fairly steadily to about the 50th percentile for weight and height. Then he started walking at 9 months old and has maintained the 50th percentile for height, but dropped to about the 25th percentile for weight. He eats well, and nurses in the day and at night, but he seems to burn off calories as fast as we can get them into him. His Dad is the same way, still being stick thin in his 30's. We've added avocado, coconut milk, and egg yolks, but would love other ideas of healthy foods to give toddlers the energy they need!

[kjbrown92]

meatballs are a good finger food (and he could dip them into gravy or sauce). I make a big batch and then freeze whatever I don't use. Then they're quick to heat up in broth or sauce when you want them.

You can also have him start using silverware; he's got to do it sometime. Though Italian is pretty messy for just starting that!

Utilize your slow cooker as well. You can prep it the night before and then plug it in in the morning and dinner is ready when you are. Also muffins are good, which can be frozen then thawed pretty quick. On a weekend if you have more time, make waffles or pancakes. Freeze the extra, then toast them to re-heat.

How much is he nursing at night?

[hennaLisa]

Meatballs and muffins are a good idea

I haven't tried either of those, but they have great potential. I'll add them to my list. He does try to use a spoon sometimes, and can occasionally scoop something onto it and then get it to his mouth. More often, he gets frustrated and bangs the spoon around decides he doesn't want to eat any more. He rarely will allow us to feed him a bite with the spoon any more. He is very independent and wants so much to do things on his own. Finger foods have been our best option lately. For the last few weeks, he's also been rejecting foods based on squishy texture - such as chunks of sweet potato or avocado. He can pick them up and eat them, but instead, he picks them up and drops them over the side of his tray onto the floor below!

I try to get him to nurse as much as I can. I offer it all the time day and night (except while I'm working). He used to nurse 4-5 times at night. Now, it's more like 2-3 and I'm encouraging that to happen. If I didn't offer during the night, he would probably only nurse once while I'm in bed, and maybe only one side at that. I am sometimes torn because he does have 4 teeth, and I don't want him to get cavities, yet here I am trying to feed him all night long! Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated - especially ways to get healthy calories into him in finger foods.

[Li27]

Hi,
My DD is 13 months as well and we've been working on nutrient dense/higher calorie foods since she started eating food as she was always quite small.

Some ideas:
-add extra virgin coconut oil or olive oil to finger friendly veggies (e.g. over broccoli, carrots, etc.)
-bake chicken (or other meat) in coconut milk. It's easy and our DD loves this and the chicken stays soft so is good to cut up for finger food
-chick peas - if you mash them in half, they work for finger foods. Our DD likes them dipped in yoghurt (we also use 10% m.f. yoghurt - the brand starts with "L" - can't remember what it's called)
-lamb meatballs with ground almonds

Hope that's helpful!


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[hennaLisa]

Great Suggestions!

I love the idea about adding olive oil to veges and cooking chicken in coconut milk. We've also been adding flax meal to some foods, such as sweet potato, yogurt, and oatmeal. It gives things a stickier texture which I think will make it easier for him to learn to self feed (because it sticks to the spoon better). Other ideas are welcome!!