Toddler Meals

[OJazzy1]

Ok I know that this has been asked before but I can't seem to find the threads. My toddler has entered in to the kind of picky eating stage, he still eats quite a few things but he is really iffy about most meat unless it has been boiled until it is super soft, I don't think he likes the texture.
He will eat soup. We don't eat all organic but try to eat very healthy. We don't eat hot dogs or anything like that. Breakfast is OK, he loves eating breakfast, it is lunch and dinner we have troubles with.
With that being said I would like some lunch and dinner ideas.

[Violet2]

I make DD ham and cheese or PB&J on toast. A small side salad. Some kind of fruit.

Yogurt.

I scramble eggs on occasion.

We do stoop to chicken nuggets sometimes with baked beans.

I make some kind of bakery weekly so that can be served with lunch too. I made banana raspberry muffins this week with flax (and we picked the berries).

Today I offered her oatmeal b/c she was doing the I'm hunnnnnnnnngryyyyyy whine nonstop. (Growth spurt is coming I think.)

Tomorrow she'll get leftover chili with beans and tomatoes topped with cheese. She probably won't eat it.

In the past she has liked meatballs in like a tomato soup (she's not big on pasta) and taco meat with cheese, guacamole and salsa.

Also, this is not to say that she EATS anything I offer her. But this is what she is given.

And I've just come to accept that DD does not eat dinner like regular humans. I leave her food out until bed time. If she's whining about dying of hunger, I'll suggest she eat it or offer a yogurt or some kefir in a sippy cup to take upstairs while DH reads her a story.

V

[Dazedstella]

Oh, I was just coming to post a similar thread. My DD has gotten SO picky. She used to be such a good eater and now she doesn't want to eat anything that isn't cheese, white carbohydrates (which we don't even keep in the house) yogurt, occasionally pb&j, grilled cheese etc. She doesn't like anything that she has to chew- it gets mushed and spit back out. She won't eat veggies or much fruit anymore and in order to fill her up we have resorted to meals of Annie's mac n cheese, frozen all natural chicken nuggets and other stuff I said I would NEVER feed my child on a regular basis. If she doesn't want to eat what we offer she will just hold out until she loses it and will be up all night long drinking bottles. To make it worse- she has major constipation issues that require a laxative on occasion to help the situation so her refusal to eat any fruit/veggies/whole grains is really stressing me out.

anyway- sorry- not to hijack your thread, and I have no good answers, I just wanted to commiserate on the picky stage! and to hope perhaps some mamas will have some awesome answers.

[lisalu100]

I do have some of the same issues, but dd will eat baked goods, so we get veggie purees in there with the Deceptively Delicious cookbook, which was $5 at Ollies. protein is eggs, spoonfuls of almond butter, cheese, homemade turkey meatloaf, spaghetti meat sauce. I mix veggie purée with Apple sauce sometimes. Most things will get eaten if chopped finely and mixed with an egg and a little flour to make a pancake/fritter. Also, I really like weelicious.com I make her chewey granola balls in a square Pyrex, with a few modifications
and cut into bars when chilled. Hth.

[azzeps]

Isn't it such a struggle sometimes? I think you just have to persevere and make things you and the rest of the family likes to eat, and eventually, he will like it and eat it too. Something that has really been helpful to me are Ellyn Satter's books, Child of Mine is great, as is Secrets to Feeding a Healthy Family.

www.ellynsatter.com has some great info too.

Good luck!

[confustication]

I leave a monkey platter out all day. Mine are so little that they don't sit to eat meals well (well, my 2 yo is old enough, but he has some delays.) I actually make up two snack trays, one for mornng and one for afternoon, they aeat that well most of the time, then I offer meals as well. Oddly, they eat the meals BETTER when they have constant snack access than when they don't.

[physmom]

For soft meals try:

avocados (we just cut these up and she eats them with a fork or we'll mix in black beans, cheese, etc.)

sweet potatoes(either mashed with cinnamon and butter or sweet potato fries)

quesidillias (you could used refried beans, cheese and some veggies that are chopped up into very tiny pieces)

Chicken pot pie (maybe mash itup a bit first?)

Grilled cheese with baby spinach, mushrooms, onions chopped up inside

Fruit smoothies

[globe-trotter]

Originally Posted by confustication

I leave a monkey platter out all day. Mine are so little that they don't sit to eat meals well (well, my 2 yo is old enough, but he has some delays.) I actually make up two snack trays, one for mornng and one for afternoon, they aeat that well most of the time, then I offer meals as well. Oddly, they eat the meals BETTER when they have constant snack access than when they don't.

whats a monkey platter?

[OJazzy1]

Thanks for all the suggestions so far! weelicious.com looks like I'll have some fun with that. Glad ot see I am not totally off my rocker and on the right track. I don't give in and just cook him whatever because I know he does need to eat the healthy food I put in front of him but I do know sometimes we make meals that are too "adult" for him kwim?

[confustication]

Originally Posted by globe-trotter

whats a monkey platter?

It really can be anything- ut the basic concept is a plate (platter) set up with an assortment of finger foods.


http://sandradodd.com/eating/monkeyplatter

[confustication]

Oh, and I discovered this evening that my kids LOVE baked stuffed squash. In our case, we stuffed it with a combination of brown rice, sausage, and onion as well as an assortment of fresh herbs that the 2 yo picked in the greenhouse.

[Violet2]

Our problem is just b/c DD eats something once does not mean she will ever touch it again.

I serve her veggies on a regular basis and she won't touch them. Salad and baked beans are about it.

Oatmeal has been HUGE. Took over a week of watching DH eating it and even then she won't eat it every time I serve it. (Although she never liked it, even as an infant, we never gave her oatmeal infant cereal, she hated it.)

I had to hide my glee when she started eating salad again so I didn't freak her out. Same with chicken. And the oatmeal, which is still a work in progress.

So I have kind of just gone with offering her what I make for everyone and then, depending on the situation, conceding to a compromise like yogurt or toast or fruit.

I remember being picky. I grew out of it. I don't think she's ruined for life, kwim?

V

[sillysmile]

My 21m DD is fairly picky, but our real frustration around the fact that she eats really small portions.. usually grazing throughout the day. Things that have been successful lately:

- Oatmeal with coconut milk for extra calories (not just breakfast in our house)
- Homemade almond and coconut granola bars
- Peas with non-spicy barbeque sauce
- Broccoli, but only if we give her a whole huge stalk (she likes to nibble on the stem)
- Take-out teriyaki (will eat either the veggies, rice, or chicken depending on the day)
- Yogurt (or cream cheese or sour cream) with honey
- Meat: meatballs, sausage sticks or patties, chicken nuggets, beef jerky
- Fish sticks
- Snapea crisps (a dried snack made from peas)
- Freeze-dried strawberries, blueberries, mangoes
- Avocado or guacamole
- Cheese omelet
- Rice, tortillas or cheese quesadillas, whole-wheat pasta
- Tomato soup (unheated, so it's thick enough for her to eat with a spoon)