Milo scoops his cheesy rice
While I was at the Berkeley Bowl, I ran into Superhero Andrea as I was choosing my organic applesauce and she asked me for some good suggestions for what to feed toddlers. In fact, she asked me if I had anything on my blog about it already… which made me think I should write a little something and mine the Internets for their good ideas as well.
Milo spits out his cheesy rice
So, friends out there, I’ll share with you my go-to toddler meals and snacks for my 17-month old and ask for yours in exchange. Help a mama out, please!
When the cupboards, fridge, and freezer are bare, these are the things I grab for Milo at the store:
Breakfast
- Frozen waffles (I get the whole wheat, some big, some little with no accoutrements)
- Scrambled eggs (currently on the outs)
- French toast (Sunny makes a whole loaf at a time and freezes it)
- Puffins (regular flavor or cinnamon)
- Raisins
- Banana (little dude eats one every day)
Lunch
- Almond butter and jelly sandwiches on hearty bread, cut small (we still fear the peanut)
- Cheese sticks
- Hard boiled eggs
- Mixed berries: blackberries, blueberries, strawberries
- Other fruit chopped up when time permits
- Firm tofu, usually teriyaki flavor or “savory” whatever that means
- Applesauce (organic, any flavor) mixed with baby cereal to improve scoopability
Snack
- Just Peas, Just Corn, or Just Mixed Fruit from Just Tomatoes (freeze dried fruits and veggies with no added gunk — they can go stale quickly, so just open one package at a time until you go through it)
- Veggie booty
- Goldfish crackers and their Annie’s bunny equivalents
- Whole wheat pita and hummus
- Crispy Italian style breadsticks (more hummus for dipping)
- Half a Puffet from Peas of Mind
Dinner
- Taquitos from Whole Foods (the reason for going to TWO grocery stores and why I deserved my chocolate cream treat)
- Frozen organic peas (I don’t even cook them)
- Plain yogurt
- Aidell’s teriyaki and pineapple meatballs (they last for about a week in the fridge, so once I open the package, you know what lunch is until they’re gone)
- Whatever we’re eating
- Black bean quesadillas
- Small pieces of chicken or fish (sometimes he likes, sometimes he chucks on the floor)
- Homemade guac (made by me and Holden, who likes food better if he makes it)
- Crispy kale chips or cooked zucchini (whatever vegetable we’re having, he’ll usually try one or more before throwing on the floor
- Amy’s frozen pizza bites with spinach (I heat them for Milo in the microwave and for myself in the toaster oven; Holden tries to eat them frozen because I think it’s strange. Go figure.
More inspiration for lunches from Laptop Lunches (the best lunchbox for little ones, I hope to write about soon!), Kiddley lunchbox ideas, Vegan Lunchbox, 5 favorite convenience foods from ParentHacks, and VegCooking.com.
If you’re already packing a mean lunchbox, check out the contest at Vegan Lunchbox and win a copy of Jennifer’s new book: Vegan Lunch Box: 130 Amazing, Animal-Free Lunches Kids and Grown-Ups Will Love!.
I told you mine, now you tell me yours!
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Jack recently dared to get all picky on me and after an entire day with no veggies or protein I finally hit on giving him applesauce with plain firm tofu mixed in. i felt like a genius!
I make old fashioned oatmeal for breakfast a lot. Yes I am THAT GOOD as a mom.
My kids eat yogurt every day. Scarlett won’t drink milk and is almost done nursing, so we offer her lots of yogurt.
Dinner: mac and cheese and I just throw more real cheese in at the end.
I also use the baby food jars, esp sweet potatoes and toss a spoonful into anything that will hide it: pancakes, mac and cheese, muffins, brownies.
Hey, came over to this post from Superhero Journal. I have a picky 17 m/o boy as well. He would live on fruit (any kind) and milk if we would let him, but he also loves spaghetti w/ tomato sauce (I buy the higher protein pasta), veggie hot dogs, ravioli, chopped up grape or cherry tomatoes, roasted chunks of sweet potato (I toss raw cubes of s.p. w/ olive oil and bake @ 350 till they’re a little chewy on the outside, soft on the inside), baked chicken nuggets, the soft cereal/fruit bars (I like the Organic Valley brand), fig newtons, and YoBaby yogurt.
I’m going to try to find those meatballs you mentioned — we have a really hard time getting enough variety in proteins for him. He will not touch eggs, tofu, or beans. My niece loves (nitrate-free) deli turkey, but my babe won’t touch it.
Re: sneaking in veggies/protein, there’s a recipe in that Jessica Seinfeld cookbook for rice balls that he loves and they freeze well, so you can make a big batch and have on hand. I also now routinely stir 1/2 c pureed sweet potato or carrot into pancake batter on the weekends for breakfast.
Heather – thanks for this post! I’ve been struggling with a picky baby-food eater, and now a picky toddler, so all of these ideas are golden to me! My trick to sneak veggies in my 17 month old boy’s diet was – hide it in pancakes. Un-known by his majesty, he has actually been eating zuccini&pear pancakes, sweet potatoe & creamed corn pancakes, spinach & potatoe pancakes, and seems to like ‘em – they are bite size and still allow him to put a spoonful organic maple syrup on top…
I came over from the Superhero journal too. I have a picky 16 month old. One thing we’ve found with my son is that he doesn’t like bland food. I would have never thought to have tried crazier food or spicer food, but one day in exasperation at a restaurant, I just said, “forget it,” I’m just ordering what I want. If he doesn’t like it, I’ll deal later or get him bread or something. But… He liked what I had — it was at a mexican restaurant and it was spicy (maybe level 3?). While he is definitely still picky, we do often have luck with indian and mexican food for example or food with more flavor. He wolfs down yogurt with granola in it if it’s a really good granola. We buy tons of indian spinich tofu wraps for example (frozen section). I thought I’d post because, while I don’t think this will work for many kids, you never know — it might work for your kid and I don’t think it’s an intuitive thing to try. Good luck everybody!
Always looking for more ideas and willing to share our favorites for 14 month old gal:
-Smoothies (try with yogurt, frozen fruit, and sneak in spinach, cabbage and cale as well!)
-Sweet potato fries – make your own or buy frozen
-grated apple and grated fresh zucchini together (just place in front of them and watch it disappear!)
-Sauteed medium tofu cubes with a little curry and paprika
-Lentil soup
-Black bean soup
-Plain yogurt with diced peaches and wheat germ
-Cheese toast
Black Bean and Rice Balls:
brown cooked rice , Can of organic black beans
Heat and mush together and form little balls
Also try with kidney and garbanzos together
*I always add wheat germ or nutritional yeast/brewers yeast to things so they have added iron and b vitamins
Great list!
My little guy LOVES black beans. I’ll cook them, but he usually sneaks up and eats them right out of the can. (I rinse them off first.)
He also loves to dip anything. I use unsweetened, organic apple sauce for dipping silver dollar pancakes, slices of cinnamon toast, etc. I use plain yogurt (with or without seasonings) as a dip for veggies and savory foods. And of course, good old katchup. (Gotta get organic to avoid the high fructose corn syrup.) Oh and he likes dipping banana and other fruit chunks in wheat germ “sprinkles” LOL
I just found this post from reading back through Andrea’s. I have a picky toddler too. I love all the tips from other posters also. Plus, our picky eater is named HOLDEN!!! I have only seen his name in the ol’ Catcher in the Rye and even told his teacher yesterday that we will probably never meet another kid with his name. Love it!
I am a young mommy to a 22 month old little girl who is an extremely picky eater. And I mean EXTREMELY! She was huge at birth-over 8lbs. She is now in like the 3-5% for weight.
We are vegetarians and I don’t give her whole milk. She is still breastfed & drinks SoyMilk, maybe 2 cups if I am lucky.
She LOVES junk food…that is all she wants to eat. She does like fruits & some veggies but I am having SO much trouble in the protein department.
She will eat TOFU with SHAKE AND BAKE (It’s vegan). I bake it for about 6-8 minutes. I buy the precut cubed tofu. But otherwise won’t touch the stuff. I have been doing the Soy Puddings too from Cozy something I believe….
She HATES yogurt..she says that it is too spicy. And certain cheeses. Go figure.
I give her Soy Nuggets but all I get out of that is one bite maybe 2-3 if she is really hungry. Same with veggie burgers.
I am at my wits end. She would eat Pirates Booty all day if I let her. Or Annie’s Bunnies (no Goldfish for us-they have rennet).
She takes a couple bites of breakfast/lunch/dinner and then says All Done. Mommys Milk Now!
UGH!
Anyone have any other suggestions for the protein department???
She won’t do “milkshakes” or fruit smoothies.
Anything with chocolate she loves….if I let her dip stuff in it, she just laps it up! Hopefully this passes soon!
Great list! I wish that the Poppet things were in my area. The closet state is like 5-6 states away
Hopefully they come up to the East Coast/NE area SOOON!! I know my daughter would hopefully like them.
I love Just Tomatoes! If you keep them in the freezer they last a little longer
Try actually adding spices or seasoning her food. I am not a huge meat eater myself, but I have found sometimes we leaf eaters can often eat more bland. My two preschoolers like foods that smallish shaped and can be dipped in sauces. If you do not use milk, try soy cheeses, no egg eggs (egg beaters), and almost all whole grain foods provide a fair amount of protein. Also nuts can provide some protein.
So glad I found this blog….Boy do I have picky eaters….15 month old twins. The girl is pickier than the boy (but both are pretty picky). All they want to eat is carbs and diary. I can get my son to eat oatmeal. My daughter won’t touch it though. They will consistently eat yogurt, cheerios, crackers and grilled cheese. I have discovered a way to sneek in some veggies…..I made carrot and zuchinni bread. They seem to love it. Always looking for new ideas and recipes though.
I have an 18 month old little boy who is pretty picky. Sometimes he will eat what I give him and then a couple of days later he decides it is not for him. He won’t eat anything he can’t feed himself by picky it up. I have tried giving him a spoon and he can use it, but chooses not to so, so that rules out a lot of ways to sneak stuff into foods. He eats very well in the fruits and veggies department, but protein is our struggle. He just throws it on the floor. He eats mac and cheese with the whole wheat pasta that has added protein and DHA, but that is the only thing he is consistent on. I will have to try the pancake idea posted earlier. If anyone has any recipes for the pancakes or any other foods that may work please share. I am begging!! He does get protein from soy milk, but I would prefer it also come from food.
I have 5 year old twins girls and they have always been great eaters so I don’t know what the difference is, but any ideas would be welcomed.
A lot of you are mentioning giving your child soy milk. I’ve heard that it works as an estrogen supplement and is not the greatest thing to give a boy. I might have got some incorrect information, but for my little guy who has a very sensitive stomach and couldn’t handle cow’s milk, I cut him off of soy right away. Research might be a good idea.
I have researched soy and concluded that it is too estrogenic to be given to either gender.
The Morning Star Farms have been a mainstay in our house from the start. The nuggets, faux hot dogs and sausage are the best. I heat them up for 60 seconds and they’re ready to go. You get the taste and texture of baby favorites without all the horrible crap.
As for the soy…yeah, I’ve heard about the estrogen link. Eeek! We’ve seen an integrative med doc who studied with Dr. Weil and he said it was OK to give the little guy soy milk but said we needed to make sure to give him an omega supplement every day to make sure he got plenty of fatty acids for healthy brain development.
p.s. Kara, don’t fret too much about protein. I was veg for about five years and what I learned is that American’s have a misconception about getting protein…and how much is needed. The truth is that if your kiddo is eating a variety of foods and includes dairy, he’ll get plenty.
My son is a notoriously picky eater, that said he’s also got a fondness for some of the oddest foods I can think of for a toddler! Here’s some of his favorites:
Breakfast:
Bananas, apple sauce, Cheerios, Soy Joy bars, home made banana bread, Quinoa Pancakes (Just substitute Quinoa flour for half the regular flour in your favorite recipe), Blackberries, Strawberries
Lunch:
Baby carrots, scrambled eggs with garlic and spinach or watercress, slices of cheese and slices of daddy’s home made bread (which is laced usually laced with veggies), whole wheat goldfish crackers, watermelon, cut up plums, tortellini (he’ll eat any flavor we make!)
Dinner:
Tortellini, mac and cheese (either home made or Annie’s from the box), Spicy Singapore Noodles, the insides of an egg roll, the insides of a Peking Ravioli, Steamed Rice, Steamed Broccoli, Whole Wheat Fig Newtons, Trader Joe’s Chocolate Cat Cookies, Apple Slices, Dried Prunes (he’s only allowed to have ONE because otherwise the diapers are nasty!)
Great list. I went to Whole Foods yesterday and got everything on there I hadn’t tried yet. New hits: veggie booty, almond butter and Just Corn. Thank you! You have saved my sanity.
thank you ladies, it is so nice to know we are not alone!! my 18 month old is seriously underweight (my doc wants him to go to the FTT clinic even though he’s sharp as a tack and exceeded all milestones) – but the more we make an issue of his eating the worse it gets (of course)! comforting to know your toddlers like the same things! thanks for all the suggestions!
our tricks:
we sneak coconut milk or whey protien powder in my toddler boy’s goat milk for added fat or protien.
my 3 year old and my 18 month old love quinoa – they sometimes mix it with goat yogurt which i spice with a little cumin and salt.
we also do daal (lentils) and brown rice quite a bit.
open face cheese sandwiches with nayonaise and mustard work well for both of them as well. otherwise they aren’t sandwich lovers.
hope this helps someone!
Thank for the great website. My 25 month old has been recently getting pickier and pickier. He used to eat just about anything but now i have to hide most vegetables before he will eat them (unknowingly , of course).
A few things he loves
- scrambled eggs with pureed cauliflour and a bit of cheese
- frenchtoast with pureed butternut squash mixed in
- homemade pizza with spinach hidden in the sauce and mushrooms and cheese (he loves helping make the pizza)
- chinese food with lots of sauce mixed in with rice (i cut up broccolli and other veggies and mix it all together with the rice)