Need some ideas? Here ya go!
Sweet potatoes...
One of the few awesome veggies out there that is not only packed full of nutrients, but it's great as a stand alone ingredient.
Laela loves sweet potatoes in a variety of options:
1. Sweet potato mixed with banana (and cereal if your little one still eats it..it's a great way to sneak the cereal in!). You can add a bit of cinnamon to it as well.
2. Sweet potato mixed with apple sauce, cinnamon, and infant/toddler cereal. It's a great way to a pack in all of the different food groups!
3. Sweet potato mixed with pears. This is great if your little one is having some constipation issues. It helps calm the tummy and get things "moving". (amazing how we get comfortable talking about the gross stuff when we have a little one, right?)
4. Sweet potatoes mixed with guacamole. Yes, this sounds gross, but my kid loved it, so hey, why not? I also add cereal to this as well.
5. This one's a bit different...I've roasted sweet potato with regular potatoes, carrots and chicken in chicken stock with rosemary and thyme. Laela LOVED this! It's also great when your little one is moving to more solid foods rather than mush.
6. When your little one has moved from mush to solids, try giving him or her big kid oatmeal mixed with whole milk vanilla yogurt, some cinnamon (my kiddo is a freak for cinnamon so we put it on almost all things breakfast) and if it's in season, some pumpkin or pumpkin butter. If your kid is anything like mine, they'll gobble this up like it's going out of style! Also, if they're in that phase where all they want to do is feed themself, try making a slice of whole wheat toast, cut it (or rip it) into pieces, and show them how to dip it in the oatmeal mix. If they can't get the hang of it, dip it for them, hand it to them one at a time (for less mess if they're in the throwing stage still), and watch them swoon! Add some bananas, and you've got a fantastically balanced breakfast!
7. Another big kid option is to slice the sweet potato into strips. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a sheet pan in aluminum foil and drizzle some olive oil on the pan. Place the strips on the pan, drizzle a bit more olive oil on the strips and bake for twenty minutes or so. When they're done, shake some sea salt or cinnamon on them for a deliciously nutritious treat!
8. Got a mandonlin or cheese slicer? Slice your sweet potato into very thin slices, and bake the same as you would the sweet potato strips. Just keep an eye on them because they'll cook in half the time, depending on your oven.
Chicken
I don't know about you, but Kyle and I were worried our bug would choke to death when she got started on meat, so I came up with a few different options to build her up to eating like a big girl.
1. Steam the chicken in broth and some seasonings (I started out with garlic, onion powder, thyme and rosemary). Shred it in the blender/food processor and serve it with some mashed potatoes or sweet potatoes!
2. Like pulled pork? Try pulled chicken! You can either cook it low and slow in the oven, or make it in a slow cooker with some water and Italian seasonings or just some plain old (but absolutely delicious) barbeque sauce! Use forks to pull the chicken apart and serve to your little one!
3. If your little one doesn't like the texture of chicken, try roasting a whole chicken. This tends to make the chicken more juicy than normal, and they may take to it a bit better. Try cutting it into small pieces and mixing it in with vegetables so that they get a mixture of textures and flavors.
Snacks
Here's a list of things Laela loves to have for snacktime:
1. Broccoli with sprinkler parmesan, shredded gouda, or yes, even plain. I'm a firm believer that if you don't give them the option of junk food, they won't want anything else. I'm not saying to never give them a cupcake or a french fry, but if you have them more often than not, you crave them all the time too.
2. Cheerios or Fiber One Shredded Wheat. Yes. I said Fiber One. The Shredded Wheat has a touch of icing, and is just like Post's Shredded Wheat with Icing, but has a ton more fiber. It's also in smaller bites, so I don't have a heart attack that she's going to choke to death.
3. Peas, Carrots, Lima Beans or any other veggies on hand. If you want to sprinkle cheese, sprinkle cheese, it makes it easy when you're short on time. You can also cook them in chicken broth and throw in some herbs (rosemary, thyme, whatever's on hand), put them in a big container, and take it out all week to have a healthy, delicious snack. You can also mix them with couscous (it takes five minutes!) and you've got a nutritious, easy meal.
4. Baked Apples. Laela loves apples, but she's not ready for a raw one yet. I know you're all probably familiar with the baked apples we grew up with, soaked in sugar, filled with oat/butter/cinnamon and globs of goo. They're great! Not great for you! I leave on the skin, hollow out the inside of the apple (or just use an apple corer and cook it in pieces), sprinkle a tiny bit of sugar (this is optional), lemon juice, and a few shakes of cinnamon, and you have a delicious snack! You can sprinkle it with oatmeal if you feel like adding some extra fiber.
5. Yogurt. Laela loves yogurt, but it isn't always easy to feed to her, since she likes to feed herself. I've started using it as a dip, since she loves dipping her food. I give her half a piece of toast ripped up, and some quartered grapes, and she just dips and scoops her bites.
6. Edamame is one of Laela and my favorites. It's a great snack for both of you, especially when you need something that has a little more to it than just broccoli or other veggies, and you don't have a ton of time before you both have a hunger meltdown! I buy the steamer bags, sprinkle some sea salt on it when it's done, and deshell it for Laela.
7. Cheese and whole wheat or multigrain crackers. Laela loves all kinds of cheese- cheddar, havarti, port wine, you name it, she'll eat it. It's a great snack, and it fills her up.
8. Bananas are a fantastic "feed yourself" kind of snack. They're soft and easy to chew, so I don't worry too much about her choking. They're one of the most perfect, effort free snacks out there.
9. Hummus is also a family favorite. With pita, pita chips (you can make them yourself when you've got some leftover pita, just cut up the pita, put it on a baking sheet, sprinkle with olive oil and salt, and toast in the oven for a few minutes on 350 degrees), crackers, or even plain! Our kiddo gobbles this by the spoonful!
Let's talk Meat.
A lot of kids struggle with meat. I think a lot of parents do too, because sometimes it's difficult to realize how difficult something like steak could be to chew for a little person- even one with great jaw strength and lots of teeth.
When you're starting your peanut out on meat, try things such as ground meat (ie. Shepard's Pie, Tacos), or soft meats (slow cooked meats like Brisket or Sirloin Tip are great options). Laela's over a year now, and sometimes she still struggles with steaks and tougher meats, so we try to always giver her really tender meat that's been cooked low and slow, or ground beef- this includes hamburgers, meatloafs, things that are easy to break down.
If you don't want your little one to have an aversion to meat, you have to keep trying. Sometimes Laela doesn't like chicken, but then if we shred it, or pull it apart, she does fine. This is just an example of how to change your approach. I know a lot of books say not to negotiate with little people, but I think we all have to remember that children are not terrorists, so we have to be fair and figure out what works for them, and how to come up with a great solution that doesn't make Mommy, Daddy or Guardian's life more difficult.
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| Have you ever noticed that when kids are sick, they're totally goofy? Here is Laela making funny cheesy faces! |
When baby is Sick...
I feel like most parents get a little freaked out when their children don't want to eat. The reality is, I think us parents forget that a lot of times, when we're a snotty, stuffy, coughing, or vomity mess, we don't want anything to eat either. If you don't want to push the pediasure, and you're sure you won't get barfed on, I've come up with some tasty shakes that won't make a mucusy baby (or now, in my case, a toddler) more mucusy, and will make a little one coming off a tummy ache, hopefully willingly get some good nutrition in.
- Put some ice, a handful of kale, a banana, 1/2 an apple, and a handful of raspberries into a blender. Serve!
- If your little one has a tummyache, some lukewarm broth with a bit of rice cereal is a great tummy soother. I let Laela drink it out of a thermos cup with a straw.
- Puree some soup! Use an immersion blender to puree a bunch of steamed veggies with tomato sauce and broth of any kind. Use one cup of broth for every cup of sauce, and as many veggies as you want. Again, I let Laela drink this out of a thermos cup. Then she doesn't feel like I'm force feeding her.
- Another great alternative is making a smoothie with some fruits (I like bananas, they're a great tummy calmer, and raspberries and strawberries can mask most veggie or bitter tastes) as well as some cooked oatmeal. Sometimes I'll sneak in some zucchini or broccoli, since they aren't too difficult to mask. When you whiz it in the blender with some ice, and a touch of yogurt, it's a great treat. It's probably Laela's favorite thing to eat when she doesn't feel well.
- One of my favorite treats from when I was little is when my mom used to make cranberry ice pops in the ice cube tray. I sometimes make them with carrot juice for Laela. She loves them!
- Recently, I was drinking some caffeine free peppermint tea. I walked away from it for a second, and found Laela sipping on it happily, saying "Nummy Mama! Delicious!" Now, whenever her belly hurts, I"ll give her a cup of lukewarm ginger or peppermint tea with honey or agave. She really loves it!
- Lastly, there's something about carbs and not feeling well that just works. Whether it's a smashed potato with butter and salt (boil the potato, smash it with a fork, add butter and salt. Super easy.), or my personal favorite, pasta with some olive oil, parmesan cheese, and a bit of salt and pepper, it just makes you feel warm and fuzzy when you're feeling icky and gross. Laela loves to slurp pasta when she's coming at the end of an illness, so I always make sure to have some multigrain pasta and fresh parmesan cheese on hand. If I'm feeling really adventurous, I'll make her some French bread, because for whatever reason, when she's starting to feel better, she'll take a dive into some bread.
- The big thing when kids are sick is that they will eat when they are ready. While children are NOT little adults, some things are universal-babies, puppies, and yes, mommies and daddies too. When you're hungry, you will eat, and the same goes for your little ones. So just breathe, and oh yeah, keep your fingers crossed that your adorable little germ factory doesn't get you sick.
I'll be updating this section regularly, so please check it out!
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