Healthy Pickers: Feeding a Toddler

Okay, I am fully immersed in toddler world right now, and I have been taken aback by how picky my little one has become at meal times. Without the words to tell me what she wants, I find myself making several meals at a time in hopes of something satisfying her taste buds. While she'll still eat tofu and broccoli, her mood dictates when or why she'll eat these former favorites. Pureeing tofu with pesto seems to be okay sometimes, and I've starting making the most delicious edamame hummus that she likes. However, I'm blogging this blog to share a few of my healthy options I give Mylah that I'm pretty sure will appeal to the masses of toddlers out there who are just as (if not pickier) than my little girl.

French Toast: I take whole grain Cinnamon Raisin Ezekiel Bread, soak it in organic eggs for a good minute on each side, and then cook it in ghee. I put a little bit of PURE maple syrup (Grade B is less processed than A) and she LOVES it.

Blueberry Yogurt: While I'm sure I'm not the first mom to give her toddler yogurt, I just wanted to share my little secret. I buy "Nancey's Organic Whole Fat Plain Yogurt." In independent studies, Nancey's has been found to have the most active live cultures in it at the time of purchase. What I do is defrost some organic blueberries in the microwave for like 15 sec, then I add the yogurt and about 1/2 T of maple syrup. This is so much healthier than flavored, sweetened yogurt and Mylah LOVES it.

Turkey Sandwhich: Okay, so this may seem like a no-brainer, but the way I make this sandwich, she gets everything she needs for nutirents. For this sandwich, I use Sprouted wheat bread, avocado (smashed on one piece of bread) and Grapeseed Veganaise (spread on the other piece of bread). Then I put sliced free-range turkey and chopped left-over veggies (like broccoli, chard, whatever...). I cut little bite size squares and give her one piece at a time. Yummy!

Grilled Turkey Sandwich: Same idea as the one above, but I use organic mozzarella cheese and turkey with a little bit of veganaise, and then I grill it in ghee. This is a healthy take on an old classic.

Beans and Avocado: My baby likes flavor, so to get her to eat beans right now, they have to be sautéed with onions, carrots, garlic, cumin, parika, broccoli, and other veggies. She often likes cheese melted on it, and then I either cut avocado or make guacamole for her. This is a messy one, but I let her feed herself (right before bath time!).

Oatmeal: Another no-brainer, but here's what I do. I buy the quick cooking oats (their softer) and I cook them with raisins, cinnamon, and a little maple syrup.

Lentils and Goat Cheese: So I cook a bunch of lentils, and then I take out Mylah's portion and add garlic salt and goat cheese, mix it all together, and she really loves it.

This is what I've come up with so far. I'd love to hear other people's ideas on feeding picky toddlers.

Creative Cooking

After a brief conversation with my neighbor about the delicious Eggplant Parmesan she was making from the goodies in her garden, I started thinking about how I could make something similar yet "A" friendly. Another, more timid, home cook would probably shy away from such a task, but I was thrilled with the challenge. In the past, I've found delicious ways to make Mexican food sans night shades; however, this is a bit different since the entire meal is made up of night shades and cheese we don't eat.

When my husband called me on his way home from work, I giggled as I told him that I had just made Eggplant Parmesan. He knew I was up to something, but we didn't have time to discuss it because the moment he walked in the door, I was out the door on my way to work. During our phone conversation while I was on my way home from work, he asked me, "How could someone make Eggplant Parmesan with no eggplant, no tomatoes, and no Parmesan? And not only make it taste like it's eggplant Parmesan, but better?" Needless to say, he loved it, and so did our baby.

Creative cooking is the only answer I have to that question. Here's what I did:

I had just been to the farmers market and had a huge bag of fresh basil and a bunch of zucchini. So I made my fresh, low cal pesto (recipe is under the blog entry "A Party in Your Mouth"). I took most of the pesto out of the food processor and put it in a bowl, and then I put regular old tofu (a whole box) in the food processor, and I added pesto until I liked the taste and color.

Then I put a thin-ish layer of the pesto-tofu on the bottom of a casserole dish. Then I put one layer of zucchini on top (which I had cut in 1/4 inch thick strips). Then I put a little more pesto-tofu mix, a little goat chevre, and then one more layer of zucchini. Then I put some thinly sliced red onion and more pesto-tofu mix. I cooked it covered at 350 for 30 min, and then I took it out and added some home made bread crumbs (I took to "heels" of Ezekiel bread, toasted them, and then put it in my other food processor), and some grated mozzarella cheese (about 2 oz or so). I put it back in the oven for another 20 to 30 min, until the cheese was melted and the bread crumbs were toasty.

For how decadent and tasty this is, it is reasonable low calorie, with the good protein from the tofu and the goodness from the veggies. And since there are so few carbs in this meal, it leaves plenty of room for dessert--which was candied ginger dipped in melted chocolate chips (I take vegan choc chips, add some soy milk, and place in microwave for about 15 sec. I stir it, drink any of the milk I didn't need, and dip anything in it. My fav is candied ginger.)

I hope you try this, and ask me if you have any questions about subbing for night shades--they really do make an "A" body ache.