what's she eating? (what my toddler eats)
about 90% of the comments or questions I get on instagram stories have to do with what Eden is eating. We are all in the same boat, trying to get our toddlers to eat, eat well, and love eating well. So since we are in this together I am sharing some of the things I do to make sure eden gets her veggies, fat, and calcium.
a couple of things about my grocery and eating habits so you know where I’m coming from. We eat about 80% organic. I like grass fed beef thats lean, grass fed and organic chicken, same goes for eggs, milk, fruit and veggies.
We generally shop at Aldi, and I get most of the brands the carry. The main things I have to watch out for there are artificial sweeteners and high fructose corn syrup. I’m not perfect at eating, I’m not a nutritionist (although I have met with several throughout my life).
When it comes to Eden, I’m not fearful of her eating honey nut cheerios, the occasional donut, or licking tim and I’s ice cream cone… I want her to love food, have a balanced diet, and appreciate all different kinds of foods… thats more or less my goal.
these meals are our normal week day eats. on weekends we have pancakes, donuts, and pizza from time to time. we also have left overs a lot for lunch.
BREAKFAST
oatmeal with fresh fruit (apples, sliced strawberries or bananas is our norm), cinnamon, and sometimes we throw in flaxseed or chia seeds. we also do raw honey sometimes… (because we share a lot and I like a little honey on mine)
Smoothies (EDENS FAVORITE THING)
the goal with smoothies is for her to get veggies and love them, we have 1 every day. Switch it up, use seasonal fruits add some greens and call it a meal.
edens favorite recipes are:
1 banana, handful of spinach, 10-15 blueberries, 1 cup almond milk.
1 apple, handful of kale, 1/2 avocado, 1 cup yogurt.
eden will drink any smoothie that has banana in it. so if she’s not feeling it, I just add a banana.
Eggs & toast
eden likes her eggs scrambled, little salt and pepper, and a little cheese (I normally use fresh mozzarella or goat cheese), and I sometimes add spinach.
I normally make plain toast, sometimes I’ll top it with almond butter.
LUNCH
almond butter & jam with apple slices.
rice cake topped with almond butter, banana slices, dark chocolate chip, and cinnamon
cheese, avocado, black beans quesadilla.
we also make annies mac & cheese sometimes
DINNER
Eden loves; spaghetti squash, sweet potatoes, brussel sprouts, rice, chicken, pork, and oddly enough spicy & seasoned foods.
She wont eat it if we aren’t or wont. So she normally have a variation or exactly what we are eating. This actually helps me eat healthier and it makes her feel apart of meal times.
if you aren’t going to eat a boiled or microwaved hot dog…. why would your child?
I mean some kids will but mine wont lol. So if you child doesn't like something that you’ve seen kids eat, try it… if you don’t like it, it makes sense that they wouldn’t.
SNACKS
sweet potato chips
banana chips (unsweetened)
veggie sticks
cheerios (plain-normally)
dried fruits
nuts
peanut butter balls (search them in pintrest, seriously we make these different each time and they are amazing snacks and healthy)
whatever is left over from her smoothies we make into popsicles (YUM)
Also, I know a lot of parents take the bland foods approach because they want their kids to like things with no seasoning and sugar… which is all well and good. but I don't like oatmeal plain with nothing, so I try to make things for eden in that mindset. I want her to like healthy foods. I want her to enjoy eating. I want her to desire variety in her diet. so thats that I make and offer. instead of making a meal for her and one for me, we eat the same things. I eat healthier so she will enjoy healthier food and allow her to have the donut hole from time to time. I think food is such a beautiful way to experience life, it’s a way to have change daily, and to celebrate all God has created. so instead of it being a continued battle, keep trying different things and have fun with it. Don’t get discouraged if you have to give your kid cheerios for lunch because she/he wont eat what you made them… it’s ok and you get to try again tomorrow. also, always try eating it first. that may save you from everything ending up on the floor.