toddler meal ideas?
Just looking for a list of good foods for 1 yr old child. As far as "chicken nuggets", I got those ones from Morningstar Farms at the store and sent those to the daycare with him on a day when they were serving chicken nuggets for the kids there. He doesn't like them. I LOVE them. I was surprised, she said that he ate all of the green beans but hardly touched the "chicken" nuggets. But when you think about it, it is not surprising. He has never eaten meat, well he has, only tried it and decided he didn't like it, I never pushed it on him and I don't feed it to him at home of course. So why should he like faux meat where I, as an ex-meat eater love them. Makes sense.
So, what kind of things are good finger foods to send with him to daycare, and feed him for dinner for that matter? He doesn't like beans :o, or seitan :o, potatos or rice :o. But he loves veggies, fruit, tofu and yogurt and cheese but I am trying to cut down on cheese. (Actually one thing I found he likes is grilled avocado sandwiches, instead of grilled cheese). Poor kid, I hardly ever give him the same thing twice because I am trying all kinds of different stuff to see what he does and doesn't like.
Does he dislike all preparations of the foods he dislikes? If he likes veggies, maybe try making hummus or black bean dips to see if he likes beans when they're not in a bean shape. Might he like something like these?
Even with the foods he doesn't like, it might help to just keep occasionally offering them up in different forms. I've heard it said that with almost any food, after eating it on seven different occasions, one develops a taste for it... I have absolutely no evidence to support this assertion, however.
Actually, I believe that. Last night I made some mashed potatos. He has always disliked potatos in all ways cooked, mashed, cubed and baked or fried, french fries, etc. But last night I made some mashed potatos and mixed some (yummy) "uncheese" sauce with them. Oh wow so good. But he liked those. It is just hard because he doesn't have teeth yet, and he can't really chew like I can, so I don't know what all I should give him.
Okay, I am not sure if anybody else cares or not but I have the feeling that others like to have ideas but don't so they don't post a reply. But searching on the net gaves me some good ideas, some vegan, some not.
Not vegan:
purree some green veggies such as spinach and mix with eggs and make scrambled eggs to make green eggs.
Here is a good website I think:
http://www.wholesometoddlerfood.com/toddlerrecipes.htm
I am scanning through it right now.
Here's a similar thread with a few other threads along the same lines linked in them:
Vegan Toddler Ideas
If he likes lots of fruits and veggies you are ahead of the game SQ690!!!
Avocado is a big hit with my toddler, and mixing that with some pureed kale, a bit of garlic and onion is a nice, healthy snack.
she loves the So Delicious Coconut milk yogurt.
Also I make lots of homemade seitan, and bread it and bake or fry it as nuggets, which she likes too.
Her main meal though is bean, grain, and veggie soupa, (thats what she calls it.) Its just a basic crockpot soup with whatever veggies we have, kale, brocolli, carrots, potatoes, etc....grains, like quinoa, or amarenth, and tons of dried/soaked beans, again whatever we have, usually lentils, white northens, kidney, chick peas, etc. Her dad makes a fresh batch of this every 3-4 days and she eats it 1-2x per day!!! (with some organic tortilla chips sprinkled over it.