Feeding the toddler

This boy is a good eater. Like, really good. He'll eat just about anything we give him, except bananas. He still dislikes them. Since he was itty bitty.

He makes it so easy for me to give him a healthy lunch. I'm not sure what makes kids good eaters. Maybe it's the variety you offer in first foods. Maybe it's the taste for flavors while they're nursing. Or maybe it's the refusal to introduce certain foods. Whatever it is, I'm thankful.

With two little ones vying for my attention, meals have become more complicated. I've gotta have a fast, easy way to get a healthy toddler meal ready. PB&J or chicken nuggets may seem easy, but I've found a healthier and easier way to do meals. It took some time, but now I know to always keep on hand certain things to make all meals go smoothly.


Breakfast:
Yogurt - Every. Day. Reed LOVES the stuff.
Fruit - I make a point to wash and cut the fruit one day and keep it in a bowl until it's gone. Makes it much easier to scoop some out for Reed. It's also an easy addition to any of our meals. Just grab the bowl out of the fridge and put it on the table. DONE!
Pancakes - made in one large batch on the weekend and frozen
Breakfast cookies - Wes has this obsession with BelVita. He eats them every day, sometimes multiple times a day. He calls them crackers, but let's face it, they're found in the cookie aisle. They're cookies. Since he eats so many (ok, I eat them too) I figured I could make some myself. So I found a recipe on Lisa Leake's site and started experimenting. Here is the original recipe.
Honestly, they were a little bland. I added two more tablespoons maple syrup and put in chocolate chips! YUM! Wes was pretty happy.

Maybe once a week I get to make eggs. Both kids like them and I do too, but mornings are particularly tricky. I have to feed Melanie her big girl food right away or she becomes a hot mess. This means I don't have time to stand by the stove.

Meal #1: Pancake from the freezer, yogurt, and fruit

Meal #2: Biscuit, Sausage, fruit, and yogurt

Meal #3: Omelet, fruit, breakfast cookie, and yogurt

Meal #4: Egg, fruit, and yogurt

Meal #5: Eggs, sausage, fruit, and yogurt

 

Lunch:
Avocado
Cheese
Cherry tomatoes
Fruit
Cottage cheese
Carrots
Lunch meat


Meal #1: It takes no time at all to grab a few blueberries, cheese cubes, and cherry tomatoes out of their containers. Then it just depends on how fast I can slice an avocado. I don't want to brag, but I'm pretty good at it.

 Meal #2: More cheese and avocado. A few carrots out of the bag and fruit scooped from the bowl and Reed is ready to go!

Meal #3: More cheese (shocker), tomatoes, carrots, leftover broccoli from last night's dinner, and some yummy energy bites I discovered at HEB. Reed loves them because they look and taste like chocolate. This way he's not asking for a cookie.

Meal #4: This delicious meal brought to you by leftovers! Rib meat, mashed potatoes, roasted broccoli, and, of course, yogurt! He also asked for carrots. What 2 year old does that?!

Meal #5: Carrots, cottage cheese, avocado, tomatoes, and a breakfast cookie

Snack:
Fruit
Oaty balls
Cheese
Go Go Squeeze

The key is be prepared and organized. I found that I needed to grocery shop on the weekend and prepare things Sunday when Wes can help make food or watch the kids. This weekend we stocked up on pancakes and breakfast cookies.

Enjoy!

The Turners