I know what they should be eating, but what they are actually eating is a mystery to me! Bear's diet these days seems like:
1 Cup Dirt
8 Cups juice/water/milk
1/2 Cup lint
1 Pound of Goldfish/Cheerios mix
3 Peas
I know this is clearly NOT true, he's healthy and growing! This is the recommended diet for a "toddler" keep in mind every kid is different and younger toddlers just learning to walk and run probably wont sit long enough to wolf down this food.
16 Ounces of Whole Milk (or equivalent)
3/4 Cup Veggies
1 Cup Fruit (only 4 ounces of 100% juice/day)
1 1/2 Ounces Meat/Beans
2 Ounces of Grain
1-2 Tablespoons Fat/Oil
Gerber sent me this nifty thing with a few coupons on their (overly expensive IMO) products for toddlers and some meal plans. I've revised them and included them below. Many of these can be cooked in bulk ahead of time or as meals for the whole family. This is the goal - Bear will eat only about half of each meal, the rest ends up on the floor, in the pants, hoarded in the cheeks, etc.
Breakfast:
1/2 Cup whole milk (mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm kjyhhjumjj-Bear)
1/4 of a banana sliced - you can eat the rest =]
1/4 cup Cream of Wheat with milk and a teaspoon of maple syrup
Snack 1:
Juice Box - i like clifford
1/4 Cup diced cold cooked carrots (leftovers work nice)
1 tbs ranch
hand full of goldfish
Lunch:
water
Small yogurt with 3 chopped up strawberries
Mac n Cheese with hotdogs - I make this in a big dish for everyone and we snack on it all week for lunches.
Snack 2:
Juice box
1/4 cup sweet potato chips - i make these by slicing sweet potatoes this, very lightly coat in olive oil and bake until crunchy. If you dont want to make yourself Bear loves veggie straws.
1 small Pear
Dinner:
8oz whole milk
1 cup pasta pinwheels - cook pasta in 1/2 low sodium chicken broth 1/2 water. drain and add chopped cooked chicken and peas. Red sauce or alfredo optional.
Other fun snacks:
Black olives
cheerios
oatmeal
cheddar rice cakes
spoon of peanut-butter
Bear will eat all this stuff he's not picky. He prefers Greek yogurt from regular and LOVES peas - see pic below!
Any suggestions or meals you'd like to share??
Love,
plusPeace
Kahlan eats a banana for breakfast every morning, and for dinner, usually has a slice of bread with peanut butter and raisins. She has the balanced lunch at day care. Some times we'll give her chicken nuggets. Most times, the food will end up on the floor. The other night I made her noodles and chicken and she had fun throwing some to the dog. Sigh.
ReplyDeleteoh Bear loves the peanut butter bread too! Last night we went out to eat and he just about threw all his food on the floor - embarrassing!
ReplyDeleteBreakfast and lunch during the week are at daycare. Sometimes I want to go eat with them. :-) Dinners are balanced pretty well with (usually) chicken, veggies (broccoli, peas, green beans and black beans are faves!), and rice or potatoes. Patrick has started sweeping the food into his lap, so we have to watch for that! Food on the floor at restaurants is embarrassing...my husband says I don't need to pick it up but I hate to leave a mess.
ReplyDeleteSome of the meals for toddlers are better than what i eat for lunch - definitely makes me jealous of daycares =] And I always at least clean up the big chunks when we go out to eat - i feel bad
ReplyDelete