Healthy Recipes a toddler would eat.

http://www.wholesometoddlerfood.com/:happy:

This cookbook is amazing! Kid Favorites Made Healthy (Better Homes and Gardens): 150 Delicious Recipes Kids Can't Resist - i looked after kids aged 2 & 5 a few years ago and they loved everything! (me too :bigsmile: )

Ooo! I need to look at those books.

I think healthy food is not that hard for a toddler to learn to eat. If they aren't used to it and are more used to processed foods like hot dogs and so on then it might take time... try presenting it in a cute or clever manner on the plate or give it a cool new name... when my first daughter was born I had a 4 year old step son. He only liked bologna, hot dogs, spaghetti and pizza. I didn't want to feed that stuff to him all the time and I did things like calling meatloaf a "meat cake" and baked it in a pan he knew I used to make cakes... the ketchup was red spicy icing for the "cake"... worked great..


He also didn't like lasagna so I told him it was what spaghetti looked like before they cut it and it was really a flat spaghetti casserole. He loved that too.

A little creativity and kids adjust and learn to eat good. It's even slowly working with my teenage boys but with them I also let them help create menus, spices to add, etc.... and then they want to try it and like it because they helped.

My boys love things like english muffin pizzas... we split whole wheat einglish muffins, top with homemade pizza sauce (tomato sauce spiced with Italian seasoning, basil and oregano, about 1/8 cup or less of cheese each and whatever toppings we're in the mood for. It's like kid-sized pizzas, which they love and healthy, which I love. We also do turkey franks. Healthier than hot dogs and they actually taste pretty good. Almond butter and sugar free jelly sandwiches are also a good choice. Other than that... a lot of the skinnytaste.com recipes have been tested and kid approved in my house, so you can check there too. Good luck!

Try to sautee the veggies in olive oil. It's a good fat, nice and healthy. My daughter was the same, wouldn't eat her veggies unless I hid them in her food (which does work really well). Ironically, she declared herself a vegetarian at the age of 6. Now she'll eat any veggie I put in front of her, although she does ask for specific ones more than others (and just flat out refuses to eat peas). Most of it is being persistant. Just keep putting the veggies in front of her and she'll eventually eat them. If she doesn't (and this is the important part here) don't give in and give her something else or she'll learn that she will eventually get what she wants instead of what you want her to have. Remember, she won't starve herself.

www.greenlitebites.com

i've recently run into (and conquered) this problem with my toddler as well. i found that if i make his snacks fun and healthy then i don't stress as much over breakfast, lunch, and dinner. i make smoothies with veggies in them and ultimately find places to hide spinach in his pizza and spaghetti. but a good ol' baked sweet potato with cinnamon never seems to fail! i think for the most part, making the meal fun to eat and the name of the food fun to say, then it should work out for you! and if anything else...i puree some veggies into my toddlers applesauce...that's money!!

<-- Mean mama. If my kids don't eat what I make or offer, then they wait until the next meal or snack and have the same option: eat or don't. Each of the has chosen to skip a meal, or sometimes two, but they ALL happily sit down and eat eventually. And nobody was harmed.
I don't make special meals for my kids, and I don't force them to eat their veggies...or anything else for that matter. But, I make all of our meals with a protein, a whole grain, ad a veggie in it. If the want more, they have to eat a bite of each food. We also garden, and even a small container garden can do wonders for their palate. And the only snacks they get before dinner are veggies, no exceptions.
I'm not militant, but my 9, 4, & 2 yr olds all love a wide variety of vegetables at this point.
Other ideas:
-My son's preschool introduces a new fruit/veggie ever week. At the end of the week snacks revolve around that food and almost all the kids will try it after learning about it.
-Take her to a farmers market and have her pick out veggies she'd like.
--Have her pick recipes from some of the websites and books recommended to help you make.
-Teach her how healthful foods help her body work.

About "hiding" vegetables in sauces - I realise it works, but I have my doubts. Thing is, it's not teaching them to love vegetables. It's teaching them that meals that look as if they don't contain vegetables are okay for them to eat, and that's not a great message to lodge into their heads.

Yeah, I had my doubts about it too. I did it mainly because my daughter was having 'bathroom issues', having a hard time going, so I started out by wanting to up the fiber. As she got a bit older I let her watch me make the food and now it's what are you putting into the sauce and can it be this or that. And, now she is vegetarian and will eat anything (except peas), and is always wanting to help me cook, and plan the menu.

If she doesn't (and this is the important part here) don't give in and give her something else or she'll learn that she will eventually get what she wants instead of what you want her to have. Remember, she won't starve herself.

Absolutely agree. People say "My child will only eat X" - the same people say the same about their cats "Oh Fluffy will only eat brand X" well believe me, hunger is a powerful force, kids and every other kind of domesticated animal ( :bigsmile: ) absolutely will eat if they are hungry.

A doctor once told me he'd never heard of a child being malnourished in a situation where food was available. I know it sounds easier to give in, but it's making a rod for your own back in the long term.

I have a problem with this. What do you do with the fridge? Or the cupboard or the pantry door? I have a 2 and half yr old who is so strong he torn off 2 child lock from the fridge, and he already figured out how to open the childproofed cupboard doors.

No, I do not keep very bad food at home, but there are always cheese, yogurt and other dairy product in the fridge. On the kitchen counter top there are always fruit and the cupboard hides the crackers( wholewheat organic etc). While these are all good food, they do not substitute for vegetables and cooked meal. I know, I could watch him 24/7 to prevent him to do some self serve eating on his own, but realistically I cant'. I need to use the washroom, take a shower etc. Some days some noise from the kitchen wakes me up at 6 am. The noise is my toddler taking over the fridge again. Once I got to the kitchen and he is was eating a jar by the spoonful, and the jar was on the top shelf ! Actually the though about how he got the jar scared me more then the fact he was eating it.

Omgosh, I feel your pain! (I have a 2yo who gets into EVERYTHING!) I have to jump out of bed in the morning if he gets up because if I dont, he'll be into something and it wont be good. I never seen a kid that can get into trouble so fast!! So yours makes his own meals??? LOL That's fantastic!! I wouldn't stress about him finding his own food. Like you said, you stock good food choices. Celebrate his independence!! Whenever you can, provide fresh fruits and veggies. I think thats the best that anyone can do at the 2yo stage. And good luck, Momma!!

BUMP! I've got to get those books! I got lucky in the sense that my two year old loves cucumbers, broccoli, etc. Heck, she'll CHOOSE broccoli over french fries at a restaurant! Don't get me wrong...she still likes her junk food (what kid doesn't), but she's fairly easy to please. I too puree veggies into pasta sauces. I also serve a vegetable or fruit with EVERY meal. I can't force her to eat it, but I can't NOT offer them to her!

My daughter loves rice, so I try to put veggies in with rice as often as possible too. Of course, using ground turkey instead of beef in our tacos works too, for instance. She's none the wiser! There is also a Sesame Street cookbook...sometimes we make snacks from that. if she see's it's Elmo's favorite, then she's all about trying it!

Toddlers are interesting creatures, huh? Good luck, kiddo! There's some great suggestions on here!