Tuesday, August 25, 2015

Tuesday Talk: Toddler Meals

Being a toddler chef is a fun and frustrating job.
You think you've found things they'll eat and love one day and they hate them the next.  My little one announces I DON'T WIKE IT when she's not a fan of the meal I've prepared.  We are working on finding consistent favorites while still trying a variety of food.  It's tricky and frustrating some days and fun other days.  I thought I'd share some kid meal ideas with you today and maybe you have a few new ones to share with me.  Olive and I would appreciate the variety :)

ICE CUBE TRAY MEALS
Olive gets so excited when I put her meals together like this.  The little compartments, the variety of food and the fun presentation really does get her excited to eat.  She will almost always eat more when I present her lunch this way.

 MINI MUFFINS
I bake a batch for the week and we eat it for breakfast for several days.
& Bran Muffins are favorites

SHARING SALADS 
I often make BIG salads for lunch and then we share.
Olive tends to eat more this way than if she had her own plate.

SEPARATE THE INGREDIENTS:
I try hard to give Olive the same food we're having for dinner.  There are some exceptions, but I want her to learn to love a variety of things.  I've noticed that she prefers to have her food separated out so I'll usually deconstruct our meals and give them to her like this:
Instead of a grilled chicken wrap:
Toddler version of a grilled chicken salad:

Sometimes we do COLOR themed lunches:

FINDING FAVORITES:
Our go to toddler food right now:
carrots, cucumbers, nectarines, edamame, cheese and almonds
Olive will always eat these items.

I put her favorites on her plate and then include a few new things with it.




What are your favorite, kid-friendly meals served at your house?
I'd love some new ideas :)

Linking up with my favorite ladies today.
Join us with your best post from the week :)
(Starting from the upper left:)
Beth - Our Pretty Little Girls ~ Michelle - Grammie Time
Keri - Living In This Season  ~ Christina - Waltzing In Beauty
Tara - Mrs. Coach Sims ~ Lauren - Simply Free
Jess and Katie - Sweet Little Ones ~ Whitney - Polka Dotty Place
Becky - BYBMG ~ Elizabeth - All Kinds Of Things
Polka-Dotty Place

8 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. I mean that in a completely genuine, not at all sarcastic, way. You do really cool stuff for Olive.

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  2. Love this idea! Going to try it with the picky two year old.

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  3. What a good idea to give your toddler's lunch in an ice cube tray! Great way to keep them focused on eating ;)

    By the way, I nominated you for Sisterhood of the World Bloggers Award! It's a fun little question tag. More details here: http://faithandfashionblog.blogspot.com/2015/08/sisterhood-of-world-bloggers-award.html

    -Mariah
    www.faithandfashionblog.blogspot.com

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  4. Just seeing these plates are great ideas. Olivia likes her food all separate too. So no sandwiches, casseroles, salads, etc. We usually just put some on her plate before mixing it all together. I wish Olivia would share our salads, but she only likes cooked vegetables.

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  5. Love the meal ideas! Especially putting everything in an ice cube tray! I'll have to try this soon!

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  6. I like the ice cube tray meal idea, what a cute thought! I'm doing ice cube trays to store and freeze purees but when he's on to solids, that sounds like a fun way to present food.

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  7. great ideas, Whitney! shared via my facebook page this morning! :)

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