It’s been a while since I wrote about “Jack’s Eats”. Jack is now two, and let’s just say that I started this post when he was 18 months old…so I’ve been distracted to say the least. Jack is a full fledged diner who loves to be included in the shopping and preparation of meals. Every meal is certainly not a win win. Some days he devours his food and completely rejects it the following day. Some days his appetite is robust and he clears his plate and asks for more. Other days his main source of nourishment may be buttered She Wolf sourdough toast and cucumbers. From my experience and knowledge base, toddler eating patterns are not linear. Their intake is self regulated - it ebbs and flows based on periods of growth. Babies and children are also completely aware of their hunger cues. They eat when they are hungry and stop when they are full. At times this can be quite discouraging and frustrating but, the key is to not give up the good fight. Continue to offer, expose, and lay the foundations for good eating habits now, and ideally you will create a lifetime of open-minded eaters.
Before discussing Jack’s meals, I want to be transparent and state that I have a flexible schedule which allows me and my husband to shop and cook often. Jack is under the care of myself, my husband, and his grandmas - as opposed to attending daycare/full time school setting where the meal options may not be as flexible. That being said, all of the ideas which I present here are quick, simple, family friendly, and completely doable for meal prep.
Key tips:
Try not to offer the same foods two days in a row. Aim for diversity, even if it is serving leftovers in a different way
Offer a variety of colors and textures
Aim for a protein, a vegetable, a complex carbohydrate, a fat, and a fruit at each meal
Do not label food as “good” versus “bad” “healthy” versus “ not-healthy”. Keep food neutral and avoid creating preconceived notions around food.
Make space for foods like pizza, cupcakes, and ice cream. Do not call it a treat or not healthy. Keep the labeling neutral.
Have a consistent time and place for meals. Jack’s current schedule is:
breakfast: 7:30 am
snack: 10/10:30 am
lunch: 12:00 pm
snack: 3:00 pm
dinner: 5:30 pm
Try to eat at least one meal a day as a family. Turn off electronics and set an example for positive eating habits in a relaxed and enjoyable dining setting is essential for good eating habits long term.
Avoid bribery or coercion. This categorizes one food as being more valuable than another.
Do not encourage your child to finish their plate unless they want to. This can cause a disconnect from natural hunger cues and can lead to overeating as an older child and adult.
Give your child independence when eating. Do not force feed.
Use a variety of seasoning and spices when cooking to continue to broaden the palate
Take your child grocery shopping and encourage trying new foods
Key Nutrients
Probiotics: Healthy gut flora is essential for smooth digestion, GI health, regularity, reduces inflammation and promotes a strong immune system. A healthy gut can also reduce or improve the likelihood of some common childhood conditions like eczema, food allergies, and asthma. Probiotics can be found in fermented and cultured foods such as, yogurt, kefir, miso, and fermented vegetables like sauerkraut, pickles, and kimchi.
important nutrient guidelines:
Every meal does not have to be “perfect”. When composing your child’s plate, it is helpful to keep these key tips in mind. Not only will they help to guide you during meal preparation, but they will also help to optimize your child’s nutrient intake.
Encourage real whole foods with limited ingredients
Food should taste good, not bland or boring
Fat is essential for brain growth and development (organic grass-fed butter, olive oil, avocado oil, coconut oil, avocado, nut butters, age appropriate nuts and seeds, and full fat dairy)
Meals should be composed of protein + fat + complex carbohydrate + fruit + vegetable. Many foods fit into more than one category. For example, nut butter is both a fat and a protein, and sweet potato is a complex carbohydrate and a starchy vegetable.
Protein: Chicken, pork, beef, fish, tofu, legumes, nut/seed butters, dairy, eggs, whole grains
Protein helps with satiety, immunity, building of muscles, tissues, skin, and nails, hormone production and so much more)
Fat: Nuts, seeds (nut/seed butter for tiny eaters), grass-fed organic full fat dairy, grass-fed butter, avocado, olive oil, avocado oil, coconut oil, and fatty fish such as salmon and sardines.
Fat helps with brain development and satiety and is essential for the absorption of fat soluble vitamins
Complex Carbohydrates/Starch : Whole grains, quinoa, brown rice, potatoes, corn, peas, pasta, breads, cereals
Carbs and starches have a bad rap, but they serve an important role in the diet. They are a key source of energy for your child and also provides vitamins, minerals, and fiber.
Even if your child does not touch some or all of the foods that you offer, continue repeat exposure and have a positive optimistic attitude. Lead by example. It can take over 25 exposures of a food for your child to finally try it.
Menu Ideas:
Breakfast:
Hard boiled eggs
Banana + peanut butter english muffin
Oatmeal with peanut butter, ground flax seeds, and berries
Scrambled eggs cooked in butter with spinach and whole wheat toast
Whole wheat sourdough toast with nut butter, butter, or mashed avocado and hemp seeds
Full fat yogurt with berries and wheat germ
Multigrain waffles
My stance on smoothies:
Smoothies have long been a part of my morning routine. Some days I do not crave a large breakfast and a smoothie does the trick. Other mornings, I will have a smoothie along with some toast or eggs. Since this is what my husband and I typically do, we just loop Jack in on our smoothie routine. He also helps prepare the smoothie, which increases his interest in drinking it. I don’t want to be a short order cook, and neither should you. (That actually creates bad habits) Most of the time we all eat the same things. This sometimes doesn’t always work - as noted above, a toddlers appetite ebbs and flows. I am hopeful that these steps of exposure and routine will, in turn, lead to lifelong habits. Here is a link to some of my favorite smoothies. I omit the maca in smoothies for Jack.
Lunch
Spinach, mushroom, and cheese quesadilla with avocado slices . You can also do black bean and cheese or no cheese. (I use Siete Foods tortillas)
Peanut butter and banana/raspberry sandwich on whole grain bread
Whole wheat pita with white bean dip, avocado, and cucumbers
Black bean chili with full fat organic sour cream or dairy-free option and quinoa
Whole wheat pasta salad with chopped broccoli, olives, roasted tomatoes, and hemp seeds
Organic sliced turkey and Swiss cheese pinwheels with thinly sliced cucumber
Jazz up dinner leftovers
Snacks
Cut up fruit + organic cheese stick
Clementines
Raspberries stuffed with sun butter
Apple slices with nut butter
Cheddar bunnies
Purely O’s and plain greek-style yogurt
Organic raisins (I will often make a little mix of raisins, O’s, and pretzels/bunnies)
Full fat cottage cheese and fruit
Larabar
Spelt pretzels with bean dip
Sliced cucumber and bell peppers with hummus
Banana + peanut butter
Rice cake with kite hill “cream cheese”
Dinner
Turkey ricotta meatballs with whole wheat pasta and sautéd zucchini
Mini sliders with or without cheese and sweet potato fries
Falafel with tzatziki and broccoli
Slow roasted salmon with brown rice and roasted carrots
Whole wheat/quinoa/brown rice pasta with chicken sausage and broccoli
Garlic rock shrimp with roasted cauliflower and chickpea pasta
Sesame oil roasted organic tofu with sautéed spinach, soba noodles, and avocado
Cauliflower pizza crust with tomato sauce or pesto, mozzarella (or vegan alternative), and mushrooms
Braised shredded chicken with quinoa and string beans
Roasted butternut squash + lentil pasta with broccoli hemp seed pesto
My stance on sugar
I try to limit sugar as much as possible in my meals and Jack’s, but I do not want to vilify it and make it out to be a “bad” thing in my child’s mind. This will most likely cause him to want to seek it out and sneak it when he is older. Alternatively, I have seen how loopy a sweet “treat” can make my child, so I know the adverse effects it can have on his personality. Sugar has a time and a place, and I certainly like to partake in a sweet treat on occasion. So my stance is not to demonize sugar, but to create realistic boundaries in your household. I want Jack to enjoy his childhood and part of it is enjoying sweet treats at celebrations, dining out, on vacations, or just because. Don’t turn a dessert into a reward for eating vegetables because again that results in good versus bad groups and turns the dessert into a very special, highly desirable item.
When making baked goods at home, I will use maple syrup, dates, or bananas as more natural forms of sweeteners. When we go out as a family or celebrate a holiday or birthday and have dessert, we enjoy it, don’t make a big deal about it and don’t make it seem like a very special “treat”. Avoid sugar sweetened yogurts, snack food items, sauces, and dips by carefully reading your ingredients list so there is not any added sugar that you are not aware of.
So that is where we are at. A year and a half of eating solids. It has been a thrilling, entertaining, exhausting, and frustrating experience and I know we are just getting started. I look forward to continuing to share my personal experiences and professional recommendations with you. Have any unanswered questions, personal insights, or straight up want to share your journey feeding your toddler? Comment below and I respond and add to the post!