Healthier Choices for Toddler

Do you have the "Deceptively Delicious" cookbook by Jessica Senfield? There are lots of easy, delicious meals in there.

My 21 mos old will eat chicken salad on bread, I cut them into squares so it's easier to hold. He also like the canned chicken just in a bowl. Cubed ham, turkey, chicken, etc. I think if it's small and in a lil bowl, they seem to pick at it better than on the dinner plate with other things.

P.,
Anything they can eat with their fingers is usually a hit. Tofu cubes marinated in soy sauce (cut it in cubes, pour soy sauce over it, store in fridge; doesn't need to be cooked so this is a really quick snack!). My adaughter loved this when she was little and still loves it, and so do I!

Any dairy is a good protein source; cubed cheese or cheese slices, hard-boiled eggs, scrambled eggs, cheese omelettes, mac&cheese, etc. Beans are good--refried, drained white or black beans added to anything. Quesadillas are great for variety, easy & quick: slap a flour or corn tortilla in a pan, spread a spoonful of cooked black beans, a handful of shredded cheese, maybe some finely chopped chicken or meat if you have it, another tortilla on top; press together and heat a minute or 2 'til the cheese melts to "glue" it all together, flip and heat the other side. Cut in quarters with a pizza cutter while the next one cooks. My daughter asks for these all the time!
Best of luck with food and with your business--sounds very intereseting!
L.

Hi!!
Preheat your oven to 350. Get about a pound of ground meat (I use organic) and add about a cup or so (you'll adjust to taste after you make this a few times)of rolled oats (initially you can ground them). I also throw in an omega 3 egg for good measure. Then mix it by hand and roll into one inch balls. You can also roll them into cylindar-like shapes (forgive me...my son says they look like "turds"..that's the only way to describe the shape) Put them on a baking sheet in the oven for 18-20 minutes. Check the middle to make sure there is no link. Then freeze. Take one out per meal. This is the ONLY meat my dd will eat. Quick, easy and delicious!

My 3-year-old loves pork of all kinds. His favorite is a baked pork chop with ketchup and brown sugar. I let him see me sprinkle just a little bit of brown sugar on and then he thinks it's a yummy treat once it's cooked. Just take boneless (or bone-in) pork chops and put them in a baking pan. Season the meat with salt and pepper, sprinkle a little bit of brown sugar (about 1 tablespoon total) over the meat and squirt ketchup over the top (about 1/4 cup ketchup total). Bake at 350 until done (about 30 min).

Another favorite in our house is chicken baked with French's onions (the ones you use for green bean casserole) on top. The recipe is super easy and on the back of the container.

P.,

You might want to check out the kid friendly dinner ideas at Kraft:

http://www.kraftfoods.com/KF/YOURKIDS/KidApprovedRecipes/...

Also, O. thing my son always liked eating as homemade meatballs & marinara sauce....bake them plain (can make lots ahead & freeze) & let him dip into the sauce. If I remember correctly, my son, at that age, would eat just about anything..as long as he could dip it.
Good luck!

Dear P. S,

Check out www.heartlandfoods.com. They offer all natural meats that are free of any growth hormones, antibiotics and steroids. They offer free range poultry, wild caught seafood, all natural beef and pork, as well as, your name brand groceries. They also have organic vegetables. They work with any budget and offer a 100% unconditional guarantee. The best thing we love is the individual packaging that means less waste and more savings for my family. Good Luck.
T. K

Hi P.,

Your business sounds so cool! I'd love to learn more about it!

For eating, my little guy loves meat - we just try to give him grilled entrees instead of fried - grilled chicken, grilled steak - he loves lamb - try the basics and offer him things to dip it in so that it will be "fun" to eat. My son also LOVES buffalo meat - it is very lean and tasty - you can buy a roast at Giant Eagle. The other things that we do are fish - salmon, tilapia, etc - my son loves them and I just cook his the way I cook ours - usually baked with a little salt and pepper.

J.

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P.,

Great business idea! Best of luck with it's expansion! Parents must LOVE your service.

Two words: Crock Pot.

Easy, healthy, kid-friendly meals are yours with that thing. I know a lot of people think of it for Winter, for "comfort foods" meals, but I also love it in the Summer, because it doesn't heat up the kitchen like the oven does!

Tastefully Simple offers unique seasonings & marinades, and because they're so flavorful, a little goes a long way, so they are very economical.
Please check out our offerings: tastefullysimple.com/web/mmazer ~ Kids LOVE the corn, black bean salsa. Pop some boneless, skinless chicken thighs in the crock pot with half a jar of corn, black bean salsa. When done, just pull them out, & shred using two forks, pulling the meat apart. Put the meat back into the juicy salsa. Serve on wraps or just spooned over rice. (brown rice has fiber, so get your kids used to eating that instead of the white stuff)
Kids also love the Perfectly Potato Cheddar Soup mix, and there's a couple of recipes for the crock pot on the website: one for chicken & veggies & one for ham. It also makes a fabulous base for pot pies - use refrigerated pie dough, frozen veggies & leftover chicken or turkey. Or, no crust at all: use TS's Perfect Parmesan Biscuit mix (they taste like the biscuits at Red Lobster, but you make them at home in 10 mins) ~ spray casserole dish, put Perfectly Potato Cheddar Soup, veggies & chicken/turkey in, mix Perfect Parmesan Biscuit Mix, and drop over casserole then bake. You have to use some Garlic Garlic & our Seasoned Salt in the casserole for flavor. That Garlic Garlic is the best!
The Seasoned Salt is different from others you'll find ~ it contains Sea Salt, which your body assimilates better than table salt, and the seasonings in it are fabulous ~ just a tiny sprinkle on chicken breasts, salmon or tilapia then bake or grill - use the leftover chicken breasts in chicken salad, or slice & use in fajitas with that Corn, Black Bean Salsa!
Here's a link for more kid-friendly meals: http://www.tastefullysimple.com/Cultures/en-US/Recipes/Ev...

If you choose to order online, just enter my name at checkout, so you get the lower, same-as-party shipping rate. M. Mazer

Sneak in veggies wherever you can. Use the baby food jars of carrots, and mix in with anything yellow or orange, like mac & cheese or even a little spread on a grilled cheese (a LITTLE bit)... they're also easy to sneak into TS Truffle Fudge Brownie Mix - use one jar in place of half the butter. Use plain applesauce or low fat vanilla yogurt in place of half the butter in our Absolutely Almond Pound Cake. Use baby food peas, squash or anything you can sneak into lasagna, ziti, casseroles. Offer veggies instead of fruit whenever you can - kids easily love fruit because it's sweet; veggies are harder for them to love because they're not sweet, so get 'em used to them now, while you can! :>) Dip into old-faithful ranch dressing, or catalina or peanut or sunbutter or yogurt. Make TS's Spinach & Herb Dip Mix with plain yogurt in place of sour cream & use reduced fat mayo. YUM... who doesn't love all veggies dipped in that?

Ok ~ best of luck with sneaking in those pureed baby food jars!

My daughter cuts up fruit in toddler bite sizes. My granddaughters love to eat this snack with their fingers from a tupperware cup, and hardly make a mess at all. They say it is best to eat food raw, and strawberries, mellons, banans, are soft and juicy, delicious and good for them.
:)
N

Hi P., There are many different ways to add protien to diet that doesn't include meat. We do not need to eat meat all the time...my kids were very veggie until they were 4-5 yr old. Look for alternatives like simple peanutbutter and beans. A good balanced veggie diet can be more healthy with a bit of chicken, fish, pork, and beef added in once in a while. Try mac 'n cheese and add a can of tuna (drained) right before serving. Peanutbutter toast, a glass of milk and a banana make a perfact breakfast. You can also find protien in yogurt....best wishes.