Wanted: Any favorite food recipes for toddlers

[selena2]

Hello all!!  I was just wondering if anyone had any new food idea's / recipes to help me entice my kids to eat?  I am all out of idea's!  I am stuck in a rut for what to feed my 2 year old and 1 year old...  My ds is the pickiest eater, most days he just looks at what I put on the table and refuses to even try it.... he won't even come to the table.  My dd who was a fantastic eater is picking up her brothers bad habits....  there is nothing worse in my house than the dreaded question.."what are we going to eat for breakfast, lunch, supper.....  There is nothing more frustrating than spending a bunch of time making something for neither of my kids to eat it?!@#   Basic staples like tuna, kd, and pasta do not seem to be working lately... I have even tried making meals into fun designs on the plate.  Any idea's or anyone's kids favorites perhaps to try would be fantastic!!!

Thanx in advance

Selena  (Stressed out mom of kids who won't eat)

[Poppy & Lily]

Hi selena,

first of all hugs {{{{{}}}} believe me i know how the fussiness can drive you mad my dd is a bit of a nightmare for that

my dd loves spagetti bolagnese, i usually make up a batch of the sauce and freeze the rest so i have spare portions in the freezer when i need them.

also my dd loves my homemade pizzas and it's a good way of getting veggies into her

Take some muffins ( i use wholemeal but you can use normal ones as well, toast them then let them cool down for a bit and then add on some passata (tomato sauce) and then you can add whatever veg etc you like.  I tend to saute some peppers and mushrooms and cut them into small bits and them i add them onto the muffins sprinkle some cheese on top and the grill for about 3-4mins.  You can also add on ham.

Like i said my dd is fussy but loves the pizzas and they are homemade so full of healthy stuff

for lunch she loves ham and tomato toasties or jacket potato.

HTH for now

[skatty]

My DD has also decided there is more to life than eating 

Something that does go down well for us is buying a wholemeal packet mix to make your own buns/rolls. We add protein powder, cinnamon and raisins and DD thinks she's getting a real treat 

Apart from that I have given up making extravagant meals, where she used to eat pasta until it came out of her ears it now goes straight over the tray onto the floor  I now make a batch of patties - tuna and sweetcorn, and chicken or beef mince with some onion, sundried tomatoes, olives and loads of garlic, freeze them and defrost a few to keep in the fridge. She eats a few bites along with a handful of frozen peas and sweetcorn or a corn cob drizzled with garlic butter. I also make french toast with a filling inside as it's quick and not so frustrating when she doesn't eat it. I am thinking of just giving small snacks throughout the day instead of three meals to see if she will eat more. I hope some more ideas get posted 

[BabyBsMommy]

DS is picky like that at lunch time only, for some reason!  He always eats his veggies but getting something else into him at the middle of the day is tricky.  A few things beyond KD that I've managed to get into him are...
1. Homemade mini pizza - I buy ww slim burger buns (they are a canadian brand called Presiden'ts Choice, Eat the Burger First) - I spread some tomato sauce on a half of one, sprinkle some cheese, slice a chicken meatball and put it on, add some thinly sliced mushrooms, green/red peppers, onion and more cheese.  Bakes up in about 5 min in the toaster oven.
2. Homemade mini-meatpies - basically you make a batch of about 15-18 of them for dinner and freeze the rest for lunches - one does it for DS and it thaws in 2 min in the microwave - you cut the crusts off of ww bread, butter one side and press each slice in a muffin tin to make a cup.  You mix 1 lb of extra lean ground beef or ground turkey/chicken with 1/4 cup finely diced onion, 1/2 cup shredded cheddar (I use 2% lower fat), 1/2 cup bread crumbs, 1 can of cream of mushroom soup (I use the healthier stuff - low fat and/or low sodium), and some salt and pepper.  You put a good scoop inside each bread cup and bake for about 40 min at 350 or until the meat is cooked through.
3. chicken meatballs
4. garlic cheese toast - lightly toast a slice of ww bread in the toaster.  Spread on margarine and a bit of a spinkle of garlic powder.  Toast in toaster oven for a min or two, sprinkle on some cheese and toast a bit more.
5. quesidilla - cut a ww tortilla in quarters (I only use half a tortilla for DS right now).  Spread each half with a little salsa, then on one quarter, sprinkle on some cheese and whatever else (often I will add some leftover finely diced chicken or ham, sprinkle a bit more cheese on top and top with another quarter.  Heat in a non-stick pan (I don't add any oil) for a min or two each side, enough to melt the cheese.  DS likes anything he can DIP so I give him a little cup of salsa mixed with sour cream to dip the pieces in.

HTH!

[holdenlouis]

Those were some great ideas. Jumping on here to see what else comes up Holden is also getting a bit picky. He does like sweet potato fries. Slice the potatoes like fries and coat with olive oil and sprinkle with some cinnamon and bake at 375 for 35-40 min.

[nursekat]

Just jumping in to get the alerts...am off to post my own thread though!!