Munchkin Meals

What does my toddler eat?

Hey guys!  I thought it would be fun to do a little write-up of what my 16-month old daughter Scarlet eats.  This is what a typical day of food looks like for her.  She is and always has been a very good eater and I personally have a theory as to why that is, but I'll explain later.  Here are a few pictures of what we give her almost everyday.  But just understand - we're not perfect.  We're only trying to give her the most nutritious and delicious meals that we can think of and come up with easily.  

Hope you enjoy!

BREAKFAST

Healthy time Oatmeal made with water and a heaping spoonful of full fat greek yogurt.  1/2 a banana on the side.  Carbs, healthy fats and protein.  Winning meal right there.  I should also mention the oatmeal is jam packed with toddler essentials.  You read the box and immediately feel really good about giving her this stuff.

She's a true morning person - I can barely capture her pic when she's eating because of how excited and happy she is.

As you can see there are some cheerios in front of her.  I give these to her to nibble on while I'm prepping our breakfasts and hers.  Unfortunately, most of the Cheerios end up on the floor because we 'share' with Milo who LOVES cheerios.  She feeds them to him almost everyday.  It's really cute.

SNACK #1!

Edamame - no salt.  

I usually break the round beans into two and give them to her that way.  I'm slightly paranoid about choking but thankfully still have a valid CPR training under my belt if it does happen.  HAHA!

She also loves these little Goldfish crackers.  I'm not a huge fan of giving them to her (because of the salt) but I usually hide them until she's had a good serving of veg.

Fuelled up and off we go again!

LUNCH!

Full boiled egg, 1/2 an avocado, fruit and cheese toast.  Yes - she will eat every single bite of this meal.  It's awesome to watch.  Strategically, I have to give her the egg first or she won't touch it after she sees the other food.  Fruit comes last and we call it dessert.

 SNACK #2 and Milkshake

 Organic Homo Milk with the other half of the banana and spinach blended in.  

Nate is allergic to Milk and really Lactose Intolerant.  I myself have had some milk related problems - psoriasis flared up and minor Lactose Intolerance when I was younger.   We as parents both struggled with giving her cow's milk at all; but after hearing doctor after doctor after doctor and reading article after article about WHY it's important for babies and toddlers to have homoginzed cow's milk I felt it was right for our family.  She gets half of what is 'recommended' because this is what I was most comfortable with.  We supplement other nutritional needs with foods and dairy such as cheddar, cottage cheese and yogurt as you can see.  This is the only time during the day that she gets milk (right after her nap) unless she ever asks for it.  If she does, we do give her more but it's rare.  

I feel like we are in a happy balancing act right now.  I will continue to regulate and watch her very carefully with cow's milk and the first sign of disrupted sleep, or itchy skin, or whatever - you name it, we'll be trying something new.  So far, so good so we'll stick with it!

cottage cheese and 1/2 a mandarin orange

DINNER!

Someone looks hungry!  

Scarlet is at the stage where she can eat what Nate and I eat for dinner (within moderation).  Tonight she had steamed asparagus, sautéed mushrooms and pasta with some of the Salmon her Daddy caught on his fishing trip with his Dad.  And yes - she ate the entire plate.  My theory is because she doesn't have the full 16 oz of milk 'recommended' she is not overly full of liquid and can take all of the food offered (and more).  I have a few friends who struggle with their kids eating, but see that they have bottle after bottle of milk and I wonder if that might have something to do with it.  I know after I have a latte I'm not super hungry anymore.  Who knows, I just think that what's going on in our pad is working well and Scar has consistently been healthy, no sickness yet (knock on wood) and within if not slightly under a healthy height and weight.  There it is!  Hope you enjoyed.