Toddler Meals: Part 1

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We're in the process of weaning the boys off of formula since they are almost a year old already! Let me tell you, it's no walk in the park. Making healthy and kid appropriate foods for two babies for 3 meals a day plus a snack is no easy feat... it's about 10 times harder and more time consuming than mixing a bottle. But cooking is one of my passions and as much as I love to cook, I also love to eat. I want these little guys to be the same - well-rounded, not-picky, healthy little eaters.

Lots of people ask me what I feed them and some people seem a bit thrown off by the foods that I offer them. I strongly believe that I should not have to put together a special meal for the boys - they can eat exactly what Andy and I are eating, with a little bit of tweaking sometimes.

I don't eat breakfast so I have to fix them their own little meals for breakfast. Usually peanut butter toast, banana, cereal, yogurt, various fruits, waffles with fruit spread, banana pancakes... the usual breakfast items.

I sometimes don't eat lunch either, so I make large batches of lunch type items to keep in the fridge and pull out small portions as needed. Turkey dogs (quartered), frittatas (omelettes), various steamed vegetables, leftovers, grilled cheese, wraps. My goal is at least one fruit, vegetable, protein and carbohydrate on the plate at any given time. I let the boys decide what they eat and how much of it they eat - I haven't forced anything on them... yet.

Dinner is a toned-down version of whatever Andy and I are eating, whether it is just cut into baby-sized pieces or if I leave out the excessive seasonings (I'm a huge fan of red pepper flakes...)

Here's a couple of pictures of the pint-sized meals these guys have had this week. Disclaimer: I make things in large batches and use for several meals so you will see repeated foods! 

Chopped cauliflower and broccoli, mandarin oranges and blueberries, leftover Italian sausage pasta

Peanut butter toast fingers, omelette fingers (green beans and swiss cheese inside), blueberries and mandarin oranges

Slices of banana and peaches coated in Rice Krispies, omelette fingers

Leftover sweet potato chicken chili, mandarin oranges, sliced cheese, tater tots and omelette

 Pasta salad and pumpkin pie spiced Greek yogurt, that I let the boys feed themselves...

It was super messy and they had to have a mid-day bath afterward but they had fun learning to eat!

Stay tuned for more toddler meals and finger foods ideas --- you'll never know what they'll be eating next! 

(Their absolute favorite food right now is sweet potato fries... they literally eat them so fast I have yet to get a picture of them!)