Oak’s eating habits have been the topic of conversation on this blog for some time. Equally, it tends to be the topic of conversation on the playground as well. Often, I find myself comparing sleeping and eating notes with other moms. Thankfully, Oak loves whole foods and real meals. Even when I consider this, we still like to find little ways to insert healthy things into his daily meals just so he doesn’t begin to recognize and unfortunately, refuse greens and veggies in his diet.
I am a pick your battles kind of mom, and even with that, I do want us both to enjoy meal time. I don’t want to spend these moments hovering over him and coaxing him to take a bite. Mealtime, should be delicious, nutritious, and dare I say… relaxing? So much of that has to do with offering my children foods they find fun as well. If you haven’t tried Mighty Mealtime by Plum Organics, they’re yummy USDA Organic and non- GMO meals in small packages. Oak, has been eating Plum’s pouches for some time, so I was interested to see how he fared with actual toddler meals from them as well. Turns out, they’re a hit!
A few ways I insert healthy foods into his daily diet:
+ Oatmeal with greek yogurt and mashed fruit
+ Smoothies with handfuls of kale and spinach, but stay red with so many strawberries-A tiny bit of tomato sauce over sautéed kale
+Mashed or finely chopped vegetables in his macaroni and cheese
His favorite Mighty Mealtime as of now is Macaroni and Cheese. It’s cheesy, and filling, and yellow. Basically, it’s perfect for him! Here’s how I make it more balanced for him.
What you’ll need:
+ Fork
+ Microwave Safe Bowl
+ Mac & Cheese Mighty Meal by Plum Organics
+ Handful of vegetables of your choice
As a rule of thumb when feeding Oak, I always make sure he’s really ready to eat. Not too hungry, but hungry enough. Since he’s almost two, I know his stages of meal time, so I can read his cues when he’s ready to actually sit down and dig through a whole meal. Since the packets cook quite fast, I warm up the vegetables first. After warming, I take a knife and chop and mash them so that they will blend well into his meal. Occasionally, I’ll even add a little oil or sauce to the veggies to give them a little kick and more texture. After chopping and mashing the vegetables, I make the macaroni and cheese. If the mac and cheese is a little dry, I go ahead and add a little more milk. (For this meal, I used water.) Stir in your veggies and serve warm!
Any other quick and healthy recipes that you give your toddler? We also give River and Oak baked sweet potato fries quite often. They’re delicious!
Bonus: Plum Organics is offering all LaTonya Yvette Readers $1 for any 2 Plum Organic tot products! Just redeem your coupon right here.
(This post is in partnership with Plum Organics. Thank you for supporting the partners that help LaTonya Yvette thrive.)
