Healthy Meal Ideas Needed for a Three Year Old

I think beans are healthy depending on how they're prepared, and brown rice is healthy too....Breads are abit much though....Have you tried finely chopped veggies blended with the beans and rice?

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The family stuff can really be a pain. I think you are very lucky that the food your daughter is eating is not cookies and brownies, which is what my mother-in-law stuffs into my children every chance she gets and only gets worse when we ask her to quit with the junk. It has come down to this for my husband and I...we either let go of control when we let our children stay or be with my in-law family (they all are the same way) or just don't let the children be alone with them. We have found a fairly decent balance, I think. The children, in my opinion, need the time with the other family. They all love them and it's good for everyone to have the relationships they are building. However, there is a matter of health. We don't leave the children alone with them very often anymore and when we do, we just advise the children to make good choices (not that they do, but we keep giving them the info). The other kind of crummy thing is that my husband and I are often the mean people who don't give them the junk...oh well...such is life. As far as what you feed her, try what you want to try. Make food for yourself and give that food to her, too. I have a rule that the girls must try one bite of everything on their plate...that is my only rule. I provide beautiful settings of fruits and veggies for daytime snacking that look so nice the girls want to touch them and eat them! So try anything (using common sense, of course...I don't think a 3 year old is ready for jalapenos or tabasco or whatever!)

Actually, the foods you mentioned can be good. My daughter and I have eaten alot of Hispanic foods due to her dad being Guatemalan. If you can make brown rice available for her, and cook the beans without fats like lard and not too much salt, she'll actually be eating better than the standard American diet. Fresh flour or corn torts made without lard or too much salt can be ok too. Get ahold of some whole wheat tortillas. Include fresh vegies or fruit with her meals, my daughter loved baby carrots when little. Many meals are starch/protein heavy and this is what can set up unhealthy habits for life. I hope your daughter loves physical activity, try not to let her spend too much time in front of the tv etc. Build those healthy habits now.

Try the cookbook "The Sneaky Chef" you should be able to find it at the library. It's got some great ideas for altering the foods your kids will eat to make them healthier.

My daughter is also part hispanic and when I would be at friends house, that is what we ate as well. However, when I was at home, I made sure that she was surrounded by a variety of different foods. Perhaps you can have your daughter "help" you make fruit pizza... Be creative with foods that you give her. My daughter loves to make and eat "bugs/ants on a log". It celery with peanut butter or cream cheese with raisins on top. Unfortunately, you can only control what you feed her at home but when you are at home, encourage her to try other things. Put little bits of different things on her plate to sample them. If you introduce her to other foods, she may soon realize that she like other things just as much or better.

S.,
my children are 1/2 hispanic and they eat beans and rice with tortillas, I do no think that they are unhealthy at all, rice could be a little fatting but the beans and corn tortillas have Iron in them and protien. I think your daughter eating Pizza is the problem. Try introducing fruits and vegtiables to her, the frozen mixed vegtables with butter or even canned green beans are great for them to pick up easily, also I by my children fruit cups by dole that comes in A 4 Pac. I know how it is to be a white woman with your ways of how your parents fed you when you where growing up and then your husband side are set in there ways with what they eat, and they will continue to give your daughter what they eat because that is the way of living for them they do not know different. Been there done that.

Instead of telling the family not to, explain what your concerns are in a proactive way. Unfortunately, you can't control what other people do. You can only control what you do. See your pediatrician for recommended diet and exercise for your daughter. I am not an expert, but my initial reaction is that beans are a great source of protein. Make sure the rice is brown rice, the bread is wheat, the tortillas are wheat, and pizza dough is wheat. There are two cookbooks I recommend --- The Sneaky Chef and Deceptively Delicious. It has tricks for sneaking fruits and vegetables into your child's favorite foods. Pizza would be an easy thing to sneak good food into. Quesadillas would be another easy thing to sneak good food into. Also, what is your daughter drinking? Limit juice intake --- only 4 oz. a day. Have her drink 1% or skim milk --- 16 oz. a day. No soft drinks. Push a lot of water. Limit candy and sweets for special occasions. A big question is what is your daughter's activities during the day? I would limit her tv exposure. She needs to be actively playing not sitting. Give her a multivitamin. My last piece of advice is that kids exercise their freedom over what they eat. The best thing you can do is be a good role model. Eventually, she'll want to eat what mommy is eating. You are not alone. This is an issue all parents deal with. Good luck.

I have three kids under the age of 5 so meals in my family have become a challange. My advice to you is get the book Deceptively Delicious by Jessica Seinfeld (Jerry Seinfeld's wife) It is wonderful book and tells you how to sneak good food like healthy vegetables into meals and they don't even know they are eating them.
The recipes in the book are kid friendly. My kids really like them.
T.

From a person who has always had a little weight issue, it was very hard thru school and life in general. Don't get me wrong, I am not saying your daughter has a weight issue. If her weight concerns you, then try your hardest to get it under control now. Which it seems like you are doing just that! I think that if the relatives can not understand why you are concerned they manybe she should spend a little less time there. They need to understand you are the parent and you make the decisions about your daughter.

I have a lot of different recipes that are low fat. However that would take forever to write up. I am not sure if you are familiar with caloriecounter.com They have some really good, easy, lowfat recipes that would work for you. They are simple and my daughter (12 months) loves most of what I make. I also just found a website kraftfoods.com and they had a taco pizza on there that we are going to try. This way she still has the pizza and mexican but load up more on the veggies rather than the cheese. I am not sure if I am helping you at all, but keep up the good work!! Send me a message if you want a few titles of some low-fat cookbooks.

J. S

First, maybe you could try switching her to whole wheat tortillas, we do buy the white wheat bread for the kids (It's by Sara Lee and our pediatrician said it's not as great as whole wheat, but it's a heck of a lot better than white:)) Then you might want to try sneaking in the good stuff. we always offer veggies and fruit at every meal, and I give them light ranch if they want to dip, but I also buy jars of baby veggies (green beans, carrots, squash and sweet potatoes) and I dump it into whatever I am cooking--even tacos! I think there are cook books out there, that have you pureeing fresh vegetables and putting them in the food, I just don't have the time. Honestly, my kids have never noticed the difference. If you are worried about her weight then you also need to get her moving. Enroll her in a gymnastics class, or take walks with her, or get a toddler bike for her to ride and then make time everyday for her to be "exercising". I have a mini indoor trampoline (which is actually for me) but my kids get on it all the time. I hope this helps. good Luck

Hi S.,
My niece is 4 yrs and she was about 55-60 lbs and I know this was something that we struggled with as a whole extended family. It took her parents having a serious sit down conversation with most of the older generation of our family for them to understand the health implications. All grandparents want to give their grandkids everything, I think, but we had to help them understand that in this situation, it was not a good idea. There are still times we have to remind them, but for the last few months it has been working well and she has been losing weight while becoming more healthy and active. Good luck!

FYI: There have been 30+ responses to a similar request from someone who posted 10 or so questions before you. "meal ideas for a toddler." You might find some good ideas there.

As for my own advice, beans and tortillas are actually not bad foods -- beans are great fiber and protein and tortillas (whole wheat) are a healthier alternative to most traditional sandwich bread. The rice would be good, too if it were whole grain brown rice, but I suspect it is not with hispanic-style cooking.

First, perhaps you could ask your husband's family to at least switch to using whole grain versions of tortillas and rice -- again, the beans are great, as long as they are whole and not the refried kind with fat added.

Then, at home, try a compromise with your daughter. Use whole grain tortillas to make sandwich "roll ups" to get some variety in her diet. My 3-yr-old daugther's favorite lunches are roll ups. We'll use things like turkey lunchmeat (try to use organic or at least nitrite/nitrate free), roasted red peppers, fresh spinach leaves with sprinkles of cheese and a dab of ranch dressing rolled up tightly inside the tortilla and cut in half. On the side she'll have baby carrots cut in half which she can dip in ranch (try to find the healthy versions of dressings to avoid excessive sugar and additives). You could also make quesadillas using various sauteed veggies, such as squash, spinach, peppers, onions, carrots, even asparagus or eggplant -- anything, really. Top with just a few sprinkles of cheese before you grill it and she'll never miss the beans and rice! Because she likes rice, try using whole grain brown rice as a base for finely chopped sauteed veggies. She'll be unable to pick the veggies out as they are so small, so she'll gobble them up with the rice... perhaps she'll even discover she likes the taste of those specs of color mixed with her beloved rice :0)

Good luck!

Hey S.,
I have a two year that is the same way. I just bought this book and I love it. It has recipes, advice, and info; a lot of ways to get the "good" stuff into their meals without them knowing...here's the info:
"The Sneaky Chef" by Missy Chase Lapine
Hope it helps...good luck!

One of our kids' favorite things - for snack or as part of a meal - is frozen green soybeans. You can buy them at most grocery stores or at asian markets in the frozen section, either in or out of the pods, and all you do is heat them up, add salt if you like, and kids love them. Give plates or bowls of baby carrots, slices of peppers cut up, sliced fruit... most kids like plates of these colorful, crunchy things. Maybe if you introduce these things as part of - or before - a meal, your daughter will eat more of these things and less of the carb foods you're concerned about.

The other thing I wonder is, is she getting much exercise? Beans and rice are usually a pretty healthy thing. Yes, too much pizza and bread might be something to watch, but maybe her activity level needs to be encouraged? Family walks, hikes, bike rides, time at the park maybe?

Good luck! and good for you for being aware and doing something about it at this young age, because so many parents don't acknowledge the problem.

Beans help lower your blood sugar level so you don't get insulin spikes. Oatmeal also lowers your blood sugar level. I try to sneak beans IN to my kids' meals.

You might consider trying to get her to be a bit more active than she is. 3 yr olds have tons of energy. My kids know that commercials are for running around and play fighting, music is for dancing, and running races is just fun. I don't know how active your daughter is, but at 3, I wouldn't be too worried about her weight yet. If genetics are against her, good food won't be enough - she'll need to enjoy an active lifestyle and think tv is a waste of time. If genetics aren't against her, it's just baby fat that she'll grow out of in the next 3 yrs.

I agree with the other post, Kraftfoods.com is amazing with healthy foods and recipes kids love. First and foremost explain it is your daughters health you are worried about not her weight persay! Childhood diabetes is on the rise. Low fat milk, sugar free popsicles, Completely remove all trans fat from your diet (easy to do these days), my kids love the line of 100 calorie snack bags they have now, eggs are good, try finding healthy hispanic recipes online too and suggest them to his family. Explain seriously it is her health in the balance not her looks and you want her to make good choices as she gets older. I cook tacos and my taco pie with turkey instead of ground beef. It is hard to change a way of life for someone, but she is your daughter and you have to let them know you want what is best for her and to LIMIT the foods they serve then if they won't stop serving them. There is a huge difference. Try veggie burritos, veggies tortillas (wraps more like) instead of flour ones.

Actually, beans and rice are pretty healthy. Beans especially if they are not made with lard. The rice is very healthy too if they make it the way my family does, because even though it is white rice, it is made with tomatoes and has peas and carrots in it, and very little fat. Tortillas can be good too depending on how they are made. Corn tortillas are fantastic for you if they are not made with lard, and flour tortillas can be made with whole wheat flour, making them pretty good for you. Even flour tortillas made with regular flour aren't too bad, again, unless made with lard.
I would be more concerned with the pizza and possibly any liquid calories she is getting. Why are you worried about her weight at her age anyway? Has your pediatrician told you she is too heavy? I ask because my neice was over 50 lbs at 3 years old, but it was proportional to her height. She was off the charts on both weight and height. Unless your pediatrician is concerned, you shouldn't be, just concern yourself with helping her make healthy choices.

Beans and rice are actually a pretty healthy meal... add some veggies and make sure the portions are right... Your daughter is probably taller then every one her age also... I allways joke about my 4 year old being a big boy, but it is not just that I think he weighs a ton... he is taller too. Part of it is actually bone density. My son has a nephew 20 days younger then him and he is 20lb lighter and a head shorter then him. You can't compare your child's weight or how tall she is to other children, even if she is overweight you have to be careful with what you say around her... I have a niece that says she is fat and need to be on a diet all the time and it is not true at all, she has developed a bad self image at the age of 8...

Be carefull how you respond to her and make sure she knows she is loved and beautiful no matter what... Rice and beans are not bad, just make sure they are in the right portions and include some fruits and veggies.. get rid of sugared cereal and sweets... not the good stuff. There are many snack foods out there that kids will eat like candy if you make it a little fun. look up online healthy fun snack foods. Some times all it takes is to make a smiley face out of the food to make it fun and introduce other foods. V8 fruit juice is an okay way to introduce some veggies too...

My children are also required to try one bit of anything I give them and unless it makes them sick it happens at every meal. Just because they don't like it the first time doesn't mean they won't like it the next time. Their taste is allways changing. At dinner they are also required to eat at least as many bits as they are old, even if they don't love what I made. Some times it is a struggle when you start out with these rules but after a little while they catch on. My son now will say mom how old am I as if Ii don't know and then say okay only four more bits... smiling.

Actually, beans and rice are very nutritious and healthy. When you combine them correctly you can actually make a complete protein. I would not stress too much over it. My daughter is a very picky eater and is on the tall and thin side. One thing I've always been told is that is takes introducing a new food numerous times over a period of time before they begin to like or even try eating it. You can always look for healthy simple recipes in the book Super Baby Food. She explains a lot about nutrition, etc. Being a first time mama is definitely a challenge, I know, but you can do it!! Best of luck!

Actually, beans, rice and tortillas are healthy food, especially for kids! You have complete protein, fiber, and calcium (if using corn tortillas). The only thing she could use is some fresh veggies. Do they do cabbage salads? The conventional wisdom out there about starches being "bad" is not necessarily true, especially for kids.

Look elsewhere for the weight problem... does she drink juice? American Academy of Pediatricians recommends no more than 4 oz of fruit juice per day because of high sugar content. To meet that, I keep mostly water and milk available for my kids (5,3,&2 years). If I occasionally give them juice, I usually add water to it. I keep those habits for myself too, which makes it easier on them, and healthier for me too!

And, the Number One way to help your child lose weight:
Turn off the TV! It will increase their activity levels and decrease habitual snacking, also good for the whole family! We limit our kids to about 2 videos per week. Forces them to be creative in play!

One more idea... I did my own little lesson on healthy foods with my daughter when she was 3 and wanted to eat candy all day. I got some big note cards, and cut out fruits and vegetables from a grocery flyer. She glued them to the card, and I labeled it "fruits and vegetables" and talked about how they help our body have vitamins and stay healthy. The next time we cut out pasta, bread, rice, and cereal and talked about how "grains" give our bodies energy to play. Next was beans, meat, eggs, and poultry, which we labeled "protiens" and tied these foods to strong muscles. I had her feel the muscles in her biceps and legs. Finally we glued pictures of milk, cheese, yogurt, and cottage cheese to a card labeled "dairy" and talked about strong bones. I made up a little giving good food to our bodies to help them grow. We used the cards to talk about whether our lunches or snacks were healthy, if they had all the different kinds of foods our bodies need.

I try not to "reward" my kids for a clean plate with desert, but I do stress to them that desert does not have what our bodies need, and we need to give our bodies good food first. If we are not hungry enough for our healthy food, then we do not eat desert. And if we don't give our bodies food, then we will run out of energy and need to go straight to bed. Usually they will eat five bites to avoid going straight to bed. And sometimes they discover that the food isn't as bad as it looked!

Choose your battles wisely! And good luck! Your daughter is lucky to have a mom who cares about her health. My husband is a pediatrician, I am a biology major who studied nutrition (and lived in Central America, where I ate lots of beans and tortillas, and saw lots of skinny people!).

Hi S.,
Would she eat something like a pasta salad where you can cut up peppers, onions, celery and carrots in small pieces where she can't even see them? Or, if she likes pasta, how about a lasagna with spinach diced up in the sauce with a can of tomatoes added in? I bet she wouldn't even notice the spinach! I've done it many times for my hubby and kids! Fruit salad is a great way to get fruits in. Often times I make shakes in the morning with my kids. We add frozen fruit, juice, milk and some yogurt or fresh fruit.
Hope some of these ideas help out!

Beans and Rice really aren't that bad, just make sure she doesn't overdo it on the refried beans or white rice, but other beans and brown rice are very healthy alternatives. Since they keep sending her food home, ask if they would be willing to make substitutions when they feed her.

Also, I was a nanny for 4 kids whose mother didn't know what a vegetable looked like. All of them lived on mac and cheese and nothing else...and they couldn't go to the bathroom!...just grunted. My mother sent me a book called Deceptively Delicious, by Jessica Seinfeld, which shows you how to "hide" fruits and veggies in "normal" foods. She also suggests putting cut up veggies out with some healthy dips about 1 hour before dinner so the kids can snack if dinner is running a little late. Also, still put veggies/fruits on their plate for dinner even though you're sneaking it in. That way, they're used to seeing them on the plate with the meal.

For example:

Chicken Nuggets
Serves 4 (packable, too)

1c whole wheat, white, or panko breadcrumbs
1/2 c flaxseed meal
1T parmesan
1/2 t paprika
1/2 t garlic powder
1/2 t onion powder
1 c broccoli OR spinach OR sweet potato OR beet puree
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast or tenders, rinsed, dried, cut into chunks
1/2 t salt
cooking spray
1 T olive oil

1. In a bowl, combine the breadcrumbs, flaxseed meal, parmesan, paprika, garlic and onion powder in a shallow dish...mix well with fingers.

2. In a shallow dish, mix the veggie puree and egg with a fork and set the bowl next to the breadcrumb mixture.

3. Sprinkle the chicken chunks with the salt. Dip the chunks into the egg mixture and then toss them in the breadcrumbs until completely coated.

4. Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray. Set over medium-high heat. When the skillet is hot, add the oil. Place the nuggets in the skillet in a single layer, being careful not to crowd the pan, and cook until crisp and golden on one side, 3-4 minutes. Then turn and cook until the chicken is cooked through, golden brown and crisp all over, 4-5 minutes more. Serve Warm.

3 year olds like things they can eat with their hands, and get for themselves. Pre-Cut some veggies, (like carrots, celery, zucini)& keep them in zip-loc sandwich bags on the lower shelf of the fridge so she can get them herself when ever she wants. I also keep small boxes of raisins which I re-fill with a variety dried fruits, or home made trail mix (nuts, dried fruits (and a couple of either M&M's or mini marshmallows for fun) on a low shelf so it can be Self-Serve. If she is eating fruits & vegies as snacks at home then she will have a more balanced diet overall even if your in-laws feed her tortillas and beans with lots of queso! Plus she will eat less of it because her body will have a lot of the nutrients she needs & not keep telling her she needs to eat.(o:~ The added advantage is avoiding conflict with your mother-in-law.
As for meals, 3 year olds are often picky eaters. Rice by itself is a complex carbohydrate, and uses a lot of fuel in the digestive process, it is what you put on it that makes it good or bad for you. Try sending her with a flavorful rice dish for the whole family made with fresh tomatoes, onions & bell peppers,& vegetable or Chicken broth instead of butters & fats. You can add ground beef or chicken if you like, experiment and let your daughter help in the creative process. She'll be more excited about eating it if she helped make it.
Another dish my kids have always liked is black beans, with ground beef and corn. Try not to go too heavy on the starch,more meat than filler. PLUS it goes well with Latin foods.
ALSO go to http://recipes.sparkpeople.com and sign up to get nutritious & interesting recipes like this one:

Creamy Chicken Enchiladas

Serves: 6

By using nonfat sour cream and yogurt, this recipe greatly reduces the amount of fat in the dish.

INGREDIENTS
1-1/2 cups cooked chicken breast, shredded into bite-sized pieces
4 cups torn fresh spinach leaves
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1 (8 oz) carton of nonfat sour cream
1/4 cup plain, nonfat yogurt
2 tablespoons whole grain flour
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup 1% milk
1 jalape�o pepper, seeded and minced
6 whole wheat tortillas, 6-8 inches in diameter
1 1/2 low fat shredded cheddar cheese

DIRECTIONS
1. In a medium sized saucepan, cook fresh spinach with a small amount of water, covered, for 5 minutes on medium-high heat.
2. In a large bowl, combine cooked chicken, spinach and green onions. Mix well and set aside.
3. Make the sauce: In a medium sized bowl, combine sour cream, yogurt, flour, cumin and salt. Add milk and jalape�o pepper and mix well.
4. Pour half the sauce into the chicken and spinach mixture and mix well. Divide the filling among the tortillas. Fold opposite ends of a tortilla up about 1 inch over filling then fold the left and right sides over the folded end, overlapping.
5. Place filled tortillas, seam sides down on an (ungreased) rectangular baking dish.
6. Spoon remaining sauce over the tortillas and bake, uncovered, in a 350� F oven for about 20 minutes or until heated through.
7. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese and let stand for 5 minutes.
8. Top with salsa and chopped green onions as desired and serve.

NUTRITION INFO
Calories: 351.5
Fat: 9.8 g
Carbohydrates: 30.5 g
Protein: 36.2 g

~"Abuelita" Ramos

There really isn't anything wrong with beans, rice, bread, tortillas, etc. Contrary to the current low-carb craze, carbohydrates are actually very healthy and necessary nutrients and there is nothing wrong with eating plenty of them. Plus, with the beans and bread, she's getting a good protein source, so you don't really need to worry about that. You should encourage you daughter to eat more fruits and vegetables too. Try serving them in a variety of ways if she balks. Everyone says this, but it really can take 10 to 15 tries before a child will accept a food. Keep trying. And really, don't worry about her getting too much carbs, because they are healthy.

Dear S.,

I have a 3 year old as well, what he thinks is so great is an ice cube tray dinner. (i know it sounds crazy, but I remember my mom making it for us and loving it as a little kid.) It is super easy. You just take different healthy finger foods from around your kitchen ( carrot sticks, olives, cheese, raisins, etc.) And put a different food into each ice cube compartment. Kids think this is super fun and this way you can introduce some foods to your little one that she might not normally eat. Good luck!
M.

Better Homes and Gardens has some great kids' cookbooks with some fun healthy options, that kids can help create - maybe that would help.

Hi! At least she is not eating mac and cheese all day! There are couple things I would suggest - I would wath her Salt intake: are they feeding her homemade beans? or canned? Make sure they don't give her too much salt! Also, see if she will eat beans or rice on the side. As with any discipline, it pays to be consistent. Let her know that you know she likes beans, but that she needs to eat what everyone else is eating. Even just a little is a big win for both of you. Then hold up your side and give her a side of rice/beans/bread. Third and most important. You need to have your husband talk to his family. You are her mother. YOU need to be listened to. Its nice to have family around and have your daughter have family to grow up with, but ultimately, you are in charge of her and what you say needs to be the rule. Maybe there are some things you could comprimise on, like the side dish of rice thing. But I would have your husband talk to them, because I think you deserve all the respect possible, and for them to not listen to your rules, they are not respecting you. Good luck!