Need Ideas on Meals for a 2 Year Old!!

Anything you make that's healthy, inexpensive and you can freeze half of works in my book! Beans and rice, chicken on a stick, mashed sweet potatoes with coconut milk, black bean cakes, steamed salmon?!-www.weelicious.com

My boy loves those soybeans (edamame) you get from costco. I would serve those with fruit smoothie and some turkey slices! Sometimes I don't have very much time to cook that is my easy way out and its healthy!

Hi M.,

I am a Shaklee distributor and I use their protein powders and meal replacement shakes to make yummy treats into a nutritious snack/meal. You can take the protein powder or shake mix and make frozen smoothies pops and they think their getting a dessert when it can actually substitute as a fun breakfast. Blend milk, protein, fiber, ground flaxseed, and frozen fruit (and even a little frozen spinach or other veggie) in a blender. Pour it in paper cups, cover with plastic wrap, put a stick in it, and freeze. Yum! You can also make chocolate shakes or orange julius with it. They really love it and they're getting great nutrition. Shaklee also has a powdered vitamin called Citriboost that goes great in the orange julius. The Instant Protein Mix won't lose it's nutrients under heat so it's great to add to oatmeal or anything baked to add extra protein. Ground flaxseed and fiber are a great add-in too. Kids won't even taste them. You can check out the prouducts at www.shaklee.net/greennutrition or register to win $200 in free products at www.freegreenproducts.info.

At that age I relied on Trader Joes's mini-tortellini and ravioli, with some peas or corn or carrots with ranch dressing. Multi-colored pasta was also a big favorite, as was rice with peas (a great way to sneak in a vegetable). Tomato soup and cheese quesadillas were also a favorite, as were dino-shaped chicken nuggets.

I love www.wholesometoddlerfood.com for recipe ideas :)

A good breakfast meal that I make for my 2 yr. old:
I make my own "syrup" for waffles.
1/2 C cottage cheese
juice of choice (enough to make syrup)
Fruit which you have on hand: strawberries, blueberries,
bananas, frozen peaches, etc. (pick 1 or a few)
plain yogurt (or same flavor as fruit)
Honey, to taste if needed

Puree in blender. Warm only what he'll be having in waffle
and refrigerate the rest.

**Use less liquid for a dip with fruit.

It doesn't taste like cottage cheese because of the fruit and they're getting 3 groups in a meal: protein, dairy, and fruit.

How about adding brocolli to his mac n cheese? How about a salmon salad sandwich? ( just replace canned tuna with canned salmon, maybe add some capers or lemon juice, or even grill it with some cheese, like a tuna melt) My kids love edamame (soybeans) I even pack them for lunch sometimes. Try sweet potato fries instead of regular fries. Try couscous with lemon juice and chopped parsley. Tilapia fish sticks ( just dip in milk, then seasoned bread crumbs and bake for about ten minutes at 375.) How about a peanut butter, banana and honey sandwich? Utilize what you've got and have him try what you're having. The key to keeping it healthy is incorporating lots of fruits and veg, using whole grain products and lean, organic if possible, meat and low-mercury fish. Feel free to contact me if you need more ideas. Best wishes!

i feed my 2 year old daughter what i eat. i also give her a variety at every meal. heres her meal plans-

breakfast- some mornings she will have a yogurt, applesause cup, fruit cup and a handfull of dry cereal. or a bowl of cereal, small pancakes/waffles with some syrup and butter, eggs, and when we have it fresh cut up fruit. she loves all fruits.

lunch and dinner are basically the same- she would eat oone of these sandwhiches 1/2- pb and j, turkey, or grilled cheese. she will eat chicken nuggets, pasta, fish, pizza. with lunch/dinner she sometimes has a string cheese, salt free pretzels, a few animal cookies etc. and with both meals she always has a veggie.
if she eats her dinner i sometimes give her a sugar free popcicle (popcicle minis they are slow melts and only like 2 1/2 inches long)

Homemade pumpkin pie. You can control the amount of sugar you put into the pumpkin and BAM your kid is eating orange food! If you're not the baker, purchase pre-made pie shells in the freezer section. Get the unsweetened pie filling; it's not hard to prepare and then you have control of the eggs (organic/non-organic), sugar amount and type (brown/white/honey), etc.

A word of advice. Don't go overboard with the 'healthy'. Give the kids something they'll look forward to. I served this as the main meal sometimes to my son for years at this age and yes, he is doing great and continues to stay within the 75-85%-tile for his age. I'm not worried. And at 8, pumpkin pie is his favorite. Good thing too because I've gotten really good at making it!

Hi M.:

Here are a couple of resources for you. The first is a government site: http://www.mypyramid.gov/, and if you scroll down, you will see on the left hand side that they have a page specifically for 2-5 year olds. Another good, healthy food site is whfoods.com (wh stands for world's healthiest"

Just keep on giving him healthy choices so he can always make a good choice.

Best wishes.

He can eat anything you can eat! There are some great websites for finding recipes. I use allrecipes.com a lot. I am also a big fan of Cooking Light. I get a magazine called Simple & Delicious which has lots of easy meals. Here are some favorites in my house for the kids and adults:

Baked Ziti
Shepherd's Pie
Tortilla Lasagna
Tacos - carne asada, chicken, or ground turkey!
Weeknight Lasanga Toss (Kraft website)
Sloppy Jo's
Mexican Pizza
Chicken and Dumplings (Crock pot)
Chicken Scampi (Campbell's website)
General Tso's Chicken (Weight Watchers recipe)
Teriyaki Chicken & Brown Rice
Pot Roast (crock pot)
Meatloaf
Stuffed Shells
Beef Stroganoff
Swedish Meatballs
Chicken Dijon

We have a veggie with dinner every night and then fruit after the meal!

Since my son started eating table food, I have fed him what we eat...I don't make separate meals for him and it's worked well for us. There are times he doesn't love what I make, but he's eating a well-rounded diet and isn't all that picky. Feed him what you like to eat!

-M

Oh M., food is SOOOOOOOO important, you are setting him up for success or failure, you have the perfect opportunity to set him up correctly.

1. Sandwich fingers (make a sandwich cut it into strips)
2. pudding on a plate - let him "finger paint" on another paint
3. cold pasta with cut up veggies - great finger food.
4. soup "with a straw" - of course, make sure it is room temp
5. crepes - simple recipes can be found on line - fill with whatever - we do one veggie then one fruit with ice cream
6. tortilla wraps - fill them with anything
7. baked potato topped with veggies
8. vegetarian chili
9. veggie lasagna
10. baked stuffed tomatos - stuff with cheese/veggeis etc
11. you pick salad - cut up a bunch of veggies, let him pick what goes in his bowl.
12. eggs in a pancake sandwich.
13. sweet potato fries - cut up a sweet potato and put it on a baking sheet (important) and bake until soft.
14. straw potatos: grate potatos and make in patty form with a bit of oil - fry in a pan
15. grilled cheese - cut it into his initials
16. caneloni
17. oh so sea shells - stuff sea shell pasta with veggies of your choice.

Is that enough for this month?

B.
Family Wellness Coach

Hi M., Are you kidding? Making food interesting for a 2 year old is silly, sit down with him and eat with him. Talk and interact, use spoons and forks and a napkin, so he can watch what you do at the table. This is your precious time with him, talk about things that you see and experience during the day. Sit with him...
make it fun! good luck, Deb
ps. turn off the TV