The following post is by Christen Babb and originally appeared February 2010. Also, don’t forget about Nicole of Simple Organic’s From Pinterest to Real Life link up.  Have a great weekend, everyone!
Many parents struggle to teach their children healthy eating habits, especially in today’s world laden with overly processed, heavily sweetened foods.

It used to be so easy. As a baby,  junior gobbled up his vegetables to his little heart’s content. You were certain he would happily snack on organic carrot sticks while his preschool buddies scarf down snack cakes. However, as he’s establishing greater independence, he’s beginning to turn his nose to healthy choices.

So, what’s a mom to do?  First of all, take heart knowing you are not alone. Establishing healthy eating habits takes a lifetime. It’s a continuous journey involving creativity, gentle persistence, and encouragement.  Listed below are some ways to successfully implement healthy food habits that carry into adulthood.

1. Start Early
2. Make It a Game
3. Be a Role Model
4. Use Consistency and Gentle Perseverance
5. Offer Non-Food Rewards

1. Start Early

The most important step to creating healthy food choices is starting early. It’s important to  offer a wide variety of nutrient-dense fruits and vegetables starting in infancy, perhaps even flavors and textures that are unfamiliar to you. I am personally an advocate of homemade baby food. It tastes better, costs significantly less, creates less environmental waste ,and you control the ingredients.

However, whether you choose to feed your baby homemade baby food, conventional store-bought food, or a combo of the two – consistently offer him a wide variety of nutrient dense foods, steering away from sweet treats for the first year. Your child’s tastes are developed early in life. The earlier the exposure to a wide variety of fruits and vegetables, the more apt he will be to eat them later in life.

Photo by Cozy Memories

2. Make it a Game

I’ve never been into the “deceptive” technique of sneaking vegetables into your child’s diet. It’s seems a little, well, deceptive. As a parent, it’s important to teach honesty and integrity in all walks of life.  This includes making healthy food choices.

Fresh fruits and vegetables come in a wide variety of colors and delicious flavors. Instead of sneaking spinach into a pan of brownies (yes, this is recommended by some nutritionists) why not use food as a teaching tool – encouraging children to eat foods that represent all the colors of the rainbow? We recommend using a fun chart like this Nutrition Checklist.

This exercise  encourages children to make healthy food choices while also providing a guideline for parents to ensure optimal nutrition. For example, if your child eats a serving of spinach, have him check off one green box in the vegetable category.  Do this after every snack time or meal so he soon associates healthy eating with positive parental feedback.

3. Be a Role Model

As much as we hate to admit it, children imitate their parents’ behavior. If you yell and scream at your child, he will eventually yell and scream back at you. The same principles are true for food . You can’t expect your child to happily eat his broccoli while you scarf down a plate full of french fries.

As parents, we need to be role models who inspire healthy food choices. If your child sees you consistently making healthy food choices, he is more apt to do the same.

4. Use Consistency and Gentle Perseverance

If you have a picky eater, do not expect overnight change. Children can learn to eat healthy foods, but it can take eight to ten tries. The key is not to use force. Force will ensure in your child’s mind that healthy food must be bad .

Instead, let your child consistently help you with meal planning, grocery shopping, and even the food preparation if he is old enough. This allows a choice in the matter, and he will be more apt to eat the foods that included his input. If your child is still belligerent, be persistent and encourage him to eat only as many bites as he is old. For example, ask your three year old to eat only three bites of broccoli.

If your child still refuses, let him go hungry. This sounds harsh, but he won’t starve. If the healthy food is replaced with something he prefers, he quickly learns that persistent refusal ends in his favor. Don’t give in. It will only harm him in the long run.

5. Offer Non-Food Rewards

Let’s be honest. Most of us prefer double-chocolate cake over a plateful of steamed broccoli. It doesn’t matter how often you eat the broccoli. Human taste buds are genetically wired to prefer sweet foods. It is the same with our children. Even breast milk and infant formula are quite sweet, so our little ones begin life with a predisposition for sweet foods.

With this in mind, it’s important not to provide sweet rewards for healthy eating. Every parent (I’m included!) has been guilty of saying something like, “Aimee, you may have a cupcake for dessert if you finish all your broccoli.”  We bribe our children to eat their vegetables, thinking that if they eat their broccoli enough times, they will eventually do so without negotiation.  This is not an effective way to teach healthy food choices, as Aimee will eventually assume the cupcake is superior to the broccoli because it is used as a reward.

Instead of sweet treats, offer physically active rewards –  such as extra playtime with mommy or friends, a fun day at the park, or a new CD so they can dance to the music. Get creative and implement your child’s unique personality into his rewards.

And for the record, there is nothing wrong with sweet treats on occasion. Some of my best memories as a kid involve baking goodies with my mom. Just avoid using them as a bartering tool. Enjoy them for what they are in moderation, and your child will eventually learn to have an appreciation for all foods!

What Healthy foods do your kids love? What foods are more challenging to get them to eat? What techniques do you use to get your children to eat healthy foods?

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The following post is by editor Kara Fleck.

In 2012 one of the things I want to do with this space is to share more of my family’s traditions with you.  I thought I would start with a very simple, but fun tradition:  creating signature family recipes.

My whole family loves to play with our food! We spend quite a bit of time together in the kitchen, creating recipes, cooking together, and enjoying eating our experiments. From a young age, we involve our kids in the food preparation for the family, and we do our best to made it a fun experience.

We’ve developed a family tradition over the years of putting a signature spin on certain dishes, really making them our own according to our personal tastes and preferences.

Because you are so special to me, dear readers, and I’ve come to think of you like family, I am going to share with you our family’s top secret Purple Flurple recipe.  What in the world is a Purple Flurple, you ask?  A taste sensation!

Read on and see …

Our Signature Smoothie: the Purple Flurple

One of our favorite signature Fleck family recipes is a smoothie, the Purple Flurple (because is it purple and it was made by us, the Flecks.  Get it?  The Purple Flurple!)

This recipe is special because it contains everyone’s favorite fruits and it is my three year old’s favorite color.  It is also super easy to make and doesn’t involve any tricky ingredients, exact measurements, or complex preparation.

To make a Purple Flurple Smoothie you need:

• a handful of blueberries (frozen)
• a handful of raspberries (frozen)
• a banana or two
• about a cup of orange juice
• two or three heaping spoonfuls of yogurt

Whirl it all together in a blender, pour into enough glasses to share with everyone, and enjoy!  Sometimes we make Purple Flurple popsicles by freezing the mix in popsicle molds.

Put Your Own Spin on It

Smoothies are just the beginning.  What about a family signature pizza, sandwich, cookie, or homemade ice cream flavor?

Get in the kitchen, experiment, and have fun creating  kitchen concoctions together.  Be sure to give them a name, too so that future generations will know their culinary heritage and the family tradition, and silliness, can be passed on.

Not taking things too seriously is a must!

Your family signature dish doesn’t have to be a recipe you’ve created from scratch.  It can be something special about the presentation or an unexpected something extra that makes it your family’s personal signature dish.  Grandpa Mike’s giant pancakes and Great-Grandma Jean’s grilled cheese with jam are a few that come to mind from our family.

The important thing is to have fun, play with your food, and enjoy your meals together!

Does your family have any signature recipes? Do you and your kids have an equivalent of the Purple Flurple? How do you play with your food? I’d love to hear about it!

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The following is by contributor Christen Babb.

Pumpkins inspire me. They are truly one of nature’s blank canvasses.

Pumpkins are best known for their ability to be carved into a myriad of artistic masterpieces, decorating the doorsteps of homes across America. However, this ever-versatile gourd can also play the starring role in both savory and sweet foods – from soups and raviolis to pies and even ice-cream!

Since I grew up not celebrating Halloween, I tend to associate pumpkins with the latter: food.  Not only are they extremely versatile in recipes, their nutritional value is often underestimated. Known as a “superfood“, pumpkins pack a punch of  B-vitamins alongside their  mellow,  inviting,  and quintessentially American  flavor.

Using pumpkin as my inspiration , I’m bringing you a nutritious and delicious pumpkin-packed meal:  Healthy Chicken Bites (with Pumpkin!) + Cheesy Pumpkin Polenta Fries + Pumpkin Oatmeal Bars

Healthy Chicken Bites (with Pumpkin!)

 Add some Fall flair to proverbial chicken nugget by dredging them into a pumpkin puree before breading and baking. (Shhhhhh, your kids don’t even have to know. )

Photo by NurtureBaby

::  2 skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
::  ½ cup All Purpose flour
::  1 tsp. poultry seasoning
::  ¼ tsp. salt
:: ¼ cup pumpkin puree (if you used canned, make sure it’s plain pumpkin and not pumpkin pie filling)
:: Water (a couple of tablespoons)
:: 1 cup panko bread crumbs
:: Cooking spray

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray.

Line three small bowls next to each other, as if in an assembly line.  In the first bowl, mix flour, poultry seasoning and salt. In the second bowl, mix pumpkin puree and water together until it is about the consistency of baby food. In the third bowl, pour in the panko bread  crumbs.

Dredge the chicken pieces in the flour mixture, then coat with the pumpkin puree, and finish by enrobing in panko.  Place chicken bites on cookie sheet and bake for 18-20 minutes until cooked thoroughly.

Cheesy Pumpkin Polenta Fries

 Crunchy on the outside and creamy in the middle, these are a satisfying yet healthy alternative to fries.  They’re not overly “pumpkin-y” so they appeal to both kids and adults.

::  Cooking spray
::  2 cups low-sodium chicken stock
::  1 cup lowfat milk
::  1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
::  1 tsp. salt
::  1 tsp. fresh thyme
:: 1 cup yellow cornmeal
::  1 cup pumpkin puree (if you used canned, make sure it’s plain pumpkin and not pumpkin pie filling)
::  1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded

Line a large 9 X 11 pan with parchment or wax paper, spray with cooking spray and set aside.

In a medium stock pot, bring chicken stock and milk to an “almost” boil. (Don’t let it come to a full boil, as the milk will quickly boil over on your stove top.) Add olive oil, salt, and thyme. Turn down heat to low and add cornmeal while stirring constantly to avoid clumps. Add pumpkin puree and cheese , continuing to stir. Cook on low for about 5-6 more minutes.

Pour hot polenta mixture into lined pan spreading out to make an even layer. Allow to cool and then place in refrigerator for at least 4 hours.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Cut the prepared polenta into long strips, like fries. Place “fries” onto greased cookie sheet and bake in oven for 20-25 minute, until crispy on the outside, but soft on the inside. Serve alongside chicken bites for a healthy and delicious meal.

And last but not least, try the Oatmeal Pumpkin Bars. Complete your pumpkin inspired meal than with this healthy sweet treat, packed with B- vitamins and whole grains.

I’d like to hear from you! Do you have any creative uses for pumpkin – whether food related or otherwise?

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The following was written by contributor Christen Babb of NurtureBaby and originally appeared on Simple Kids in June of 2011.

It’s official:  Summer is finally upon us! Just as those long, lazy, sun-drenched days bring out the best in many of us, Summertime also gleans some of natures’ most delectable delights. Nothing says Summer like a generous sliver of ice-cold watermelon,  a peach so luscious its juices run down your chin, or a heaping handful of plump, juicy blueberries.

These delicious provisions, and many others currently in season, can be enjoyed beyond the typical grocery store experience.  In fact, Summer lends the perfect time to take your kids on a field trip to a local farm.

I happen to live in Georgia, world renowned for its exquisite peaches. However, each region specializes in a particular variety of fruits and vegetables. A great resource to find farms in your area is Pick Your Own.org. You can search local farms for a particular fruits and vegetables, or even specify locations exercising strict organic farming. Even those living smack-dab-in-the-middle-of-suburbia will find farms no more than a day trip away.

A Few Ideas to Make the Most of Your Fieldtrip:

Talk to the Owners

This is easier when you go to a small, more quaint farm. Ask for a tour and/or the opportunity to pick your own produce. Inquire about the farm’s history. The owners are often  times anxious to share their farm’s rich culture and history, providing an interesting glimpse into Americana.

For example, the owners of Gardner Peach Farms were fifth generation. We learned that the current owner’s great-great-grandfather peacefully acquired the land from a local Indian tribe that taught him how to properly cultivate peaches. The family also experienced the hardships of the Civil War and the Great Depression.

Facts like these lend the perfect backdrop for children to experience history in an exciting way – outside of the same ‘ole  textbook material.

Discuss the Importance of Local Produce

This field trip not only provides a great history lesson, but a environmental one, too. Often times, our children think fruits and vegetables come from the grocery store, not farms. Your children can learn the true origin of our foods, the hard work required to harvest them, and  the importance of buying locally.

When you buy local produce, you decrease your carbon footprint while also supporting the local economy. Not to mention, local foods usually taste better and are more nutritious, thanks to their freshness.

Take it to Your Kitchen

Round out your farm fieldtrip with a hands-on cooking lesson with your kids, using the fresh fruits/vegetables you gathered. Your child will take tremendous pride in the food he helped prepare – from farm to table.

Since my family picked Georgia peaches, I will leave you with a beautiful, kid-friendly peach sorbet recipe – perfect for a hot, Summer afternoon.

Georgia Peach Sorbet

(makes 6 servings)

4 cups of chopped, peeled peaches*
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
1/2  cup of peach-flavored club soda
2 tbsp. fresh lime juice
Fresh blackberries and mint for topping (optional)

In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, combine water and sugar. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently until the sugar dissolves completely. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

Meanwhile, put the peaches in a food processor and puree until smooth. Combine peach puree with cooled sugar syrup, club soda and lime juice. Stir until well blended.

Freeze peach mixture in an ice-cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions. Spoon into chilled container, cover, and freeze until ready to serve or up to 2 days. Top sorbet with fresh blackberries and/or mint if desired.

*Tip for peeling peaches: Bring a large stock pot of water, deep enough to submerge whole peaches, to a boil. Gently place whole peaches in boiling water and cook them for approximately 30 seconds. Remove peaches with slotted spoon and place immediately in ice bath, leaving them in for about a minute. Remove from ice bath and dry; peach skin should peel off very easily.

How about you? What is your favorite kind of local produce? Can you share a “farm-to- table” experience you’ve enjoyed with your kids?

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The following is by editor Kara Fleck.

The days are growing longer and hotter.  This time of year, my family wants to to eat things that are lighter and I don’t want to spend a lot of time in a hot kitchen preparing a snack. The sooner we can get back to the Summer fun, the better!

At our house, during the warmer months, I have two main ideas that I fall back on for simple Summertime snacks for the kids: the muffin tin of “nibbles” and popsicles.

The Muffin Tin of “Nibbles”

Setting out a muffin tray of bite-sized snacks for the kids to nibble on is something that goes back to my own childhood.  My mom used to prepare a muffin tin of snacks on Friday nights and leave it in the fridge for us to help ourselves to on Saturday mornings (so that she could sleep in one day a week, that wise woman).

At our house, a muffin tin, or “nibble” tray, is usually our mid-morning snack. Though, I’ll admit that sometimes on busy days, the muffin tins gets refilled and becomes lunch, too.

What I include in the muffin tin varies according to what fruits and veggies and bite-sized snacks that we have on hand.  Sometimes I include something sweet like chocolate chips or vanilla wafers.

Here is a typical example of what I include:

A Recent Muffin Tin Snack:

Rice chips, almonds, chocolate chips

cherry tomatoes, strawberries, Colby Jack cheese,

Smoothie Popsicles

We have a smoothie nearly every day, year round.  I have found that this is a simple way for me, not only to get some extra fruit into the kids, but also to sneak in some spinach or kale for an extra healthful boost. We have a different colored smoothie, in a rainbow, for every day of the week.

For warmer days, when we are outside, I turn our smoothie mixes into popsicles.  For Summertime popsicles, I just blend everything up in the morning, as I normally would for our afternoon snack, and then I pour it into a popsicle mold and freeze.  They are ready in the afternoons for us to enjoy.

Here are some of our favorite mixes:

• blueberries, handful of baby spinach, frozen banana, splash of orange juice
• frozen cherries (no pits), yogurt, small handful of baby spinach
• banana, applesauce, yogurt
• orange juice, banana, yogurt

And, of course, much of our Summertime snacking involves treats of the kind we pluck from the strawberry or tomato plants and pop into our mouths, warm from the sun.

What are some of your kids’ favorite Summertime snacks? How do you keep snacking simple and light during the hotter days of the year?

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We’re all feeling a little under the weather at the Fleck house, so I thought I would give myself a blogging break and open up the comments for discussion today. – Kara

Last week, I mentioned my family’s goals for the new year, including our goal of breaking out of our food rut and trying new ingredients and recipes.

Lunchtime Blues

In the comments to that post, a few readers admitted that they seem to have fallen into a food rut as well, singling out lunchtime specifically as a meal that can be difficult to bring new inspirations and fresh tastes to the table.

Peanut butter and jelly, anyone?

Simple Kids has covered lunchtime before:

• Mariah’s list of Eco-Friendly Lunch Containers and ideas for packing a smarter lunch
• Megan’s article on Finger Foods for Toddlers: Lunch and Dinnertime Ideas

However, I know we can always use new ideas and one of the most helpful things for me, as a parent, is to hear from other parents what meals are successful for them with their kids.  This topic is one that we get a lot of email about, so I know that it would be helpful for many parents facing a lunchtime rut.

Let’s Talk

I’d love to hear what other parents are serving up mid-day.

What do you serve your kids for lunch?  What are some lunchtime favorites at your house?

The comments are open for discussion. What is for lunch?

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I’m guest posting over at Simple Organic today.

As the end of October approaches, so does the annual dilemma for families who choose to celebrate Halloween: how to find that happy medium that allows your kids to have fun and enjoy the day without an overindulgence in candy and sweets.

Here are a few ideas that I hope can help keep parents, kids, and dentists happy this Halloween.

[Read the rest at Simple Organic ...]

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With back-to-school time just around the corner, I thought it might be helpful to Simple Kids readers to re-run this post by contributor Mariah Bruehl, founder of Playful Learning, about eco-friendly lunch containers.  Enjoy! ~ Kara

Every winter tends to lead to the infamous lunch-packing rut. To break the cycle this year we made a resolution to reduce our lunchtime waste. We decided to shed our plastic baggies and set out to investigate eco-friendly lunch containers. As a family, we learned a lot along the way and feel great about the choices we made for both the planet and our bodies.

Here are some tips that might be helpful as you start to navigate your green minded lunch-packing options.

The Food

When deciding which food-storage products are right for your family, the first thing to consider is the types of food you will be putting into your new reusable containers. When making choices about what to include in your child’s lunch, it is helpful to have a formula in the back of your mind.

Below is a list of the daily food essentials that we use to guide our decisions, along with a few options for each category:

1. Fresh fruit: apple, orange, strawberries, blueberries
2. Fresh vegetable: carrots, cucumbers, edamame, celery
3. Main meal: sandwich, soup, leftovers
4. Salty and crunchy: nuts, seeds, whole grain pretzels or chips
5. Sweet: dried fruit, yogurt, applesauce, Fig Newmans
6. Drink: water, milk

The Reusable Containers

With a clear idea of the types of food that you will be putting in your new containers, it will be easier to make selections that suit your family’s needs.

Here are a few of our tried and true favorites:

• LunchBots Stainless Steel Pico (small) – LunchBots’ Pico is a versatile container that has two small compartments that are perfect for holding two halves of a sandwich, fruits, vegetables, snacks, and desserts. I bought two for each of my children’s lunches and use them every day. I find it helpful to use one Pico to hold their fruit and vegetables and the other to hold their sweet and salty snacks. Although the lids are not leakproof, they stay closed tight and have never opened unexpectedly. The only drawback to these containers is that the paint starts to chip after repetitive use in the dishwasher—yet the convenience of their size and two sections keeps me coming back to them on a daily basis, paint chips and all.

• To-Go Ware Stainless Steel Sidekick – These small, round stainless steel containers are great for snacks on the go. They are the perfect size for small helpings of nuts, seeds, dried fruit, or pretzels. The lid seals tightly and I often put these in my bag so that I have snacks on hand when needed.

• Lunchskins Snack Bag – Lunchskins Snack Bags are simply genius and have allowed us to completely replace our plastic bags. With Velcro closures that seal tightly and keep food fresh, there is no need for the plastic alternatives. The Lunchskins bags are made out of the same food-safe material used in bakeries and are easy to clean with soap and water. We use these for lunches and for on-the-go snacks in the car. They come in really fun colors and patterns and are a big hit with the other kids in class.

• Klean Kanteen 12-oz. Stainless Steel Bottle – We have been happily using our Klean Kanteen water bottles for years now. We started off with the sippy-cup lids, transitioned into the sports tops, and now use the screw tops for lunches (the sports tops are not leakproof)—all with the same 12-oz. bottles. Klean Kanteens are dishwasher safe and nearly indestructible!

• Thermos Lava Food Jar – The Lava Food Jar is a nice compact size and is great for keeping soups and pastas warm. They seal tightly and are a breeze to clean both by hand and in the dishwasher. We have been Thermos fans for many years now and have been happy with all of their products thus far.

What we found after investing in our reusable containers is that the routine of using them on a daily basis inspired a more consistent approach to packing healthy foods. Our daughters love the fun colors and prints, and we love the empty lunch boxes that come home from school!

More Lunch Packing Inspiration:

• Waste Free Lunches ::: Waste Free Lunches.Org
• Printable Lunch Box Notes and Tags ::: AlphaMom
• Preschooler Lunches ::: Lunch in a Box Flickr group
• Lunch Gallery ::: Laptop Lunches
• Made Your Lunch ::: daily journal of creative lunch ideas for kids

What are some of your tricks of the trade when it comes to packing lunches?

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Simple Kids contributor Emily Carter is filling in today over at Simple Mom while Tsh is on maternity leave.

This spring our family decided to try something we have never done, or even heard of before. We joined a local CSA.

What is a CSA?

CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture. Basically, that means you have a local farm that is supported by community members who purchase a “share.”  Typically, shares are picked up weekly and contain a variety of fruits and vegetables.

Why Should You Join?

We have had such a positive experience with our CSA.  Here are my top three reasons you should look into joining one in your area.

[Head over to Simple Mom to read the rest ... ]

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• Sparkle Stories - audio stories for children and families.
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• Playful Learning - develop your child's sense of joy and wonder.
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Kara, here.  This is part two of Megan’s series on feeding toddlers, which originally ran August 2009. 

This is part two in a series on Finger Food for little ones. Earlier, we shared some ideas on what to serve for breakfast and snacks to toddlers who are new to feeding themselves. Today, I wanted to extend the idea into lunch and dinnertime ideas.

Several of you mentioned in the comments that your little ones eat what you eat at mealtime, and I have to agree this is the easiest way to approach meal preparation! I also have to confess that when my oldest was a new eater, she absolutely would not eat meat in any form. (She’s still a reluctant omnivore).

Sometimes patience and a good perspective on the big picture are helpful when approaching how much and what kind of food your new eater is eating. When our second child reached the finger food age, I was better about serving her what the rest of us are eating and not freaking out if she doesn’t eat much. She almost always makes up for it later in the day or throughout the week.  Having said that, sometimes what we are eating just isn’t great for the new eater – particularly those who only have a few teeth!

And don’t we all love to hear what other families are eating for lunch? Lunch is the biggest culprit of food rut blues for me. How many peanut butter and jelly sandwiches can one person eat?

Thoughts on Meals for Little Eaters:

Realistic Portions

Remember that toddlers don’t need a full serving, nor do they even need a half-sized serving in most cases. They have little tummies that fill up quickly! Start small and serve more if they are still hungry.

Accept the Mess

Mealtimes are meant to be sensory. Adults appreciate the smell and taste and texture nuances that eating offers. Toddlers want to experience these sensations, too, but this oftentimes involves a mess! Prepare yourself for this mentally as well as practically by employing full-length bibs, keeping wet washcloths closeby, and protecting the flooring with a drop cloth, vinyl tablecloth, or even a shower curtain.

Make Each Bite Count

Think about ways to combine foods to increase the chance of your toddler getting an (almost) equal amount of protein, starch, and fruits/vegetables in each bite.

We have enjoyed:

Quesadillas – These are a fixture in our home for lunches and dinners. The girls love basic cheese quesadillas, but you can certainly power them up with proteins like chicken and beans. I often shred carrots on top of the cheese before I cook them to get some veggies in each bite. Did you know you can make sweet potato and black bean quesadillas? Yum! Quesadillas can be cut into thin slivers for younger toddlers. I have even diced them into bite-sized pieces to serve those who are lacking teeth.

Grilled Cheese Sandwiches – This is another favorite lunch option for us. Grilled cheese offers another chance to get some veggies in – try adding diced tomatoes on the inside or stacking a few sliced tomatoes on top and securing with a toothpick (obviously not intended for younger toddlers).

Peanut Noodles – Each of my peanut-butter-loving children love these noodles! They are fun and messy and you can add as many different vegetables as you have on hand. When I make these for dinner, I make a double batch so that we’ll have some for lunch the next day. They are very tasty served cold!

Pasta – The combination possibilities for pasta meals are vast! Whole wheat pasta spirals can be tossed with butter and diced zucchini. Throw some beans or sauteed tofu into a bowl of ravioli . Mix peas into your mac ‘n cheese. Variations on the pasta theme rarely disappoint.

Pitas and Tortillas – Sometimes a simple departure from the traditional is enough to entice a hesitant eater. Pita bread and tortillas can be used for roll-ups or pocket-type sandwiches filled with proteins and veggies. (Once again, just slice down to a manageable size for younger toddlers.)

Further Resources:

Super Baby Food by Ruth Yaron – Not just for making baby food! She includes many recipes for the toddler palette.

Toddler Cafe – Innovative and fun recipes coupled with gorgeous photography.

WholesomeToddlerFood.com – Helpful information plus sample toddler menus to help you get out of your rut.

The discussion in the comments section has proven once again that the Simple Kids community is full of wisdom! What thoughts do you have to share on the Finger Foods season of childhood?  What do your toddlers enjoy for lunch and dinner?

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