FEEDING TODDLERS

A little post for all the mamas trying to feed your babes healthy, wholesome food while being surrounded by take-out, fast-food and plastic-packaged food-like products! I 100% believe the best way we can keep our little ones happy, healthy and strong is through FOOD, SLEEP & OUTDOOR PLAY!
I'm going to start sharing our meals on here every now and then and if it helps inspire you then yay! We try to keep our food mostly unprocessed, mostly seasonal (this one is the hardest for me since grocery stores make everything available to us year round!), and mostly organic. We avoid dairy and gluten and try to eat a plant-rich diet.
I really try not to make separate "kid dinners". I encourage my girls to eat the same thing I make for Isaac and I, sometimes just tweaking it a bit to make it easier for them to eat. My mom has always said they'll learn to eat what's in front of them if you don't start giving them another option.

So here is what I fed my girls today:

8:00AM: The girls love citrus! We eat through a bag of oranges or clementines every week! About an hour after they finish their oranges they usually want something a little more filling. Lately I've been making overnight oats. I'll include my (sort of) recipe at the end of the post if you want to make them. If I forget the night before I mix them up in the morning and let them soak while the girls eat their oranges.

12:00PM: Our go-to lunch is avocado toast & a smoothie or fruit. The girls and I could eat avocado toast for any meal, any day - it's a staple in our house! I keep it simple with lemon juice and salt. Sometimes a sprinkle of nutritional yeast. If our avocados aren't ripe I give them leftovers from dinner.
For today's smoothie I used bananas, frozen berries, dates, hemp seed and a splash of almond milk (rough measurements below if you want them)!

4:00PM: The girls always wake up ready for a snack. I like to give them something that won't fill them up too much so they are still hungry for dinner. Today they ate a handful of olives. Sometimes they snack on whatever I'm using to prep dinner (mushrooms, tomato slices, cucumbers, etc) or I give them a tangerine.



5:30PM: Tonight we had grilled salmon, asparagus and a green salad. The girls love salmon and asparagus! They aren't crazy about leafy greens (yet?) so I took the other items in the the salad (cucumber, avocado, artichoke) and put it on their plates.

There you go! All said and done I try my best to choose fresh, wholesome foods that will go a long way in supporting their little growing bodies. Also, would not mind if I was able to skip the whole picky eating phase I've heard so much about from other parents :|

Hope this was helpful! xx Christine
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Overnight Oats
makes 1 serving

1/3 c. oats
2 T. raisins (or a handful of frozen berries)
1 T unsweetened shredded coconut
1 T hemp seeds or chia seeds
1 T maple syrup
a sprinkle of cinnamon
a crack of salt
1/2 c. almond milk

Add everything to a small bowl. Cover and refrigerate overnight. In the morning, stir and enjoy!

You can also make these in the morning - just try to soak them for about an hour so the oats soften. If we have a long morning out I add in a few more fillings like sliced banana, slivered almonds, berries, etc.

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Berry Smoothie
makes 2 servings

2 bananas
1 c. frozen mixed berries
2 dates, pitted
2 T hemp seeds
1 cup(ish) almond milk or water

Blend and enjoy!

Greens are always a good idea in smoothies but I hate adding them to berry smoothies because it turns everything brown. =( I like my smoothies to be pretty - we eat with our eyes first! I save my greens for mango smoothies. =)

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