Veggie Moms - What do your kids eat?

[Loves Vintage]

Brief background: I am veggie (lacto-ovo). DH is not, but eats veggie at home, just because it's easier. I do not object if he wants to eat meat at home. We did not intend on raising our now almost 14 month old as a non-meat eater, but aside from a few occassions, she has not really been eating meat. I am concerned because she eats a lot of cheese/eggs/dairy, in addition to fruits, veggies, whole grains. Tofu/tempeh is very occassional and hit or miss with her. I have not given her convenience veggie foods yet (like morningstar farms). She will eat hummus, which I make from dry beans.

She loves cheese, but I just worry it is too much. What could we do differently? Maybe there is a fish that we could try? Which then leads to the next question -- where do I get fish that isn't full of mercury, other contaminants (are there others to be worried about? ) and is wild???????????? I haven't had fish in 20 years and don't know anything about it.

 

[Logan Sapphire]

Hi LV- your family sounds very similar to mine! I'm also a lacto-ovo vegetarian and my DH is not, though we eat vegetarian at home because it's too much of a pain to cook meat and I sure as heck ain't doing it! We're raising our kids veggie, though.

My kids are picky eaters, which has caused me to bemoan the fact that they're veggie-hating vegetarians. My one kid LOVES mac and cheese, and in order to make it healthier, I'll mix a little dehydrated carrots or squash into it. They really like all sorts of pasta, but mostly only with tomato sauce. You can buy different kinds of pasta with veggie powders cooked in and then I'll add pureed veggies into the tomato sauce. I know people say you should steam and puree veggies yourself but I've been too lazy and time-crunched, so will buy the baby food jars and mix in that stuff. That way it's easier to add smaller amts b/c I've found if you add too much puree, it starts tasting like broccoli rather than tomato sauce and the kids can tell. They both LOVE grilled cheese and tomato soup- I also add the pureed veggies to the soup. Last night we had veggie/cheese quesadillas- with whole grain tortillas, cheese, the Quorn "chicken" cutlets, avocado slices, and zucchini slices. Granted, they didn't really eat it, so maybe that was a no go If you have a Trader Joe's near you, they carry flavored tofu- teriyaki and a vaguely-named "savory" flavor. My kids like that just chunked up. We like the Quorn products for meat substitutes b/c they aren't made from soy. Before my son was diagnosed with peanut and treenut allergies, my daughter used to like PB&J, which is cheap and filling. I've also found that they like snacky-type meals, so the other night we had two kinds of cheeses (vegetarian cheddar and vegetarian Stravecchio), rosemary-olive oil crackers, strawberries, grapes, bananas, pretzel bread, and the lemon garlic "chicken" that Whole Foods makes. On occasion, I'll give them a glass of green smoothie with the various veggies mixed in.

Btw, I make sure to remind the pediatricians at every well visit that they are both vegetarians and ask if that is impacting their health in any way. My son was breastmilk-fed and he never had any issues with iron levels, even though I didn't give him any supplements. My cousin is a registered dietician and goes back and forth betwn vegan and vegetarian. She actually owns a nutrition consulting business that specializes in vegan/veg diets and she's been helpful to me.

 

[Loves Vintage]

Thanks, LS. Yes, we do have a TJ's! It's my favorite. We go there weekly! I have never tried the flavored tofus. I will pick one up next time. I tried sauteeing some tofu last week, in a steel pan, and it didn't go so well! She wouldn't eat it. DH is much better at making tofu and does so in the wok (no sticking, which is what I had.) She's tried it, but doesn't go after it like she goes after cubed havarti! She loves grilled cheese. She has stopped eating pasta, except for cheese ravioli (see the theme?) Not too thrilled with PBJ at this point, but she's tried it. She is good (so far) about eating veggies, but from what I've read, you could have a kid who will eat everything and then one day becomes a picky eater. I worry about this too. Right now, sweet potatoe is one of her faves, as is squash (which is out of season now .) I just worry about the too much cheese at this point, but it could be that I just generally worry too much! She also drinks a ton of milk, so protein can't be an issue, and you know, of course, I worry too that she drinks too much milk! (See another theme here? )

 

[monarch64]

Watching this thread with interest as my husband and I are vegetarians and will be bringing our first child into the world very soon. I plan to breastfeed for the first year but have often wondered what we'll do after that. Sorry I don't have anything to contribute yet! There have to be some great books out there, any recommendations?

 

[Logan Sapphire]

Your kid likes dairy!! I know that they say too much milk (not exactly sure what "too much" is- my brain is shot at the moment) is actually counter-productive as I think your body stops absorbing a certain amt of calcium and then it becomes harmful in a way?? I'm sure I'm not explaining it correctly or even making sense.

That's excellent that your daughter eats hummus! Mine turn their noses up at it. Argh. My daughter does like a chickpea ragout that we put over couscous. What about mini-pizzas? I take Pillsbury pizza dough and instead of unrolling it, just slice it into rounds and top with whatever you like. Mine have eaten a pesto (nut-free) version with a slice of tomato on top.

Btw, I just went to a picky eaters workshop and the instructor said to look at long-term nutrition, not meal-to-meal. She said one meal all they might eat is fruit and another meal might be only pasta, etc., but if you look at it weekly or monthly, they probably are getting what they need, assuming you offer healthy options.

I have to say, food and sleep have been the hardest thing for us as parents...and yes, my daughter used to be a great eater and now she's not. But I keep in mind that growing up, I hated vegetables and lo and behold, now I've been a vegetarian for 18 years!

 

[JGator]

LV, I am not vegetarian, but my in laws are. You might look into some Indian food as options including chickpea dishes like Pakoras which are vegetables (spinach, sweet potatoes, cauliflower) fried in chickpea flour very similar to Japanese tempura (another idea). There is a good website with videos/recipes of Indian food here that I have used many times - http://showmethecurry.com/

 

[shimmer]

I'm not a mom, but I'm a veggie and have been since I was a kid (in a meat-eating family). Back then my mom would make me lentil soups and bean and cheese burritos were my favourite.

Now I have expanded my veg cooking and I make a tomato soup with pureed lentils to thicken it (vitamix is essential!). But the best thing I have found in the last year or so is SEITAN! Not the store bought stuff...I make it at home using a combination of recipes I found online, and it is excellent. I can provide it if you would like. It tastes a lot like chicken nuggets the way I make it.

I use seitan in every type of dish that calls for meat... lately I've been on a Vietnamese kick so have been making vegetarian pho and banh mi sandwiches with seitan as the meat. Or if I'm lazy I just microwave fresh veggies and seitan and pour veg gravy over top for a delicious veg bowl.

Also, the cookbook Vegan with a Vengeance has a recipe for Chickpea cutlets that kids (well, my niece) love! You might want to check out some Vegan mac n cheese recipes to make it healthier too.

ETA: I really do not prefer tofu as well but will eat it in a pinch. My favourite way is a tofu scramble like scrambled eggs with seasonings and veggies.

 

[Haven]

I was raised lacto-ovo vegetarian, and now I am a card-carrying member of the Carnivore Club.

BUT, I just wanted to come in here and say that I pretty much lived off of cheese, milk, eggs, pickles, popcorn, and potatoes until age 19. And ice cream. Not necessarily together. I think it's great to be concerned about your daughter's diet, but just to give you some comfort: My parents weren't, and I turned out just fine. (Debatable, I'm sure, but as far as nutrition goes, I'm okay. )

We always had a lot of tofu, yogurt, kasha varnishkes, quinoa, veggies, and later, Morningstar Farms products in the house. It sounds like you're preparing a variety of things, and I'm sure PSers have a ton of great veggie recipes. You are doing a great job! My parents were literally like, "If you don't like what we have, too bad." I often didn't, and am here today to say that woman *can* survive on pickles and cheese.

ETA: The one thing I do wish my parents exposed me to was fish and seafood. They obviously didn't eat them, but man do I wish I liked salmon today. I can eat tuna salad, and I love lobster and scallops, but that's it. I think it's a good idea to expose her to eating fish.

 

[Octavia]

LV, have you tried marinating the tofu? A really tasty way to cook it is to press the block of tofu for awhile to get out the excess water and firm it up a bit. Cut it into 1/2 to 1 inch cubes and toss with some balsamic vinegar salad dressing (or Italian, Greek, etc) and let sit for awhile. Then put the tofu pieces on a cookie sheet (line with foil if you want easier cleanup) and bake at 350 until they start to get a little dry around the edges, usually 20-30 minutes. It's really yummy and my veggie friend's little ones love it!

Also, if your LO likes hummus, you could try making puréed dips with other types of beans. Black, cannelloni, and navy beans all work well and there are lots of recipes out there for ideas on different herb and spice combinations to flavor them. You can serve them with whatever you serve the hummus with (pita, veggies, etc).

 

[Dreamer_D]

We are the same as you in our family

Hunter was lacto-ovo vegetarian until he was about 18 months or so, becuase he was not interested in meat. We kept trying when DH would eat meat, he would give some to Hunter. Now Hunter eats meat maybe twice a week, usually chicken or deli slices of Ham. I would prefer he eat meat because it makes life easier. I was rased vegetarian and cannot stomach eating meat, it is akin to eating slugs in its appeal. I have tried! Anyways, he eats some meat now but did not when he was younger.

We have great success with the following foods as staples:

Milk. He drank about 24-36oz per day until recently when he has tapered off (he is three).

Medium firm tofu cut into cubes and doused liberally with store bought teriyaki sauce. Cold, not warmed. Not stir fried. It has a nice soft texture, and the salty sauce makes it go down

Veggie burgers from Costco, Kirkland brand. They are amazing and have brown rice and cheese and veggies in them. We cut them in cubes. With ketchup.

Scrambled eggs. With ketchup.

Refried beans in a cheese quesidilla, whole wheat tortilla. Goobles it up. He will eat it more readily if the tortilla is white flour and we resort to that on occassion. With ketchup.

Vegetarian lasagna, hides veggies well and has cheese.

Cheese tortollini.

Baked beans in tomato sauce, heated. He loves them because they are sweet.

Chicken nuggets, both meat and the feaux meat type (soy bean based). LOVEs those.

 

[PilsnPinkysMom]

I will keep an eye on this thread- great responses so far! I am (was?) lacto-ovo... but since my 8th-ish week of pregnancy I've started eating meat here and there. I really don't enjoy the taste and texture (or how it's produced), so I am planning on removing it from my diet once the babe arrives. I think it would be great to introduce her to a veg lifestyle, but I don't think I'll blow a gasket if she wants to have meat every once in a while.

 

[basil]

Hi!

Not a veggie. DH and I are pescetarian at home so we eat a lot of seafood. We have started giving some to DS now that he's eating solids.

We get salmon from Costco. It's wild salmon, individually frozen, no funky color or whatnot added. The easiest way to cook it is just roasted in the oven. We also grill it. You could theoretically steam it as well. I just use whatever method we are using to cook for ourselves and don't put any seasoning on his portion. Then I mash it up with a fork and mix it with his pureed veggies and sometimes some rice cereal to thicken it. He likes salmon with spinach puree and broccoli puree. I've also done something similar with cod which I get from a fish market. S is older so can probably handle bigger chunks. We have held off on shellfish but maybe this summer!

Good luck, HTH!

 

[Loves Vintage]

Thanks everyone for your very helpful replies. One of the reasons I stick around PS is that you all give such good advice!!

LS, She does love dairy! Remember that episode of I Love Lucy, where Lucy worked at a chocolate factory, and the conveyor belt went increasingly faster, and she couldn't keep up, so she started shoving the chocolates in her mouth. Well, that's my S with her havarti cheese! She picks it up so fast and just piles it in. It is adorable! I'll have to do some research on what you said about too much milk. I hadn't heard that! We have done mini-pizzas, like the english muffin pizzas, but those wound up on the floor! DH will make pizza from scratch. She loves that! Thanks for your posts. It's really helpful to hear what other moms are doing. Oh, you said your DD went from being a great eater to being picky. When (at what age) do you think that occurred? And, I assume it was a gradual transition and not an overnight type of thing?

JGator, Thanks for the link! I've heard of chickpea flour before, but wasn't sure what people did with it. Haha. I will say that Broccoli with Besan Subzi looks yum!

Shimmer, I see the solution to our food issues! We need you to cook for us!!! I've never had pho, but would like to try it. Haven't seen any veggie versions around here, though. And, wow, I never would have guessed there were recipes for seitan. I've seen it in the store, and it never really looked appetizing. Sounds like you love it, though. I'd love your recipe, as long as it's not a lot for you to type up. Time consuming? Do you make it up in advance and use throughout the week?

Haven, You are so funny! And, your perspective on this topic is very interesting to me. We will definitely try fish with her. I do try every day to make sure she is exposed to a variety of foods, but really, I can only hope for the best! She's not going to eat everything and could wind up eating only pickles and cheese too!!

Octavia, I tried the marinated tofu with dressing. Thanks for the suggestion! Will try again in the future as she tossed it to the floor! Haha. I liked it, though. Will try making more dips. I've made a good white bean dip in the past with lots of garlic and lemon. Yum!

Dreamer, Thanks for the tips. Hunter loves his ketchup! I picked up some cheese tortellini yesterday. She may like it, and I can make a pasta salad out of it, to see if she'll try it that way too. Did Hunter reduce his milk consumption on his own accord, or did you facillitate?

basil, So nice to see you here. I saw H's recent pictures in the nb-12 thread! He is sooooooo cute! His eyes are amazing! You always have the cutest outfits for him too! Ok, thanks for the advice on the salmon. I'm sure my DH could cook it. Just need to buy some! Should have looked while at TJs the other day, though it does seem like Costco is the place to be. That's awesome that H is eating it already!