What are your toddler's favorite foods/recipes?

[parrot tulips]

I have a very picky 16 month old, so I'm constantly at a loss when it comes to feeding her. The only things she'll eat consistently are cheese, bread, buttered pasta, and the Plum Organics snacks (Puffs, Teensy Fruits, etc.). She's probably the one toddler who will very rarely eat fresh fruit (a shame because our local Farmer's Market is amazing).

Do you ladies have any foods/recipes you'd like to share that are a hit with your toddlers?

Since Ava does like pancakes, here's a recipe I modified to make them a little healthier. They're actually pretty yummy!

1/2 cup oat flour (just grind old fashioned oats in a blender/food processor until it becomes a powder)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 cup Greek yogurt
1 apple, peeled
1 small carrot, peeled
1 egg
butter

Heat frying pan. Mix dry ingredients together in a medium bowl. Combine Greek yogurt, apple, carrot, and egg together in a blender until you have a smooth puree. Add wet ingredients to the dry and mix. Add butter to the heated pan and add pancake batter to desired size. Flip once the batter has just started to bubble.

 

[Bliss]

Ohhh, I always need ideas and I soooo appreciate this one!!!!

I have a picky eater as well - M will eat anything BUT vegetables. She picks them out and protests loudly when I put greens on her plate. So I've had to become stealth mom.

PT, does your little one like grilled cheese? I take organic spinach and kale, snap off the stems and chop them up so finely there is no hope if picking those microscopic pieces out. I melt them into the cheese and she has no choice but to eat it. I'm mean!

M also loves eating rice so I make chicken soup with all the veggies and puree and mix it into the rice. Sometimes I'll steam edamame/egg and mix it into her rice, too. The girl loves her rice!

To get her to eat greens and fruit, I make smoothies and blend up the kale/spinach/broccoli (frozen) into frozen mango chunks, coconut water and whatever berries I have. She has no idea she's eating salad!

I also got some really cool ice pop molds from Amazon where you can make/freeze your own "ice cream" pops. Since she's used to drinking green smoothies (there's this cute organic place near our home) she isn't fazed by the bright green ice pops and thinks she's eating ice cream. I puree org kale/spinach/broccoli with coconut water, frozen mango/pineapple/yogurt and she's good to go!

They are super cute!

Your pancakes sound delicious! Thanks so much for posting the recipe!!!!!!

 

[NewEnglandLady]

I just posted this in the toddler thread, so thought I should post here, too. These are zucchini fritters, which K likes. These are fried, but there are recipes for baked fritters out there, too.

Ingredients

2 pounds zucchini, rinsed clean
2 teaspoons sea salt, plus more for sprinkling
2 large eggs, beaten
3 tablespoons freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano or other hard Italian grating cheese
1 tablespoon flour
1 tablespoon fine breadcrumbs
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
olive oil for frying

Directions

1. Shred zucchini with a box grater or the shredding attachment of a food processor. Have kids transfer to a colander and sprinkle with 2 teaspoons salt. Then place a plate on top and weigh it down with a heavy can or pot. Put the colander in the sink, over the drain, and let zucchini release water for 1 to 2 hours.

2. Transfer zucchini to a clean kitchen towel and squeeze to remove any remaining moisture. In a medium bowl, let kids mix zucchini with eggs, cheese, flour, breadcrumbs and pepper. The mixture should be soft but not watery; if it’s too thick, the fritters will be heavy. Chill for 1 hour.

3. Fill a deep skillet with 1½ inches of oil and heat over medium-high heat until oil sizzles. Add rounded teaspoonfuls of zucchini mixture, taking care not to crowd the pan. Fry until golden and crisp, about 5 minutes total, turning once halfway through. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the fritters to paper towels to drain. Sprinkle with sea salt. Repeat with the remaining zucchini mixture. Serve immediately.

 

[lliang_chi]

I made quinoa patties for Ethan, which you can mix anything into it and pan fry. I tried to get him to eat just regular quinoa but he wasn't feeling it, probably because he had a hard time picking it up. So I experimented with the leftover for this. It's a rough guideline, I didnt' really have a recipe when I tried it.

1/4 medium onion, diced
1 clove garlic
a pinch (approx 1/4 tsp) ground cumin
1 c Cooked quinoa
2 eggs
1/2 tsp olive oil
1/2 c diced up items of your choice
a dash of salt (optional),
or 1 TBS grated hard cheese
2 tsp of herbs of your choice (optional)

Saute onion & garlic. Mix into cooked quinoa. If the quinoa & onions are hot (straight off the stove) let cool for 10 mins.
Beat egg, then mix into quinoa + onions. Add your diced up items. I've used meat (cooked, e.g. leftovers from last night's dinner), deli meats, veggies. The mixture will be kind of like chunky grits. Heat skillet on medium heat. Add some oil/spray to prevent sticking. Spoon large tablespoon onto skillet then flatten to about 1/4 inch thickness. Let cook until edges are slightly browned, only 3-4 mins. Flip and fry opposite side.

These heat up nicely in the next day too. You can either toast in a toaster oven, rewarm in the pan, or zap in the microwave for 5 secs.

On days I'm feeling REALLY lazy, I just make it into a giant "frittata" and break off pieces to eat/reheat.

 

[Skippy123]

Hi, so my boys don't like veggies so much but love fruit.
We got this tip from Parenting Magazine.

Cinnamon! They now eat apples w/cinnamon, pears w/cinnamon and mango w/cinnamon. I tried it and it is quite lovely!

My boys also love sweet potatoes baked but before they are baked and cubbed, we sprinkle paprika.

no other tips, sorry!