If you feed your kids really healthy foods (inspired by anti-soup thread)

[Anonymous]

10:44 here, I make all the Thai food myself so I know what goes in it, and yes, it's healthy!

[Anonymous]

The funny thing about that prior thread is that the OP mom's preferred food items weren't much "healthier" than the nanny's substitutions, if you look at both menus carefully.

Mom's menu was full of sodium, sugar and chemicals and oils ("light" mayo). Nanny's was full of sodium.

The problem with both of their menus was the reliance on processed, quick food items. Many of the suggestions above are much better.

[Anonymous]

I thnk op's issue was the attitude more than the food

[Anonymous]

Whole milk greek yogurt, someone mentioned Trader Joes...which is great.
Whole milk Kefir to drink.
Ground lamb with chick peas, salmon. We are quite liberal with the butter on the salmon and all veggies. We get a once a week delivery from http://www.washingtonsgreengrocer.com/goods/index.htm
and couldn't be happier. They have pastured chicken eggs, organic whole milk, etc and it's super convenient. Also, for those times when we don't want to prepare something and/or traveling I highly recommend http://www.amazon.com/Dr-Susannas-World-Baby-Foods/dp/B002NWH9SY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=grocery&qid=1294506969&sr=8-1

Definitely gets picky eaters to broaden their taste buds.

[Anonymous]

Curious - for the posters, so do you always make separate meals for your child for dinner or do you serve these items for the entire family? At what age do you stop making separate dinners? I have a 2 year old and am trying to transition to "eat what we eat" now that he can eat more textures but I notice that posters have older children but are still making separate dinners. Pros and cons to that approach?

[Anonymous]

Mmm, everything in here sounds so yummy, I want to go out and buy the ingredients and cook it for myself!

Great thread, OP!

[Anonymous]

i also love this thread!

by the way, agave nectar is a fantastic low-glycemic sweetener and my 2 year old son loves it. i mix greek yogurt with it in the mornings and he LOVES that. we also do organic apples and cheese for snacks. he usually has lunch at daycare, but lunch with us is unsweetened applesauce, grilled cheese on whole wheat bread, etc.

also FYI, in your frozen food section there is a steamfresh brown rice with carrots and broccoli ... my son loves it, and it's the only way i can get broccoli in him, plus it's 4 mins in the microwave, serve with some baked or broiled chicken and voila -- dinner.

oh, and shelled edamame (again, steamable in microwave) makes a fabulous snack.

[Anonymous]

Let's hear from someone with a child 5 or older.

[Anonymous]

Dr. Praeger's spinach pancakes

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Curious - for the posters, so do you always make separate meals for your child for dinner or do you serve these items for the entire family? At what age do you stop making separate dinners? I have a 2 year old and am trying to transition to "eat what we eat" now that he can eat more textures but I notice that posters have older children but are still making separate dinners. Pros and cons to that approach?

I'm the poster with the 2.5 year old, and generally we eat the same dinner. She is in daycare so we don't eat lunch together during the week, but do eat breakfast and usually eat the same thing. On weekends I usually like to have my coffee while she gets breakfast and I then I fix myself something.

[Anonymous]

Let's hear from someone with a child 5 or older.

bwahahaaha. So, so true.

[Anonymous]

^^^ especially a male child 5 or older.

[Anonymous]

I posted earlier about my 3.5 yr old boy eating salad and trying everything. He is in preschool so we don't eat the same food for lunch (however his lunch is catered by organic company) but we eat the same breakfast and dinner. I rarely make separate meals but modify if necessary portions for him, no sauce, onions, etc. We have done this since 18 mos. We haven't had any major problems- he even eats mussells, brussell sprouts, stuff I wouldn't touch as a child. My husband is a foodie and loves to cook. I cook out of necessity. We agreed that we wanted our son to enjoy flavorful fresh wholesome food. We are not vegetarian but only eat organic meat and do allow our son to have dessert a few times a week.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:^^^ especially a male child 5 or older.

So true!

My 5 YO DS used to eat everything. Now he looks absolutely panicked when I put something new on his plate. Like he's afraid it might reach up and grab him. Same thing with my friend's 5 YO DS. I assume (hope) it is a phase.

My 2 YO DD is a great eater--for now.

[Anonymous]

same story with a 5 year old boy. He used to eat practically everything. The only things he didn't like were some raw veggies and the whites of hard boiled eggs. He would gobble handfuls of plain tofu or defrosted spinach, for example.

Now he doesn't like crusts on his sandwiches, and meat that isn't ground or a chicken nugget. He doesn't want any sauce on his veggies.

He does still eat plain beans, quinoa, some fish and will eat kale or broccoli, but only in smaller quantities. He devours homemade hummus with lots of parsley (we just toss everything in the cuisinart) IF it is still warm.
It does improve things a bit when he helps with the cooking. He especially loves to help with the hummus and to measure the ingredients for the sauce for our sesame noodles.

Of course he loves pizza and quesadillas and sweets. We do pizza with the whole wheat dough from Trader Joe's and quesadillas on whole wheat tortillas. and we figure he is entitled to birthday cakes and such on special occasions, but we try not to keep too much sugary stuff in the house.