If you don't eat many processed foods, what do you feed your kids?

[Anonymous]

My husband and I have been off of most processed foods for years. We're not militant about it. I love oatmeal, for instance, I have a weak spot for tortilla chips and salsa, and I don't know what we'd do if we had to make our own pasta. But on most days and nights, most ingredients are whole foods. We have a new baby and for now and the near future, I think we have a good plan for what to feed him (breastmilk and then homemade baby food). But once he is older, what do we feed him? Most "kids" foods of which I'm aware are highly processed (chicken nuggets, fish sticks, goldfish, cereal, etc.). I am not saying we won't ever give him those things, I just want to know what other options there are. I know this is a stupid question and there are surely lots of choices, but it's just hard as a FTM to think of them.

[Anonymous]

Mine is 19m and her major foods are fruits and veg (broccoli, blueberries, bananas and avocado are favorites), any kind of cooked beans, cubes of tofu, cubes of cheese, eggs (usually fried and cut into pieces), oatmeal, yogurt, bread, rice. We offer meat, but so far she isn't into it.

[Anonymous]

I spend 4-6 hours one day a week and do meal prep for the entire week. I make ahead and freeze most things, which makes it easy to reheat during the week. Making your own chicken nuggets are crazy easy (Whole Foods has chicken tender cuts, dip in flour, egg, then the breading, I use panko crumbs with some seasoning, then bake), if you don't want to make your own pasta there's a vendor at the Falls Church farmers market from Richmond and they make their own fresh pasta. It's amazing! I forgot the name, stars with a "C". It's frozen, so just buy a bunch, leave in the freezer until you need it, then defrost. They have pastas and gnocci.

I've made my own "goldfish" crackers as well (they were little circles) - a tad time consuming, but on just more than homemade sugar cookies. They are great b/c you can make a huge batch and they seem to freeze decently as well.

Cereal I have no substitute, but we prefer pancakes/waffles (which you can premake and freeze, then heat up in the oven/microwave/toaster).

If you're willing to put in the time there's no reason you need to eat processed foods, at least when you have control over the food (at your home)!

[Anonymous]

DH is vegetarian, not by choice but by habit. We both come from countries where processed food is very expensive so we never built the habit to begin with.

DC1 was BF and we introduced purees at 6mos when she grabbed a slice of pizza from DH's hand and shoveled it into her mouth. Right about that time I learned about BLW and started feeding her from our plates.

We have rice and beans or rice and lentils every day as a staple and 2 or 3 veggies and one meat. Those are the choices she gets. In our house there's no such thing as kid's food and when we go most places she will never eat the stuff in the kid's menu.

As for snacks we have fruits. She doesn't know the concept of desert just yet - she's 2. We do feed her the occasional crackers, we eat pizza n pasta once in a while but those are treats. And she knows it. So far it's been working. Fingers crossed now because DC2 is 9 weeks old and I hope he follows her example.

[Anonymous]

By processed to you mean prepackaged? Or would you consider homemade chicken nuggets to be processed, too? I guess it depends on what level of "processed" you are trying to avoid -- peeling skin off chicken before cooking is processed. That type of stuff doesn't bother me at all. But it may bother you.

Play it by ear as your child grows up. I was going to do all organic, and you are right, it's much easier at the nursing/formula/milk/baby food stage than afterward when they are eating much more adult food and you are trying to plan whole family meals and not be a short-order cook for each person. My compromise was to try to buy fresh foods (organic when possible/affordable), and cook most stuff from scratch. It's very easy to make your own seasoned bread crumbs, for example, and then make your own chicken nuggets. My son's whole wheat turkey sandwich with local cheese, cut into shapes with a sandwich cutter, is far healthier (and tastier) than a Lunchable. But it's still processed. But it's the compromise I'm happy with. You'll find your way.

[Anonymous]

Do you really consider oatmeal a processed food? Oats seem like a minimally processed whole grain to me, especially if you buy steel-cut or Irish. If you're that strict in your definition of processed foods-- e.g., won't even eat whole grains that are hulled or chopped, or whole grain breads or pastas-- your task will be a little harder indeed.

The answer, in any case, is that we don't feed our children "kid" foods. They eat what we eat. This is good advice regardless of whether your diet is full of processed foods or not-- you want your kids to learn to eat well.

[Anonymous]

Feed your child what you eat, except in small pieces. Unless your child has allergies, there's no reason to serve your child different foods than what the adults have.

There are some foods that will be harder for your child to chew and digest than an adult (e.g., if you eat mostly salads, you are going to have to expand your food selection), but most fruit, veggies, and whole grains are fine. Minimally processed foods like cheese and yogurt, breads and pasta, are great for young children, too.

[Anonymous]

You feed them what you eat, with some modifications (like a little less spicy or sauce on the side or no cheese on top) based on their preferences. I have a 6 y.o. and have never fed him chicken nuggets or fish sticks (he's eaten them at parties) and have only bought goldfish for special occasions (a party or plane ride). We do eat some processed foods like cereal and crackers (wholegrain), and he gets to pick out one special treat a week from the grocery store (ice cream, cookies).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:By processed to you mean prepackaged? Or would you consider homemade chicken nuggets to be processed, too? I guess it depends on what level of "processed" you are trying to avoid -- peeling skin off chicken before cooking is processed. That type of stuff doesn't bother me at all. But it may bother you.

Play it by ear as your child grows up. I was going to do all organic, and you are right, it's much easier at the nursing/formula/milk/baby food stage than afterward when they are eating much more adult food and you are trying to plan whole family meals and not be a short-order cook for each person. My compromise was to try to buy fresh foods (organic when possible/affordable), and cook most stuff from scratch. It's very easy to make your own seasoned bread crumbs, for example, and then make your own chicken nuggets. My son's whole wheat turkey sandwich with local cheese, cut into shapes with a sandwich cutter, is far healthier (and tastier) than a Lunchable. But it's still processed. But it's the compromise I'm happy with. You'll find your way.

This is really good advice. Don't shape your life around the label of "not processed," but rather figure out what you are comfortable with and what works for you, given your family's situation and interests. For example, we try to eat really healthy and keep our "processed" foods to a minimum. But we both work out of the house and have two kids under 3 years old. So yes, we eat Whole Wheat Barilla pasta. It's processed, but it's an okay trade-off because otherwise we'd spend all our time cooking and not playing with our kids while we're at home. We make our own chicken nuggets (we probably make 50 at a time and freeze them) but we feed our toddler Dr. Praeger's fishies when we go out and the babysitter prepares dinner. But when we're at home she eats the same dinner we eat. Sometimes we make a less spicy portion for her. Don't worry too much from the 12-24 month period. At that point just do what you can to get your kid interested in fresh tasty food. Then it might just all work itself out. But as PP said, find your own way and go for it!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We make our own chicken nuggets (we probably make 50 at a time and freeze them) but we feed our toddler Dr. Praeger's fishies when we go out and the babysitter prepares dinner.

Can either you (or the other PP who makes her own frozen chicken nuggets) share a link or a more detailed 'recipe'? I'm interested in doing this, especially if I could do 50 at a time and freeze them! Seems like a way better option than the frozen chicken nuggets at Giant.

I'm thinking just buy the WF chicken tenders, dip in flour, egg and bread crumbs? Any recommendations for seasonings? I saw the PP mention panko crumbs - do they work better? And then do you freeze them right away, or bake them first, then freeze?

(sorry for all the questions - I never freeze anything, and am thinking that if I try it, i'll end up with a soppy wet mess?)

[Anonymous]

What are substitues for white flour and white sugar (those are processed foods right?) or maybe they are not. (not a honey fan btw)

I was diligent in the past but have fallen to convienence.

[Anonymous]

I'm the PP who uses Panko - I like them b/c they give a better crunch. As for seasonings I mainly use a not real spicy mexican blend. Once they are baked and cooled, they are ready to freeze nicely. You may want to invest in a food saver system (the ones that suck the air out) to keep out freezer burn (which is where you'd get the soggy mess), although once you bake to reheat it shouldn't be soggy...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What are substitues for white flour and white sugar (those are processed foods right?) or maybe they are not. (not a honey fan btw)

I was diligent in the past but have fallen to convienence.

I make my own using oats or brown rice (throw in the food processor) - I use a 50/50 combo for the most part, but just oats when baking.

[Anonymous]

PP, you cook them first, then freeze them (or at least I do). Then reheat on a baking sheet in the oven when you want to use them. My child is very underweight, so I fry mine, and he loves them. They are also good cut up onto a salad for dinner for the adults.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Mine is 19m and her major foods are fruits and veg (broccoli, blueberries, bananas and avocado are favorites), any kind of cooked beans, cubes of tofu, cubes of cheese, eggs (usually fried and cut into pieces), oatmeal, yogurt, bread, rice. We offer meat, but so far she isn't into it.

That sounds like a diet! LOL