Go-to recipes for vegetarian 12 month old?

[Anonymous]

I feel like I am in a rut - would love any suggestions.

For breakfast we pretty much always do a few whole grain mini waffles and plain full-fat yogurt with frozen berries that mixed in the night before to thaw. Occasionally I will make her eggs and toast, a breakfast burrito or a pancake, but 90% of the time, it is yogurt.

For other meals, these are our current staples:
-Steamed veggies (broccoli, cauliflower, carrots primarily) or roasted veggies (sweet potato, broccoli, cauliflower, mushrooms)
-Raw fruits and veggies like grapes, strawberries, bananas, bell peppers, tomatoes)
-Cheese quesadillas or grilled cheese
-Chickpea salad
-Beans, plain, or sometimes cooked in other dishes
-Whole grain pasta with marinara sauce or alfredo sauce and spinach
-In terms of recipes, she loves a mushroom orzo dish I make, two-bean tamale pie with cornbread
-Brown rice sauteed with scrambled egg and some veggies like frozen peas

Any other suggestions?

[Anonymous]

My DD is not vegetarian but loves avocado and sweet potato. Sometimes we throw in black beans too.

[Anonymous]

That does not sound like a rut to me at all. That sounds like a great, varied diet. You could try new flavors - stir fries, curries. How does she feel about tofu?

[Anonymous]

Your 12-month-old is a vegetarian?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Your 12-month-old is a vegetarian?

Hundreds of millions of infants the world over are vegetarian. What's so surprising?

[Anonymous]

You can try steel cut oatmeal for breakfast.

[Anonymous]

At 17 months, mine still refuses meat. I think your list is pretty decent. we do mini-bagels and cheese for breakfast as well as oatmeal. We also do edamame and lima beans, black beans, kidney beans, etc...

The only meat she will eat is ground beef in spaghetti sauce....

[Anonymous]

lentil soup, veggie chili, chana masala, dal, coconut milk curry (can you tell my kid loves stews)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Your 12-month-old is a vegetarian?

You again! Maybe you'll answer this time.

What would you call a 12 month old human who does not eat animal products, since you object to the term "vegetarian"?

[Anonymous]

We went (mostly) pescetarian almost a year ago, for health reasons. DH and I don't do dairy, but the kids still do if they want it. Some great recipe sites I like:

Minimalist Baker
Post Punk Kitchen - theppk.com
Vegan Lunchbox
OhSheGlows

I experiment with a lot of different foods, too. DH is Jamaican, so I make sweet potato pudding, cornmeal pudding, red pea soup (without meat), curry fish, rice and peas. Also like to try Indian curries (on the less spicy side) with veggies or chickpeas. Asian stir fry with tofu and rice noodles. Chili is good. Soup with lentils, split peas, barley, carrots, potatoes, onion, garlic, basil, bay leaf, and tomato paste (or ketchup). Quinoa.

Great, super-easy tacos: Cook a can of black beans in half as much salsa and 1.5 tsp cumin, until it's not watery and the beans are soft. Mix in some sauteed chopped sweet pepper and onion, and some corn. Eat over rice or in taco.

If you're tired, PBJ or mac n cheese is always a well-received go-to. And like someone else said, avocado is great for those healthy fats, my kids devour it.

[Anonymous]

My kids started eating lentils and rice at an early age. In a vegetarian and making them middle eastern style is a staple for me. It's one of the few healthy foods they still eat willingly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Your 12-month-old is a vegetarian?

My 18 month old is. What of it?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Your 12-month-old is a vegetarian?

You again! Maybe you'll answer this time.

What would you call a 12 month old human who does not eat animal products, since you object to the term "vegetarian"?

Eggs are animal products. Just sayin'

[Anonymous]

I'm super jealous that your kid eats this stuff.

My 11 mo old barely eats anything. It's very frustrating.

[Anonymous]

Remember that you can add lots more than cheese to a quesadilla. It's a great way to get more beans and veggies in. (Not that your kid seems to be lacking for either.)

We've really been rocking the fritters at our house lately--eggplant fritters, zucchini fritters, etc. I just recommended the smitten kitchen recipe for zucchini fritters on another thread. I like fritters because I can make a batch or double batch one night and then pull them out of the fridge (and send them to daycare for lunch) all week.

Similarly, I like to do little black bean cakes (which I also just recommended somewhere else)--black beans, quinoa, spinach, onion, cumin, cilantro, and egg.

I have a recipe for frittatas made in a mini muffin tin that I'm going to try this week.

But I agree with the PP who said you don't seem to be in a rut at all! My vegetarian 10 month old would love to eat from your menu, and I think I'll borrow a few ideas!