Good luck. If you are the PP with the 4 and 5 year old, you still are in control. When they are older and out on their own, your control is diminished. You can instill all kinds of good thoughts and good ideas while they're little. And hopefully most of the ones that are important socially stick. But the food, good luck with that.

Anonymous wrote:To 7:02-I get the definition. My opinion is that someone should choose to become vegetarian. A 12 month old cannot choose this diet. It is what they are being fed by adults. Offer them everything and let them decide as they get older.

Did you choose to eat meat? Why shouldn't someone choose to eat meat in your opinion? A 12 month old is always eating what their parents feed them. So what?

Anonymous wrote:Sorry but oh my God. How will they live in the real world? Their friends aren't all going to be vegetarians. Their school isn't going to be vegetarian. Certainly their college is not going to be vegetarian. My younger son was a vegetarian from age 12 to age 20. When he went to college, we thought the food at college would have good choices for vegetarian. But it didn't turn out that way. So he eats meat again. You guys need to prepare for the real world.

Troll much? You really think a vegetarian isn't going to be able to manage in the real world? Do you live in 1910 or something?

Sorry but oh my God. How will they live in the real world? Their friends aren't all going to be vegetarians. Their school isn't going to be vegetarian. Certainly their college is not going to be vegetarian. My younger son was a vegetarian from age 12 to age 20. When he went to college, we thought the food at college would have good choices for vegetarian. But it didn't turn out that way. So he eats meat again. You guys need to prepare for the real world.

Our whole family is vegetarian, and to me, it sounds like your baby is eating very well! Mine are now 4 and 5, but at that age (and even now), they also loved hummus (homemade, store-bought, any kind, on anything), edamame (the shelled kind, especially with some powdered sea salt or seaweed), extra-firm tofu cut in cubes and mixed with soy sauce, baked beans (not hard to make from scratch, but canned ones will do in a pinch), roasted chickpeas, steamed or roasted veg with tomato sauce or peanut sauce, sesame noodles, and pretty much any kind of soup/stew/chili. We also make polenta mini-pizzas, which are always a big hit--it's basically just the pre-cooked polenta that comes in a tube, with pizza sauce (Muir Glen brand is AWESOME), cheese, and whatever veggies you think they'd like, and heated under the broiler. These are easy and kid-size.

Anonymous wrote:To 7:02-I get the definition. My opinion is that someone should choose to become vegetarian. A 12 month old cannot choose this diet. It is what they are being fed by adults. Offer them everything and let them decide as they get older.

Not the poster you're responding to, but I completely disagree. For one, OP never said that she doesn't offer meat, just that her child doesn't eat it. My toddler eats very little meat; he seems to have a problem with the texture. But regardless, if it is the situation that OP is vegetarian/keeps a vegetarian home - as parents we make lots of decisions about what foods we do and do not offer our children. Why would OP's decision to not to offer meat to her 12 month old be any different than my decision to not offer juice, or another's decision to not offer ham or shellfish because they keep a kosher home? I am sure that as OP's child gets older there will be plenty of opportunities to try meat, and I have a hard time imagining that OP will prohibit her 12 year old from eating a hamburger at a friend's pool party. There will be plenty of opportunities to try everything, and her child will indeed get to choose whether to be vegetarian or not as he/she gets older. She doesn't need to offer everything to a baby.

To 7:02-I get the definition. My opinion is that someone should choose to become vegetarian. A 12 month old cannot choose this diet. It is what they are being fed by adults. Offer them everything and let them decide as they get older.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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'

If you're going to chime in, at least learn a little about the topic so you don't look so ignorant.

Vegetarians don't eat animal flesh (meat) but they will eat other animal derived foods including eggs, dairy and honey.
Ovo-lacto vegetarians will not eat eggs and dairy but will eat products like honey.
Vegans do not eat any animal derived foods including honey.

There's a wide variety of vegetarianism outside of vegans.

Eggs are still "animal products", hon

Anonymous wrote:My teenaged son is a vegetarian. I think vegetarian should be an informed choice made by the person choosing to be a vegetarian. No 12 month old is making that choice on their own.

A vegetarian is someone who does not eat meat. If a 12 month old, a 12 year old, or a 50 year old doesn't eat meat, then he or she is a vegetarian.

My teenaged son is a vegetarian. I think vegetarian should be an informed choice made by the person choosing to be a vegetarian. No 12 month old is making that choice on their own.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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'

If you're going to chime in, at least learn a little about the topic so you don't look so ignorant.

Vegetarians don't eat animal flesh (meat) but they will eat other animal derived foods including eggs, dairy and honey.
Ovo-lacto vegetarians will not eat eggs and dairy but will eat products like honey.
Vegans do not eat any animal derived foods including honey.

There's a wide variety of vegetarianism outside of vegans.

This is mostly correct but an ovo-lacto vegetarian DOES eat eggs and dairy, just not flesh of animals.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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'

If you're going to chime in, at least learn a little about the topic so you don't look so ignorant.

Vegetarians don't eat animal flesh (meat) but they will eat other animal derived foods including eggs, dairy and honey.
Ovo-lacto vegetarians will not eat eggs and dairy but will eat products like honey.
Vegans do not eat any animal derived foods including honey.

There's a wide variety of vegetarianism outside of vegans.

Since when are bees animals?

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"?

Not the PP you're baiting, but, "full-fat yogurt," "cheese" quesadillas, scrambled "eggs," and so on are .... all the products of animals. Just pointing that out.

OP, there was an oatmeal banana pancake recipe on the pancake thread. I modified it a bit, and my 20 month old really likes it. Other breakfast stuff - oatmeal cooked with milk for with some applesauce and cinnamon stirred in; scrambled eggs with spinach and cheese; a plain pancake topped with a fried egg (DS seriously loves this). If you're able to do straw cups, you could make fruit/yogurt smoothie for a variation on your usual breakfast.

For another veggie, squash is a good one to roast. I like to do wedges of acorn squash and then scoop out the flesh with a spoon after roasting.

Agree with the avocado suggestion. We do a lot of guac and hummus.

For a snack (in the future if not now), the baked lentil chips are pretty good.

For variety with the raw tomatoes, I toss them with either a little olive oil, salt and basil, or with a vinegar-based dressing (I do an Asian-style one that calls for white vinegar, sugar, salt, pepper and a little sesame oil). You could do raw cucumber pieces or raw zucchini pieces similarly.

For other grains... I cook quinoa in stock (can do veg) with chopped veggies (throw it all in together), then stir parm cheese into the quinoa once cooked. It's really good. This is also a really yummy bulgur salad: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Bulgur-Salad-with-Garbanzo-Beans-Feta-and-Plum-Tomatoes-105275

Not a grain, but TJs has a frozen lentil mix with tomatoes and olive oil that is pretty good. Only way (other than lentil chips and hummus) that I can get beans into my kid (not a problem you have, clearly!).

Something sweet for the fall: pumpkin cookies.

Anonymous wrote:

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'

If you're going to chime in, at least learn a little about the topic so you don't look so ignorant.

Vegetarians don't eat animal flesh (meat) but they will eat other animal derived foods including eggs, dairy and honey.
Ovo-lacto vegetarians will not eat eggs and dairy but will eat products like honey.
Vegans do not eat any animal derived foods including honey.

There's a wide variety of vegetarianism outside of vegans.