I have to admit this idea was not one that I came up with – rather I give credit to a mom friend from Brooklyn (shout out to Crystal and her little one Jackson!)
The idea of Cameron + spoon + hot liquid scares me. This was the perfect solution!
This past week Cameron seemed a little under the weather with a runny nose, and the temperature here in DC had dropped to a decidedly fall level. I didn’t have a lot in the fridge in the way of dinner options, but I remembered my friend had told me once that she fed her son chicken noodle soup, without the soup. I searched the cabinets for a can, and behold – my dinner savior appeared.
I heated the soup on the stove, as normal, and then used a slotted spoon to pick out the chicken, noodles, and vegetables. To be honest, Cameron stuck mostly to the chicken and the noodles. Maybe someday a stray vegetable will make it into my child. Until then – I’ll try and keep hope alive and place options in front of him!
I took what Cameron didn’t eat and put it back in the broth. This became my dinner with a sandwich. Yum! Perfect for a chilly evening.
A few months ago I posted about giving Cameron Ronnybrook Drinkable Yogurt. Well we’ve since been out of New York and I haven’t been able to find it! But I have stumbled upon YoBaby Whole Milk Drinkable Yogurt – and Cameron loves it (more than the Ronnybrook, it seems). I love the small size (4 oz containers), and the easily resealable top (screw on instead of the snap on Ronnybrook has). I know that the flavor Cam likes has sugar in it (he enjoys Peach) but, like traditional YoBaby, it also comes in Plain if you are concerned about the sugar levels. Other flavors include banana, blueberry, and vanilla.
A Peachy Lifesaver
Cameron has been working on his 2 year molars and hasn’t been wanting to eat much, so these drinkable yogurts have been a lifesaver. If you can’t find Ronnybrook in your area, or just want an alternative, check your grocer’s dairy section for YoBaby organic drinkable yogurt! FYI, for the New York fans out there, this product is available at Fresh Direct.
I recently posted about Cameron’s bout with pesky diarrhea. Part of the solution was reducing his lactose intake, and another part was to get him eating some yogurt (the active cultures are good for the tummy). Unfortunately, Cameron no longer likes to eat yogurt – but he does like to drink it! I’ve been giving him Ronnybrook Drinkable Yogurt – his favorite flavor is strawberry.
Lots of flavors to choose from!
Ronnybrook drinkable yogurt is made with whole milk, fresh fruit, and 10 active cultures two of which are pro biotic. There are 5 flavors -plain, Peach, Strawberry, Blackberry or Mango. You can find all the nutritional information for the Ronnybrook Drinkable Yogurt drinks on this page.
Locally, I’ve been able to find these yogurt drinks at the Fort Greene Farmer’s Market, Elly’s, Mr. Coco, and Fresh Garden. You can also order it from Fresh Direct.
Posted from New York, New York, United States.
On a recent trip to Trader Joe’s I picked up some “party size” (mini) meatballs from the freezer section. They are made with both pork and beef – and they are super tasty! And most importantly, Cameron likes them. They are precooked, so all you have to do is heat up a few at a time (I do this in the microwave).
So many choices - but all tasty!
By the way, Trader Joe’s has several kinds of meatballs, if you aren’t into the pork and beef combo. I found this blog post on Noshtopia with the nutrition breakdown for the party size meatballs, and their other kinds – beef, turkey, italian, and meatless.
At Cameron’s 18 month check up I was talking to his pediatrician about his picky eating habits. She suggested that a good way to get him to try some new fruits was by making smoothies. I didn’t have high hopes, but I bought some grapes and strawberries and decided to give it a try. I threw a bunch of the fruit in my Cuisinart and pureed it until smooth. Then I ran the mixture through a strainer to remove some of the seeds and make it easier for Cam to drink. It was a little thick, so I added some v8 fusion to thin it out (you could also use water).
yummy yummy!
Cameron really liked it! And now, he’s actually started eating strawberries in their whole form as well. I think the smoothie really helped him warm up to them. I’ve also been making smoothies with watermelon and raspberries too. I think any fruit would be great. Give it a try!
My mom is an avid gardener, and I grew up helping her in the garden, and eating vegetables that we grew. I think it’s really great for kids to see where food comes from, so this year I’ve got my garden going – and I plan to involve Cameron as much as possible. I got my tomato plants at the Fort Greene Farmer’s Market. I decided to go for 2 cherry-type varieties mostly because I find I have much more success with these varieties. It takes a lot of effort to grow one perfect brandywine tomato, and a lot less to make a whole bunch of little guys! Plus I like how they taste. If I want a big tomato, I just pick one up at the Farmer’s Market.
I have a roof deck, and I grow my plants in containers (I get the “self watering” ones from gardeners.com). I think the major failures that people have when it comes to gardening are:
1)They don’t give the plant the correct amount of sunshine. Tomatoes need a lot of sun. Not all plants do – so ask the person you are buying them from, or read the label on the plant. FYI – most veggies DO need lots of sun.
2)They don’t water the plants enough. It gets REALLY hot on my deck in the summer, and even though my planters are “self watering” (this means there is a reservoir at the bottom that holds water) I will still generally water once a day. Watering means putting water on until the water seeps out the bottom – not just a little sip of water. Also, try not to get the leaves too wet when you water – stick to watering at the base of the plant.
3)They don’t give the plants enough space to grow. A tomato plant might start small, but it grows really large! I only put in one plant per planter. That way it doesn’t have to fight for space or water.
Here’s a few pictures of my tomato plants. As you can see I have taken off the lowest sets of leaves, and then I bury the plants deep. This is a little unusual – generally when you plant something you want to plant it even with the soil level. But if you plant your tomatoes deep, then roots will grow off what used to be the stem of the plant. Just leave a few leaves above the surface so the plant can make food from the sunshine. After planting, be sure to water. And then keep watering! Occasionally, I use fertilizer. Miracle Grow is ok, or you can find some organic solutions as well.
I’ll be sure to share more pictures later as the plants get bigger! And hopefully, Cameron will be excited to try his first home grown tomato.
Goodness knows I struggle to get Cameron to eat his fruits and veggies – so I have to get creative to try and keep his diet at least somewhat balanced. Recently I had a brain storm – V8! But, I was a little worried that classic V8 might be coming on a little strong – so I decided to try one of their fruit juice blends, V8 Fusion. The Fusions have 1 serving of fruit and 1 serving of veggies in each 8oz glass. Not too shabby! There’s no high fructose corn syrup, and no added sugar.
Cameron likes it. Mom likes it!
Cameron took to it instantly! I got him the Passion fruit Tangerine flavor – but I plan to explore other options (especially because Fresh Direct doesn’t have that one.) So if you are looking for a way to sneak in some extra fruit and veggies into your picky eater’s diet, try V8 Fusion. If you’d like to see more about the flavors available and what fruits and veggies are in them, check out the v8 Fusion FAQ.
Also pictured – Cameron’s Sippy version 4.0
Lately Cameron has been teething up a storm with 4 molars coming in at once. Because of this he has had an aversion to eating anything besides lots and lots of milk. Wanting him to eat something more substantial, I’ve been giving him some veggie patty from Subway – its squishy and soft, and easy for him to eat. This has always been my favorite sandwich offering that Subway has, and I noticed that Cameron seems to like this patty more than any other veggie patty that I’ve tried. So, lately when I get my sandwich, I just ask for another patty on the side.
Om nom nom... Veggie Patty
Cameron will often eat the whole thing. I looked up the ingredients online to see exactly what he was chowing on. While it’s not the most perfect food (more sodium than I’d like) it does have a lot of protein and fiber. If you want to see more about the ingredients, check out this page.
Cameron enjoys toast – peanut butter toast, french toast – but sometimes you need a change. So when I was at Trader Joe’s recently I picked up some of their whole wheat “British muffins” (English muffins) and some tasty toppings.
I’ve been toasting them lightly and putting hummus on (per my pediatrician’s recommendation), or some peanut butter and honey. I was even thinking of Apple or Pumpkin butter (though I haven’t gotten to those yet). Another mom also told me that her toddler loves the cinnamon raisin British muffins. Next time, I’ll give those a try!
Another mom was telling me about her daughter’s love of Trader Joe’s Freeze Dried Mangoes, so I went and picked some up a few weeks ago. I was pleased to see that there were no other ingredients besides “mangoes” in this treat! They have the consistency of Astronaut Ice Cream (if that means anything to you guys?!) Anyways last Friday I was at Trader Joe’s again and I noticed this time they had a lot more freeze dried fruit options – I picked up some blueberries, bananas, and strawberries in edition to the mangoes. Healthy treats with a long shelf life – not too shabby!
Yum Yum, Gimmie Some!
What are your favorite toddler and baby snacks from Trader Joe’s? Leave a comment and share with us!
