A new mom friend I’ve met in DC recently suggested I try giving Cam Quesadillas when I was lamenting his poor eating habits (particularly in the vegetable department). She said her daughter Giulia loves eating them – and they are a great way to hide vegetables. She also suggested using salsa or avocado as a dip – and I’m not sure about your toddler, but Cameron loves to dip his food!
Easy to make, easy to eat, and easy to hide things in!
So, the other day I gave Quesadillas a try – just a simple cheese and chicken one – and Cameron gobbled it up. Next time I’ll get a little more advanced and try the hidden vegetables and dip route. Fingers crossed for continued success! Give it a try – and feel free to post your recipe ideas for the rest of us to try!
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.
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.
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
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!
I got this idea for a breakfast treat from another mom who was feeding it to her 14 month old daughter:
Whole wheat toast with a little butter, and then some peanut butter. The butter helps it not be quite so thick and sticky. The warm toast melts the peanut butter nicely.
Cameron really enjoys it – and it’s a nice break from the morning waffle rut we had fallen into.
