Do you have any healthy breakfast, lunch and snack ideas?

Juanita - posted on 10/28/2010

Hi there, I have a book by Annabel Karmel Top 100 Purees (ISBN 0-091-90499-4 incase you cant find it) , I make all my babies food from this book. She also has books eg Toddler Meal Planner. Her website is www.annabelkarmel.com. You will not be sorry.

Charlotte - posted on 10/28/2010

I like the Pinwheel idea! Nutella and cream cheese in a whole grain roll-up is also great for desert.

Here's some of my other ideas...

Cook cheese tortellini the night before strain and lightly toss in olive oil (just enough so they don't stick). Lots of kids will eat these cold 'as is' but if not, add a touch of maple syrup or garlic/herb mix for taste. You can of course do tomato sauce but that makes it less portable and much more messy for on the go.

I try to keep fresh fruit around but I also freeze grapes and pineapple. You can give them frozen and again minimal mess (cut your grapes lengthwise before freezing if you're worried about the chocking hazards).

I live in Canada and Superstore/Loblaws have great Organic selections. I buy their fruit leather and cereal bars (located in the baby foods section) and these are so awesome when you're out and still want a healthy treat. They're also quite small so you can hide a few in your purse for 'emergencies'. They also have a few kinds of organic teddy bear cookies which i have bought and put in sandwich bags as a treat.

Thanks for the ideas ladies!!

Charlotte - posted on 10/28/2010

I like the Pinwheel idea! Nutella and cream cheese in a whole grain roll-up is also great for desert.

Here's some of my other ideas...

Cook cheese tortellini the night before strain and lightly toss in olive oil (just enough so they don't stick). Lots of kids will eat these cold 'as is' but if not, add a touch of maple syrup or garlic/herb mix for taste. You can of course do tomato sauce but that makes it less portable and much more messy for on the go.

I try to keep fresh fruit around but I also freeze grapes and pineapple. You can give them frozen and again minimal mess (cut your grapes lengthwise before freezing if you're worried about the chocking hazards).

I live in Canada and Superstore/Loblaws have great Organic selections. I buy their fruit leather and cereal bars (located in the baby foods section) and these are so awesome when you're out and still want a healthy treat. They're also quite small so you can hide a few in your purse for 'emergencies'. They also have a few kinds of organic teddy bear cookies which i have bought and put in sandwich bags as a treat.

Thanks for the ideas ladies!!

Jessica - posted on 10/26/2010

I almost forgot, & forgive me if someone else already posted this but...when in a hurry & I dont have anything on hand I use the happybaby & plum organics fruit smooth & snack squeezes. they come in pouches & I dont have to worry about proportions as they are already pre-measured

Jessica - posted on 10/26/2010

I, like most of the moms here, have found the key is to puree those veggies/fruits or use babyfood in everyday recipes. Put it in grilled cheese, spread it on whole wheat toast, in turkey meatballs, etc

Taylor - posted on 10/19/2010

Yes! Nichole reminded me of another favorite snack: frozen watermelon chunks and frozen chunks of pineapple.

Nichole - posted on 10/19/2010

a favorite snack for my 2 year old is frozen grapes. He would eat them all day long if I let him.

Staci - posted on 10/19/2010

The zuchini and eggs sounds awesome.

Taylor - posted on 10/18/2010

One of our favorites is granola (or cheerios) with yogurt. I like bananas in mine.

Michele - posted on 10/17/2010

Thanks for the great ideas! There are many here that I will try to implement.

Brandy - posted on 10/16/2010

jenna loves fruits and vegetables in her scrambled eggs, but my husband doesnt so i sometimes puree them and cook them in with a little cheese and he doesnt even know lol if you take cream cheese stir a little basil in it you can spread it on halfed cherry tomatoes as a snack. jenna likes it when i make toast or a waffle and spread it with just enough peanut butter to make fruit stick to it i cut up strawberries bananas and blueberries and put them all on it together. cottage cheese or cheese cubes are healthy snacks. another thing i do is steal ideas from the grocery store, i dont buy lunchables but sometimes at the deli ill have them slice turkey in one thick peice so i can cube it at home and then i give her cheese and saltless crackers to go with it or ham cubes and pinapple chunks

Julie - posted on 10/13/2010

I made a list of healthy snacks and put it on my cabinet door. This helps remind me what I can grab in a hurry that's still healthy. Over the summer I started added grated squash and zucchini to eggs (Green eggs and ham), biscuits (really good with winter squash), and Fajitas with grilled portabella mushrooms and zucchini on whole grain tortillas. For snacks we keep fresh fruit to eat with a small amount of peanut butter or pimento cheese on veggies. Small bowls of healthy cereal are also good snacks (multigrain cheerios, kix etc). I have used a lot of my extra baby food to make recipes such as pancakes, french toast, or even scrambled eggs, it doesn't matter if its vegetable or fruit. I found a recipe for homemade, low cost, granola online and we add it to yogurt with fresh or frozen fruit to make "parfaits".

September - posted on 10/11/2010

Some of the things that our son likes for breakfast are... oatmeal with fresh fruit of all kinds, yogurt, scrambled eggs, French toast made with whole grain bread, egg scrabbles with cheese and fresh veggies, whole grain toast with cream cheese and or jelly, grilled banana and peanut butter sandwiches with a side of fresh fruit, hard boiled eggs. For lunch our son enjoys homemade pizza, homemade hummus and pita bread, homemade chicken nuggets, homemade chicken and veggie soup, whole grain rice, casseroles of all kinds (chicken, broccoli and cheese is his favorite!), tofu cubes, beans of all kinds, tacos, grilled cheese, I like to offer a protein, veggies and grain for lunch. Our son loves fruit so often times he will have fruit for dessert after lunch. For snacks our son enjoys cubed avocados, homemade fruit smoothies, whole grain gold fish, fresh steamed veggies, fresh fruit, whole grain crackers and cheese, string cheese, yogurt, cottage cheese, homemade fruit popsicles (strawberry and mango are his favorite!), bagels with cream cheese. I love to cook so we explore all kinds of foods. :) I've never heard of the pinwheels you suggested, I'm going to give those a try. Thanks!

Erin - posted on 10/10/2010

For breakfast I often make my son French toast: spray skillet with pam and pre-heat.1 egg 2 table spoons of sweet potato puree a little cinnamon a little nutmeg, then whisk. Dip whole wheat bread into mixture grill until golden brown and I top it with a little powdered sugar I usually give him that with a banana and a cup of milk. The french toast is great because it has protein from the eggs and vegetables from the sweet potato puree (which I usually make a bunch at a time and then freeze)
I also love making him smoothies 1st I take 1/2 cup plain non-fat yoghurt 1/4 cup orange juice 1/4 cup apple juice 1/2 cup frozen mixed berries, and 1/4 cup of spinach puree blend (add a little milk or more juice and blend again if to thick) and serve.if there's left over I freeze and make into popsickles which he also loves.