Fresh Eating Makes Life Simple
After months and months of trying to get a handle on how to get my kids to eat, I think I finally – FINALLY! – have figured it out.
I STOPPED COOKING!
That’s right. Turns out, the less preparation I put into the kids’ food, the more they ate it. I’m still working out psychologically what this means about my cooking, but for now, I don’t really care what it means. They are eating, darn it!
Before, I was fixing big meals for my kids. Spaghetti and meatballs, tuna noodle casserole, meatloaf, mashed potatoes… all the things that traditionally come to my mind when it’s time for dinner. I’d fix these big meals, and then sit there while not a bite was taken. And then I’d get mad that not only had they not eaten, but they had wasted my time, money, and food! But when I simplified the kids’ meals, things began to improve.
I started to zero in on the simplified eating idea when I realized Bean would eat “snacks” more than he would eat “meals.” So, I started putting his “special snack” (dinner) into little cupcake liners and serving him healthy, snack-like foods.
Eventually, I realized that it wasn’t the cupcake liners that he liked. It was the type of food he was getting. Simple, fresh, very lightly seasoned or sauced. And Gracie was in the same boat. At this point, earlier in the summer, she was about to eat the same meals as Bean (instead of baby’d versions), and she also preferred the simpler dinners. The more plain the food became, the more the kids liked to eat it.
And who was I to protest? They were eating more of healthier foods that were easier to make! It was a win-win! Gone was the slaving away over the hot stove for meals that were barely touched! Gone was the song and dance routine I did every night to try to entice them to eat! Gone was the epic meltdown at dinner that ended with both kids crying and me threatening to send everyone to bed at 5:30! The more simple I made their food, the less drama we had in the kitchen.
My grocery shopping has drastically changed, as well. Now, about 80% of what I buy is fresh produce. Always in my grocery cart are: three broccoli bunches, two heads of Romaine lettuce, one pineapple (fresh, not the canned stuff!), watermelon (seedless for the wee ones), bananas by the armful, green peppers, cucumbers, carrots, kale, spinach (the big leafy kind in bunches, not the kind in the bags – those go bad too quickly!), blueberries, strawberries, sweet potatoes, and whatever else looks good that day. With the exception of the green peppers and kale, the kids will eat all of this food. It is simply a matter of how to prepare it so they like it.
These days, my kitchen is a lot like it was when Bean was a baby and I was making his baby food. I do a lot of one-time food prep (it’s not even cooking, really), and then the kids eat on that for a couple days before I have another one-time food prep that lasts us another couple days. Mostly, I steam the veggies because both the kids prefer them steamed instead of raw. If I serve them raw veggies (like carrots and celery sticks), I usually give them a little ranch or Italian dressing to dip it in. Gracie will also dip them in hummus, but Bean isn’t a fan. When I steam the veggies, I put a little bit of butter on them when they are done and that’s it. Though, for yellow squash, Bean likes a little Italian dressing on top. For the most part, it is straight-forward steaming for their veggies.
For fruit, they eat that mostly raw. Although, both of them do like steamed apples with a little cinnamon and sugar on them for dessert. It’s pretty tasty, if I do say so myself.
The one thing that I still have a little trouble with is meat. Neither of my kids are big meat eaters. Occasionally, I will boil a couple chicken breasts and they will much on cold, shredded chicken (sounds gross to me…), but that’s about it. I don’t worry too much about that, though, because they get so much protein in other places. They eat a lot of nuts (sunflower seeds are a favorite snack at my house), peanut butter, avocados, and spinach. We also switched over to Greek yogurt (I can hear my friend, Sarah, gasping right now – she’s been trying to get me to make THE SWITCH for years!), and that’s full of good proteins. And there are always beans on our table. Black beans are served at least three times a week (Bean calls them “black peanuts”) and lima beans are never far behind (the limas and black beans I do buy canned – just be sure to rinse them before cooking or serving). Another big favorite are edamame beans. Our grocery store sells them in the frozen foods section in steamer bags. I steam those and put them in a bowl for us all to snack on. Super yummy!
Snacks at our house have changed, too. I try to get their whole grain in during snack times, mostly because it’s easier to find more snack-like convenience items. We have whole-wheat Goldfish, popcorn (unbuttered and unsalted, and then I add salt myself), whole wheat toast with peanut butter, and peanuts. But I also have a few store-bought helpers for snack time that I’m loving these days. A couple months ago, I started buying Gracie these little baby food pouches as snacks. She was going through a phase where she wouldn’t really eat much, but she loved drinking my smoothies. The only problem was that nipping on my smoothies was messing up her stomach (too much spinach and kale for her). One day at the grocery store, I had this idea that maybe she would like those baby food pouches instead. At about $1 a pop, I don’t get too many, but I do keep 5-10 in my pantry now, and I toss one in my diaper bag when we are on the go. It’s a great, healthy snack for her. I like the Happy Baby or Ella’s Kitchen brands.
Well, wouldn’t you know it, Bean started asking for “snack pouches,” too. But those suckers are so expensive! And then – lo’ and behold! – there in the snack foods aisle of my grocery store were these applesauce pouches! I had seen them before, but not in a healthy brand. They were the really sugary, processed applesauces that we try to avoid. But I found this awesome brand called Nature’s Child that has no added sugar, no high fructose corn syrup, and no artificial ingredients. When you’re on the go and looking for a super quick snack to throw in your diaper bag, these things are really great. Bean and Gracie love them because they taste good, I love them because they aren’t full of crap, and they aren’t ridiculously priced!
For drinks, the rule at our house is milk at mealtimes. No exceptions. Around the house and when we’re on the go, I keep ice water in their sippy cups because it’s easier to refill when we are out and about. I don’t have to wash the cup out or anything. I can just add to their cups from my big water bottle and we’re all set. They usually have juice with their morning snack (apple, grape, or pear) and Bean likes lemonade with his afternoon snack.
I know for lots of you, this all sounds pretty obvious. Fruits, veggies, healthy, clean. But at our house, this has been a real shift this summer. It’s not that we ate BADLY before. It’s just that we ate conveniently, or so I thought. But it turns out that eating simple and fresh is even more convenient than boxed dinners. Sure, we have our share of pizza nights. And Kraft macaroni and cheese will always be on Bean’s shopping list. But I feel better even at those meals because I know they are the exception now, instead of the rule.
Tomorrow I will be sharing a few simple menus for the kids meals that are big hits around here. Just a few simple plates we’ve found that have the most success at our dinner table.
What about YOU? What is on your child’s dinner plate these days?
** Nothing in this post is a paid advertisement. It’s just the food on our plates these days! **
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24 Comments
Julia
Love this post (and just about everything else you write!!)! I completely agree with you–fresh is the way to go! I prefer to eat this way, too. My (almost) 1 year old will eat just about anything and LOVES peas, watermelon, bananas, broccoli spears, scrambled eggs, homemade fruit and grain muffins, Amy’s spinach pizza bites (not fresh, but kinda sorta healthy…) and those oh-so convenient Happy Baby pouches.
Diurla
Hey Katie, my son is the same way! I used to beat myself up when he wouldn’t eat. I now do the exact same. I also notice that you said with the exception of Kale. Have you tried home made Kale chips? My one year old goes NUTS for them and they’re super healthy and really yummy!
Sara M
My oldest kids are 5 and 3 and I have noticed that if they help me or get to make the food themselves, they are WAY more interested in eating it. We had taco night and instead of making the tacos myself, I gave them each their own shell and let them make theirs. Lettuce and tomatoes have never been eaten as quickly at our table!
kk
i love how you always write post when i’m looking for something like this..my little one is now 4 months and i’m starting to think about what to do with solids..can i ask..are you still using the book super baby food? Are there any other book that you can recommend for baby food?
thanks!
miranda
Thanks for sharing this! I can’t wait to see your menus– this is really going to help me out in coming up with things to feed my little one!
Breann
I noticed the same thing! I was making spaghetti and trying to give Logan “hot” meals and the other day I ran out of time and made him a turkey and cheese sandwich and he hoovered it! Simple is better for sure!
Lauren
My kids like meat that is easy to bite and also bite size. Sometimes I cut meat into long strips and call it “fries”. This works well with fun sausages you can get at like Trader Joe’s. Our kids also love hard boiled eggs if you are looking for extra protein.
jen
My little one was a huge fan of those pouches but i couldnt believe how expensive they could be. I was talking to a friend of mine and she told me about a reuseable pouch that you could buy and fill it with what ever you wanted….i think boon product. I just gave it to my best friend for her one year old.
Tan @ tan/green
So glad to see that you are discovering simple, fresh food! That change has made a bigger, more positive difference in our lives than any other change. In most cases simple really is better – for food and everything else 🙂
kathleen
Dr. Sears recommended putting snacks like you did in an ice cube tray and letting toddlers graze while running around… he suggested they would eat more that way, but in little bits… which I guess is more suited to them at this age. Love it!
kathleen
KK: I loved the BEABA babyfood cookbook if that’s helpful!
Brandie
Thanks for posting this. I talked about food yesterday, but after reading your post I have a whole bunch of new ideas! Have you tried Lara Bars for the kids. I cut them up and put the pieces in a ziploc baggie with a princess sticker on it. My girls call them “princess snacks” and the bars are good for you. Most of them have less than 4 ingredients.
Jen @ Ginger Guide
Sullivan gets in really weird moods where all he wants is blueberries one day then all grapes the next. He’s stubborn on his veggies, other than sweet potatoes and meat is a huge pain in the rear to get him to eat. One thing he will eat really well is tacos. I make my own seasoning so it’s not really heavy on the salt and toss in some black beans, which he usually refuses to eat. If they’re squished and covered in taco seasoning, he inhales them. Spaghetti sauce and ketchup are always helpful to get him to eat something. Anything he can dip on his own is usually a winner.
Jamie
have you tried making you best friend’s {aka PW} ranch dressing? i have purchased ranch. a couple notes: use full fat mayo and sour cream. i use dried herbs versuses fresh. let me know if you make it! it takes under five minutes!
Jessica
Great post! Thank you so much for all the food tips for the little ones! Such a great help 🙂
Michelle @ Letters from Boston
Is it bad that I look forward to having kids so that I will be forced to eat better? . . . Don’t answer that, I know it’s pretty bad!!
Erin
I thought I was the only one having trouble getting my son to eat meat! He will eat all sorts of veggies, fruits and beans but spits out meat. Your kids’ plates look a lot like my son’s plate! I am fearing colder weather when everything will be harder to find (especially in the northeast).
Nate's Mom @ Nate is Great
Nate’s the same way – meat is out but everything else is in! While Nate has a limited palate due to sensory issues, he is a vigorous eater of things he enjoys. Apples have been very high on our list as of late and he’s been labeled “the boy who loves hummus” by the cafeteria workers at his school. Costco sells giant packs of individual sized hummus packages. I throw one of those in his lunchbox with some veggie sticks (the chip kind), grapes, and animal crackers and he’s a happy boy! We’ve recently started paying attention to the numbers preceding the PLU codes on the fruits and veggies we buy. Because Nate devours fruit by the pound, we started buying it at Costco. Unfortunately, we realized the PLUs started with 8’s, which means its genetically modified. If they start with 4s or 5s, it’s conventional (pesticides are used) and those that start with 9s are organic. Once we started paying attention, I was amazed at how much genetically modified food has pervaded the produce section of our markets. It’s not something we’re keen on introducing to Nate’s diet so we’ve stopped buying it even if it means we’re paying more.
Nate's Mom @ Nate is Great
Also, if you have a Trader Joe’s, they sell those pouches of fruits / fruits & veggies for really reasonable prices and they’re quite healthy! 🙂
Santina
We are vegan, and I have a 3 year old anda 5 year old. It sounds like you are doing everything right in regards to protien! Good for you healthy mama! I guarantee you that your kids will thank you one day 🙂 I agree with the comment above also, start looking for organic fruit since the kids eat so much of it! If you can’t buy all organic, google the dirty dozen and try to buy those organic 🙂
Jessica
This post is so helpful for us right now! My 16 month-old is super picky and I am struggling, because of course I thought “I’d never have a picky eater.” Surprise! I can’t wait to try out sunflower seeds with her. Again, so happy to have found your blog as we are certainly experiencing similar times:) Thanks!
Laci
We struggle with meat too with our boys (18 months and almost 3)…have you tried meatballs? I make a big batch of mini meatballs (think grape sized or a bit smaller) and then freeze. If your kids like cooler chicken, maybe a little meatball would be okay? I do all kinds and its a good way to sneak good veggies too. I do hamburger or ground turkey, and i’ve added spinach, pureed carrot, zuchinni etc to bump the nutrition….Just a thought!
Kat
When P doesn’t eat well, we give her the Happy Tot veggie/fruit tot food packs- they’re great at making sure she gets what she needs. That and Pediasure.
Jean
Trader Joe’s has those packets- one even is apple carot! We just call it “the orange one” and I love thst my son is getting a bonus vegetable. I’ve also found a brand at Target called GoGoSqueez which is a good price, and they have a few flavors. It’s usually in the regular grocery area by the applesauce, not with the baby food.
If your kids already like beans, you might try edamame for more protein, and chick peas. We roast chickpeas with a little olive oil and salt, and the whole family loves them. They’re as delicious as popcorn, I swear!!