Johnny will be three years old in just 6 weeks. He is VERY big for his age, fitting into mostly 5T cloths and size 10 shoes, so his appetite has always been large, but what he likes to fill that appetite with changes every day. His best meal is breakfast and he will eat all morning if we let him. He starts with oatmeal or waffles, fruit and milk. But because he has had regularity issues his oatmeal or waffles are fiber added and his milk is lactose free. I have noticed that this gives his poo the best consistency and keeps his regular (you know he will hate me for this one day :) After breakfast it doesn't take him long to ask for granola bars (Haaa ba) and chewies, his favorite snacks. Also he gets an "ice cream" if he poops on the potty. The ice cream is actually frozen GoGurt, which I find he can tolerate once every couple of days.
Lunch is usually quick, since he doesn't want to slow down long enough to eat. I found that lunch meat or hard boiled eggs are a great protein that he will scarf down. I also must add that his father has taught him that ketchup is great with everything....and now Johnny likes to dip his hard boiled eggs in it! His lunch sides are usually pickles and goldfish or applesauce. Johnny also has always been a very thirsty child, he LOVES apple juice, but I tend to put in a splash of juice added to his water and that is enough for him. He hasn't used a sippy cup for months, but loves silly straws in his plastic Backyardigans cups.
Dinner for Johnny is something that we are still working on. When I make a meal for everyone it is usually simple, lean protein, a vegetable and potatoes or rice. Sometimes when Johnny has had too many snacks or is tired or worked up he just won't eat or keeps asking for something else, anything else. So we are focusing on making sure he sits at the table until everyone is done eating and to eat what he is offered. But sometimes it feels like a losing battle :) He LOVES meatballs or meatloaf, green beans, mandarin oranges and noodles, those are things I KNOW he will eat no matter when I offer them to him.
Lily is 8 months old and in the midst of learning how to feed herself and trying new thing but is still dependent on formula bottles for her nutrition. We chose to use organic formula when Johnny started it and tried to feed him as much organic food as possible for that first year, so we give Lily the same benefit. Children are hitting puberty earlier and earlier these days so we try to keep as many chemicals away from the kids to give them a pure start in life. We where lucky to find that Walmart has a name brand formula, Parents Choice, that is half the price of the name brand formulas, making organic formula actually affordable.
Lily starts her day with half a banana cut up so she can feed herself, and mixed in with some organic puffs. She does a pretty good job, but 1/3 of it still ends up as Minny Mouse food. So I use the other half of her banana to mush up and mix with some oatmeal rice cereal, she smiles with each bit!
I don't buy canned baby food, I like to buy fresh organic produce, steam it and mush it up in our Magic Bullet, put in some ice cube trays and freeze it. So lunch is usually two cubes of a vegetable (carrots, broccoli, squash, cauliflower...) mixed with some rice cereal and some more puffs or organic yogurt melts on the side.For dinner I like to include her into what we are eating, as long as our side safe for her that is what she gets. Mostly peas or green beans that I cut small and let her feed herself. This is when she usually gets her favorite snack...Mum Mum! That is what she eats while I make dinner.
I recently bought this chicken for Lily's first protein! Some baked chicken with a little bit of rosemary! I can't wait to give it to her!!I feel very lucky that both of my kids are good eaters! It is something that I am always thinking about, like how many veggies Johnny had today or what will Lily's next new food be...but I am also the one who taught Johnny to dip chocolate animal crackers in chocolate icing! YUM! As healthy as I want them to be, I also LOVE sharing special things with them and baking with them!
1 comment:
your kids are precious! I found you through SUYL! It's nice to see that you are willing to go with the off brand, I feel like so many people don't think it's "as good" as the more expensive brands! great post! :)
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