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Old 01-29-2014, 05:13 PM
 
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Cants get the toddlers to eat anything else, but chicken nuggets, fish sticks, hot dogs, grill cheese..

Any suggestions? Oh, yes they'll eat pasta but no sauce just butter.
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Old 01-29-2014, 05:40 PM
 
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I guess I never had that problem, if the kids never get that junk food, they won't get addicted to it.

I did have picky eaters, two of them. Plain baked potaotes, plain mashed potaotes, plain rice, plain chicken, raw carrots, raw apples, nothing with sauce.

I made chicken legs, but no hot dogs, or chicken nuggets....and never fish sticks....

It sounds like you need to re look at what you cook and buy. Kids will eat healthy food.
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Old 01-29-2014, 05:55 PM
 
Location: State of Being
35,879 posts, read 77,529,774 times
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Yogurt, bananas (cut up), carrots, broccoli with cheese sauce, mashed potatoes, green beans, apple slices, jello, homemade veggie soup, macaroni and cheese (made from scratch - not that awful boxed stuff), apple sauce, chicken and noodle casserole, pasta salad, strawberries, blueberries, melons (cut up), oatmeal, rice - put butter and milk in it like mashed potatoes, boiled eggs, scrambled eggs, deviled eggs, cheese cubes, string cheese, baked chicken (chicken legs, especially), baked tilapia (in small chunks), crackers and cheese, stew beef with potatoes and carrots and gravy, rice and gravy, tapioca w/ cinnamon, baked spaghetti, and so forth.

Your crockpot can be your best friend - lots of wonderful recipes that they would like, including soups and stews.

The things I listed were what I fed my son. Toddlers eat what they are given to eat, if they are hungry and if the food is prepared well and mealtimes are organized. If drama is allowed (arguing with a child, begging a child to eat, bargaining with a child, etc) then a child will learn quickly that they can use food as a control issue. Just don't engage in it.

Children will eat what is put in front of them if they are hungry and if they know that wheedling and whining and pitching a fit won't bring things to a halt over concern that they aren't getting what they "like" to eat. If that is what is happening, you have a power issue going on and you need to simply retrain the kids, in a calm, happy fashion that this is great food, made especially for them, to make them strong (and if they don't want to eat it, time to go to bed. Period).
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Old 01-29-2014, 06:13 PM
 
Location: S. Florida
1,100 posts, read 3,013,391 times
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Default The Ultimate List of Meal Ideas for Toddlers

Borrowed from realliferealityblog

Snacks

Seedless grapes (please cut in half and/or quarters)
Whole Grain Goldfish
Cheerios and a side of yogurt
Cheez-its
String Cheese
Shredded Cheese with a slice of lunch meat torn up
Yogurt mixed with sliced berries
Celery sticks with ranch dressing
Banana Slices with peanut butter on top
Apple Slices with caramel dip
Pita bread triangles and spinach artichoke dip
Ants on a log (raisins, celery and peanut butter)
Fig Newtons
Fruit mix (watermelon, pineapple, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries)
Fruit / Yogurt Smoothie
Toast with jelly or jam (strawberry, grape, apple - low sugar or sugar free)
Frozen Grapes
Yogurt Popsicles (freeze a cup of yogurt with a Popsicle stick inserted into the package)
Crunchy Tofu Bites (crunch cheerios in a Ziploc bag, a touch of Cinnamon, and toss in pieces of tofu, shake, wha-lah)
Apple slices dipped in Vanilla Yogurt
Baked Sweet Potato Chips
Kiwi Slices and Yogurt
Hard boiled egg, hand full of grapes
Ritz crackers and cheddar cheese slices

Breakfast Meals

Scrambled egg whites with cheddar cheese, hand full of cheerios, sliced strawberries
Organic vanilla yogurt, sliced raspberries and blueberries for mixing, 1/2 cup of cheerios
1 Banana sliced, peanut butter on the slices, 8oz of Whole Milk
3 Eggo Blueberry pancakes, slice of ham
Rice cereal fruit milkshake (whole milk, rice cereal, fruit of choice: blueberries, strawberries, mango, pineapple, raspberries, etc.)
Tangerine slices, side of raisins, handful of Kix cereal
Whole grain blueberry or cranberry muffin, 8oz of Whole Milk
French toast, side of mixed fruit
Peanut butter and jelly sandwich, 6 oz of Whole Milk
Baked Oatmeal, side of raisins (3 cups oats, 1 cup milk, 1/2 cup olive oil, 1/2 cup stevia, 1 tsp vanilla, 1 tsp baking powder, 2 eggs, 1 tsp sea salt - mix - bake for 20 minutes until top is spongy on 350)
Buckwheat Pancakes, sliced banana
Whole grain toast with peanut butter, applesauce with mixed in Oatmeal
Veggie and cheese omelet (try bell peppers, broccoli, mushrooms, etc.), fruit cup
Fruit smoothie (berries, whole milk or yogurt), cheerios or kix cereal
Whole wheat toast, light cream cheese, turkey sausage
Sweet potato pancakes (2 or 3), 6oz of milk
Sliced peaches, cottage cheese
Sliced pineapple, whole wheat toast with strawberry cream cheese
French toast (whole grain bread (no added sugar), eggs, cinnamon, vanilla and milk) top with frozen berries and low-sugar maple syrup
Apple Sauce Pancakes
Cantaloupe, Banana, yogurt, orange juice, honey and vanilla extract smoothie
Whole wheat toast with sugar free natural jam, nectarines
Blueberry Breakfast Cake


Lunch Meals

Turkey and cheddar cheese sandwich on whole wheat, handful of goldfish
Grilled American cheese sandwich on whole wheat, Dole mixed 100% fruit juice cup
Grilled chicken patty seasoned with parsley and LIGHT pepper, baked sweet potato fries
Crinkle carrots, sliced cucumbers (peeled), spinach and artichoke dip, whole wheat pita bread triangles
Chopped cooked broccoli with cheddar cheese melted on top, warm whole grain pita
Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwich, steamed carrot sticks sliced/chopped
Tomato, cucumber and onion salad - chop/slice veggies - mix with light Italian dressing or red wine vinegar and olive oil, kids chicken nuggets
Turkey burger patty (no bun) sliced, baked sweet potato fries
Whole wheat or grain toast, avocado and cream cheese smeared on toast, steamed carrot sticks and dipping sauce
Grilled peanut butter and banana sandwich
Cheesy Broccoli-Potato Mash (1lb yukon Gold potatoes cut into wedges, 3/4 pound broccoli crowns chopped, 3/4 cup shredded fontina cheese, nonfat milk, teaspoon of sea salt, fresh ground pepper - place 1 in of water to boil in large pot, place potatoes in a steamer basket and steam for 10 minutes. Place broccoli on top, cover and steam until the potatoes and broccoli are tender, 6 to 8 minutes more. Transfer the broccoli to a large bowl and coarsely mash with a potato masher. Add the potatoes, cheese, milk, salt and pepper and continue mashing to desired consistency. Serve immediately.)
Tuna Salad Pita (light mayo, tuna, baby spinach leaves chopped)
Lunch meat slices, cheese slices, whole wheat wrap rolled or torn, veggie medley
Pea salad ( 1 bag of frozen peas, 1 cup chopped potato, 1 cup onion, 1 cup celery, 1 cup chopped tomato, 1 cup cheddar cheese, 1/4 cup light mayo. 1/4 cup plain yogurt, 1 tbl spoon apple cider vinegar, 1 tsp. dried mustard - mix everything and cool)
Spinach Ravioli with Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top, side of sliced strawberries
Whole wheat triscuits, american cheese slices, ham and/or roast beef slices, sliced cantaloupe
Sliced pickles, green olives, black olives, cheese cubes, whole wheat pita

Dinner Meals

1 Grilled chicken tender, quinoa, 2 asparagus spears seasoned with lime juice and garlic
Macaroni and 4 Cheeses
Whole wheat grilled cheese sandwich, side of tomato soup for dipping or spoon feeding
Spinach Lasagna
Almond crusted Chicken Fingers, mixed veggies (squash, zucchini, carrots) steamed
Lime Chicken Fajitas - chicken sauteed in lime juice, chopped, tortilla torn, shredded Mexican cheese
Cheddar Cheese Quesadilla - 1 whole wheat tortilla folded in half, stuffed with cheddar cheese (add veggies for extra fillings)
Mini meatballs made from ground turkey with tomato sauce, cup of steamed broccoli
Whole Wheat Pepperoni Pizza with Pumpkin Puree
Homemade Hamburger Helper
Shredded pork lightly seasoned, steamed chopped carrots with cinnamon and unsalted butter mixed in
Vegetable Soup - low sodium beef broth, lean beef or turkey, potatoes, stewed tomatoes, corn, carrots, peas, green beans), sweet potato biscuit
Lean ground beef or turkey browned and seasoned lightly, black beans, lettuce shreds, shredded Mexican cheese
Fish sticks, cauliflower steamed and dressed with melted cheddar cheese
Broccoli and Cheese Casserole
Sizzling Stir-Fry (chicken, broccoli, baby carrots, water chestnuts, yellow bell pepper, low sodium soy sauce, garlic powder, water) with brown rice
Turkey burger, whole wheat bun, sliced strawberries, steamed zucchini
Rotisserie chicken slices, steamed cabbage slices, whole wheat pita bread
Whole wheat noodles in unsalted butter, Parmesan cheese and a side of veggies with tomato sauce
Turkey meatloaf, side of corn, brown rice, cinnamon apple slices
BBQ Chicken tender, side of peas, sweet potato crescent roll, hand full of grapes
Turkey, sweet mashed potatoes, roasted broccoli with feta cheese on top
Steamed broccoli and asparagus with zesty cheese sauce for dipping and a whole wheat bread option
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Old 01-29-2014, 06:17 PM
 
Location: Raleigh NC
3,644 posts, read 8,584,706 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Supplies View Post
Cants get the toddlers to eat anything else, but chicken nuggets, fish sticks, hot dogs, grill cheese..

Any suggestions? Oh, yes they'll eat pasta but no sauce just butter.

Suggestions? Feed the child what's healthy. The child is making the rules if it's refusing to eat. You are the parent. The child will eat when it's hungry. It really is that simple.
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Old 01-29-2014, 06:17 PM
 
Location: Area 51.5
13,887 posts, read 13,682,566 times
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Kids will eat when they get hungry. Never, ever, ever give them snacks between meals. Have a scheduled time to eat, put the food in front of them, and they will eat.

My Dad's philosophy was to never make us eat what we didn't want but if we put it on our plate, we had to eat it. Consequently, there is very little I don't like. But again, we got no snacks between meals.

Give them real food with the family together around the table. They will eat.
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Old 01-29-2014, 06:18 PM
 
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Kids will eat what you give them. Their hunger will drive them.
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Old 01-29-2014, 07:17 PM
 
1,632 posts, read 1,851,259 times
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All those suggestions...now I'm embarrassed Yes they do also eat many of those other things mentioned, jello, celery sticks, cheese , apple slices ect, yogurt , it's just the main courses there fussy , thank you , lots of other good ideas you suggested too.
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Old 01-29-2014, 07:27 PM
 
Location: Brentwood, Tennessee
49,927 posts, read 59,994,136 times
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It helped me when feeding my twins as toddlers to stop thinking of meals in terms of a "main course," and just give them a balance of food they needed and would eat.

Then I stressed less because they "only ate side dishes."
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Old 01-29-2014, 07:30 PM
 
5,413 posts, read 6,711,388 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Supplies View Post
Cants get the toddlers to eat anything else, but chicken nuggets, fish sticks, hot dogs, grill cheese..

Any suggestions? Oh, yes they'll eat pasta but no sauce just butter.
How many times are you exposing them to new foods?

I've read that it takes an average of 3 times before some kids will accept new foods. You can't just make something once, have them declare they don't like it and never have them see it again.

So cook what you want, have them take one bite and keep options (peanut butter and jam if nothing else) on hand for them to make themselves if they don't like it.....but you must keep exposing them to new foods for their tastes to expand.
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