The Picky Eater.

We have been blessed with two very good eaters.  I attribute this to the Baby-Led Weaning we have practiced amongst many things.  I also have had Kannon in the kitchen since he was born.  Seriously.  He helped me make a pumpkin pie when he was 6-weeks old.  Granted he was sleeping most of the time but his presence was known.  He loves to help with dinner and takes pride in washing carrots, selecting potatoes and greasing a pan.

However, even Kannon has picky moments.  When he was teething, he only wanted purees and cookies.  When he was sick, white rice was all he ate, snubbing his nose to all his usual favorites. During these days, I racked my brain trying to come up with options and felt like I failed when Kannon threw my freshly handmade pasta onto the ground.

Toddlerhood comes with many challenges and eating is probably the biggest.  I worked at a preschool that was full of picky eaters.  One kid only ate white things.  Another preferred PB&Js.  Others were voracious eaters and some simply needed a fork.  While toddlers are escape-artists, couch climbers, and adventurous, they are also creatures of habit.

Regardless of your toddler's tastes or habits, here are some ideas that helped me with Kannon and all those pesky preschoolers.

1.) Dipping.  Kids love to dip.  Heck, adults love to dip! Offer some cut strawberries with yogurt or roasted veggies with hummus.  Its new and exciting and encourages them to taste things (whether they like it or not).

2.) Shapes.  When Kannon was 8 months old he preferred finger shaped food.  Now that he is older he likes zuchinni ribbons, triangle and circle shapes.  I have found that the way I slice and dice influences his apetite.

3.) Dig in! Offer forks and spoons if you dont already do so.  Some kids I worked with refused to eat without a spoon--even if they didn't use it.  It took my third day to realize this---when a very pleasant toddler politely took my fork.

4.) Help! Toddlers love to mimic mommy and daddy.  They are learning side by side with you.  It only makes sense to include them in your kitchen activities.  Let them pick the veggies.  Let them stir, mix, and mash.  Usually in the process, he ends up tasting some uncooked carrots or warm potatoes.

5.) Ala Carte! Kannon won't eat mac & cheese.  He will, however, eat mac with a side of cheese sauce.  He carefully dips each pasta noodle into the cheese sauce.  Again, toddler love to dip!

6.) Try.  Try. Try again.  Just keep trying.  The more you offer new foods the more interested your child will grow---especially if they see you eating the same.

Don't let mealtime get you down.  Don't pressure your child, bribe them with sweets, or withhold their favorites.  Eventually, they get it.  And when they do take that first bite of brussel sprout, do a mental "YEEHAW!" you don't want to ruin the moment with your excitement. 

Lastly, some recipes!!!

Check out wholesomebabyfood.com for AWESOME finger food recipes.
The Baby-Led Weaning Cookbook is also a great resource.

Some of my personal faves:

Fritters
2 cups of shredded fruit (apple and pears are great!)
1 cup of shredded veggie (zucchini, carrots, turnips etc)
1/2 cup of flour
1 egg
dash of milk
dash of cinnamon

Combine everything until it is all incorporated.  You can add more flour and milk if you want a more pancake like consistency.

Add a few glugs of olive oil and heat over medium-high heat.  Add a few spoonfuls of batter and cook until golden brown on each side. 

Let cool and serve with honey-cream cheese or yogurt.

Broccoli & Cheddar Cheese Nuggets (Makes a big batch, but they freeze well!)

Ingredients:

1 16-oz  Package frozen broccoli, cooked, drained, and chopped
1 cup Seasoned bread crumbs (you could try using baby cereal if you want, we know it works well with "baby meatballs")
1 ½ cups Shredded cheddar cheese (please use real cheese and not a "processed cheese food" product.  Try tomato & basil cheddar.)
3  Large eggs or 5 egg yolks -

Most pediatricians say it's ok to use whole egg in a baked good when baby is over 8-9 months old without allergies. We would recommend that you substitute 5 egg yolks for the whole eggs if serving this to those under 1 yr.  Ask YOUR pediatrician.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375
1. Lightly coat a baking sheet with olive oil and set aside.
2. Combine all remaining ingredients and mix well.
*Add seasonings if you  like - garlic powder, pepper, extra basil & oregano for example. Add a fruit or veggie puree to substitute for the eggs if desired.
3. Shape mixture into nuggets or fun shapes such as squares or squigglies etc..and place on baking tray. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, turn nuggets over after 15 minutes. Serve warm. Be sure to crumble these if your baby needs.
Suitable for those who have had the ingredients and for those who can handle texture and mash foods with their gums.  Great for Moms & Dad too.

Apple Turkey Loaf/Sticks 

Ingredients:
1 lb ground turkey
1 whole egg or 2 egg yolks, beaten
1/2 cup pureed carrots
1/4 cup applesauce
1/4 cup unprocessed natural wheat or oat bran
1/4 cup bread crumbs
pinch of basil
pinch of garlic powder

Directions:

Place ground turkey in a large mixing bowl.
Add the egg/yolk, carrots, applesauce, spices, bread crumbs and bran.
Mix well - If this mixture appears too dry, add more carrots or applesauce. If this mixture appears too wet, add more bran and/or bread crumbs

Place mix into a lightly oiled (olive oil) loaf pan and bake at 350F for approx. 45 minutes or until an inserted knife comes out clean. **You may wish to cover with foil to prevent the top from burning

When finished baking and cooled, remove loaf from pan and slice as you would for bread. Break into small bits for finger feeding or mash or chop gently

This recipe may also be made into "Turkey Sticks" for Toddlers and older babies who are able to handle more textured/chunky finger foods. 

Baby's Curried Lentils

First, sauté up some veggies like celery, carrots, onion and 2 cloves of garlic - and cubes of tofu too.
Prepare Lentils according to package directions, set the timer for 15 minutes.  Be sure to clean and sort the Lentils to ensure that "garden bits" such as small pebbles are not present.
Add the above veggies and tofu to the lentils that have been cooking and continue to cook.
Add curry powder (more or less to suit your baby's tastes - you can always set aside a portion for baby and then add more spices for the rest of the family.) Add a pinch of cardamom and coriander if you like as well.
You can also add diced tomatoes for babies who are not sensitive to acid and/or are 10 months old or over.

Zucchini & Carrot Fritters

Best for those 8 months of age and over. Exchange the cayenne with a bit of garlic powder if desired. Make a cucumber yogurt dip.
Ingredients:
1 medium carrot (peeled)
1 medium zucchini
1 small onion
1/3 cup ricotta cheese - *Skip ricotta and sub in 1/3 cup of milk if you prefer
1 egg
1/2 cup fllour (whole wheat or all purpose)
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
olive or canola oil spray
1. Wash vegetables.
2. Grate carrot and zucchini and chop the onion.
3. Mix vegetables, ricotta cheese (or milk), egg, flour and pepper.
4. Lightly spray non-stick fry pan with oil spray and warm pan on medium heat
5. Place large spoonfuls in fry pan, flatten and cook for 7 minutes or until golden.
6. Turn to other side and cook a further 7 minutes or until golden. Serve with cucumber yogurt dip
Cut the fritters into pieces that your baby will be able to handle. You could also bake these at 375F, on a lightly olive oiled baking sheet for approx 20-25 minutes. Turn half way through cooking and be sure to check on the progress often to avoid burning.

Apple & Turnip Salad (adapted from Organics A-Z)

1 cup grated apple (2 or 3 apples)
1 cup grated turnip (we'd use rutabaga as it is more sweet)
2 to 4 tbs chopped parsley
1 tbs of olive oil
pepper, basil, nutmeg

Grate up your apple and turnip and steam gently for 10 minutes or until just tender. When cooled, empty into a large bowl and toss with olive oil and spices of your choice.

Pumpkin Risotto (DELICIOUS FOR EVERYONE!!!)
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup finely chopped onion
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
2 cups arborio rice
1 cup apple juice)
About 6 cups of hot chicken stock or vegetable stock
1 sugar pumpkin, one half baked and then pureed; the other half, peeled, cut into small dice, and sauteed in a little oil and butter until tender
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

In a medium-size skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic and saute, until translucent and soft. Add the arborio rice and stir so that the rice is coated in the oil. Cook until translucent, stirring all the while.
Add the apple juice and continue stirring and cooking until the juice has been absorbed. Slowly pour in enough chicken stock to cover the rice completely, about 3 cups, and continue to cook, stirring often, until all the liquid is absorbed.
Pour in 1 cup more of the remaining stock and stir and cook until it has been absorbed. Repeat with last cup of stock. Add the remaining cup and cook until the rice is soft but but not mushy. Most of the stock will be absorbed at this point.
Stir in the pumpkin puree and the diced pumpkin and reduce heat so that risotto and pumpkin mix in and infuse. Do not simmer - stir in the Parmesan and butter then serve.
I think I found this from the food network - it's printed on now tattered paper and "network" is in the upper left-corner. It's tattered because of over-use but my notes/tweaks are still legible - I have it down without the need to read.

Creamy Quinoa & Bananas

1 cups cooked quinoa
1/2 cup plain whole milk yogurt1/2 banana, mashed

In medium saucepan, combine ingredients and simmer on low for approximately 10 minutes. You are simply warming the ingredients and not cooking them. Please watch this closely so that the quinoa is not reduced to a pastey thickness.