Category: Food-throwing toddler

Tips on getting a toddler to eat

Sonya Quick

Oh the joys of feeding a toddler (speaking of which, that’s my toddler in the photo, enjoying chocolate ice cream in his first visit to Disneyland).

ToddlerEatingChocolateIceCreamActually, the joys in attempting to get your toddler to eat anything.

Not quite a baby. Not quite a child. It’s that in-between time that leads to confusion and frustration for you and your child on how to deal with daily life.

Let’s just get this out of the way first: do not believe that my child eats everything I make. In fact, he takes the BBQ-grilled pizza that my husband and I made from scratch for hours and chucks it against the wall.

It’s frustrating. It’s more than frustrating.

A toddler who refuses to eat (which is every toddler at some point) makes a parent worry about nutrition. It makes you wonder just how much protein is in those cute little yogurt-covered cookies.

Here are my tips on getting a toddler to eat:

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Link: baked eggplant parmesan

Sonya Quick

Looking to get out of the pasta and red sauce routine?

Check out this easy and delicious Martha Stewart recipe for baked eggplant parmesan that will make you abandon your local Italian eatery.

This dish does take a little bit of time to make – what with the preparing of the eggplant, baking it, flipping each piece halfway through baking and then layering with sauce and cheese. But it is SO worth it.

It’s a great activity to take on while your tot is napping. The dish makes enough that it’ll provide a few meals, making it time and money efficient.

Link: you must add leeks to your mac n cheese

Sonya Quick

Please do yourself a favor and go try this farmhouse cheddar and leeks macaroni and cheese from Bon Appetit.

I think I’ve made this dish about a half dozen times and still I find myself delightfully surprised with the zing the leeks add to the familiar noodles and cheese dish.

This is a great recipe to make for a friend who just had a baby. The easiest way is to put everything together and then bake it all for half the time. Then, each night, just bake the portion you’ll be eating for the other half of the time. (The baking really makes the cheese and leeks crunch around the edges and preserves the noodles from being fried in the microwave.)

Fresh and easy guacamole

Sonya Quick

Give your child the gift of healthy avocados by making some super fast guacamole.

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Now spice-loving, Mexican-food-purists might get upset. This guacamole contains no spice. Not one little bit. My little boy is pretty sensitive to spicy food and it makes it easy on his whole system to avoid chili peppers.

Feel free to add diced fresh or roasted hatch chiles or jalapeños. You can make a separate chili-free batch just for your little ones or pile it on for spice-loving kids. Around here it’s easier to make just one big batch of guacamole and then add hot sauce on our individual plates.

If you’re worried about the calories in this green fruit, just check out this article talking about the health benefits of avocado.

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