toddler food tips

i am by no means an expert on toddlers.

brette is my first and she's just in the beginning stages.

maybe, i should call this... what works right for me right now.

that's a little better.

 

i have found that it's best if brette has gone potty,

been fed or has a snack

and something to drink before i try to

get anything done.

 

and sometimes it's way easier
to grab something out of the pantry
rather than find something healthy.
so with that in mind,
here are a few things i like to keep on hand
that might work for you too.
(and brette actually loves.)
 

1. frozen peas and blueberries.

i never thought this sounded good,

but she loves them.

i literally dump them in a bowl and she goes at it.

2. little snack ems' dill pickles.

i just hand her a couple and she walks around eating them.

easy and really not that messy.

 

3. cut red peppers into strips.

the first time i saw brette eat a

red pepper it freaked me out.

it was like it was the best thing ever made.

and you know what,

both her cousins destroyed theirs too.

so weird, but kids seem to love them.
 

4. hummus or southwest dip

on crackers or carrots.
and found in most of my wraps.
a healthy dip.

5. peanut butter and celery.

i thought this might be hard for her to chew,

but she actually loves it.
sometimes she gets the "strings" caught in her teeth,
but whatever.
 i'll take that over eating a
bowl of marshmallows with a side of chips.
(and ps - she actually prefers if i just give her a big
stalk of celery and let her dip it in the peanut butter herself.
so yeah, maybe no one should eat out of my peanut butter jar.)

 

and then there is the power of

6. a tortilla.

we always have tortillas.

for quesadillas.

for little pizzas.
for cheese crisps

for turkey wraps.

for pinwheels.

for breakfast burritos.

and i've started making what i call

banana bites.

it's a fun way to serve up breakfast.

so easy...

spread peanut butter on a tortilla, then

wrap a banana up in it and slice

into rounds.

i make it look like a flower on her plate,

but that's just me.

i recently read another mom that took
cookie cutters and cut shapes out of lunch meat and cheese for her kid.
i think brette would really like that,
so that's next on my list to try.

any other suggestions?
what foods do you feel good about giving your kid
that they'll actually eat?