Paleo/Clean eating People - Food Ideas (long/rambling)
boogerbearoriginal
member
We've been eating a sort of paleo/clean way off/on since last spring. It started with us seeking to eliminate soy/soybean oil/HFCS/etc from our diets which eliminated all processed foods and went from there. We still eat yogurt/cheese, but no milk because H/I don't like it and LO still nurses. I occasionally eat oatmeal and rice. And from time to time we do eat "bad" and have pizza or FF. Try to limit that to 1x a month if that often.
Anyhow, LO has been a great eater until recently. He's been getting picky, refusing to eat a lot of vegetables that he used to love. And mainly been eating meat and fruit, although he does like these paleo pumpkin muffins I make. His growth is fine, but for the past week he has been waking earlier than normal (1-1.5hrs) and asking to eat first thing. But when I offer him food he really doesn't woof it down so I'm wondering if we're in a food rut?
He isn't eating well some days at daycare since they do lunch at 12, then nap and he won't eat well when tired. Since he's been waking up early he's exhausted by lunch time. Luckily daycare is very accommodating of foods and we send all his meals/snacks.
So given all that, I need some breakfast/morning snack ideas. He will eat bacon, but not eggs (he used to love eggs 
). He refuses oatmeal every time I've offered it. Once in a while he;ll eat yogurt or cheese but not always. He basically eats a banana and bacon for breakfast every day, along with nursing. Do you ever worry if LO is getting enough to eat? Like total calories.
Re: Paleo/Clean eating People - Food Ideas (long/rambling)
I'm not at this stage yet, but my mom said when my sister and I were that age she would always try to make sure there were 3-4 things on the table so if we refused part of the meal there was still other options for us to eat.
This blog has some good advice about feeding kids: https://itsnotaboutnutrition.squarespace.com/home/
Have you tried subbing in different things to already familiar foods that he's started to reject? Like coconut milk instead of cow milk, quinoa porridge instead of oatmeal, etc?
Maybe try making the food "fun"? I have pinned some ideas for when my LO is older: https://pinterest.com/abbyful/noms-for-kids/
I've heard that kids love dipping things, maybe serve stuff with [healthy] dipping sauces? Like grilled chicken strips with a lemony yogurt sauce? Or apple slices with almond butter?
Thanks for the suggestions ladies! I like the idea of presentation - I'll have to think of some different ways to plate things.
Today he ate 3 bananas, so....I guess he's getting his potassium?! lol.
I'm not a huge breakfast person and omlettes don't sit well with me in the morning. DS isn't a huge meat fan either so I usually try to make something we can split.
We really like:
1) Banana pancakes - mix 2 eggs, 1 mashed banana, cinnamon and vanilla. Pour in a skillet and cook like a normal pancake (flip halfway through cooking). It's sweet so it doesn't taste like eggs but you still get the protein.
2) Almond butter/banana smoothie - mix almond milk, banana, almond butter and yogurt (coconut yogurt or almond yogurt) in a blender.
3) Fruit smoothies - mix assorted fruit, spinach (you can't even taste it and it gives you a leg-up on greens for the day), almond milk and ice cubes. I add egg white protein powder to give it more protein and keep me full until lunch.
4) Paleo granola - there are lots of yummy recipes online. I like ones with raisins, almonds, coconut and cinnamon. Serve with almond milk.
I don't snack but DS loves fruit, applesauce, almond crackers, and homemade fruit snacks. How old is your DS? The good thing about kids is that they don't usually have all the food issues we have as adults. They know how to eat when they're hungry and stop when they're full. As long as he's saying when he's hungry and you're giving him healthy food options, you're doing your job as a parent!
http://www.fertilityfriend.com/home/3e793b
Thanks for the tips! I need to work on letting go of the notion that LO must eat lots. I can definitely see the lowered appetite that people talked about with toddlers compared to ~10-12m when he would eat any/everything.
I like the idea of almond crackers, looks like those are really simple to make at home. And I'm going to try that banana pancake recipe - it sound awesome!
Question about the granola - when can LO safely have whole nuts? He will be 21m next week. I have seen a lot of recipes online, but they all call for nuts/seeds so I hesitate to give them to LO for fear of choking. Google says 5-8yrs old?! That seem really old to me, but what do I know?
I know. I was thinking that seemed ridiculously old, glad to know it's not just me.
I offered LO a small piece of walnut which he put in his mouth then spit out lol. I may try some cashews though, those seem soft. And he is only missing his 2yr molars, so I know he's got the teeth to crunch through them.
I'll search for those recipes, Thanks!
Have you looked into all the great uses for coconut oil?
If you want, I can give you a recipe for fluffy coconut pancakes.
There is also a great recipe for coconut muffins - I add grated carrots and bananas and Oliver goes nutso for it!
We are big coconut fans here. But I'm always looking for new recipes. Since posting this LO has adjusted better to the schedule so he's eating better at DC. Although he's still a picky toddler lol.