I need some fresh healthy ideas for a picky eater who is stuck on sun butter and jelly sandwiches. She does eat veggies and Fruits but trying to come up with more protein and healthy fat options. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner options please.
Dinner: Varies, whatever we eat. Tonight we had chicken parm and ziti. Tomorrow is chicken noodle soup. The only thing he hates and won't eat is tuna fish.
Breakfast: Toast with almond butter or apple butter, fruit, maybe bacon or sausage.
Lunch: protein staples are almond butter sandwiches, pinto beans, bean tacos, turkey slices, chicken nuggets. We combine that with fruit, crackers, carrot sticks, and sometimes grape tomatoes.
Afternoon snack: Fruit and crackers usually. Applesauce.
Dinner: Whatever we are eating.
She can't eat dairy right now so snacks are hard! Meals are easier.
Some of theose are daycare offerings and some are home:
Breakfast - scrambled eggs with cheese, sausage, toast and PB, oatmeal, cereal, egg muffins, pancakes
Lunch - sandwiches (turkey, ham, grilled cheese, etc.), quesadillas (cheese or chicken & cheese), pasta/home made mac & cheese, soup, ravioli, fish sticks, hot dogs/turkey hot dogs, burgers, home made "lunchables" (crackers, cheese, meat that he stacks himself).
Dinner whatever we're eating. Snacks are string cheese, apples & PB, crackers, fruit, yogurt.
Breakfast (on weekends, he eats at school during the week)--scrambled eggs, egg in the hole (use a biscuit cutter to cut out a hole in a piece of bread, crack an egg into it and cook in a skillet), pancakes, waffles.
Lunch--ham or turkey, the above snack items, sweet potato, quesadillas, beans, cheeseburger, chicken, salmon cakes, whatever we're eating
Supper--whatever we're eating, sometimes deconstructed since DS doesn't like the combination of some things but likes the components. He does pretty well with veggies, especially carrots, peas, and salad.
For protein options, you might think about edamame, quinoa, or other non-meat options. We're not vegetarians but we throw these things in our diet for extra protein. Healthy fats, try avocado and salmon.
It's astonishing how little food a 3 year old actually needs. All they really need is about 6 to 10 bite sized pieces to fill up. And, buckle your seatbelt, because as picky as kids are at age 3, there are many people who find that it actually gets worse until about age 6. Here are some kid-friendly main course/protein meals I would serve when my kids were in that picky preschool stage:
--scrambled eggs or quiche (my kids would eat any veggie if scrambled in egg!)
--french toast cubes
--morningstar veggie nuggets (I was trying to wean my DD off of chicken nuggets)
For protein my kids like: turkey bacon, scrambled eggs, Greek yogurt, cheese, meatballs, rib eye steak, occasionally hamburgers, Greek yogurt and juice Popsicles, hummus, fish sticks and chicken nuggets (homemade usually),
For healthy fat my kids get full fat milk and cheese, guacamole and I'm liberal with olive and coconut oil when cooking,
Re: Can you give me examples of what and how much you feed your three year old/ toddler?
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Breakfast: Toast with almond butter or apple butter, fruit, maybe bacon or sausage.
Lunch: protein staples are almond butter sandwiches, pinto beans, bean tacos, turkey slices, chicken nuggets. We combine that with fruit, crackers, carrot sticks, and sometimes grape tomatoes.
Afternoon snack: Fruit and crackers usually. Applesauce.
Dinner: Whatever we are eating.
She can't eat dairy right now so snacks are hard! Meals are easier.
For healthy fat my kids get full fat milk and cheese, guacamole and I'm liberal with olive and coconut oil when cooking,
Breakfast: A cup of Cereal and Milk, or Corn Kernel and Miilk, or rice and egg or whatever viand available
AM Snack: Fresh fruits: either a serving of mango, banana, grapes or apples
Lunch: Mostly Rice (at least 1 cup) and Shredded fish, or shredded chicken or shredded pork, plus a serving of soup.
PM Snack: Ritz Crackers and chocolate milk, or stovetop popcorn and chocolate milk
Dinner: Cup of vegetable Soup, at least a cup of rice, shredded meat, chicken or fish, and then pineapple or lemonade or prune juice.
*Will either nurse or drink freshmilk before bed