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Toddler Lunch: Day 5

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toddlerlunch5 Today is a pretty easy lunch but it is a great example of how to switch refined ingredients for whole ingredients. I used a whole grain Kumat pasta and a good quality jarred sauce (same as I used for the eggplant rollups), and sautéed some mushrooms. In just a few minutes I had a healthy and nutritional lunch for my 2 year old. The difference between the Kumat pasta and refined pasta is that the nutrients in the Kumat are naturally occurring and therefore more easily digested and used in our bodies. We pretty much stay away from any enriched products because if you are eating the right foods to begin with there is no need to extra enrichment. Here is the nutrient panel on the pasta. The brand is Eden organic and I found this pasta in the specialty foods section of my local grocery store. We do use a lot of their products!

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I also had the frozen yogurt and fruit pop already prepared so all I had to do was take it out of the refrigerator. Freezing these pops is an awesome way to quickly throw in extra nutrition on a day I am busy or have exhausted other options. My 2 year old loves these! Here is a link to the pop molds.

 

Toddler Lunch: Day 2

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toddlerlunch2 Fish is one of those hit or miss items with toddlers. I served these “fish bites” to my toddler and sure enough he gobbled them down without question. I used flounder for these which is the perfect fish for bites because it is slit right down the middle and great for cutting into chunks. It has a light texture and great taste. These fish bites are a great alternative to frozen fish sticks that kids are more commonly served because after reading the ingredient list on a package of Gorton’s Crunchy Fish Sticks I would never consider eating them myself or serving them to my children. These are the ingredients in the frozen product:

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INGREDIENTS: Minced pollock, enriched bleached wheat flour (flour, niacin, iron, thiamn mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), partially hydrogenated vegetable oil (canola and/or soybean), water, yellow corn flour, modified corn starch, sugar, salt, dried yeast, whey (milk), dextrose, leavening (baking soda, sodium aluminum phosphate), caramel color, hydrolyzed corn gluten, monosodium glutamate, colored with paprika, annatto and turmeric extracts, autolyzed yeast extract, onion powder, natural flavoring, disodium inosinate, disodium guanylate, sodium tripolyphosphate (to retain moisture), TBHQ added to protect flavor.

Not only do they contain hydrogenated oils (trans fats!), they also have enriched flour, caramel coloring, MSG (monosodium glutamate), autolyzed yeast extract (another form of MSG), preservatives, and a bunch of other stuff that I can’t pronounce. Not exactly the “healthy” fish consumers may think they are purchasing. The good news is the “fish bites” in this toddler lunch are 100% natural and super easy to prepare in only a few minutes. I paired the potato wedges with this fish and yes, I served ketchup with them because I can’t deny my children ketchup on occasion! We are choosey when it comes to ketchup and do not purchase the conventional ketchup that contains High Fructose Corn Syrup. I also served this with fresh mango (my favorite fruit!!!), blueberries, and apples.

For the potato wedges, all I do is cut the potatoes, pre-boil, season, and bake. The key to a crunchy wedge on the outside and soft on the inside is pre-boiling. Essentially I cook the potatoes almost the whole way by boiling (about 15 minutes), then transfer them to a baking sheet and bake to get that crunchy shell. If your kids are used to frozen French fries at home this is a great transition to an unprocessed version.