Frozen Yogurt Ice Cream Cones

It's been awhile since I posted. I have had tons of posts written in my mind, but between being pregnant, chasing a toddler, dealing with summer heat, and almost moving, writing them actually down has eluded me.

Even though I just finished a book on toddler foods, feeding a toddler still remains a mystery to me. Every day I learn something new and every day I am surprised. I thought I would share a few observations and then share with you a really easy and healthy summer treat. Maybe we can make amends for my prolonged absence from the blogosphere?

Feeding a Toddler

My two year old clocks in at under 24 pounds. This means there are some 9 month olds I know that weigh more than my toddler. As a food writer and recipe developer, sometimes I take this a little personally.

I have gone through phases where I thought I could fatten her up. The only thing that happened was that my waistline thickened. You can't force a kid to eat. Together, we made chocolate chip peanut butter cookies. She ate all the chocolate chips out of the cookies and then wanted watermelon. I ate three cookies. I made homemade macaroni and cheese for lunch. She only wanted cucumbers and I ate two helpings of mac and cheese. Probably not my smartest mama move......

Sprinkles are my gateway food. Are sprinkles the healthiest food in the world? Nope. But if they get my daughter to eat a 2-egg banana pancake for breakfast, I'm in. You will see I use them in the recipe below. I have no problem adding a sweet treat to foods when it's something I can control. I'm still not a fan of sneaky sugars (like sugar in flavored yogurts), but that's just me. And come on, sprinkles are pretty awesome.

We remain a one family, one meal household. I always serve something that I know she will like: bread, fruit, yogurt; but I am not making multiple main or side dishes. It's hard enough cooking one meal, I refuse to start making two.  And besides, do you know how frustrating it would be to make a separate main dish and then have her not eat it?

The best way to get her to eat is to have her help me in the kitchen. My daughter will try and eat anything that she has helped me make, but only if she eats it right after she makes it. Wait an hour, and she won't touch it. I don't get it, but I have learned it. She tries new veggies, salads, dips, anything, as long as she can dump it in or stir it or do something that contributes to making it.

Frozen Yogurt Ice Cream Cones

For me, summer is not summer without ice cream cones. I have no problems with the real deal ice cream cones, but I'm always looking for a way to turn a normal junk food into something reasonably healthy. My daughter loves Greek yogurt and she's only had plain, so that is her favorite. Throw in some sprinkles, cut up fruit, and graham cookies, and you have have a sweet, frozen treat.

 ***This recipe is based on approximations. Don't bother measuring, make them by taste.

Ingredients: 
 
6-8 mini ice cream cones

Few healthy dollops of Greek Yogurt

Handful of cherries (or berries) roughly chopped and pits removed (for cherries)

Few good shakes of sprinkles

Handful of smashed graham cookies or crackers


1. In a medium sized bowl, mix together yogurt, sprinkles, crackers, and fruit.

2. Place ice cream cones in an ice cube tray or another dish with sides. I find the ice cube tray works best as it keeps them upright and prevents them from freezing together. 

3. Spoon yogurt mixture in each cone and top with sprinkles. Freeze for a minimum of 2 hours. Serve out of the freezer.

 

Enjoy!!

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What have you learned about feeding a toddler? What are your favorite summer treats?

Currently (and Meal Planning)

The cookbook is (almost) done. I still have some review left and a few articles to write, but the bulk of the work is done.

Here is what is going on currently.

Currently: we are no longer buying whole milk. Baby G has not been drinking much of it. It was part of our routine- get up, drink some milk. Before we put her down to sleep, we gave her milk.  We took it out with no problems. She eats enough dairy where I am not too worried about it. We have been offering her almond milk, but she's not too interested. My husband and I don't drink cow's milk, so it fits well with our life.

Currently: we are snacking on freeze dried fruit. I feel like I am the last one on the bus for this trend, but we are loving freeze dried mango, bananas, apples, and strawberries. They make a nice, crunchy snack for Baby G and me. I just love that it's a one ingredient snack! I have learned that you still need to read the labels, some brands add oil or even sugar. If there is interest, I am happy to share our favorite brands.

Currently: I am on a cooking strike. Well, as much of a cooking strike as I can be on. Planning to make lasagna this week, but it's because I need to test something for the cookbook. In addition to being tired of cooking, I am on my own for most dinners this week, so I am learning that life is a lot easier if I make something easy for dinner when I am on my own.

Currently: Baby G is obsessed with Frozen. I found a Frozen book so she gets most of her fix through the book. I don't know what Disney does in their movies but I swear there are subliminal messages.

Currently: Baby G is on a veggie kick. More specifically, a mixed-veggies-with-hummus kick. I buy the frozen mixed vegetables, cook them, and I give them to her with hummus so it's easier for her to keep them on her spoon. It works wonders. She had three servings one night! This is the same girl whose only vegetable for a whole month was salsa.

Currently: We are at the very beginning of potty training. I wasn't planning to do this for another 6 months, but she is really into going to the bathroom on the potty. Sigh. We are not pushing it, but we are not discouraging it. And let's be honest, we could still be dealing with this in another 6 months. The biggest problem is that she is too small for pullups. 

So, that's what is going on currently. Here is what we are eating this week:

Dinners:

Chicken Tenders, Sweet Potato Fries, and Sauteed Zucchini and Red Peppers: This meal was supposed to feature homemade veggie burgers, but I am missing an ingredient, and let's be honest, it was going to be a lot of work. Will have to do these another week....

Night out/Jimmy John's for G and sitter: Baby G can say 'Jimmy John's.' Should I be concerned?

Veggie Packed Lasagna, Garlic Bread, and Salad: Believe it or not, Baby G will have a few bites of salad. She really likes Thousand Island dressing. I am just going with it....

Leftovers

Panko Tilapia, Sweet Potato Fries, and Mixed Veggies: Baby G won't eat hot dogs or mac and cheese, but she will eat tilapia. She loves breaded fish.

Birthday Party

BBQ Chicken/BBQ Chicken Quesadilla: My husband pointed out the obscene number of BBQ sauce bottles in our fridge. Guess I need to do something with them....


Lunches:

Hot Dogs and Baked Beans: We did this today and it was a big old fail. I keep wanting G to eat some normal kid foods and all she wanted was cucumbers. I give up.

Avocado Sandwiches: This is one of my favorite lunches and it's another one I am trying to get G into. So far, no deal. However, she loves the veggie sub from Jimmy John's. What gives?? Will keep trying.

PBJ

Hummus and Tortilla- An old standby.

Indian food: I plan on having this for lunch this week. I will offer it to G, but my guess is that she will end up eating veggies and hummus.

Grilled Cheese: I will try to slip some veggies into the sandwich. As long as she can dip it in ketchup, she doesn't seem to mind.

I realize that I am doing a lot of variations on sandwiches. Hmm....I would love to hear if you have any good non-sandwich lunch ideas!

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Any recent food trends you are going through with your kiddo? What are you cooking this week? What are some of your favorite lunches?

I'm Baa-aa-ack: Meal Planning and Joys of Toddler Eating

It's no coincidence that my last blog post was right when I was getting started on the cookbook. Life has been a whirlwind of recipe testing and development, dirty kitchens, and toddler tantrums. I'm not quite done with the book, but can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel.

So, I wanted to check in briefly about meal planning with a toddler (and writing a cookbook), and the what is new with feeding a toddler.

Feeding Baby G

Two major developments with Baby G: She refuses to sit in her high chair. This came out of the blue, and I have to be honest: we are not putting up a fight. We're not sure if it's a phase or not. She eats either in her learning tower or sitting on a regular kitchen chair. It's a little messy, but honestly, she's eating way more than she did before. I would rather have her eat than not eat much in her high chair.

The other weird thing is that suddenly Baby G, who is now 20 months old, wants me to feed her. This is the same girl that ripped the spoon out of my hand when I fed her the first time. Little Miss Independent wants nothing more than me to feed her. Is anyone else going through this? I thought she was supposed to get more independent as she got older. She eats more when I feed her, so again, I don't want to challenge it too much yet. I'm just happy she is eating.

Meal Planning

I have been pretty good about meal planning throughout the cookbook process. Usually I just do dinners, but after I realized that I was feeding her PBJs way more than I was comfortable, I decided to include some lunch ideas this week. By having a few lunch ideas written down, it helps keep me out of the rut.

Dinners
Spaghetti, Veggie Noodles (from our spiralizer), Meatballs (from the cookbook), Marinara, and Garlic Bread

Rotisserie Chicken with the fixings (made by me or the deli)

Veggie Frittata and hashbrowns- Baby G would eat eggs and salsa at every meal. I'm trying to go with it a little more and am hoping to slip some veggies in with the eggs.

Babysitter! Will order Jimmy Johns for G and the sitter while I go out

Take Out Fish Fry

Lunches

Hummus and Cheese Quesadilla

Chicken Salad

PBJ

Coconut Rice and Mango (cookbook)

Baked Falafel (cookbook)

Cookbook to-do's

Nut Butters

Applesauce

Chicken, Kale, and Sweet Potato Puree

Cake

Donuts

Yogurt

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So, you'll notice dinners are made as easy as possible because there is so much other cooking to do.

What are some of your go-to lunch ideas for your toddler?