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?