Welcome to another edition of Munchkin Meals!
Hailey is 20 months old now and is all toddler. This means she has her likes and dislikes when it comes to everything. Fortunately, I feel like her eating is still pretty good, but I know that is subjective.
For this round of Munchkin Meals I wanted to show you what goes on Hailey’s plate and what is still left on it at the end to give you an idea of how much she eats at any given meal. Let’s get started…
Before – Organic blueberries, free-range chicken, avocado, sharp cheddar, organic broccoli, organic carrots and organic cauliflower (from a frozen bag) sautéed in teriyaki
After
Before – Frozen organic peas, honey goat cheese, free range chicken, strawberries from our porch
After
She then loaded up the remaining peas and chicken into the cup and begged to eat out of her chair. I obliged.
Before – avocado, organic brown rice and lentils, organic zucchini sautéed in Kerrygold butter and a splash of soy sauce
After
Before – organic banana. Every morning. Always.
After
Before – scrambled free range eggs with organic salsa, nitrite-free bacon and watermelon
After (the girl has NOT been feeling the eggs lately)
Before – grape tomatoes, quinoa and diced cucumber mixed in this dip, bean and lentil sprouts
After
Before – mashed avocado on pita bread, grape tomatoes, organic frozen blueberries
After
As you can see, sometimes she cleans her plate and other times she only eats a few bites. I don’t stress about and just keep offering her healthy foods. She eats when she is hungry. If she cleans her plate, I offer her more until she is full.
Sometimes I will hold fruit for dessert. If she gets into a pattern where she only will eat the fruit and not the rest of her meal, then I hold off on it for a few days straight. I believe this helps her reset her internal sweet tooth. When she is happily chomping down on avocado, chicken and broccoli again, then I’ll reintroduce the fruit. It’s working for us!
Now it’s your turn- please share what your kids are eating!
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Erin @ Sugar Magnolia says
I LOVE that you showed what is left! I get so frustrated because my 13 month old most of the time just has no desire to eat food! It’s so strange. He’s not picky and will try anything- he would just rather run around and drink his milk
Brittany Dixon says
When they get mobile they tend to lose interest in anything except moving, don’t they?! Haha! Have you tried not letting him drink milk all the time? Maybe he isn’t hungry because he is full on milk? Hailey did that for a little while. Who knows! They like to keep us on our toes 🙂
Melissa @ Fit 'n' Well Mommy says
I love the before and after. I always love to see how Keenan starts his meals all nice and clean and then it is a disaster zone once he is finished!
Brittany Dixon says
Oh, I know it! Yesterday we had a quinoa disaster. I’ve never been so grateful for Koda 🙂
Inspired Soul says
Love this post! Great ideas for meals too!!
Angela @ Happy Fit Mama says
Oh before and after pics – some days there’s nothing left but crumbs. Others, everything is still on the plate. Like you said, the toddler palate is picky and changes by the minute. I stopped stressing about it a long time ago. It all balances out.
Brittany Dixon says
Exactly! I think the key is not stressing. 🙂
Verna says
“She then loaded up the remaining peas and chicken into the cup and begged to eat out of her chair. I obliged.”
Haha! What were you going to say? No, don’t eat your peas or healthy chicken. 🙂 Made me laugh a little. Funny how sometimes once their out of the chair they get hungry again. Mine do that too. Mine are also SUPER weird about eggs. It honestly changes daily. One day my oldest will gag because of trying some eggs and other times he’s crying because no one made any. Haha! Finally getting to a point where they’ll both actually EAT the eggs. Definitely starting to notice that if we give them too much at once they’ll eat what they want and leave the rest. We’ve started giving them foods in stages. Protein and veggies first, then carbs, then fruit and/or yogurt for dessert. Seems to be helping quite a bit. They’re at least trying a lot more. Hailey seems like she’s pretty good at trying a variety of stuff regardless but I thought I’d share. 🙂
Brittany Dixon says
Ah, YES! The days I make myself eggs but give Hailey something else, she wants ALL my eggs. Then I make her some and she wants nothing to do with them. Crazy kids.
And I’m trying to be stricter about eating only in her chair because I fear for the life span of our couch, but sometimes I slip up. How many times a day do I say ah, screw it? Too many to count 😉
I LOVE your idea about giving food in stages. I do the same thing when she starts tending to eat only the fruit. It’s like a taste bud reboot 🙂
Verna says
Ugh! I did that a lot with my first. Milk and snacks in the living room all the time. Now that #3 is on the way, I’m trying to retrain them to keep their snacks and drinks on the kitchen table. They can still reach them but I’m too pregnant to be vacuuming up cracker crumbs everyday. ha! Wish I would have started sooner. Sigh.
Kristen @ notsodomesticated says
This is so interesting! I am impressed with what a good little eater she is! 🙂
Chantal says
I try to do the same with fruit. Luckily, Penny has never really loved fruit… she’s a salty food person, like I am!
Brittany Dixon says
Penny and I could down some chips and salsa together, then! I’m a salty girl, too 🙂
Hannah @ CleanEatingVeggieGirl says
This is SUCH a cute post idea. Nice job! 🙂
Karen says
I just want to say, GREAT JOB!!!! I struggle everyday with parents and how they feed their children. Chocolate, juice boxes, one after the other, candy, cookies for breakfast, fast food meals every night for dinner etc. They all state, “that is all my child will eat and they have to eat!!!” Well I disagree. I have owned and operated my in home daycare for many many years, and feed my “children” alot like you do. They all eat super well, and parents will often comment to me, “How do you get them to eat all this stuff?” Take the sugar away and offer fruit as dessert, and believe me when they are hungry they will eat what is offered. Simple as that!!!
Your daughter is very lucky, has a great mom making and feeding her SUPER meals.
Brittany Dixon says
I LOVE that you fed the children you took care of healthy foods. That’s so rare these days and so special when someone takes the extra effort to provide the good stuff. Thanks for the virtual high five 🙂
Karen says
I love the before and after pictures, I must remember that for next time!! Hailey eats so well plus she’s adorable!!
Beth Sheridan says
Love all these pictures…I can’t get my child to eat a vegetable to save his life!! I will definitely be linking up next time!
Lauren says
This before and after was a great idea! It always fascinates me what Leo leaves on his plate day to day. By the way, here’s that beet burger recipe I mentioned on my blog that you asked about. SO good. http://www.7spice.net/vegan-recipes/quarter-pounder-beet-burger-recipe/
Laura @ Mommy Run Fast says
I love the before and after pics- such a creative idea! And I really like your idea of “resetting” the sugar palate… I recently hid the raisins because L has started moving her chair to the counter to climb up into the cupboard to find them, and has been eating them over other snacks… they’re so yummy, but really high in sugar and I was thinking the same about removing the sweeter foods so she can settle for other snacks again!
Ashley says
This was such a great idea–I love seeing what’s left (or lack thereof). My little guy has always avoided the high chair (screaming and thrashing), and just two weeks ago, he started begging to sit in it. Now he sits in it for all meals. Weirdo kids. 🙂
I get so many good ideas from this link-up, and it really helps me stay motivated when I have such a picky nibbler.
Giselle@myhealthyhappyhome says
She’s such a good little eater! We did frozen blueberries the other day and my son looked like the cookie monster! He loved them! I too hold off on fruit when he gets into the habit of only eating that on his plate. Can’t blame the kid, sometimes all I want is fruit too!
Dawn says
Love the before and after photos! Toddlers are so funny; sometimes they clean their plates and sometimes they just take a few bites. 🙂
Kelly @ Runmarun says
I really enjoyed seeing what H eats and what she leaves behind. I also like the fact that we aren’t the only ones who will withhold fruit on occasion. I don’t want L to become accustomed to getting it no matter what! Sadly, we ran out of salmon bites yesterday and I am already planning to make more! 🙂
Meg says
Seriously, Brittany! These meals are so beautifully presented and gourmet looking (and sounding). Hailey is one lucky munchkin, that’s for sure!
jan says
Oh whew, I saw your post title in the blog love comment on another blog, and thought your “before and after” meant in their diaper for the “after”! LOL So glad I was pleasantly surprised. Your blog is fun!
Elizabeth says
Brittany, you are my baby/toddler feeding guru! Seriously I think Hailey is one if the healthiest eaters ever! Can’t wait till my little man (2weeks old) starts to eat so I can copy everything you’ve done!
Michelle G. says
Great post. I was going to ask you to do something like this.
char eats greens says
I LOVE the before and after!! And also love getting a sense of what she’s eating. I can’t even imagine Nia being at this stage!!!!
Francis says
That child can eat well! I like that. Many children finds it difficult to eat. Parents have to help them to eat. I am happy yours eats fine. The pictures are great!
Lia says
I love all of your posts about what your daughter eats. I find them fascinating! I don’t have any kiddos yet but I will definitely use your site as a reference once I have them. I want my kids to eat like this!! It seems it all about what you offer them – if they don’t know what McDonald’s is they won’t be able to ask for it. Thanks for the great example/ideas.