kids meals

[louli]

i Have posted on here before about my fussy children. As I mentioned we went veggie for a couple of months (not big time veggie though). I was never really happy with this and fortunately my kids are fussy and did not like most veggie things. So we are happy being vegan. My older kids are kinda proud of this. I'm going to get a new cookbook today and see if I eat new things - I previously ate what they did...bland!, if they will try new stuff.
What do your kids eat on a typical day, breakfast, lunch, dinner. Do you have any favourite things/recipes they love, especially fussy kids. Thanks x:D

[Erin Pavlina]

Here are some of Emily's favorites at the age of 3 and a half.

Breakfast:
Flax waffle with pure maple syrup
Oatmeal
Bagel with vegan cream cheese
Tofu scramble using boxed mix where you add tofu
Fruit smoothie

Lunch:
Avocado sandwich! Sometimes on whole wheat bread, others on whole wheat tortilla. As long as there is avocado in there, she's a happy camper.

Dinner:
Lasagna
Enchiladas
Mac and Cheese
Steamed veggies or stir fried veggies
mashed potatoes
baked potato
sweet potato
meatless riblet

That's just off the top of my head. If you need recipes let me know.

[vegma]

My little guy doesn't like vegetables! Here are some things he'll eat:

Breakfast
cereal with soy milk
o.j. and soy yogurt
toast, soy spread and ground flax seed
applesauce mixed with flax seed
apple oat pancakes (Good Breakfast Book)
shake (Good Breakfast Book)

Lunch/Dinner
hummus and pita
black bean pate (aka liver pate in CalciYum!) on crackers
figgy sweet potatoes (aka sweet potato spread in CalciYum!)
spaghetti (but only with garlic toast:o )
nut butter sandwiches on whole wheat bread
chili bean dip (ground up so there are no beans!) on crackers or tortillas
corn soup (Good Breakfast Book)
pumpkin soup (Good Breakfast Book)
most fruits
fruit smoothies

That's it off the top of my head.

[Christa]

Both of my girls like the Creamy broccoli soup from the Candle Cafe cookbook.

The younger one loves carrot soup - I saute baby carrots, celery & sliced yellow onions in a little oil or margarine until they are browned, then add vegi broth & cook until it is all really soft. Then I add soy milk & blend it all up with a hand blender. It is really yummy, has a lot of vitamin A & calcium (from the soy milk) & kind of sweet - so appealing to kids.

They also like a lot of the things mentioned above.

Another thing that my kids like is pumpkin curry:

Peel & chunk up a small, fresh pumpkin. Cut a couple of granny smith apples into large chunks. Cut up some yellow onions, mushrooms & any other vegis that appeal to your kids. Cut firm tofu into chunks. Put this all in a large pot.

Cook it all in coconut milk until the vegis are all soft. I then, usually remove a portion for the kids & add green curry paste to the part that my husband & I are eating - it is too spicy for the kids. We eat this over rice.

And, Erin, yes these are original recipies. The carrot soup is a take-off of something that my mom used to make with cow's milk. I am not following any specific recipe of hers; just the general idea. The pumpkin curry is something that my hubby actually came up with - he had something similar in an Asian restaurant in CA.

[GranolaMommy]

My kid is a soup eater. He will eat most soups as long as they aren't too chunky or "brothy." Things like:

Imagine's Creamy Corn Soup (we add brown rice)
Lentil dahl
regular lentil soup
split pea and carrot
creamy broccoli
potato soup

Other non soup things he likes are:
sprouted grain bagel w/margerine and nutritional yeast
hummus and WW pita
"refried" beans and tortilla
salad
most any fruit
tofu cutlets
seitan, especially Tofu Turkey and Pot Roast
baked sweet potato "fries" or just regular potato ones
roasted potatoes and carrots
Boiled dinner (boiled red potatoes, carrots and edamame)
pot pie. He LOVES this. Especially the Amy's non-dairy one. And I make my own WW puff pastry for the crust too.
He used to really like the amy's Veggie Loaf dinner, but we haven't had that in ages. He doesn't do mashed potatoes too much anymore.
brown rice cakes w/nut butter and jelly

Veggies he will eat:
broccoli - steamed or raw
spinach - in things
kale - in things
cucumbers
salad (I grate radishes and carrot and chop cukes and green peppers on the lettuce Sometimes I top with raisins)
celery - raw

He will eat most veggies in things like soup or casseroles. I am lucky in that regard. Of course i bet it doesn't hurt that we mostly buy fresha dna mostly get it all from the farm in our CSA basket. He loves going to the farm.

[alexis]

You know, i read this article in Reader's Digest where it said that if your kids just aren't interested in eating veggies, you can get them to grow some kind of veggies in a pot or soemthign at home and then harvest and cook them...seems that it'll make them feel that veggies aren't just 'gross green things' ....well just a thought...but it sounded pretty interesting...

[vegma]

Sounds like a good idea, doesn't it? But our 3yo participates in planting ... and harvesting ... from our veggie garden, and he still doesn't like the things! He tells me he will when he's older!

[alexis]

Haha...hey, well now i remembr...i didn't like veggies alot either until i was about five...i couldn't quite get used to the bitter sort of taste it had when i was younger...

[fish]

My grade-school aged niece has declared herself a vegetarian. We, being my family, are trying to support her decision, however, she is an extremely picky eater and now eats very little at meals --- i.e. it was difficult to get her to eat much before and now she eats even less.

As you all have described with your children, certain textures and tastes repulse her at this age. We are concerned about her health, and wan't to be able to support her in her decision, but at the same time, communicate that this is a major lifestyle change, and she must now make sure that she eats appropriate foods to have a balanced diet.

I wanted to buy her a book for christmas to help her find things/recipes that she will eat and to explain to her what it means to be a vegetarian kid. Is there something out there that is fun and can help? All I've found is books to help parents pursuade their children to not eat meat --- but that is not what I'm seeking here. I want her to be able to make her own educated/healthy decision (now and in the future) and learn to be responsible with the decision she's made --- to be good to herself and be healthy (regardless of if she eats meat or not). But at the same time --- I need to find a book that she and I can read together, and that is in a language that she can digest.

[Ckflew]

Mollie Katzen has 2 children's cookbooks: Prentend Soup for the pre-school through grade 3 crowd, and Honest Pretzel for the older kids. Not vegan recipes - but vegetarian ones. A friend of mine (and her 4 daughters) love Pretend Soup!

[tricia]

I guess im lucky... my daughter only loves to eat veggies... lol...u gotta plead with her to eat rice and pasta... but she can finish off a can of corn and a can of peas and carrots and be happy...shes been doing this alot lately.... altho today she is eating a veggie bacon sandwich...

[fish]

thanks! the recipe books look like just what i need.

[chelseamorning15]

Fish:D
Just wanted to congratulate you on supporting your niece's decision and helping her learn about living a healthy meat free life. So often children are forced to eat meat even though it goes against their conscience! HAve fun learning the new recipes:)