# Please suggest healthy snacks and meals!



## Marshmallow (Jan 7, 2013)

I have a 3 year old and 2 year old toddler, and would love some healthy meal and snack suggestions!

So far they'll eat...

Cut up apples.
Bananas.
Baby carrots and dressing.
Crackers and peanut butter or almond butter.
Granola bars.
Oatmeal and banana.
Vegetable smoothies.
Fruit smoothies.
Yogurt.

There's other snacks and meals but these are the majority of their snacks.

They're getting bored though, and I need to mix it up a little bit.


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## Catholic Mama (Nov 7, 2006)

Those ideas all sound good.

I grew up in the Midwest and moved to FL, where they don't sell Dorothy Lynch. Mom and DH recently ordered some bottles for me, and I got brave and made a vegetable tray with organic cauliflower, broccoli, and carrots with the choice of ranch or Dorothy Lynch. DL was a hit! I also cut the ends off organic celery, wash it if necessary, and spread peanut butter.

Have your children tried nectarines? Peaches? Kiwi?

I make these at least once a month and almost everyone loves them:

http://www.marthastewart.com/312807/beet-chips

I've started buying more than two beets, or more than one set of three small beets tied together, because 5 of us eat them. I don't have a mandoline slicer so I use a sharp serrated knife.

I hope this helps


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## fisherfamily (Dec 29, 2013)

Almond butter and jelly in a hollowed out apple,.or on a banana

Walnuts

Hard boiled eggs or.deviled eggs

Its almostalmost strawberry season.

Paleo parents have some great recipes. We really like their anytime cookies and nut butter muffins from their book Eat Like a Dinosaur. Oh, and pumpkin pucks

Raisins or other dried fruit

Juice popsicles

Cucumbers, watermelon, Clementines

String cheese

Berries. I often buy frozen blueberries and we eat them straight from the freezer.

Leftover pancakes or waffles

Ham and cheese in a tortilla

Homemade granola bars. Honey, almond butter, butter, poured over oatmeal and nuts, and shaped in balls

Beef jerky (everything, including the jerky, I mean homemade)

Broccoli salad, egg salad, macaroni salad. Fruit chicken salad is especially good in a lettuce leaf.


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## lakeshore444 (Apr 16, 2014)

banana oat pancakes. One time I added pureed beets to the mixture and it made them a bright purple. The 2yo gobbled them up!


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## MamaCB (Sep 22, 2013)

My daughter likes soups, almost to the exclusion of any other dinner, but I think she is atypical.

A snack that works very well is the fruit and nut or fruit and seed ball. It can be made into a doughnut shape, letter shapes, or anything you like. Just put equal parts nuts (or seeds) and chopped, dried fruit into the food processor and process until smooth and glossy. If you want it easily moldable, be sure you let it get to the glossy stage. Otherwise, feel free to stop earlier. Make desired shapes and coat with shredded coconut.


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## mommy2k&k (Apr 21, 2005)

My little one loves bananas with peanut butter on them. Any types of fruits would be a healthy snack. Cheeses in moderation is good.
I love all the suggestions though. ?


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## pumabearclan (Nov 14, 2012)

Cold meat and cheese, rolled up, cut into shapes, etc. also another vote for jerky. Hard boiled eggs. Whole milk cottage cheese stirred up with herbs makes a good dip for veggies or accompaniment to cold cuts. Natural olives have been another favorite snack here.

Toddler age is the age to wean from a carb-based (liquid milk) diet to the adult diet of meat & dairy (eggs, cheese) proteins.

IMO, this weaning often doesn't take place in the typical first-world diet; milk sugars are replaced with grain sugars and the result is the metabolic and mood disorders of carbohydrate addiction.

I used condiments like dijonnaise and organic ketchup (sugar in both, it's true) to ease the transition from milk-based to protein-based diet.

(If your kids are "crashing" and ravenous a few hours after eating or want to snack all the time, it's an indication that they are developing carbohydrate dependency and not getting enough protein. I noticed the difference during playdates, my daughter's friends couldn't play for more than an hour without getting grouchy and needy for a snack whereas my daughter was usually good for 3-4 hours before getting hungry with little to no associated change in mood. I'm emphasizing this because the original list is almost entirely carbohydrates and sugars.)


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## MasalaBaby (May 13, 2014)

My almost 3-year-old loves these:

Sliced apples with peanut butter...then a handful of raisins so she can "decorate" her snack.

Cucumbers drizzled with ranch dressing (make it look creative on plate, like a smiley face)

Banana slices with a sprinkling of cinnamon or cardamom.

Hummus is a hit in our house...we cut up carrots and cucumbers, lay a blanket down on the living room floor and have a "picnic." especially good for when she gets bored eating at the table!

Sliced kiwi with sliced grapes on top.

Roasted corn with lemon juice, salt and paprika

Grilled cheese with caramelized onions (the onions get sweet!) and tomato/mayo dipping sauce

Ritz crackers with peanut butter, sprinkled with "snow" (sesame seeds or other seeds you have in the pantry)

Frozen berries are a fav.

Strawberries and mango, cut up, with a sprinkling of cinnamon.

If you are in a food rut, try gentle spices like cinnamon, oregano, basil, cardamom, etc. to season up food. My little one loves new flavors!


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## apeydef (Mar 16, 2013)

I give my 20 month old
Apples slices with skin off
Grapes cut up small
Clementine sections
Eggs
Toast with peanut butter
Peanut butter sandwiches
Annie's Mac n cheese
Frozen veggies 
Crackers 
Veggie straws
Goldfish
Yogurt
Cereal (chex or Cheerios type cereal)
Almond milk
Bagels
Frozen baked fries
Applesauce with cinnamon
My emergency foods are natural chicken nuggets or nitrate fee hot dogs ( not the healthiest but good to have on hand)
He's dairy free but you could also do
Cottage cheese
Cheese chunks 
Frozen gogurts
Bean and cheese nachos
Grilled cheese


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## apeydef (Mar 16, 2013)

Oh pancakes, waffles,


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## Mylie (Mar 15, 2004)

Hard boiled eggs
Applegate Turkey Hot dog
Hormel natural meat rollups
Strwberries
Melón slice
Pancakes with jam
1/2 jelly/butter sandwich

My child is gfdfsf and is super picky but she despises Most sugar and wont touch chocolate..so she eats pretty healthy...


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## JudiAU (Jun 29, 2008)

Marshmallow said:


> I have a 3 year old and 2 year old toddler, and would love some healthy meal and snack suggestions!
> 
> So far they'll eat...
> 
> ...


plain greek yogurt with a little sauce
yogurt and fruit blends frozen as a popsicle
hardboiled eggs
very small pb&j or other nut butters +
mini muffin from weelicious
kefir and straw
tube yogurts are usually awful but recently better ones have come out
homemade mac and cheese with a lot of butternut squash added - the sauce freezes very, very well in ice cube tray and defrosts while the pasta cooks
sardines, smoked trout, smoked salmon, etc.
pickles and sauerkraut 
rice and beans

emergency foods for us are quesadilla with beans, TJs has a great organic jack, decent organic tortillas that keep well, and bpa free beans
mini pizzas made with TJs flatbreads, I have a strong prejudice against non-food "kid foods" so "nuggets" don't enter the house and sausages have to be the real deal.

try to shop with them at the farmer's market if you can and play with prep. My kids love fresh lima beans and brussel sprouts foristance


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## deenamathew (Jul 25, 2014)

Hi,

Here are list of few healthy snacks and meals for toddlers.

Whole-grain tortilla chips topped with veggies, salsa, and shredded cheese, alongside guacamole for dipping
Apple slices with string cheese or peanut butter (if your pediatrician says it’s okay to introduce peanuts to your toddler now)
Frozen no-sugar-added fruit bars with a glass of milk
Berries topped with a smidge of low-fat frozen yogurt
Crinkle-cut carrot “chips” with hummus
Whole-wheat pita-bread triangles or baked wheat crackers with melted reduced-fat cheese for dipping


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## apeydef (Mar 16, 2013)

Good idea on the carrot chips. It probably is easier for a toddler to eat. I didn't give my first carrot sticks for a long time bc it made me nervous.


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## eliza86 (Jul 7, 2014)

Fruit snacks, fruit rollups, fruit by the foot (not always the "healthiest" but better than other things....) And, you can usually get the Welch's or Sunkist brands, they seem to be good. String cheese, or the little snack size cheeses are a favorite at our preschool (given there are no allergies) Jello cups or pudding cups are always a hit too Granola bars Popcorn balls are fun this time of year--can get the halloween ones at Walmart in big packs for cheap. Good luck!


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## Polliwog (Oct 29, 2006)

eliza86 said:


> Fruit snacks, fruit rollups, fruit by the foot (not always the "healthiest" but better than other things....) And, you can usually get the Welch's or Sunkist brands, they seem to be good. String cheese, or the little snack size cheeses are a favorite at our preschool (given there are no allergies) Jello cups or pudding cups are always a hit too Granola bars Popcorn balls are fun this time of year--can get the halloween ones at Walmart in big packs for cheap. Good luck!


Whole lot of non-nutrition on that list, especially all that fake "fruit" stuff.


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## Alina at orgali.ca (Oct 11, 2014)

My son is gluten and dairy sensitive, so I had to make many changes in the way my family eats. In addition, we avoid processed foods and we focus on eating nutritious, real foods.
There are lots of great suggestions so far!
Here are some of mine (I tried not to repeat the ones already mentioned):
- olives
- seaweed
- egg salad on crackers or toast
- homemade muffins
- vanilla coconut chia pudding (http://orgali.ca/2014/09/tasty-tuesday-chilled-vanilla-coconut-chia-pudding/)
- salmon spread on crackers (salmon mixed with mayo and pickles; only 3 ingredients and extremely nutritious and delicious)
- mango coconut popsicles (mango, coconut cream, bananas blended and then frozen)
- coconut tofu chocolate pudding (http://orgali.ca/2014/05/tasty-tuesday-coconut-tofu-chocolate-pudding/)


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## Motherly54 (Oct 14, 2014)

I often give my toddler these organic yogurt snacks. He loves them! http://www.amazon.com/Organic-Yogurt-Snacks-Banana-Strawberry--3-Count/dp/B00C7HM3GI/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1413289408&sr=8-4&keywords=baby+organic+snacks

I also tend to take raw organic fruits and veggies and blend them up until they are liquified. With enough fruits mixed in he loves them.


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## cynthiamoon (Nov 29, 2009)

Fun thread. Following! I don't have many original ideas though.


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## elou82 (May 12, 2014)

MamaCB said:


> My daughter likes soups, almost to the exclusion of any other dinner, but I think she is atypical.


My daughter loves soup too, which I also think is atypical, both for toddlers in general and for her since she doesn't like other foods combined. I think maybe what she likes is that I often make homemade, broth-based, "rustic" soups. "Rustic" meaning the chunks of veggies are kind of big. Because they're in a clear-ish broth and she can pick them out individually, she ends up eating a lot more vegetables than she would otherwise. It's also a nice way to serve her veggies that are rather hard to eat raw. Yeah - digging around in her bowl of soup gets a bit messy and not the best table manners, but what the heck - she's eating!

Good luck and thanks everyone for all the great suggestions!


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## ChildrenOfAmerica (Jul 21, 2015)

You should check out our Apple-A-Day blog it has some fantastic recipe ideas for the kids http://blog.childrenofamerica.com/ This recipe is one of my favorites - http://blog.childrenofamerica.com/?p=1807


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## blessedwithboys (Dec 8, 2004)

Lots of carb heavy snack ideas, and even some out and out junk food, blech!

OP, think more fat and protein. Home prepared grass fed liver pate on sprouted bread, fried in pastured butter or lard, and cut up into toddler sized pieces. Add a slice of havarti if you want to change your life forever! LOL Grassfed mini meatballs dipped in guacamole. Yogurt is great as long as it is full fat. Buy some grassfed gelatin powder and make jigglers with juice purees. My next DIY is going to be homemade pemmican. If you bake, try coconut flour recipes, and throw in some dark chocolate mini chips. Scotch eggs cut in half.


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## countrymomma555 (Jul 24, 2015)

well, i guess i'll just list our favorite meals and snacks. i have a 3 year old DD, and she is a fan of these, so hopefully your kids will like them too. are they pretty picky?

breakfasts:
pancakes with maple syrup and fruit
brown rice and quinoa, and yogurt and fruit
toast with jam and peanut butter, and fruit smoothie
oatmeal with maple syrup milk and fruit
muffins with jam and yogurt and fruit
scrambled eggs and toast

lunches:
roasted carrots and potatoes and cheese
whole wheat grilled cheese sandwiches and veggies
pita sandwiches and veggies
muffins with cheese and fruit
toad in a hole and veg

suppers:
pasta with pesto, Parmesan garlic and basil, or ricotta garlic and olives
pita pizzas with cheese garlic and basil
Bulgar with butter and salt, cheese slices, and veg
white rice and quinoa and melted cheese in mini pitas and veggie smoothie


snacks:
fruit or veggie smoothies
muffins with jam butter or peanut butter
cheese and crackers
leftover breakfast or lunch (when i'm feeling lazy, lol)
raw veggies or fruit


those are some things my LO enjoys for meals and snacks. hope this helps!


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