ideas for tea for a 2yr

[*Ali*]

I agree with the others, try and encourage her to eat whatever you are eating. Kids follow your lead so if you are eating veggies, meat, rice etc, they may be more inclined to give it a go. I am also a firm believer that even if you have veggies hidden in dishes they should still be served up on the plate, kids need to learn that veggies are just a part of the meal, they may not eat them, and you shouldn't make to much of a fuss or force them to, but if brocoli is served up 2-3 times a week and it just becomes normal then she may start to eat it all on her own.

I have been serving veggies and salads with my kids dinners since they were at least 18 months old, they have eaten what we have eaten for as long as I can remember. Now they eat brocoli, peas, carrots, cauliflower, beans, tomato, cucumber etc all without even batting an eyelid, it is just normal for them.

[boobaloo]

ok, i am now a pro at feeding a child with constipation issues, as my dd has a bowel disorder.
for breakfast try porridge made on water, you can add a bit of milk after it's cooked, put brown sugar, some psyllium husks (get in your health food aisle) and some lsa powder. this can also be done on weetbix
snacks - offer fresh fruit, valia (or other probiotic yoghurt), some highfibre cereal, plate of fruit with sultanas and prunes
dinner - if she's a big pasta fan make spag bog, with 500g mince, 1 can brown lentils, 1 can of 5 bean mix, box of frozen spinach, and then whatever else you use to cook as normal.
apricot chicken is also a good one, get a tin of apricot nectar, and the recipe is on the back, serve with mashed SWEET potato and peas
basically, you can add beans and lentils to pretty much any dish.
also, make sure she is getting plenty of fluids, try to limit milk.
good luck!
basically,

[krisp]

My kidlets love love love pasta as well! They also east chicken nuggets (home made with chicken thigh fillet cut into little pieces, dipped in plain flour, then egg then bread crumbs), fish nuggets (same as chicken), home made sweet potato chips (oven baked), oven baked carrot, sweet potato and normal potato cubes all mixed together, risotto with chicken, finely diced carrot and zucchini(peeled so you can't see the "green" bits).

BUT my fail safe when all else fails and I have to resort to pasta my home made vege pasta sauce:

1 and a half apples peeled and chopped
1 garlic clove crushed
half an onion diced
sweet potato diced
carrot diced
zucchini diced (peeled)
english spinach
tomato paste
chicken stock

cook the veg (except the spinach) garlic and apple in a smidge of oil until soft-ish
add chicken stock (or veg stock if you prefer) and tomato paste
cook on low heat until all soft and squishy
add spinach for a few minutes
blend until smooth (experiment with the amount of stock you add to determine how thick you want the sauce)

Kids love it because it's sweet from the apple. It's got heaps of veg plus garlic for healthy little immune systems! Perfect to portion up and freeze.

I also use it as the sauce base for pizza and for dipping the nuggets into.

I also give my kids a mini fruit salad for desert every night. Nothing flash just a handful of cut fruit whatever is in season.

Good luck!

[sasha]

My kidlets love love love pasta as well! They also east chicken nuggets (home made with chicken thigh fillet cut into little pieces, dipped in plain flour, then egg then bread crumbs), fish nuggets (same as chicken), home made sweet potato chips (oven baked), oven baked carrot, sweet potato and normal potato cubes all mixed together, risotto with chicken, finely diced carrot and zucchini(peeled so you can't see the "green" bits).

BUT my fail safe when all else fails and I have to resort to pasta my home made vege pasta sauce:

1 and a half apples peeled and chopped
1 garlic clove crushed
half an onion diced
sweet potato diced
carrot diced
zucchini diced (peeled)
english spinach
tomato paste
chicken stock

cook the veg (except the spinach) garlic and apple in a smidge of oil until soft-ish
add chicken stock (or veg stock if you prefer) and tomato paste
cook on low heat until all soft and squishy
add spinach for a few minutes
blend until smooth (experiment with the amount of stock you add to determine how thick you want the sauce)

Kids love it because it's sweet from the apple. It's got heaps of veg plus garlic for healthy little immune systems! Perfect to portion up and freeze.

I also use it as the sauce base for pizza and for dipping the nuggets into.

I also give my kids a mini fruit salad for desert every night. Nothing flash just a handful of cut fruit whatever is in season.

Good luck!

This is a fantastic recipe, thanks - I'll have to try it!

All I can say about the fussiness is hang in there. What about cutting some vegie sticks and letting her dip them in some cheese sauce? S was notoriously fussy from about 14-15 months and only now (nearly 3.5) is he starting to try more things and be a little more adventurous. I also found he just didn't seem hungry, whereas now he might have an enormous breakfast, say porridge, weetbix, a banana, a piece of toast and some apple or pear, as well as a big cup of milk. He tends to eat more in the morning as well. Just keep offering and trying different things, and eventually she'll get over it. I know it seems like she never will, but she will!