Easy, healthy, filling snacks....***partial vent**

Ok vent first...

Isabelle is not a huge eater. In fact she is a tiny eater who will one day eat everything I give her and the next won't. Today she ate a bit of porridge and some crumpet toast for breakfast, fruit and cheese for morning tea, made a mess of but hardly ate any cheese, tomato and ham croissant, had more cheese, healthy biscuits, and fruit for afternoon tea. I have dinner in the oven but around 20 mins ago she started absolutely bawling because she was hungry so I gave in and gave her a jar - me bawling the whole time because I felt so bad :crying:

It is just so frustrating because one minute she won't eat a d@mn thing I make and the next will be screaming at me to feed her something, and the fastest thing I can grab is a jar but then I feel like cr@p for giving it to her. :(

She LOVES the cheese, bacon and veg quiches I make but we think she has a slight egg allergy so I'm not giving her any egg until we see a specialist.

Vent over - so now can you ladies give me some ideas for healthy filling snacks I can have on hand or make and freeze to give her either between meals, or for meals.
At the moment, as snacks I give her:

Sultanas and dried apricot
Fruit fruit fruit
Corn Thins
Cheese
Yoghurt
Occasionally little bikkies like Tiny Teddies and nutri -grain (thanks DH for starting that!):redface:

Uuumm that's all I can think of through the tears..... bl@@dy pregnancy hormones.
TIA :)

Oh hon it's ok to use a jar! God, for at least two months Georgia would only eat something if it was made by Mr Heinz!!

I like to give G cornthins with veggiemite or cheese spread between them...sandwhiches cut into shapes with cookie cutters (ok, I don't really do that but I know people that do!)...veggie muffins...erm, i'll come back if I can think of anything else :hug:

Hommus with bread has always gone down well in our house and it only takes a moment to smear some on - or vegemite.
Risotto balls or tuna patties

Sounds like she gets fed very well by a mum who is very concerned about her health. You are doing a great job, and a jar of food from time to time is ok. Don't be too hard on yourself.

Homemade pikelets freeze well.
veggie fritters- like zucchini also freeze well.
raw veggies with some kind of healthy dip.
Cruskit spread with cream cheese or avocado.
fruits you havn't thought of........ watermelon, kiwi fruit.

Sorry, thats all that springs to mind.......

crumpets, english muffins, brioche, etc toasted or plain
Spread with cream cheese, avocado, vegemite, or melty cheese
You could try doing some pikelets or fritters made with grated veggies, cheese, egg replacement, flour and milk
How about rice or semolina puddings or custards with fruit, cubed or pureed
How do you think she'd go with bread sticks dipped in something like hommous or cream cheese?

Oats are filling, can you make some slices with oats in them? Anzac kind of stuff?

Arrowroots? Tuna? Mashed potato and cheese? (can you fry it to turn it into finger food?)

Definitely go see the specialist about the egg, because egg is filling!

How is she with sandwiches?

To be honest, I wouldn't stress toooo much if a food is slightly unhealthy (eg, arrowroots or slice), if you can get her trying a wide range of foods, then you might be able to start adding some healthy stuff.

The other thing is...I've heard of many toddlers who just don't eat much. They just don't need much food. If you're concerned about her weight, go and get her weighed, and keep getting her weighed, but I've heard that toddlers tend to eat if they're hungry, and won't if they're not. Keep her hydrated too.

Thanks so much ladies. She loves bread, we eat Soy and Linseed grainy bread and she will happily eat a slice plain, or else with cheese spread or vegemite, cheese and ham toasty etc.

I might just go stock up on some of these ideas so that I have them on hand to give her.

Perhaps just have the food on a plate/bowl somewhere where she can get to it at any time? She might just be a grazer?

My boys both love the lebanese cucumbers - they eat them like apples.

Hey Tan

Sorry you are feeling cr@ppy, but don't feel bad..Babies, no whoops, I mean toddlers! are hard to please and very unpredictable, not your fault sweety.

I think everyone has said some brilliant ideas! I was thinking along the same lines..picklets, muffins, patties..all things you could have in the fridge ready to go. Or I sometimes have toddler pasta precooked in the fridge, so then I just need to give it a bit of a zap in the microwave and maybe add a few little things, maybe corn or blanched carrots, sweet capsicum, precooked chicken. Plus they can feed themslves then (if the pasta is a good size).

Hang in there! Some days are just cr@p aren't they!

ETA..I forgot to say!! This post is coming from a mummy who didn't have dinner ready either tonight so for TEA, yes TEA gave her DD vegemite sandwiches, apple pieces and cheese sticks!!! hehe So you got nothing to feel bad about hunny!!

Oh Tan don't be so hard on yourself hun!

Um I make Ellie little vegie muffins of different varieties - carrot & pineapple, apple & cinnamon, berry. I make a batch and freeze them, they take no time to defrost and go down well!

Maybe some custard with the fruit for some variety? El loves kiwi fruit.

Some great ideas here, might steal some for myself! You are doing a great job hun!

Hi Tan

Sometimes if dinner is nearly ready buy DD is crying because she is hungry I just give her frozen veges not thawed, to munch on. For some reason she absolutly loves frozen beans and peas. Keeps her happy till the dinner is ready.

Keep the jars and put your home-made food into them. If you know this always happens on a Tuesday, for example, put Monday's dinner in a jar in the fridge and eat that.

I have so many old jars (things like holidays or if we weren't cooking) and saving food and sauces in them for DS is such a time-saver.

DS also loves raw ingredients. Raw onion, raw garlic, uncooked butternut squash... don't ask why. But helps when I'm cooking.

We also tell him "no food, dinner is in ten minutes" and he has to wait. Good practice for him. DH takes him away and plays with him so he is distracted until his food is ready to go.

You know, atm dd lives on yoghurt :redface: She does get a decent breakfast and lunch at daycare, but her dinners are whatever we are eating and if she does not want that ... *hides* yoghurt :lol:
She will ALWAYS have yoghurt, she loves it. And don't feel bad about the jars ... dd ate jars for dinner for about 5 months!!! I just did not have time to cook early in the day and me and DH only eat around 8pm, which is too late for dd, and then we do not always eat as healthy as we should ... blame it on a 28 hour day ;) Joys of owning your own bussiness AND having a part-time job AND being a mom, wife, lover, friend ....

My other quick-fix favs are:
Spagetti in tomato sauce - the canned type
Melted cheese open sandwich, dipped in tomato sauce
2 min noodles with grated cheese and chopped sausage and veggies
Home-made mini cheese and ham pizza's (use pita-breads)
Eggs - french toast, scramble, egg sandwich
Avo on toast
Canned fruit and jelly - she don't like raw fruit out the peel :(

HTH some :)

tan there are some more great ideas here

https://www.bellybelly.com.au/forums...d-recipes.html

if anyone else would like to pop in their recipes that would be great!!

Just wanted to add that those soft, pittless prunes in those zip lock packets are great. DD loves them and they keep well in the fridge.

Tan, my DH gave me a book on food for toddlers (for when our bub reaches 6mths+) :D

Here's a couple of recipes you could try from it -
The name of it is Womens Weekly Fresh Food for Babies & Toddlers (he got from newsagency i think!)

12-24mths - fussy eaters (this is what the section in the book is called!!)

Vegetable Cakes
Preparation Time 15mins
Cooking time 10 minutes
Makes 4

1 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup coarsely grated potato
2 tbspn finely chopped red capsicum
2 tbspn finely chopped mushrooms
2 eggs beaten lightly
1 tbspn coarsely grated swiss cheese

1 Heat oil in medium frying pan; cook potato, stirring, until tender. Add capsicum and mushrooms, cook, stirring, until capsicum softens. cool 10mins.
2 Combine potato mixture in small bowl with egg and cheese.
3 place four oiled egg rings in medium heated lightly oiled non stick pan; divide potato mixture among rings. Cook, uncovered, over low heat 5mins. using egg slide, turn rings; cook, uncovered, until cakes set.

You could make up a huge batch and freeze them!! Yummy.....

Peach & Mango Smoothies (good for summer months!!)Preparation time: 5mins
Makes : 2 cups

1 small frozen mango (300g) chopped coarsely
1/3 cup (80ml) peach nectar
1 cup (250ml) milk

1. Blend or process ingredients until smooth.

(use apricot nectar instead of peach if you prefer)

Lentil Patties
Prep time 20mins
Cooking time 20mins
Makes 12

1/4 cup (50g) red lentils
1 medium potato (200g) chopped coarsely
1/4 cup (30g) frozen peas
1/2 small carrot (35g) grated coarsely
1/2 small brown onion(40g) grated finely
1/2 cup (50g) packaged breadcrumbs

1. Cook lentils in small saucepan of boiling water, uncovered, about 10mins or until tender; drain.
2. Meanwhile boil, steam or microwave potato and peas, separately, until tender; drain. Mash potato and peas in medium bowl.
3. Add lentils with carrot, onion and half of the breadcrumbs to potato mixture, using hand mix to combine. Shape mixture into 12 patties.
4. Coat patties with remaining breadcrumbs; cook patties, uncovered, in large heated lightly oiled frying pan about 10mins or until patties browned both sides and heated through.

Hope this helps :hug: mmmm i am hungry now....

ren my DD loves those vegie cakes!!! i make them all the time!