There are some days that I spend all day thinking, “What am I going to make for dinner tonight?” The easiest choice is to make a phone call and order pizza or go to the nearest restaurant. These two choices are not only the more expensive choice but also sometimes not the most nutritious. Dinnertime in our house is the family meal; this is the time that we sit down together. We share about our day, what our plans are for the next day and enjoy each other’s company. My family is always on the go, setting aside time to sit down and talk is hard in hectic schedules. I want the food to not only be delicious but nutritious. Nutrition is something I strive for with every meal but dinner is a special meal. I believe that breakfast is the most important to start your day off right and dinner is important to complete your day. Dinner is defined in the dictionary as the chief meal of the day, eaten in the evening or at midday. It is said that most toddlers received 85% of their needed nutrition through out the day therefore they are less likely to eat a full meal at dinnertime. It is hard to decide what to make for dinner that you know your toddler will eat as well.
Making a meal for the adults and a meal for your toddler can be nerve-racking. If you know what you have eating for dinner your toddler will not eat, try mixing up something that they just may try. An example would be, cutting chicken off of your baked chicken and serving to your toddler as nuggets. If you are having hamburgers, mash the ground meat and mix with noodles and a small amount of beef broth for flavor.
Some toddlers just will not eat their meals. Jessica Seinfeld has written a book called “Deceptively Delicious” is about how to get your child to eat nutritiously without the battle at dinnertime. She describes how to “hide” vegetables into their favorite meal so they still get the nutrition from vegetables but without the stress of fighting over it. There is also another book that does not go down the hiding route but is a lot of easy nutritious meals that the whole family can eat. It is called “The Big Book of Recipes for Babies, Toddlers & Children: 365 Quick, Easy, and Healthy Dishes” by Bridget Wardley. This book I personally have just purchased and so far have no complaints.
A typical dinner in our house normally consists of a protein, a vegetable and a grain. The food pyramid for toddlers suggests that a toddler should consume three ounces of grain, one cup of vegetable and two ounces of a protein. By following this it will occasionally make my choosing what is for dinner job easier. Some days my toddler will eat the vegetables and not the protein and some days it is the opposite. Now if only I could get my toddler sit still long enough at the dinner table to enjoy her meal. That is a discussion for another day!
Work Cited:
1. "Dinner." The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language,
Fourth Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, 2004. Answers.com 19 Mar. 2011. http://www.answers.com/topic/dinner
. Seinfeld, Jessica. Deceptively Delicious: Simple Secrets to Get Your
Kids Eating Good Food. Collins; 1st edition 5, October 2007
3. Wardley, Bridget. The Big Book of Recipes for Babies, Toddlers & Children:
365 Quick, Easy, and Healthy Dishes. Duncan Baird. 28, July 2006
4. Wholesome Toddler Foods
http://www.wholesometoddlerfood.com/toddlerdinners.htm
Cited: March 30, 2009 Retrieved: March 19, 2011
5. Wholesome Toddler Foods
http://www.wholesometoddlerfood.com/pyramid.htm
Cited: March 30, 2009 Retrieved: March 19, 2011
Christina,
ReplyDeleteI was always a picky eater and my mother always had finger food at dinner because I wouldn't eat what she had made. Later I found out that it was the same thing but made to look like something else. She would add sauce or shape it into different shapes, but it worked I ate it. Good topic.
Don Findley
Great post, I am going to buy those books. My daughter can sometimes be a picky eater so it would be nice to change it up a little.
ReplyDeleteThank you both for the comments. I hope the books work for you Amanda. Don, that is funny about your mother adn how you did not know. What age where you when you found out?
ReplyDeleteChristina
That is very interesting and informative information. I don't have a toddler to worry about at the moment but if I ever do I will try and find that book or maybe buy it for someone who does.
ReplyDeleteRuth Hall
Enticing a toddler to eat is always hard. I am definitly going to try some of these recipies they sound great!
ReplyDeleteChristina,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading this post. I enjoy anything that's informative about nutrition. I love the picture at the end, so cute! Nice job.
Samantha
Christina,
ReplyDeleteAs a mom I enjoyed your blog post but some of us who work full time and go to school don't always have time to cook things, I let my daughter eat what she wants, I don't make her eat fruits or vegetables, I always hear about the importance of them but I believe life is way too short to sit and eat something that tastes horrible. Good information though.
Alison
Alison,
ReplyDeleteI appreciate your comment. I am a full time mom, a full time employee and a full time wife. I try very hard to make it a point for my daughter to learn the importance of eating correctly. Good healthy food does not always have to taste horrible.
Christina
Christina, you have some great resources and fun photos here. It seems you've recruited a few more readers of those books as well. Nice job.
ReplyDeleteChristina,
ReplyDeleteYour post was very interesting and was able to show how important creating healthy meals for our families is.Especially for young children as they are growing up they need good food to help them build strong muscles and a healthy lifestyle.
Eric Cogovan