Got one of those delightful little creatures between 18 months and 4? Ahhh, aren’t they great! So fiesty, so confident, so able to share their feelings in a considerate and thoughtful way. Or not. Perhaps your lovelies are more like mine, kind of complaining and crying a lot of the time, especially at dinnertime when apparently you are trying to feed them POISON. But no longer! Here’s some food that saved my sanity during their toddler years.
Seriously though, if you can find a few healthy things that they like to eat, you can sneak in some vegies and improve their nutrition. It’s amazing what a difference it can make to their behaviour.
Try the salmon pikelets (easy to hold and munch)
Sausage rolls.
Home made tinned spaghetti.
Salmon & zucchini bites.
Lamb & feta meatballs, with pasta.
Will your toddler eat these? I’m always keen to know what works in other people’s households. Make sure you get in touch and let me know.
Sam said,
May 28, 2013 @ 9:25 am
Lovely but I’d have to purify the greens , if there’s any leaves in there she will not touch it with a barge poll no green she screams yuk lol
wendyblume said,
May 28, 2013 @ 9:40 am
make the pikelets for the first time without the green bits. Get her liking them, then start to add in the bits later.
Kristy said,
May 28, 2013 @ 9:43 am
These look absolutely fabulous. Will try the salmon pikelets tonight. My two year old would eat any of these, but my four year old won’t try ANYTHING. He lives on porridge, vegemite sandwiches, apple and spicy broad beans. Won’t even try chocolate with ‘lumps’ in it. I’m at my wit’s end!!
Kristy said,
May 28, 2013 @ 9:57 am
Sorry for the two (now three) posts!! Couldn’t see my first post for a while…at least you now know how frustrated I am!
wendyblume said,
May 28, 2013 @ 10:00 am
No worries kristy – you might want to have a read of this… https://vegiesmugglers.com.au/2012/07/21/how-to-get-fussy-kids-to-try-new-foods/
wendyblume said,
May 28, 2013 @ 10:02 am
And of course, there’s lots of great help in a couple of pretty fabulous books 😉
http://www.wendyblume.com.au/vegiesmugglers.html
Kristy said,
May 28, 2013 @ 10:11 am
I’m buying the books, can’t wait! And am reading the link now, thank you!!!
bubble936 said,
May 28, 2013 @ 10:44 am
Thanks a lot….
Ashley said,
May 28, 2013 @ 12:29 pm
My kids love spaghetti and all tomato based food but I have just found out Miss 2 is allergic to tomatoes and if Miss 3 is eating it Miss 2 wants some too… Any substitutions you can recommend?
wendyblume said,
May 28, 2013 @ 12:46 pm
is she allergic to salicytes? That cuts out a lot of other stuff too. If that’s not the problem, then perhaps look at this capsicum-based sauce…
https://vegiesmugglers.com.au/2010/09/07/because-there%E2%80%99s-more-to-life-than-slaving-in-the-kitchen/
Then if you can eat eggs, this is a great pasta dish too…
https://vegiesmugglers.com.au/2012/03/27/rice-v-pasta/
Ashley said,
May 28, 2013 @ 1:06 pm
Thank you so much – we are still at the “trial and error” stage and cutting out tomatoes had improved her health dramatically – will give these a whirl! Thanks so much – love your blog 🙂
Anna said,
June 2, 2013 @ 9:14 pm
For information on food allergies, particularly salicytes & glutamates check out the website http://www.fedup.com.au. Good luck Ashley!
wendyblume said,
June 3, 2013 @ 12:13 pm
thanks for this info Anna – really helpful. x
Karen said,
May 28, 2013 @ 2:00 pm
Your sausage rolls (chicken or lamb) are a total winner with my 3yo, as are veggie dots.
Hubby cleans up the leftovers too!
Most nights we do ok just by holding meat hostage.. “You can have more chicken when you finish the broccoli”
Karen said,
May 28, 2013 @ 2:06 pm
… It never used to be that way I might add….. Your recipes and approach have helped reduce mealtime battles a great deal!
wendyblume said,
May 28, 2013 @ 2:13 pm
That’s funny! That approach would work for my son, but not my vegetarian daughter!
Cam and Kamya Foster said,
May 28, 2013 @ 2:31 pm
wendyblume posted: “Got one of those delightful little creatures between 18 months and 4? Ahhh, aren’t they great! So fiesty, so confident, so able to share their feelings in a considerate and thoughtful way. Or not. Perhaps your lovelies are more like mine, kind of complain”
Sarah said,
May 28, 2013 @ 3:32 pm
The tinned spaghetti has been a hit in our house with Mr1 and Mr3! Mr1 will eat anything but Mr3 is having an extra fussy stage – driving me batty as he used to eat peas, corn, beans and broccoli and now won’t eat any of them!
wendyblume said,
May 28, 2013 @ 3:44 pm
try not to freak out about it – they seems to pass through these phases much faster when we keep our cool (difficult I know!)
Sarah said,
May 29, 2013 @ 10:50 am
Thanks Wendy for your encouragement, we had success last night though I made chow mein and it had chopped up beans in it, gobbled down no questions asked.
Nikki samson said,
May 28, 2013 @ 3:35 pm
They look yummy enough that a ‘parent’ might want to eat them too..i’ll give it a go and let you know the result..lol
Nikki samson said,
May 28, 2013 @ 3:36 pm
Oh btw I make zucchini slice laden with all veggies not just zucchini. Bewdiful and it all gets eaten!! That’s the best thing.
wendyblume said,
May 28, 2013 @ 3:43 pm
coincidence! I’ve got a zucchini slice recipe coming up in the next few weeks to!
Kirrily said,
May 28, 2013 @ 9:38 pm
Zucchini slice is a winner in our household too. Zucchini, sweet potato and onion are always included, but if my 4 year old can grate it in the food processor in it goes!! We also threw in whole cherry tomatoes when we had an over-abundance from the vege patch and this was a fun surprise for the kids.
I got the tip to squeeze the zucchini as tight as possible after grating it to get rid of the juice and this makes a much nicer slice.
wendyblume said,
May 28, 2013 @ 10:54 pm
I’ll give that tip a try!
Amy said,
May 28, 2013 @ 4:45 pm
The salmon pikelets and sausage rolls are winners. However anything wet (including pasta and noodles, sadly) is deemed as ‘disgusting’.
Interestingly enough, my mother was telling me the other day that my grandfather (who died 16 years before my daughter was born) had the same sort of prejudices. No casseroles, no gravy, no sauces etc.
Still, I keep trying!
wendyblume said,
May 28, 2013 @ 4:53 pm
it’s so interesting, isn’t it! Maybe try these dry bean balls…
https://vegiesmugglers.com.au/2010/06/21/tired-parents-and-stuffing-vegetables-into-vuvuzela/
Amy said,
May 28, 2013 @ 5:11 pm
Nope! *cue whine *’It’s got too many bits!’
All of your fritter type recipes are winners, as are most of the meatball type ones (except that one). We do get wins some times:-)
wendyblume said,
May 28, 2013 @ 7:57 pm
That’s hilarious. I know that whine.
My Favourite Kids Blogs All in one Place!!! Yeeehah! | naughtynaturopathmum's Blog said,
May 28, 2013 @ 8:18 pm
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