What's NOT For Dinner

By now you probably have a good idea of what we eat for dinner but since I have a toddler snacks are also a pretty important part of our food repertoire. If you're like me and try to shy away from highly processed foods then it can be a challenge to find foods that a toddler will also embrace. If David had his way he would eat crackers, cheerios, pretzels, etc morning, noon, and night. I'm not an extremist and he usually does get at least one of those things every day but I feel a lot better about giving it to him if I know he gets a fair amount of real food too. Here's some healthier alternatives that can hold their own against their goldfish counterparts. Adults and toddlers alike enjoy these at our house on a fairly regular basis.

• 5K granola: This recipe is a gem from my friend Amy. It goes great on yogurt or eaten plain. I've even poured milk over it and eaten it like cereal which is good too if you like it really crunchy.
• Whole wheat pitas (or bread) spread with humus
• Mango sorbet: This does freeze a little too hard in the freezer so they do need to be taken out to defrost ahead of time. Zapping them in the microwave works too though the consistency won't be as smooth. I imagine these would make awesome popsicles as well but haven't tried that yet. I'll let you know this summer.
• Yogurt: I haven't made my own yogurt yet though I would like to try it sometime. Instead of buying the individual flavored ones though I buy large cartons of plain and then sweeten it as needed with honey and occasionally pureed fruit. If you do add pureed fruit I suggest using greek yogurt as the fruit will thin it out a bit. Not only is this healthier (a 6 oz serving of commercially sweetened yogurt can contain as much sugar as a candy bar) but it's a lot less expensive. Also it's pretty convenient to only buy 1 kind of yogurt and be able to use it plain for cooking or sweetened for snacks. With this system it's rare for any to get wasted.
• Banana ice cream: I won't lie and say that it tastes exactly like real ice cream but it's pretty darn delicious and a whole lot healthier. To David any ice cream is a treat and this is no exception.
• Homemade muffins: They are a bit high in sugar but it's a great way to get some great nutrients in as well, especially if they're whole wheat. Apples, blueberries, zucchini, pumpkin, and flax seed are just a few. The sky's the limit. A batch of muffins can freeze well in freezer bags too so you can eat them 1 or 2 at a time
• Cinnamon rice: If I have leftover brown rice David loves to eat it with cinnamon and just a touch of butter and brown sugar
• Peanut butter dip for veggies or fruit: David loves being able to dip and paint pictures on his plate but regular peanut butter is just too thick, especially if you use the pure, freshly ground variety. Sometimes some of the fruit and veggies makes it into his mouth too. To make it mix 1 part peanut butter and 2 parts plain yogurt. Add a drizzle of honey if desired.
• Pancakes: Sometimes I'll make more pancakes than I need and then lay the leftovers out on a cookie tray in the freezer. Once they're fully frozen I stack them all in a large freezer bag and they won't stick together. Then I just zap in the microwave to reheat (works best if covered with a paper towel so it doesn't dry out). As a disclaimer I should add that these do NOT taste as good as fresh off the griddle cakes do, but they make it so that David can enjoy pancakes a lot more often than he otherwise would.
• Trail mix: Peanuts, raisins, and raw almonds makes for a super simple trail mix. Obviously you can add to or customize this pretty much any way you want but it makes for a great on-the-go snack
• Homemade whole wheat bread: I know this sounds crazy but for about the past month I've been baking all of our bread by hand to save money and to avoid all of the artificial preservatives, grain softeners, and coloring that store bread often contains (not to mention it tastes 10 times better). If you have a mixer with a dough attachment for kneading then that pretty much takes care of all the work for you. Rising and baking does take a bit of time but not much effort. I've been making 1-2 batches (yields 2-4 loaves) once a week and storing the extra loaves in the freezer until we need them. The recipe I've linked to is great though I substitute honey for the sugar and instead of adding the powdered milk I just substitute the 2 C of water with regular milk which has worked great.
• Fruit and spinach smoothies: Ok, I realize this also makes me sound a bit fanatical but David has been pretty resistant to eating solid fruits and veggies. I came across the suggestion of making smoothies and figured it was worth a try. Turns out it's his favorite food EVER. I was a bit skeptical about the spinach but it really doesn't affect the taste (though it can turn it green). If the color makes you squeamish I've found that using blueberries can mask it. You can use just about any ingredients but here's the recipe I usually use. It makes enough for all 3 of us to enjoy a good-sized glass in the mornings though if Derek and I don't drink ours fast enough David will come begging for some of ours after he's downed his own.
  
  
  1 peeled orange (no seeds) or 1 cup of fresh fruit (strawberries, blueberries, or pineapple all work well), 1 peeled banana, 1 cup fresh baby spinach, 1 1/2 C frozen fruit (we usually use mango, strawberry, and blueberries). About 6 oz fruit juice to thin to desired consistency (I've tried milk too but unfortunately it sometimes gives it a consistency almost like whipped cream which is pretty nasty. You can use water; it just will be a little less sweet). If you feel like adding ground flax seed or whey protein for an additional boost then go for it.