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Free Family Meal Toolkit - Dinner Edition

4/9/2020

 
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How are we doing, friends? We know this can be a really challenging time for everyone, and we wanted to help in our own small way. Click on the link below to download our free Family Meal Toolkit - Dinner Edition! In it you'll find:
  • 16 recipes and 9 "I Can't Even" meal ideas
  • why we love each recipe
  • top 8 allergens in that recipe and ways to modify them if possible
  • pantry ingredients
  • perishable ingredients
  • recommended side dishes
  • ways to repurpose or reuse leftovers
  • modifications for babies doing Baby-led Weaning (Infant Self-Feeding)
  • modifications and picky eater tips for toddlers and kids

Click on the link or image below to download the Toolkit now!
feeding_littles_family_meal_toolkit_-_dinner.pdf
File Size: 529 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File


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Calorie Boosting Strategies

2/1/2020

 
Feeding Littles | Does your child struggle in the growth department? Here's some easy ways to pack some extra calories in to you child's breakfast toast to make every bite count.

Do you have a kiddo that needs a little help in the growth department? Perhaps you’re pregnant and are struggling to gain weight yourself, or maybe you’re breastfeeding and are losing weight very quickly. We all have unique nutritional needs!  

Sometimes we need to add Calorie Boosters to foods to help each bite count. One simple strategy we use with our clients is adding a layer of fat/oil underneath other toppings on toast, pancakes, waffles, rice cakes, sweet potato spears, etc. It helps each and every bite count a little bit more. 

How do you know if your child needs this? Talk to your doc first! Are they worried about your kiddo’s growth? Can their growth trajectory be explained by genetic/environmental factors? If you’re doc’s not worried, keep doing what you’re doing! On the other hand, if your provider has expressed concern in your child’s growth it may help to try these strategies.

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Nut allergy? Use sunflower seed butter or tahini (shown on top right toast).

Dairy-free? Try the Kite Hill Foods cream cheese spread with coconut oil or avocado oil underneath for the third toast option.

This is just one of the many techniques we’ve outlined in our new Calorie Boosters handout we just added to our Infant and Toddler Courses! It includes so many unique ideas and has allergen-friendly options. We also have included some tasty recipes! (If you already purchased either course you have access to this handout! Head to Step 5 in the Infant Course and 13 in the Toddler Course!)

We also added an entire handout for constipation in Step 4 of the Infant Course and Step 13 of the Toddler Course.

Our courses are live, meaning that you’ll always have the most updated version (and they don’t expire - as long as we’re hosting them!). Go back and watch them again and again.


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Nut-Free Sandwich Ideas

2/1/2020

 
Feeding Littles | Offering your child a variety of sandwiches can help prevent picky eating and lead to more adventurous eating. All of these options are nut-free for families who need it or can't bring nut products to school. Plus, tips on how to teach your child how to eat a sandwich.

Are you and your kiddo getting sick of the same ol’ sandwich? Perhaps you have a nut allergy in your family or can’t bring nut products to school. Here are some simple options that are balanced, tasty and easy to put together. Maybe some of them will work for your family!

These are open-faced sandwiches so you can see the fillings - add bread on top!

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Shown is Trader Joe's sprouted bread, and we also love Dave's Killer Bread - watch for big seeds for kids under 4 and honey for babies under 1 when choosing bread!

We like BPA-free canned wild salmon as an affordable way to get more omega-3 fats in our diet. It’s great mixed with Primal Kitchen avocado oil mayo, which is made from avocado oil, eggs, vinegar, salt and rosemary.

To add flavor to mashed black beans, add garlic, cumin and sea salt - hot sauce for you (or your kid if they like it)!

There are so many great deli-style turkey options on the market - we love True Story brand and Trader Joe's organic turkey - the only ingredients in these options are turkey and salt. If you don’t have access to them, try to find nitrate-free options if you use deli turkey.

If your kiddo has a pine nut allergy omit the pesto or use a pine nut-free option like Alessi Foods brand.

How do you teach your baby or toddler to eat a sandwich? Well, you can just give it to them and see how it goes, but if they stuff it all in their mouth or can’t figure out how to eat it we have a few Foodie Judy tips for you below:
  • 6+ months: offer deconstructed sandwiches as toast strips with hummus, salmon salad, pesto etc. spread on top. Toasting the bread helps baby feel the food in their mouth and is actually easier to eat than stickier untoasted bread.
  • 10+ months: once a baby has a more sophisticated palmar release/pincer grasp, try toasted sandwich triangles with the fillings inside. Start modeling putting the sandwich down between bites. This will help them slow down and focus on chewing what’s in their mouth.
  • 16-18+ months: as your toddler gets older they may be able to bite and pull to eat a non-toasted sandwich. Start with a shape that has lots of corners - this helps define bites and allows them to sense the food in their mouth as they work with untoasted bread. You can even use a fork to poke a serrated line in the bread where an appropriate bite line would be.
  • ​Remember, model putting the sandwich down between bites - you can make it a game! If you child starts stuffing the sandwich, go back to toasted bread.

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Allergen-Friendly Breakfast Ideas

1/3/2020

 
Feeding Littles | If you or your child has an allergy to gluten, dairy, peanuts, or one of the other top 8 allergens, here's some easy breakfast ideas for you and your family. All options are dairy free, gluten free, and nut free.

All new breakfast series - Part 1: Allergen-free Breakfast Ideas! These ideas also happen to be all plant-based options. 

We want to take you through many different ways to mix up breakfast, starting with ideas for our friends allergic to any of the top 8 allergens - all ideas shown are free from the common allergens, but of course humans can be allergic to anything. (Judy is allergic to avocado!) Modify if your child can’t tolerate something shown.

We also have plenty of breakfast ideas in our free Breakfast Toolkit as well.

If you have taken our online courses, you know that early and frequent exposure to allergens is important for non-allergic kiddos. But if you have a child with an egg, dairy or wheat allergy, breakfast can be tough. Many typical “breakfast” foods that have some protein in them contain an allergen.

Each idea here contains fat, a little protein, and fiber - this combo of macronutrients is important for blood sugar regulation and keeping kids satisfied so they can play, learn and grow. Many protein options like hemp hearts, sunflower seed butter and chia seeds are also a good source of iron - a critical nutrient in childhood! Protein needs aren’t crazy high for kids - they just need exposure to some protein to help balance their nutrition.

If you’re struggling with picky eating or want to help prevent it in your child, don’t forget to check out our Toddler Course.

Each food served here, except the more crunchy rice cake, is appropriate for 6+ months - hold off on the rice cake until around 14-16 months unless you use a really thin rice cake. Babies under 1 can have sips of smoothies, but we don’t want smoothie intake to displace their breast milk or formula intake.

The smoothie shown is made from 1 cup Ripple Foods milk (put in blender first), 1/2 cup frozen strawberries, 3/4 cup frozen mango, 3 pitted dates and 1 T. coconut oil. We recommend serving smoothies alongside whole foods because many kids (and adults) aren’t satisfied with a meal when they just drink it.

Bread shown: Follow Your Heart brand from Whole Foods.

Don’t forget that breakfast doesn’t have to come from “breakfast” foods!

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Pour and Cook Slow Cooker Ideas

1/3/2020

 
Feeding Littles | Super quick and easy dinner recipes for the crockpot. Simply pour in one of the sauces and add some chicken. Dinner is ready when you get home. These crockpot dinner recipes are perfect for busy families, and a lot of options are dairy free. Plus, the crockpot makes it nice and tender for baby starting solids the baby-led weaning way.

Our most popular recipe posts and stories on Instagram involve simple dinner ideas - including pouring sauce over chicken, setting the slow cooker (or Instant Pot) timer, and waiting for dinner to be made. Here are some of our favorite sauce ideas that you can experiment with to create a delicious, nourishing dinner (and maybe some leftovers for another meal)! Just pair it with 1-2 veggie sides and a starch like sweet potato, rice or pasta!
Pour at least 2 cups of sauce on the 1-2 lb. of chicken, enough to cover it thoroughly so it doesn’t dry out. You won’t eat all of the sauce; it’s there to retain moisture during the cooking process, which is super important for young eaters! Once the sauce is added, give the chicken a quick stir.

​If using the crockpot, cook it on low for 4-5 hours. If using an Instant Pot, cook it on high for 9 minutes with manual release.


We like chicken thighs because they’re more tender and easier for kids to eat, plus they’re cheaper.

A few notes:
  • Many of these sauces have salt/sodium added. It is recommended to limit sodium for baby; however, some salt is OK! The guidance is 400 mg of sodium a day for babies under 1. If you serve saltier foods one day, go easy on it the next. You can also opt for some of the lower sodium sauces featured above! Toddlers can also have some sodium, and the sauce may make them more interested in what could otherwise be a more plain entree. You can also remove excess sauce.
  • When cooked, some of these sauces become more watery or liquid. If you’re using the IP, once the cooking is done you can use the sauté function for a few minutes to cook off excess liquid. In the crockpot, turn off the heat and let it sit for a moment - or if you have more time you can throw the sauce/chicken into a pan and cook off some liquid. Personally this isn’t a huge issue for us - we’re looking for quick, easy and a little flavor from the sauce.
  • All sauces are from Sprouts except bruschetta and Marsala sauces (Trader Joe's).
  • All sauces are dairy-free except cream of mushroom, tikka masala and Marsala sauce!
  • Here's the recipe for the delicious SkinnyMs. Slow Cooker Pomegranate Chicken.

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Creative Ways to Serve Frozen Waffles

11/3/2019

 
Feeding Littles | Frozen waffles can make breakfast quick and easy. Try these different ways to serve frozen waffles to your toddlers and young kids, as well as baby starting solids the baby-led weaning way. Includes our favorite brands that pack a nutritional punch and can be allergy-friendly.

We have so many favorite fast breakfast options, but frozen waffles are definitely top 5 lately! Our favorite frozen waffle brands (not sponsored) right now are:
  • Kodiak Cakes Power Waffles Buttermilk and Vanilla: high in protein, contains eggs, wheat, and dairy
  • Vans Gluten-Free Apple Cinnamon: egg-free, dairy-free, not much protein
  • Birch Benders Paleo: grain-free, dairy-free, good source of fat but not protein
  • Kitchfix Grain-Free Waffles Banana Cinnamon: grain-free, dairy-free, good source of fat and protein

These aren’t the waffles of your childhood (although nothing wrong with those either)! The newest waffles on the market pack more of a nutritional punch - including protein in many cases - so they help keep your kids full and their blood sugar in line. You can serve them with the traditional butter and real maple syrup combo, but we also love mixing it up with the toppings and serving suggested listed below!

Make sure to cut them in the right size for your child - babies 6+ months can eat them as strips or “sandwiches,” and older babies/toddlers can eat them as small pieces, strips, or whole using their hands! Just toast them first and make sure they’re a little crunchy for reluctant eaters! 

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Judy loves waffles because they have natural bite spots for babies and toddlers working on the “bite and pull” skill. We listed various waffle brands above that help satisfy different nutrient needs, as we know that some of you are dealing with allergies, intolerances or health issues. If the waffle itself is low in protein, make sure to pair it with a protein source like nut/seed butter, eggs, hemp hearts, chia seeds, or milk. As always, read labels carefully if you’re avoiding allergens.

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Enjoying Chocolate When You're Dairy-Free

11/3/2019

 
Feeding Littles | Don't miss out on chocolate when you go dairy-free! Try this dairy-free chocolate in some delicious ways to satisfy your chocolate cravings.

Megan here, talking about our favorite food group - chocolate! My family isn’t dairy-free, but we know that many are you are for various reasons. Some mamas have to stop eating dairy for their breastfeeding baby who isn’t tolerating dairy in mama’s milk, or perhaps it doesn’t sit well with your system. We get messages all the time about adjusting to dairy-free life when you’re used to eating it. Enter Enjoy Life chocolate chips (not sponsored). They're a godsend for those who don’t do dairy but really miss chocolate and want to satisfy a sweet craving!

Here are some great ways to enjoy them:
  • Eat a handful of chocolate chips
  • Pretzels dipped into melted chocolate
  • Chocolate chips and nut butter on graham crackers
  • Lara or other energy/granola bar dipped into melted chocolate
  • Energy ball
  • Chocolate-covered strawberry

Above are just some ways to use chocolate chips or melted chocolate - all of which can make needing to be dairy-free for baby a wee bit easier. To make energy balls (adapted from Gimme Some Oven), combine 1 cup uncooked oats, 1/2 cup peanut butter or other nut/seed butter, 1/3 cup honey or maple syrup (no honey for babies), and 2 T chia seeds; roll into balls and refrigerate to set. Keep in the fridge for up to a week.

Keep in mind that some of these ideas aren’t allergen free, so adapt if necessary! (Note: Larabar also has dairy free chocolate chip options, but it’s always more fun to dip it in chocolate sauce!)

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Breakfast Burritos

11/2/2019

 
Feeding Littles | Breakfast burritos are a delicious and easy option for the whole family. Burritos can be overwhelming to young kids, so serve them deconstructed. Allergy and dietary modifications are included.

Breakfast burritos are amazing for adults and kids alike because you can modify them to your tastes and dietary needs (see below for allergy/diet modifications), plus they’re super easy and delicious!

Sometimes babies, toddlers and kids are overwhelmed by burritos in their whole form and do better with deconstructed options, so above is one way you could present breakfast burrito ingredients to your tot - using an ice cube tray! (This is a silicone tray from Target purchased this past summer.) Shown here are tortilla, eggs, cheese, beans, guacamole and salsa (2 flavors). Yes, babies and kids can eat spicy foods - just start slowly! Some of these foods contain salt, so if you serve these to babies under 12 months just go easy on salty foods the rest of the day.

Since breakfast burritos from restaurants can be so filling, we’ve shown half of a burrito here. The most important thing is not rigid “portion control,” but rather eating until your body is comfortably full and satisfied.

The ice cube tray spaces are really small - the image isn’t to scale next to the full burrito so you can see it better. Each section has about 1 tablespoon of food. Keep offerings small for kids so they’re not overwhelmed - they can always have more than what you serve, and if they don't eat it you waste less food.

Here are some of our favorite breakfast burrito ingredients:
  • eggs
  • pico de gallo/salsa
  • refried beans
  • potatoes
  • steak/bacon
  • cheese
  • guacamole
  • sour cream
  • sautéed veggies
  • avocado slices
  • hot sauce (more for mom or dad - start very slowly for kids)

Need to modify your burrito for allergies or dietary concerns?
  • Egg allergy/intolerance: use beans/meat for protein source
  • Dairy allergy/intolerance: use guacamole instead of cheese or sour cream for creaminess
  • Wheat allergy/gluten intolerance: use corn or gluten-free tortilla
  • Vegan: try (vegetarian) beans with potatoes, salsa and guac, and consider a dairy-free cheese (some traditional tortillas may be made with lard so ask about this too if eating at a restaurant)
  • Low-carb/problems digesting grains: wrap eggs, bacon, salsa and guac in a lettuce wrap

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Creamy Bruschetta Chicken

11/1/2019

 
Feeding Littles | Looking for a super easy and fast dinner for a busy weeknight? Try this dairy-free creamy Bruschetta chicken recipe that can cook in an instant pot, crockpot, or the oven.

Do you struggle finding fast meal ideas and need help with filling, nourishing, tasty foods that your whole family can enjoy? Good news - we are in the same boat too! I think everyone struggles with the weeknight mealtime hustle. It’s hard to fit in everything, especially when you’re juggling busy after school schedules, work, cranky babies, or toddlers who decide they hate eating every other day.

We got you - being a parent is hard work. Do your best - which may mean takeout tonight - and give yourself grace to use easy convenience options! There are so many good ones out there!

This is one of my favorite simple chicken hacks using the beloved Trader Joe's Bruschetta Sauce - sub out marinara or even salsa if needed. It pairs nicely with Primal Kitchen  avocado oil ranch (dairy-free), but use whatever ranch you’d like! We love this option for our dairy-free families who struggle to find meal ideas that lend creaminess similar to cheese!

Here's what you need:
  • 1 tub of Trader Joe's Bruschetta sauce (or sub marinara sauce or salsa)
  • 2-4 tablespoons ranch
  • 1.5-2 pounds of boneless skinless chicken thighs or breasts

Here’s the "recipe": 
  1. Mix the sauces together.
  2. Pour in the stuff.
  3. Cook. (​See below for options.)
  4. Eat with veggies and a starch of your choice.

Cooking Options:
  • Instant Pot: high pressure for 8-9 minutes
  • Crockpot: low for 5-6 hours
  • Oven: 375F for 30-35 minutes

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What's with the Teal Pumpkins?

10/1/2019

 
Feeding Littles | Kids with food allergies can have a hard time with Halloween. The Teal Pumpkin Project is helping make Halloween safe and fun for all kids by offering allergy friendly options or non-food alternatives.

How to include all kids on Halloween.

Do you have a kid with food allergies? 

If you’d like to include all kids - including those with food allergies or those who have medical issues that prevent them from eating candy - in Halloween, then consider being part of the Teal Pumpkin Project! This important project encourages families to display a teal pumpkin and have non-food options available for kids who can’t have standard candies. You can even add your house to the map HERE so trick-or-treaters know where to find safe treats.

We know that it’s tricky maneuvering the food allergy world. In fact, both Judy and myself have food allergies, and I (Megan) grew up with a severe anaphylactic allergy in my immediate family. It’s hard.

If you have an allergic kiddo, try to focus on language about “keeping you safe” when discussing allergies. Phrases like, “All bodies react differently to foods. Some people can eat all foods, but some people can’t. Your body doesn’t like xyz, so in order to keep you safe we have to have other options.”

Make sure to have alternative treats for your kiddo to enjoy too. There are some great common allergen-free candies at Target, where you can also find a teal pumpkin most years (and it's reusable)!

You can also have alternative options to candy all together. Some ideas include:
  • Stickers
  • Temporary tattoos
  • Pre-made slime
  • Bubbles
  • Vampire fangs
  • Glow sticks
  • Pencils, pens
  • Bouncy balls
  • Crayons, markers
  • Mini notebooks

If you're interested in joining the Teal Pumpkin Project, here's how to participate:
  1. Purchase non-food treats.
  2. Display a teal pumpkin (you can buy one or paint one yourself).
  3. If desired, add your home to the teal pumpkin map.
  4. Ask if trick-or-treaters have allergies, or give all trick-or-treaters a choice of food vs non-food item.

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    Authors

    Megan and Judy, co-owners of Feeding Littles, bring you helpful info on food, nutrition, picky eating, and feeding young children. Megan McNamee MPH, RDN is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist based in Scottsdale, Arizona. Judy Delaware, OTR/L is an Occupational Therapist specializing in feeding therapy with children 3 and under in Boulder, Colorado. Megan and Judy are both moms of two and love helping families develop a healthy appetite for all foods! 

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