fruit

Quick & Healthy Toddler Meals #2: Salted Edamame with Cheese and Fruit

/ Tracy Gromek / Leave a comment
Salted Edamame with Cheese and Berries

Nothing in the fridge? Head to your freezer for this quick toddler meal.

This is one of my favorite quick toddler meals to throw together when I am in dire need of a trip to the food store, as I tend to always keep a bag or two of edamame in the freezer.

While I’m not a giant fan of giving soy to toddlers, edamame is such a nutritional powerhouse for a “I have nothing to feed you” kind of day, that I reserve it for those desperate times. A great balance of protein and carbs, it is also high in folate, choline, vitamin K, potassium, iron, magnesium, phosphorous, and manganese. Edamame also provides each of the essential amino acids, meaning it is a complete protein food.

Another bonus: Faye loves squishing the beans out of their pods. If you have a toddler who isn’t a fan of sitting at the table, this “activity” might help to settle them down. Continue reading →

Healthy Baby: Raspberry Protein and Probiotic Smoothie (with Dairy-Free version)

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RaspberryProbioticSmoothie.jpg

Nutritionally dense, fabulous tasting, quick to make, and travels well. What more do you need?

We try to head out to a park or playground to burn some energy and get some fresh air twice a day: once after breakfast and once after afternoon nap. Faye is famished after running around for an hour or two, and tends to chow down on a ton of snacks on our walk back to the house.

Faye is a phenomenal eater, but I’ve been feeling more and more like she’s been filling up on these after-play snacks rather than her main meals, making it all the more important that the snacks I do provide are healthy and nutritionally dense (which is easier said than done – especially when they need to travel well). Hence, this smoothie.  Continue reading →

Pineapple, Mango & Jicama Salsa

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PineappleMangoJicamaSalsa

Originally purchased in a minuscule container at Whole Foods for a whopping $7, I decided to make this myself the next time I served Jamaican Jerk Chicken Tacos. It literally took me 5 minutes to put together, and for the same amount of money, I made six times the amount of salsa which was happily scarfed down by my in-laws.

Continue reading →