Category Archives: WIAW

Our Toddler’s Daily Blue Plate Special + WIAW

Our toddler is getting a little more sophisticated around here. Before, we could just use her high chair tray as a “plate” for her to eat off of, but now she insists on using a plate. And not just any plate, and blue plate!

Actually, as long as the plate is next to her, she will still accept eating from the tray, but her plate must be blue. Pink or purple is a surefire way to set her off like Katie Ka-Boom from the Animaniacs (please, someone tell me they know the reference), so she gets her blue plate every day for at least dinner. Then wash, rinse, repeat (literally).

It doesn’t stop with just her plate either, she insists on sitting in her blue chair, drinking green smoothies from her blue bottle, wearing a blue shirt, and favors her blue cloth diaper over the other colors. And I lost count of how many times we are told the sky is blue and she has blue eyes. I know she’s too young to call it official, but for the time being, blue is definitely her favorite color.

Back to the blue plate. I’ve enjoyed sharing our toddler’s eats for past What I Ate Wednesday’s, so I figured I’d share her blue plate fare (rhyming rocks!) for this week’s edition.

Breakfast – Banana, homemade chocolate protein pancake, homemade NuttZo Banana Bread, and sprouted raw pumpkin seeds.

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I’m always a bit worried about the pumpkin seeds since we’ve had several tipped plate experiences already, but lately, she’s been much better at putting her pincer grasp to use.

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Snack – Tiny But Mighty Heirloom Popcorn with more NuttZo Banana Bread.

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So it wasn’t a plate, but a blue lid seemed to pass her stringent color standards of….um…blue.

Lunch – Lots of slow-cooker veggies with black beans and a 50/50 mash of cauliflower and potatoes mixed with nutritional yeast, goat cheese, and several spices.

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Please note the blue fork. I found it on Amazon and had to buy it for the name alone; Air Fork One. She loves it too!

Big Girl Snack – hard boiled egg, diced apple, slow-cooker butternut squash, steamed veggies, and cut cherry tomatoes.

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I swear, she eats more than most adults! She’ll finish off a plate like this and simply look at us and say “more”.

Dinner – chicken thighs from a local farmer, baked apple, and more slow-cooker veggies.

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Dinner time is when she tends to get a little ornery, so we keep more food to the side or feed her from our own plate/bowl. This time, however, she was all about the chicken and the veg and used her Air Fork One very well.

Picking up the cargo..

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…dropping it off…

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…and then back out for another load. Or she’s threatening us, not sure.

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Who knows how long the blue plate phase will last, but I guess it could be something much, much worse, so as long as she keeps eating so well, blue plate it is!

Hope you have a great day, we’re getting over the hump now!

Does your kid have a particular item they must have at all times?

Ever see the Air Fork One or something like it?

Daily Toddler Fare + WIAW

Happy Hump Day, and therefore, another edition of What I Ate Wednesday! I’ve shared a day of what my toddler eats twice already (first time and second time), and now it’s time for round three.

Feeding Avery isn’t as easy as just a few weeks ago. Apparently, as the get older they get this growing sense of independence and being more self-aware which leads to toddler regression. Our patience levels are being tested on a daily basis, and from what I understand, it’s not going to get better any time soon. Yikes!

Guess now would be a good time to seriously look into meditation. I’ve been interested for a while, but haven’t made the commitment to fully immerse myself in the mindful practice. Any thoughts or advice?

Anyway, lets kick off another round of what my toddler eats in a day. Just as before, we don’t make a lot of substitutions for Avery, so what she eats, is essentially what we eat. Make sure to show some WIAW love and check out the host’s blog as well as everyone’s day of good eats.

what I ate wednesday

Breakfast Green smoothie leftover from the night before as a starter. Then she had a green banana with cinnamon and sprouted raw pumpkin seeds sprinkled on NuttZo.

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Thought I’d give the seeds a shot since she tends to love anything with a crunch (she’ll gnaw on raw onion even!), and it was a huge success!

Snack Coconut Carrot Zevia Vanilla Pudding that disappeared way too fast. No leftovers for daddy.

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Lunch – Coconut curry quinoa and black beans with Wild Planet sardines on top. I’m still amazed that she’ll eat sardines, and even yell “Fishy!” when she sees them.

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I didn’t take a picture, but she crunched on a few Go Raw Pizza Flax Snax Crackers after finishing her lunch. I may or may not of had a few the rest of the bag myself.

Since she had quite a bit for lunch, Avery wasn’t too hungry after her nap, so my wife and I spent the non-eating time in a more constructive manner. Selfies with our DSLR camera and a 50 mm lenses.

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Obviously, not easy.

Dinner – Slow-cooker local chicken thighs with stewed veggies and a potato.

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I crisped the chicken skin in the oven to use as a flavorful topping.

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A little goes a long way and it was a hit with both of my lovely ladies!

Thus ends another day of eats in the Going household. I’d say with the non-stop energy Avery has, something in the food is helping…..a lot!

Have a great Wednesday and rest of the week!

Have you ever used chicken skin as a topping? It’s like bacon, but chicken…and skin. 🙂

What My Toddler Eats In A Day 2 + WIAW

I enjoyed the first What My Toddler Eats In A Day edition of What I Ate Wednesday so much, I thought I’d do it again. Since we don’t make special “kid menu” food, it’s basically what I ate too.

Not much else to say today, so I’ll get right to it. Hope you enjoy and have a happy hump day! Big thanks to the host for this week’s WIAW!

Breakfast – We started with the usual morning green smoothie, or most of it, followed by a giant bowl of chocolate pumpkin oatmeal with NuttZo mixed in and a big spoonful on top.

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If you think that looks like a lot, that’s because it is, but Avery can freakin’ eat! Guess I’ll take it as a compliment to my cooking…..or NuttZo is just that awesome, which it is.

Snack – I had a pear from our CSA delivery that I was going to use for our green smoothie later, but figured I’d give her a few bites. It was her first time to try and she gave the sign for more in sign language, so it won’t be her last.

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She also had a whole sardine fillet from Wild Planet with zero fuss!

 

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I expected at least a head shake, but she ate it and followed up with “That’s good!” #ProudParents

Lunch – Black bean and coconut quinoa balls.

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Okay, so I’ll put my foot in my mouth since I just said we don’t do kid menu food, but I’m only half guilty. It’s still the same food, but they formed into balls so easily and made it 100 times easier to feed the crazy toddler we call daughter.

After Nap Snack Attack – There was a little oatmeal leftover from the morning, so I saved it (so close to just eating it myself!) knowing she’d want something later.

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Extra NuttZo on top and she had an awesome snack to fuel a little outside playtime.

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Throwing balls like a boss. Then I “threw” her a few times for fun flipping action.

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Only a few, we didn’t want to lose what she just had for a snack!

DinnerBlack bean spaghetti with homemade salmon salad with mustard, zucchini, and tomatoes on top. The black bean pasta may not look all fabulous….

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….but I think it makes a great cold “pasta” dish (I love cold noodles!), and it complimented the salmon salad perfectly.

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Avery and I both enjoyed the dish, but the black noodles just weren’t doing it for Going Mom. So that one’s off the list for things to make my wife. Good thing it makes our little one happy since the extra I made will be her lunch!

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She’s still surprising us with the good food she’ll eat, and we’re still hoping she keeps it up. Then again, it should come as no surprise since we simply keep the junk out. Half the picky eater problems I hear about can easily be solved it they were given fresh, whole foods from the start. But that’s a whole other blog post novel.

Do you love hot or cold noodles the best? Plain or with something mixed in?

Sardine lover or hater?