Easy finger foods?

So, I am struggling with this age as far as the feeding thing goes. They are so stuck in the middle between baby and toddler that I never know what to feed them, never know what they will actually eat, etc. I feel like they are eating the same processed crap (for lack of a better word) every day because it is all they will eat. Breakfasts are pretty easy but lunch is difficult because they take their nap right at lunch time and dinner is even more confusing because they ate lunch only a few hours earlier. Also, we've never been able to figure out how to get dinner made and eaten prior to bedtime so we've always eaten our dinner after the twins go to sleep. If anyone can give me ideas for things to feed them that are healthy without needing much preparation, I would greatly appreciate it. Many times DH is feeding them without me home and he usually goes for quick and easy. Right now they usually get


Breakfast: waffles, cereal or scrambled eggs, banana
Lunch: cheese, puffs, animal crackers, hot dog, chicken patties, fresh fruit, yogurt
Dinner: hot dog, chicken patty, pasta pick ups, cheese, fruit

As you see, not so healthy, not so balanced. I've tried veggies and so far they end up in the dogs' mouths. Any advice is welcome

 

Here is just a few meals we do. I eat at the same time as them about half of the time.

Breakfast: mango, banana, hard boiled egg, 1/2 bagel, blueberries, strawberries, orange

lunch: grilled cheese sandwich, cheese crisp, mac and cheese, peas, green beans, black beans and cottage cheese

dinner: grilled chicken with peppers and onions, English muffin pizzas, rotini with broccoli and squash, soft bean tacos (messy but good)

 

At 13 months, I still supplemented with baby food so that they could get in their fruit and veggies.
In the morning they were still eating baby cereal, fruit (cut up & steamed apples, oranges, bananas, cut up grapes, blueberries, pears, etc.)
lunch: yogurt, fruit, pb&j, waffles, eggs, pancakes, veggies (green beans were a big hit in our house at that time)
dinner: we gave them whatever we were having (except for shellfish, we have shellfish allergies in the family, so that waited until 2).

I would probably still offer the veggies (maybe a small amount) and design your meals to they eat what you and DH are eating but also add something that you know they'll eat (i.e. you have chicken and green beans and you know they'll eat apple slices...give them that with their chicken and green beans).

 

Yeah, I found that age (between baby and toddler) to be rather awkward as far as feeding went. It was really important for me to have family meals, so very early on I would give them stuff off of our plates (nothing too spicy or a choking hazard) to munch on, and then "top them up" with fruit-and-yogurt and/or baby food afterward (especially veggies, which they would not and *still* won't voluntarily eat for the most part).

As they got older (15-16 months), they refused to be spoon-fed any more, so they were 100% self-fed. I've done a lot of reading, and a lot of nutritionists say that fruits and veggies are very similar nutritionally, so I always offer veggies and model good eating (knowing they will usually be rejected), but I always have lots of fruits available so they get the needed fiber and nutrients. I also serve meals with at least a couple of things that I know they will eat, and almost always serve bits of bread (or pita, etc.) knowing they can fill up on that and milk as a last resort.

Another thing I've read is to always offer a balanced meal (carb, fat, protein, fruit/veggie) at every meal/snack. Knowing this really helps me plan our family meals, as well as gives me guidance for snacks. I have several things I rotate in and out of our diet, and mix and match as needed. Typical protein offerings are: hot dogs, fish sticks, bologna, grilled chicken, grilled fish, veggie burgers. Typical carbs: sweet potato fries, baked french fries, bread, biscuits, buns, pitas, crackers, graham crackers, rice, couscous, noodles. I add a veggie and/or fruit to every meal/snack to round it out. Sometimes we'll make home made pizza with tons of finely chopped veggies (some even hidden in the sauce), which really counts for just about all of the food groups! :lol:

Sometimes quick-and-easy is just what you have to do to get dinner on the table. I don't stress if I have to feed them hot dogs twice a week, as long as I offer some healthier sides. I also will pick up a rotisserie chicken almost once per week and slap that on the table with some sweet potato fries, piece of bread, a bunch of grapes, and call it a meal!

Take heart, meals get a *lot* easier as they get older and can eat more things. Sure we have bouts of pickiness and random toddler insanity, but things are so much less stressful now than they were at the beginning of the second year.

Good luck!

 

Just some thoughts of easy things I throw out there for my two:

Cottage cheese - plain or mixed with apple sauce and cinnamon
Meatballs are a huge hit here. I make a big batch and freeze them... and I found some in the freezer section that my guys love too.
Hummus with crackers or bread/toast
Rotissorie chicken is a big hit here too. It doesn't seem as "stringy" as my chicken, so they are less likely to spit it out
Broccoli in a lot of velveeta and milk melted. They love this & it's good for my 2 who are working on self feeding with a spoon. I mash up the broccoli with a fork so it's pretty small. It turns into a thick soup.
Cooked carrots are the fav. veggie here.
Blueberries, avocado, beans, chickpeas, blackberries, raspberries.... some go to's

We are a left-over family. I made a huge pot of chicken and noodles from scratch on my day off, and we will eat that for 3 or 4 meals! It's definitely stressful at this age to get a family dinner on the table with work schedules, bed times, etc. So frequently we do not eat together. I think as they get older this will get better? Hopefully!?

 

breakfast: oatmeal with pureed fruit, english muffin, waffles or pancakes made with nutririch mix with pureed fruit on top
lunch and dinner faves: chicken breast or thighs (bbq or baked with bread crumbs), they LOVE salmon, Barilla pasta plus (wheat + extra protein) with sauce mixed 1:1 with pureed squash or sweet potato, anything with red sauce- they ate spinach tonight with red sauce on it. I will steam carrots but they just throw them on the floor. I only have luck with pureed veggies so far. We often give them leftovers from our dinner for lunch the next day.

 

My boys have been strictly table food for the past 2 months, here are some things that I do:

Breakfast: Oatmeal(Apples and Cinammon, Maple and Brown Suger), french toast, pancakes, yogurt, bananas, strawberries, banana bites

Lunch: hot dogs, chicken nuggets, fish sticks, mac n cheese, beefaroni, grapes, bananas, strawberries, green beans

Dinner: anything I make for dinner, unless it is spicy/choking hazard

For snacks I give fruit, raisins, cheerios, goldfish, nutrigrain bars(they love)

Here is a great website for meal ideas! http://weelicious.com/

 

Unfortunately, this requires preparation, which is part of the difficulty We are also having difficulty with anything requiring being spoon fed unless both DH and I are home because my children have no concept of patience. If one is being fed and the other is not, screaming ensues very quickly. I am reassured by reading this that we aren't too off the mark with what we are feeding them. I was feeling guilty about all the hot dogs and chicken nuggets, but I do use a good amount of fresh fruit.

Maybe I just need to let loose a little more with meal times and not worry about the mess. I've been avoiding the whole fruit spread on toast or a pancake, etc because they end up just wearing the spread. Last week, peanut butter became a new hair gel!

The other problem I have is figuring out when mealtimes actually are. They wake up at 7ish but if it is a morning I am not working they often play in bed for a while before they wake us up. Some mornings we aren't starting breakfast until almost 9 by the time we nurse, get changed and get downstairs. We do a snack at 11ish and they are usually down for nap between 11:30 and 12. They sleep until about 2, then we do lunch. Afternoon snack is about 4 and dinner about 6. The problem with that is that they go to bed between 7-8 and so sometimes they are too cranky to achieve a decent dinner. We try to eat with them but so far we have failed. We accomplish eating together at breakfast most days. Lunch often doesn't happen because we eat lunch ourselves while they are napping. Dinner is the biggest struggle, especially when I am at work. DH tried really hard to have dinner ready last night for us and so he had the twins in their boosters watching baby einstein while he cooked. I got home and we sat immediately down to eat but DS had an epic meltdown because he had already been in his chair a while and wanted to get down. I ended up shoveling food in while he sat in my lap and I tried to get him to eat a little bit. Mind you, we were eating spaghetti so I ended up covered in red sauce. It's episodes like that where I want to just go back to eating once they're in bed because it is easier.

 

From looking at your schedule, maybe your kids are not particularly hungry at dinner time. Thus the fussiness and them being impatient at the table. I find it that mine eat a lot more if I/we eat with them. They love to be fed from our plates, even though they have the same thing on theirs! Just a suggestion . . . try to get breakfast sooner like at 8. I feed mine before I get them dressed/cleaned up in the morning. They get all messy and dirty anway! If you do breakfast sooner you can do lunch sooner, in place of your 11 snack. So breakfast at 8, lunch at 11, nap, then a significant snack when they wake at 2ish then dinner at 6.
I usually cook dinner, or at least prep it, while the kids are taking their afternoon nap. That way it is less to do when they are awake. Also, try to eat when they are. I eat whatever I feed them, snack and all. (maybe thats why I havent lost my baby weight yet!) "Peanut butter became the new hair gel", hilarious! Let loose and let them get messy, it washes off! I put mine in the bath every single night and wash out all kinds of food in their hair.
Some other foods to try that I didnt see in the previous posts:
sloppy joes- or just ground beef, turkey, pork or even chicken cooked and crumbled up
shredded chicken, turkey - you can make your own with a campbells soup added to the meat
diced ham- they sell it already diced in small pieces
potato salad
macaroni salad
egg salad
steamed fish- like salmon or talapia with a little lemon juice squeezed on it
perogies - buy the ones with broccoli in it- mine love perogies
mine wont eat a lot of veggies plain so I cook them in some sort of "sauce" whether it be cheese, soy sauce, teriyaki sauce (with butter and honey cooked)
red beans and rice - all kinds
baked beans
corn
you can also puree fresh spinach with any fruit and add it yogurt - it doesnt taste like spinach at all, it takes on the taste of whatever fruit you puree it with
I make alot of soups and pull out the meat, starches and veggies and feed them - that way they are seasoned and more flavorful (like corn chowder, or vegetable beef)
diced avocado
tabbouleh

Good Luck!

 

My daughter won't take anything unless she can feed herself. Will starve before she will take a spoon from me. I have found liverwurst (like pate) on a spoon she can easily lick off and the kids love it !! High in iron.
avocados, banana, dried blueberries /fresh, strawberries, kiwi, frozen mixed veggies (I just cook in microwave and rinse off with cold water and they are ready to eat), pancakes, waffles.
small slices of sandwiches, cheese, deli meat, spagetti in bath night, yogurt in a tube, some kid of leftovers like lasagne or casserole. Cereal bars, muffins, grape tomatoes cut in half, grapes,
small pieces of apple, small pieces of orange, hot dogs.

 

We are trying to eat together at dinner, too, and something I like to do is prepare a food they can gnaw on by themselves before we eat, then eat the rest of the meal together. Mine LOVE corn on the cob (I score about every 3rd row so they can get at the sweet stuff first)- and I can boil the corn (takes 8 minutes); pull theirs out & put them in freezer to cool down for 3 minutes. DH & mine can sit in the hot water, done, until we eat. Then give them the corn and it buys you another 15 minutes until the rest of the meal is done. At which point they can eat 'new' stuff- your protein, sides, etc. Mine also would eat fruit all the live long day. I also like to use leftovers the next day for lunch.

 

We have often purchased one of those roasted cooked chickens from the grocery story still warm -- the girls eat that chicken and then I grab a potato salad and a couple of other items to make it a meal. It is better than the usual burger take out.

Don't beat yourself up to try to always have a family meal. There might be days when it is just easier to eat yourself later. Do what seems to work out the best for you at this time.

Heather

 

Lots of good ideas on foods from PP.

Don't worry about the mess - my DD has days when she would rather starve then let someone feed her. So I serve mostly finger foods for the whole family and she gets her spoon or the plate of fingerfood and I just wipe down the table, high chairs, floor and if necessary strip the babies (and often enough myself) after the meal. We have had days when we had to wipe the ceiling of our dining room! But thegood thing is that at 13 months the babies are pretty independent eaters and my husband and I (or whoever is home for the meal) actually manage to eat together with the twins.

I have also found that they will eat nearly anything off our plates. If they watch us eating something they will want to try it too. So I just make sure that whatever the adults have is suitable for the babies too, easier once they passed the one year mark. If we don't eat something, they won't either - and they will test whether we really share their food by feeding us from their plates and spoons. They also feed oneanother which is very messy but it is very sweet and makes them enjoy meals for longer stretches of time, so they don't want to get down from their highchairs as quickly.