Eating with Purpose
Have you ever heard this phrase? “Eating before one is just for fun.” Well, it is clear that our one-year-old now eats with purpose.
He demands to eat when he’s hungry, which happens at least six times per day. He has developed preferences — cheese, chicken, bananas, blueberries — and loves to snack. He prefers to use utensils and lets us know when he wants more by reaching and whining and sometimes signing. He also lets us know when he’s finished by throwing every last bite onto the floor. He likes to “clean his plate,” I suppose.
Now that meals and snacks have become more purposeful (and the sole source of his nutrients since he is no longer breastfeeding — more on that in a future post), I feel a greater responsibility to offer wholesome, healthy options and make each meal a balanced one.
During the week, breakfast typically consists of fruit (1 small banana or 1/4 cup berries) and either a whole wheat waffle with cream cheese or an egg scrambled with cherry tomatoes and spinach. I should mention this comes after he gets a handful of multi-grain Cheerios while Mommy brews a cup of coffee and prepares our “real” breakfast.
Lunches and dinners are more versatile. Here are a few examples:
1. chicken + cheese quesadilla, mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, avocado
2. multi-grain toast with red pepper hummus, cheddar cheese, grapes, peaches
3. turkey hot dog, Annie’s macaroni + cheese, apples, peas
4. enchilada casserole with ground turkey + corn + beans, watermelon, cantaloupe
He now gets whole milk with every meal, though he usually doesn’t take more than a few sips. And so he also gets a combination of yogurt and cheese every day. (Any tips on getting your little one to drink more milk would be greatly appreciated!)
And did I mention that this kid has discovered our snack cupboard? It’s always stocked with Plum Organics puree pouches, Annie’s cheddar bunnies, and Earth’s Best graham crackers. And we find him there at least three times per day.
I’m anxious for the day when Sam can really and truly be my mini sous chef. But until then, we try to involve him in the kitchen as much as possible.
Yes, our little man is now eating with purpose. But he still has a lot of fun while doing it.
Check out the Munchkin Meals linkup from A Healthy Slice of Life for more food ideas for one-year-olds!
Nice post! I always love seeing what other toddlers are eating. My Sam’s meals are very similar, down to the exact same handful of multi-grain Cheerios while I make coffee. (TGFC – Thank God for Cheerios.) I wish I had some tips for getting them to drink more milk, but we have a similar issue. I did find out last week that upon being giving a chocolate chip cookie, Sammy will down the entire cup in one sitting. Probably not the most health-conscious of choices…!
This post is so helpful and I LOVE the picture of Sammy stirring up whatever is in that bowl with you. I’m also very excited for the day when my little man can help me cook. My son is 11 months now and his meals look pretty similar to what you feed Sam, but it’s always nice to get some new ideas. When did he figure out how to use the spoon? My son just chews on his spoon and then throws it on the floor – he can’t seem to figure out how to use it to get yogurt/oatmeal into his mouth yet.
Sam just started to use the spoon about two weeks ago. He still only gets about 1/3 of what he’s eating into his mouth. Ha! But he loves to hold onto it throughout the entire meal. Your little guy will figure it out. But be prepared to clean up more messes!
P LOVES going into the pantry and pulling snacks out for herself. We’re actually in a stage now when we try to limit the snacks to scheduled snacks and she is NOT a fan.
Oh my goodness, I love that picture of him in the cupboard- too cute! Sounds like he has a good appetite- my daughter is the same way. Makes it so much easier to feed them well! I grew up in southeastern PA… not too far from you.
SO HELPFUL. I serve Henry the same things over and over because I just get stumped.
What a good eater! Love seeing all the healthy foods your little man eats. We’ve got a pretty good eater as well but he’s not as good at eating his veggies plain. I have to hide them in veggie nuggets, won tons and other foods. At least he’s getting them in though!
So cute! My son is 16 months old and we stopped breastfeeding at a year old. I don’t remember him ever not really drinking his milk, but I did wonder if he was “getting enough” since I knew he was getting certain amounts from me with his bottles at the babysitter and when we nursed. Anyway, this isn’t very “scientific” and might not be helpful, but I remind myself daily – toddlers (you have a toddler now!) are pretty finicky. My son will eat his “trees” broccoli one night and toss them over his shoulder another. One week, he’ll love chicken pot pie, the next, he won’t take a bite! I just keep offering stuff and hope for the best. One night, I swear all he ate was a pear. You certainly have a good eater on your hands! My point is, just keep offering the milk during the day. He’ll eventually drink it up. For awhile, I thought my son was drinking too much milk and offered some watered down juice once a day. He hated it. Water and milk for my boy – that’s fine!
Sounds like you have a GREAT eater on your hands!! So awesome.
Thanks for the meal ideas! Scarlett is not a picky eater either! Her favorites are pasta salad and mandarin oranges. We’ve tried introducing 2oz of whole milk into her 4oz of formula and she totally knows and wont drink it. I am so over buying formula, not really sure what to do either
What a cutie! I am super impressed that he is using a spoon and eats off a plate. Every time I try a plate with Lucas he throws it on the floor before it can make it in his mouth. Any tips? Lucas is loving the cows milk but he is still drinking it out of his bottle. I’ve offered it in the cup several times and he hardly touches it (although he always drinks his water from the cup). Someone told me that it could take awhile for them to want it out of the cup because it’s like when you pick up a cup thinking it’s water and it’s actually sprite. Sam is such a good eater! Love the food ideas!
Sam just recently started to use a spoon. And he only gets about 1/3 of the food into his mouth. Ha! But now he wants to hold onto it while eating every meal. As for the plate, I started to put all of his meals onto it about two weeks ago. If he’s hungry, he has no problem eating off it. But once he’s full and starts to play with his food, that’s when the plate goes into the air and the food goes onto the floor. Lucas will get the hang of it!
And thanks for the milk tips. I know Sam will get there.
I love your pictures! My 10-month-old gets a handful of Cheerios every morning, too, while Mommy or Daddy makes coffee.
That enchilada casserole looks good – can you share the recipe?
Thanks, Coleen! Gotta love Cheerios
And, yes, I’ve been meaning to post the recipe for the enchilada casserole. Thanks for the reminder. I will do it soon!
Sam is such a good eater! My Sophie is the same way, and her meals seem very similiar. Our snack cabinet is up high so she can’t exactly get into it, but she certainly points to it when she is hungry!
As to drinking more milk….have you tried the sippy cup with the pop-up straw? That is the only kind of cup that Sophie has ever used, and she drinks from them like a champ. She loves to drink water or formula from them, and we just started mixing whole milk into her formula and she guzzles it down. Also, do you give him the cup when he’s playing? She always has a cup on the floor with her, that way she can drink at her leisure. He may not want the milk because he is more interested in eating the food during his meals…which is definitely how Sophie is, too!
Just a few ideas. Hope that helps!
By the way…I love your blog! Sophie is just about two weeks younger than Sammy, so I love seeing what they are up to!
Miguel over drinks milk. only give him water with meals and milk in between (part of snack) . I give Miguel a cup right when he gets up… sometimes If I am lucky he will actually go back down for 30 min to 1 hr. he eats breakfast a while after. give him one before his late morning nap…. before 11. he eats lunch when he wakes up. then around 3ish I give him another before his afternoon nap… I usually water this one down. and then one before bed time. I give him water with meals and usually only takes sips because he gets full off food. pediatrician says that he only needs 2-3 cups. 2 if he eats yogurt and cheese. to not give with meals so he eats enough and gets calories and nutrition from food. which I never had luck giving it to him with meals either… he gets full and sometimes throws up if milk is with a meal.
My son will not drink milk with a meal but if I fill a cup and leave it out while he plays he will drink the whole thing in less than 30 minutes.
Where did you get those adorable plates from? I love them.
Thank you so much for your post! After my 17 month old and I battled our second round of Norovirus, he’s become a VERY picky eater. He used to want to try new things and now, not so much. One thing I have found that he LOVES is homemade veggie ranch. I usually throw in a 10oz. frozen spinach and a carrot or two in the food processor, along with my homemade dry ranch, milk and greek yogurt. He simply adores dipping his food, so he gets this veggie ranch at lunch at least, every day. I figure, if he doesn’t eat any other veggies that day, at least he’s getting something!
As for milk, we make sure he gets a sippy in the morning and before brushing his teeth for bed. It’s still sort of like his morning and evening bottle. I’ve found that, especially in the morning, it allows both of us to wake up before I attempt to even touch the stove!
Your son and mine are identical in their behavior. My son grabs his snacks when he wants them. Has to have some cherrios in the morning in those same bowls on the kitchen floor while I cook breakfast. I loved seeing this blog
Thanks for the great ideas! When my 16 month old won’t drink his milk, I let him use the “big boy crazy straw”. I have to sit with him since it could get messy if I don’t help hold the straw, but he is always willing to drink more.