Toddler Meals / Lunch edition.

I've been sharing what Parker eats for a few months now on Instagram and Twitter, hashtag #toddlermeals. So I was excited to join the Munchkin Meals link up to see what other babes are eating. 

While I prepare most of Parker’s meals at home, we do eat lunch out once or twice a week when I’m running errands. Now that Parker is 1 (14.5 months) and can eat pretty much whatever I eat, there are many options out there, but they’re not always healthy or nutritious. 

Here are the best lunch options we’ve found:

Chipotle: Chipotle is one of the better fast food options out there for adults, so it’s no surprise that kids eat better, too. Parker demolishes food from Chipotle – and it’s probably the most wallet-friendly option! You can get a taco or taco-sized quesadilla, choice of two sides (I get black beans and brown rice), chips (which I eat!), and milk or juice. All for $3.75! Parker obviously drinks whole milk and we haven’t offered him juice yet (we plan to wait a loooong while unless he gets constipated – which hasn’t been a problem so far) - so that gets saved for mama, too. I always bring his whole milk and water for him to drink with each meal.

One note: If I go someplace like Chipotle or Moe’s that offers black beans, pinto beans, veggies, or guacamole as a topping, often I will just ask for them on the side and then just give them to Parker ;)

Panera Bread:  The kids menu is pretty limited , after all, it is just a sandwich place. I usually get Parker a turkey and cheese sandwich (comes on white wheat bread). I often ask for gouda or cheddar in place of the American cheese that comes on it. It comes with a Horizon organic “go gurt” – which Parker drinks with a straw ;) I’ll usually supplement this meal with something from home – a pouch or chopped pickle, or some fruit. He also gets a few pieces of my baguette dipped in some of my fantastically-delicious broccoli cheese soup.

Chick Fil A: Chick Fil A is another wonderfully kid-friendly place. They offer table toppers with their high chairs! I get Parker a 4-piece grilled nuggets (not breaded) with a cup of fruit. The fruit is not the typical melon-heavy cop out that you sometimes get :) The fruit cup usually has strawberries, pineapple, green apples, and grapes.

Finally, another tip. Parker and I met my parents at Applebee’s once when I was visiting my hometown, and none of the kids menu options looked healthy or good to me. So I ordered Parker a Spinach & Artichoke flatbread from the appetizer menu! It was about $7, which was more expensive than most kids menus, but it was (a bit) healthier. I recommend checking the appetizer section and/or sharing part of huge restaurant meals with your toddler. It beats the chicken nuggets – grilled cheese – hot dog options any day!

Toddler Meals

I’m really enjoying Munchkin Meals. It’s inspired me to be a little more creative in the kitchen. On that note, I am excited about the focus on breakfast this week, because I feel like we’re in a rut for that particular meal.

Most mornings, Parker has an organic waffle (Nature’s Path, Kashi) with a touch of butter or syrup or pancakes (Trader Joe's Homestyle Pancakes or Van’s organic), with fruit – berries, pears, peaches, bananas, etc. So to mix things up a bit this week, I made Parker (and mama & daddy!) some banana blueberry muffins! They were a hit – moist and full of banana goodness! I gave him one muffin with some fruit and a YoBaby yogurt. It’s safe to say I’ll be making these again. A couple notes about the recipe: I only had two ripe bananas, so per one of the suggestions I substituted ¼ cup (unsweetened) applesauce. I also had enough batter to make 16 muffins (not 12) and they we’re perfectly done in my oven in 16 minutes. I look forward to seeing what everyone cooks up this week! I've been logging what Parker eats on Instagram and Twitter, hashtag #toddlermeals

Tips & Tricks Tuesday / Vinegar!

Hi everyone! I'm temporarily blogging in my old space until I set up a new blog in a few weeks. Pardon the dust!

I’m excited about Meagan’s link up, because I’m always looking for nuggets to put to good use. I am obsessed with things like “5 New Uses for safety pins” in Real Simple or any creative Pinterest recipe. 

Today, I wanted to share my love affair with…vinegar! Yes, vinegar. It’s revolutionized the way I clean my home. I have a gut feeling that most of us don’t clean the way our moms used to. I do it as little as possible and only when company’s coming – amiright?

When I got pregnant with my now-14 month old, I started researching “green” cleaners. Like all first-time moms, I was paranoid about bringing unnecessary, harmful chemicals into our house. However, most of the “safe” ones are rather expensive, and I found that I needed one formula for my bathroom tile, one for my tub, a different one for my kitchen counters, etc.

That’s why I was happy to discover that plain old white VINEGAR is a wonderful all-purpose cleaner that I can use in all rooms, all surfaces. AND it’s much safer than even the green cleaners out there. I bought a gallon of vinegar at Target for a measly $2.39 and a nice 32 oz. Rubbermaid spray bottle at our local hardware store. I filled the bottle with 75% vinegar, 25% water. I use it all day, every day – it’s especially good for quickly cleaning my son’s high chair after each meal. A few spritzes, a cloth, and I’m done.

Here are other great uses for vinegar:

• Set out a small glass bowl of vinegar in a room that needs deodorizing. It will pull the nasty smells right out of the air. I do this in my son’s bathroom where we keep the Diaper Champ (i.e. diaper genie)
• Use as a rinse aid in your dishwasher! It will help clean the gunk off your dishes in lieu of Electrosol tabs
• Kills and repels ants that find their way into your house in the summer
• Perfect for killing bacteria on kitchen cutting boards (especially butcher block)
• Clean your kids toys and anything they chew on
• Combine with baking soda to clean faucets and other fixtures

    I know there are many more uses for vinegar (just google it!) but these are the ways I've used it!

    What are your favorite cleaning products?

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Toddler Meals

Hope everyone had a wonderful Independence Day! We hosted my parents (and later, my in-laws) for a cookout - hamburgers and hot dogs. And every single piece was eaten - nothing leftover for the baby! It's okay - he had plenty.


I didn't mention this last week, but I'm still breastfeeding Parker twice a day - when he wakes up and when he goes to sleep. So around 7:30 or so he nurses, then has breakfast around 9:00. 


Breakfast

Parker (14 months as of yesterday!) had plums, blackberries and pancakes (with a bit of butter/cinnamon). Milk and water to follow.


Fruit + pancakes or whole grain waffle (yogurt, too) is a pretty typical for him. I'm looking for ideas to mix it up a little. 


Lunch

Parker had a bit of a different lunch - usually he gets something like this for dinner. I made him Pasta Primavera, basically: Whole wheat pasta, marinara sauce, and vegetables. 


I do make sure he gets complex carbs throughout the day because he is only 40th percentile for weight and he's walking EVERYWHERE now. However, it's not typical for him to have pasta twice in a day - mama was a little harried today. He normally has eggs or a "sandwich" of sorts.







Dinner

I actually hauled out the "nice" camera for dinner! I wanted to make use of a big eggplant I bought, and one of the girls in my online mom's group suggested baking eggplant "fries". I used this recipe - they were quick to make & turned out great. Parker loved them! There aren't many in the picture because he ate all of them first! He is getting pickier about new foods, so that's saying something. Marinara sauce (with leftover pasta) was the perfect accompaniment. He also had most of a peach for dessert. 


I added some gratuitous pictures of my baby because he's just so beautiful ;) 


As I mentioned last week, I've been sharing what Parker eats through Twitter and Instagram - hashtag #toddlermeals - so feel free to follow!