Meal Supplements

Pediasure or Boost are very popular options for meal replacements or supplements that doctors and nutritionists recommend when children have trouble gaining weight or are poor eaters. If you've ever looked at the ingredient list there is a lot of ingredients that make a lot of moms wonder what exactly they are putting in their child's body. I'm not knocking them at all, they are very convenient and provide great nutrition, however sometimes parents are looking for a more natural option. I've put together a couple options that include more natural ingredients while keeping a good calorie, fat and protein ratio. My recommendation is that if you're using these as a meal replacement (i.e. your child won't eat and they drink instead) you should include a multi-vitamin to make sure they are getting all the vitamins and minerals they need. However, if you're just using it to boost calories then you shouldn't need a vitamin.

Basic Recipe

1 cup whole milk Kefir

1/2 cup banana (approx. a small banana)

2 Tbs Nestle Nido

1/2 Tbs honey

Kefir is more sour than milk, which is why I've added honey. You could also add fruit juice, sugar or anything a little sweeter.

The best part of this recipe is that you can really substitute anything. If you can't find kefir, you can use equal parts milk and yogurt. You could also just use milk or half and half. If your child has a milk allergy you could use coconut milk kefir or any milk substitute that you like.

If your child doesn't like bananas you can use any fruit, you could also forgo the fruit and add a splash of vanilla or chocolate if your child likes that. Again you can also use formula in place of the nido, which would make it a more balanced option if you're using it as a meal replacement.

You'll notice in the nutritional information below that the kefir options appear to have more sugar, but it's unrefined sugar - a mixture of fruit, honey and milk sugars. You'll also notice that there isn't vitamin information for the kefir options, it's because they are listed as adult servings on the package and I didn't want to do the math.

Allergies

I've realized that a lot of my recipes contain items that many kids with common allergies can't have.
Does your child have allergies? If so, to what? And what kind of recipes are you looking for?

Edible Play-dough

If your child is anything like mine, they enjoy eating foods that are "off-limits" more than those that they are supposed to be eating. Emma LOVES to eat play-dough and because we had so many issues with getting her to eat I didn't want to tell her no in fear that she'd stop putting anything in her mouth, so this a great solution.

Obviously you can use any nut butter you like and as much or as little honey. Make sure to use whole milk powder for the most bang for your buck!

EDIBLE PEANUT BUTTER PLAYDOUGH

about 18 oz. of peanut butter
about 6 tbsp. of honey
about 1 1/2 cups of powdered milk

Mix all ingredients well. Add powdered milk until the playdough is workable with your hands. This is a fun recipe for kids to play with and certainly has a yummy taste. Optional: Use raisins, nuts, or candy to decorate. Don't forget to eat!

Mixing it Up

One thing I've learned about toddlers is that you have to mix things up in order to keep them interested.

At a party this weekend I learned a new trick...toothpicks!
Emma thinks that eating food off toothpicks is a ton of fun and will eat much more off of them than she will a fork. Give it a try! Toothpicks come in a ton of fun colors, or have a decoration on the end that kids will really love.

How do you keep mealtime fun?

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Peanut Butter Balls

My daughter likes anything that is in a ball shape. I’m not sure what it is, but she’ll eat almost anything if it’s round. If you’re child is allergic to peanuts any kind of nut butter will do.

Milk and Honey Peanut Butter Balls
2-3 dozen balls, depending on size

2/3 cup natural creamy peanut butter (crunchy can be used too)
1/3 cup honey or agave syrup
1/3 cup unsweetened coconut
1 cup malted milk powder (or dried milk powder)
Mix all ingredients until they form a crumbly, sticky mass. Roll into balls.


As a variation you can add a crispy rice cereal instead of coconut.


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Weight Gainer's Mac and Cheese Au Gratin Recipe

One of the problems with having a tiny toddler is that when you make her recipes like this it's REALLY hard not to partake. Just eating her leftovers would make my bum grow!
With recipes like these I usually just freeze the leftovers in individual servings so I can pull them out for her when we're having something she won't eat, or I need something fast.

Weight Gainer's Mac and Cheese Au Gratin Recipe
Makes 7 1/2 servings

Nutritional facts are calculated for 1 cup-servings. This can be made gluten free by using brown rice pasta and brown rice flour.

Ingredients

8oz whole wheat elbow macaroni
2cups evaporated milk
1/3cup powdered milk
2tbsp butter
2tbsp brown rice flour
8oz shredded cheddar cheese
1/3cup grated parmesan cheese
1/4cup olive oil
1cup oat flour
2tbsp ground flaxseed

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Combine the evaporated milk and powdered milk and set aside.
3. Heat olive oil in a small saucepan. Remove form heat and add oat flour, flaxseed, and parmesan cheese.
4. Cook the macaroni until al dente--about 10 to 15 minutes. Drain.
5. Prepare a thin white sauce: melt 2 tbsp butter in a small sauce pan, add 2 tbsp rice flour and salt to taste. Bring to a bubble, remove from heat, add two cups milk, and return to heat, stirring constantly for 1-2 minutes.
6. Add grated cheddar cheese to white sauce and blend well.
7. Combine macaroni and white sauce mixture in a 2-quart casserole. Top with the oat flour mixture.
8. Bake for about 20 minutes or until lightly browned.
9. Serve with salad (with dressing, of course!) or veggies fried in olive oil to make an awesome weight gain meal.:]

Calories (yes, per 1 cup serving): 575
Fat: 38g
Protein: 20g

Tracking Calories

I know for some parents it's essential to track your child's caloric intake. I used to have a spreadsheet of every food Emma ate and the nutritional value of it. Even for foods I made from scratch I would calculate the values. It was pretty time consuming, but it helped me to see how she was doing.
Here is a great site that offers nutritional guidelines for children AND makes it easy to track!

http://www.mypyramidtracker.gov/planner/index.aspx



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Breakfast Ideas

A couple great high calorie recipes!
Keep in mind that these are all adult size recipes, so you’ll probably get a couple servings out of each one.


Super Cereal (Single Serving)
7 oz Evaporated Milk
2 tbs Butter
1 ½ oz Cream of Wheat""
1 oz Brown Sugar
Cinnamon
Heat evaporated milk in a saucepan. Dissolve butter and brown sugar in heated liquid. Add cereal until it thickens. Add cinnamon to taste.
544 Calories, 37g fat, 16g protein

HIGH CALORIE DRINK
1 (8 oz.) yogurt
1/2 c. milk
1/4 c. honey
3 tbsp. toasted wheat germ
1 c. strawberries
1/8 tsp. almond extract
Combine all ingredients in electric blender, whip until smooth and frothy. Yield 3 cups
Total: 685 calories, 16.5g fat, 25g protein







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Toddler Foods

Lately I've had a ton of requests for ideas for toddler foods. I've compiled a list that will hopefully help you come up with ideas (obviously in our house we put fat on everything)

Fruit
Steamed vegetables
Quesadillas
Cheese
Yogurt
Beans

Mac & Cheese
Various Pastas
Chunks of Rotisserie chicken
Meatballs
Scrambled eggs
Waffles
Applesauce
Creamy peanut butter (or other nut butter)
Cream cheese/jelly on flat bread
Chicken nuggets
Gnocchi
Sweet potato fries
Grilled cheese
Boca/veggie burgers
Hamburger
Ravioli
Oatmeal/Cream of Wheat
Edamame
Tofu
Hummus
Stir Fry

Rice
Couscous
Earth’s Best Organic cheese crackers
Tater Tots
String cheese
Cereal
Thinly-sliced deli meat
Roasted veggies
Turkey burgers
Guacamole

Tofu

I'd love to hear your favorites!