Here it is…  Our 7th round of Toddler Food.  I got this question this question from a fellow mama this week and I thought I’d share:

How do you get your little girl to eat everything on her plate?  Also, do you spoon feed her, or does she feed herself?

To be honest, the answer to the first question is we don’t. Instead, we let her eat as much as she wants to eat, and when she says she’s done, we wash her hands and face and then let her be done.  We’d rather her learn to listen to her body and stop eating when she’s no longer hungry than make her eat a determined amount of food based on what we think is right.  Now keep in mind that she’s a perfectly healthy little girl who has always eaten a variety of foods, gained weight well, and reached her milestones “on time”, so we really have no worries about her growth or development (I’m sure we may feel differently otherwise).  That’s not to say that we don’t do things to encourage her to eat good meals, because we definitely do.  Firstly, we try to make sure that she doesn’t snack all day long, thus making sure that’s she’s actually hungry at mealtimes (we normally stick to the routine of breakfast, morning snack, lunch, afternoon snack, and then dinner).  Secondly, we all sit down to eat together (when Brad’s home, otherwise it’s Gracen and I) and eat the same meals (no separate kid meals, thank goodness!)  Lastly, although we rarely have the TV on while Grae is awake, we make sure it’s off during meals and often listen to music instead.

As for spoon feeding her vs. letting her feed herself, she pretty much always feeds herself, even if it’s something like soup or yogurt.  She definitely likes to be independent (a like that started very early on) so she’s actually fed herself for a long while already.  Sometimes she uses a spoon or fork,  and sometimes she uses her hands.  We’ve embraced the fact that mealtimes are going to be messy and just let her do her thing and worry about cleaning up afterwards (on days where everything in a 5 foot radius is covered with quinoa, I remind myself that feeding herself is great for her fine motor development).  Of course, if she asks for help or needs assistance getting those last couple of bites, we help her.

Whew!  Those were long answers for what seemed like fairly simple questions.  Anyways, on with some of the things Miss G ate this week…

Breakfast // All-natural peanut butter and bananas on toasted multigrain artisan bread.  Organic plain whole milk yogurt with Back to Earth’s Weeds & Seeds (buckwheat, hulled hemp seeds, sesame seeds, chia, dandelion leaf, plantain leaf, black currants, and cinnamon) and strawberries.

Breakfast // Organic plain whole milk yogurt with hemp hearts, chia, diced apple, dried organic cranberries, and a sprinkling of cinnamon.

Breakfast // Mango chunks and strawberry slices.  Cream of wheat with cinnamon and organic whole milk.

Breakfast // Avocado and organic egg scramble.  Sprouted grain sesame toast drizzled with olive oil.  Banana coins.

Snack // Apple cars (one of G’s favourites – she zooms them around until the wheels fall off before eating them).

Snack // Plain stovetop-popped popcorn.

Snack // Tofu cubes.

Snack // Walnuts. Almonds. Strawberry slices.

Snack / Lunch {on the go} // All-natural almond butter and bananas on multigrain artisan bread. Cucumber slice, orange sections, black grapes, and carrot sticks.  Cheese cubes.  Tofu cubes.

Lunch // Brown rice with spicy black beans and veggies, cheese, and fresh avocado.

Lunch // Homemade tomato basil brown rice soup.  Grilled mozzarella and pesto on multigrain artisan bread.

Lunch // Tuscan white bean salad (white beans, avocado, steamed beets, cucumbers, fresh parsley, fresh basil, grape seed oil, and balsamic vinegar).

Lunch {on the go} // Veggie sandwich (avocado, cucumber, spinach, and cheese) on sprouted grain sesame bread.  Mango cubes and strawberry slices.  Cheese cubes.  Carrot stick.  No-salt-added chickpeas.

Dinner //  Baked chicken and refried bean burritos.  Homemade guacamole.

{Breakfast for} Dinner (a while Papa’s working late special) // Veggie and egg scramble (organic eggs, zucchini, sun-dried tomatoes, onions, garlic, herbs, and mozzarella).  Carrot walnut pancakes with cinnamon yogurt drizzle.  Orange sections and black grapes.

Dinner {out} // Steamed nori.  Veggie roll.  Edamame beans.  Steamed broccoli. Green salad. Teriyaki chicken on rice.

Dinner // Veggie and bean pasta and cheese (Don’t see any veggies? The sauce is made with chickpeas, steamed carrots, onions, zucchini, garlic, cheese, herbs, and spices.  A great option if you need to ‘trick’ your kid into eating more veggies.)

Dinner // Corn on the cob.  Roasted chicken. Tuscan white bean salad (white beans, avocado, steamed beets, cucumbers, fresh parsley, fresh basil, grape seed oil, and balsamic vinegar). Veggie and bean pasta and cheese.

Dinner // Crusted baked tilapia.  Spinach fettuccine  with basil pesto and roasted pine nuts.  Steamed carrots and peas.