What I Ate Wednesday: Toddler Edition

Anyone else have toddlers that eat their veggies? And normal people food? Tips, please! I'd love to know what healthy-ish foods your kids love. We try to feed Ez what we're eating, but usually he won't try enough for it to actually be considered a meal. Last night we had salmon and Ez ate one bite and then went into super-inspector mode, examining each piece of food we tried to feed him from then on out, and making sure not a single piece of salmon crossed his lips again. The other night Joe fed him a few bites of his lentils, and after each bite (which we had to sneak in between bites of watermelon), Ez would shudder and make the most awful face. The foods Ez does like are limited, so his diet is on a pretty short rotation. Fruit is always a hit. If he sees fruit, chances are he's not eating anything else until every last bite of the fruit is gone (and we have to show him the empty bowl several times as proof). Here's a sample of what Ez typically eats in a day:

Breakfast:

Yogurt, cereal, and fruit.

French toast & berries.

Lately I've been feeding Ez a Stonyfield baby yogurt mixed with about a tablespoon of ground flaxseed, a handful of raisin bran, and some blueberries or strawberries. One of his other favorite breakfasts is french toast. That's what I always order him when we go out to eat, because that's pretty much the only way he'll eat eggs. Sometimes I make a batch at home, and freeze the leftovers, which I serve with butter, berries, and a tiny bit of syrup.

Lunch & Dinner:

Macaroni & cheese + veggies.

Toast + almond butter & jam.

Veggie dog & cantaloupe.

Pomegranate, apple, & beet Happy Tot pouch + Spinach, lentil, & brown rice Earth's Best Pouch + baby oatmeal.

We are vegetarian (+ fish, so pescatarian, but I already told you how receptive Ez is to fish), so Ez eats the vegetarian versions of typical toddler faves: veggie dogs and veggie nuggets. I can get him to eat veggies with his mac & cheese if I mix them up together. If they're separate he skips over the veggies. He's also a big fan of pb&j (of course!). I try to healthify it by using Ezekiel bread and switching up the nut butter (almond butter, cashew butter), and using the no sugar added jam. I still feed Ez baby food at least every other day, because that's the most surefire way to get him to eat veggies + beans. I mix one of the veggie/bean pouches with a fruity pouch, and stir in some baby oatmeal (for iron). I know it sounds disgusting, but it just tastes like fruit (yes, I've tried it!) I try to make sure Ez eats some vitamin C at every meal, because that's supposed to help with absorbing vegetarian forms of iron. And that's easy, cause fruit.

Snacks:

Typical snacks include crackers, fruit, or home baked goodies, like the banana oatmeal cookies above (so yummy! I left out the chocolate chips using this recipe). 

So that's a typical day for Ez. What are some of your go-to kid-friendly meals?