Seeking Food Ideas for a 17 Month Old

Really the only advice I can give is, what you are already doing for dinner.

Just give her small pieces of what you eat. I have been doing that with my son since he was about 9 1/2-10 months old. He had enough of the baby food. He likes finger food. I just cut a little of whatever I am eating into small pieces and give that to him a litte at a time (he likes to shove as much in his mouth as he can, and then he gags).

The only things that I have held on is shrimp, shellfish, and peanutbutter. That is only because of the iodine in the shellfish, and that I plan to introduce peanutbutter slowly.

The more variety you give her now, the better she will eat later. You will be less likely to have a picky eater, and she will eat a wider variety of foods. I even feed my son lightly spiced foods. Everyone in my family likes spicy foods, and we have introduced spices to Gavin also, just not in high quanties.

Wow... you stole my menu. I was feeling the exact same way. I bought this book at Barnes & Noble one day - Healthy Cooking for your Kids, by Sarah Banbery - and it's got some really great recipes. It's much more fun to make with the kids, i know my 2 yr olds love it and then love eating the food also.

It seems to me like you're daughter is doing great, eating a healthy variety of foods. So, I'll just throw out some ideas to add to your list. Your breakfast look great and I can barely think of anything to add. Maybe oatmeal w/raisins? Sometimes we cook turkey bacon as a side with breakfasts for a protein source. A good option for lunch/dinner is quesadillas. My 2yr old starting eating them around 15 months. We'd cut them up into small pieces for her. It's a great option because you can play around with the fillings. We buy the whole wheat soft tortillas, spread refried beans, black beans, or cooked chicken, with cheese and whatever veggies you like in there (corn, red/green peppers, onions, etc.). Then cook it on a saute pan until slightly crispy on both sides. Serve with dippables like low-fat sour cream, avocado, and mild salsa. My girls both love them. Another thing my kids love is make-your-own pizza muffins. You can use english muffins or bagels and help her make her own and watch it cook. A fun veggie you may not have tried is edamame. It's my girls' favorite, and easily prepared - just steam, pinch of salt (optional) and serve. Your daughter will probably need help popping out the beans from the "shells", but kids love this part as they get older. My kids don't love premade chicken nuggets either, but do love homemade breaded nuggets. I just get the chicken tenders and dip them in flour, egg, then bread crumbs before cooking them on the pan. I think the texture and taste is far better than the store frozen nuggets. A warm weather snack/dessert suggestion - fruit & yogurt smoothies!
Best wishes!

Hi J., My name is J. as well. I have a 21 month old son. I agree with alot of the responses you already have recieved,However, I have a couple more suggestions for you. Some of my sons favorite breakfast foods are earths best whole wheat waffles.(freezer section in shoprite organic isle) Hodgson Mill buckwheat pancake,they don't taste as good as some of the other mixes out there but they have more nutritional value. To spice them up I add bannanas or raisins to the mix. And serve with pure maple syrup. Also, I make french toast on whole wheat bread with maple syrup and cinnamon. Couple ideas for lunch grilled cheese on wheat bread with steamed broc. (chopped in food proc.) Greek yogurt with wheat germ mixed in. Applegate farms organic turkey hot dogs(no nitrates) I boil a dog and mix it in with baked beans. I forget the name of the beans that i use-they're in the organic isle at shoprite. The reason they're better to use is there is alot less salt in them. Morning Star makes really good soy nuggets. I even eat them, yum! My sons all time favorite is sweet pot. fries. They're easy to make too. Peel potato,cut up like steak fries,in a bowl mix olive oil,cinnamon,tiny bit of brown sugar,mix all together. 400 degree oven 30 minutes total.One idea for a snack is freeze a yogurt tube. It's a little messy but, I'm sure your daughter will love it. I got a really good recipe off the web. Ingrediants are chicken,applesauce,grapes. Cook chicken first chop up and then add the other two ing. If you don't already have a rice steamer you should think about getting one. Whole wheat rice is so good for you and filling. You can also steam veggies with it. Finally, i'll give you some of my favorite web sites. Wholsomebabyfood.com,wholesometoddlerfood.com,chowmama.com, wheelicious.com. One more thing,I buy diced dole fruit in light syrup. And before i give it to my son i rinse it off in a strainer to get the syrup off. Good luck!

Hi! I'm tagging in here so I can see if anyone gives you any brilliant answers (and w/ a few suggestions)... I have a 14mo old, and I have the same problem. I feel like I give him the same stuff all the time. Your menu sounds a lot like mine, but actually a little better!

I agree with you about feeding your daughter the same foods you and your husband eat. I think its good for little ones to experience eating at the table with everyone and trying new foods. My son actually won't eat something diff't than us. He cranes his neck and checks out everyone's plate to make sure he's not missing out! (We did the same thing w/ my older son - now 4 - and he has turned out to be a very adventurous eater. He'll try just about anything.)

I have also tried:
Mini pita pockets. (These seem to contain the meat/cheese, etc. better than bread. He likes to take apart sandwiches and investigate them.)
You could probably even try filling the whole wheat ones w/ a little hummus provided you check the ingredients for allergens.
Mashed potatoes w/ just about anything mixed in. (For my eldest, I'd mix in some cheese, turkey and peas. He liked the texture, and the thickness of the potatoes clung to the spoon and made it an easy meal for him to practice w/ his utensils.)
Both my kids love Sweet Potato Fries. There's a brand called Alexia that I like. They don't use Trans fats. In fact, I think its all olive oil, and you can bake them so they don't get greasy. They are as much fun as french fries for the kids, but much healthier b/c sweet potatoes have more vitamins.
And we go through a lot of yogurt. Its messy, but both boys really like it. I'll mix in some cheerios (and dried berries for the older one) and it makes a nice change from cereal and milk. Also, it thickens it up a little so its easier for the little guy to try a spoon.

Good luck!

I am going to think of what my kids like:

chicken and stuffing cassarole (SP?)
meatloaf
boneless pork ribs (slow cooked)
ham (nice and easy, just throw it in and make mashed potatoes)
beef stew (slow cooked)
pizza burgers...with cheese hidden in the middle
chicken salad, egg salad, tuna salad

These are off the top of my head. The slow cooked ones are so tender that she would be able to eat them. The burger/meatloaf i used to just cut up small when they were that little. I love to cook and being a SAHM i am becoming pretty inventive. I have even started blanching my own tomatoes for sauce. I would love to give you recipes if you are interested:)

I have the same problem with my 19 month old. You actually gave me a few ideas so here are some other things that I've tried:
Frozen pierogies (Mrs. Ts brand comes in a broccoli/cheese and potato variety and my son loves it. It seems a healthier with the broccoli)
Rice caskes (sometimes with hummus)
Frozen pancakes
Mac n cheese mixed with ham or ground beef
turkey and cheese rollups
Black beans or baked beans

You're already doing a great job, in my opinion. Because they eat what we eat for dinner (and we're pretty varied eaters) I'm less concerned about the variety my boys get for breakfast and lunch. Rarely does lunch require utensils at our house - usually it's a sandwich, wrap or finger food like fish sticks or nuggets. I also keep frozen mini pizzas on hand at all times. Some others that my guys like are pretzel rods (sometimes we wrap cheese or cold cuts around them, if they are served at lunch) or the pretzel bites with peanut butter inside. Granola bars are a big hit, as are the flavored oatmeals.

My issue is that I feel like we eat the same vegetables over and over. We usually buy fresh veggies, so that does limit us to what is in season or trucked in year 'round. I have to say that my guys love things that I didn't expect, like zucchini and asparagus. They prefer things that are seasoned or marinated, so those are other ways to mix up your usual choices . . .

P.S. As the queen of one dish dinners, I can also share that my guys LOVE things like stroganoff, stir fry, pasta dishes or Mexican casseroles :)

You're lucky your daughter eats such a variety! My son will only eat half of what you listed and the one big this he won't touch is veggies. He's weird about smooth texture foods. I wish I had your 'problem'. I think your doing great with the variety!

Frankly it looks like a fairly healthy list to me, good mix of dairy, meat, fruits, veggies, and carbs. I personally like the Dr. Preager's brand of fish stick and they also have a line of "veggie" nuggets. I get the organic ketchup or make ranch with greek yogurt rather than mayo and we call it "Dippers" at my house. My son will eat anything if he's got "dippers" for it.

I also make a variety of fruit muffins for morning (we call them cupcakes). Just made some with pumpkin and applesauce-- he LOVED them. But don't assume that just because you are bored with the menu he is-- my son would happily eat yogurt for breakfast every day.

J. s what about soups Campbells makes the healthy choice or low sodium soups. how about baked chicken breast cut up or if you cook pork chops cut hers up small. If she is eating everything that you listed then she can eat what you make for you and your husband. Baked potatoes remove skin and mash up. Try hard boiled eggs, french fries from the oven with a little katsup, buttered noodles. Sometimes they do not like the texture of a food or don't like to chew, but try to feed her what you eat. She will do fine. Good luck

Not to say that she likes everything -but our 18 month old eats whatever it is we are having for dinner. She has plenty of teeth so she eats whatever meat it is and often she'll try the vegetables or whatever else there is. She eats more than my 3 year old usually!

The only things we don't feed her yet are peanuts and shellfish - anything else that we are all eating is fair game. And for breakfast she usually has a waffle/pancake with fruit.