Ellie has been eating strictly table food {plus her bottles} for about two months now. Although it has been a lot of fun, it can be a little stressful at times. When we started to make the switch from baby food puree, I had a really had time meal planning for her. Everyone says, “Just feed her what you eat.” In reality, that doesn’t always work out. She can’t handle anything spicy, and because she still only has a few teeth, she can’t eat anything that would require a lot of chewing. I am also more conscious about what I give her than I am with our food – I don’t want to give her anything too cheesy, fatty, salty, sugary, etc.
As she has gotten used to eating more and more table food, this has become less of an issue. She usually has her own fruits and veggies {which we prep for 3-4 days at a time} and then we adapt our meals to make them baby-friendly. We also have a few go-to meal options that we use when our meal doesn’t work for her.
I was also overly concerned with maintaining a well-balanced diet for her {this is my type-A side creeping out}. I kept searching for some sort of breakdown that would tell me exactly how many servings of each food group she needs. After spending A LOT of time on this, I finally found guidelines that make sense: at least 2 fruits, 2 veggies, 1 protein, 1 yogurt, and 1 carb each day. Following these guidelines, Ellie’s daily meals look something like this:
Breakfast: A fruit {almost always a banana} & a carb {if I’m feeling extra ambitious over the weekend, she’ll have a homemade muffin or pancake, otherwise it’s a frozen whole wheat waffle or cereal}.
Lunch: A fruit, a veggie, & a protein.
Afternoon Snack: Yogurt.
Dinner: A veggie, a carb or a protein, and usually some dairy {like cheese}.
Obviously, we don’t stick to this exact schedule every day. Lunch and dinner are pretty interchangeable. If we are eating something that Ellie can eat, or that we can easily adapt for her, then we’ll give her that.
Below are some examples of what Ellie eats from each food group, if she’s not eating our meals:
FRUITS {these are easy}: bananas, oranges, any type of berry {especially blue blueberries and strawberries}, watermelon, grapes, applesauce, pears, and peaches.
VEGGIES: broccoli, cauliflower, squash, potatoes, sweet potatoes, peas, corn, carrots, and tomatoes {even though these are technically fruits?}. Keep in mind that almost all of these need to be steamed or cooked somehow.
PROTEINS: Chicken breasts {cubed or shredded}, turkey burgers {her current favorite}, veggie burgers, vegetarian hot dogs, vegetarian chicken nuggets, beans, and eggs.
DAIRY: A daily yogurt and sometimes a little cheese sprinkled on her veggies or meat if she needs a little bribe.
CARBS: Whole wheat waffles and pancakes, muffins, whole wheat pasta, bagels, and toast.
Watching Ellie go from breastfeeding and bottles to purées and now table food over the past year has been quite the adventure. Somedays, she has zero interest in eaiting. Most days, half of her food ends up on the floor {and in the dogs’ bellies}. But for the most part, she loves eating “big girl” food and enjoys trying all sorts of new things.
The transition from breast milk and bottles to table food has been quite the adventure. Some days, Ellie refuses everything, even her favorite foods. Most days, half of her food ends up on the floor {and in the dogs’ tummies}. But for the most part, she seems to love eating “big girl” food and trying new things!
the pios 