Parmesan and Broccoli Pasta

Luca’s Favorite Foods and Meals Lately: 22 Months

Okay, ice cream is every kid’s favorite, right?! Before I gave birth to baby girl...

Okay, ice cream is every kid’s favorite, right?!

Before I gave birth to baby girl Roma, I made a list of Luca’s favorite foods and meals, just as a “quick sheet” for me to help meal plan and also, just in case I had a complicated birth and was in the hospital for longer than planned, our family and nanny could make him his favorites!

Now, I have this great list of ‘go-to meals’ for Luca. If you’re looking for inspiration for your little ones, perhaps this list will help give you some ideas! And it may be helpful just to build a list if you’re feeling discouraged about the variety of your little ones’ diets – building a list may surprise you and show you that they do eat pretty well!

Note: These are just Luca’s slam dunk favorites, this isn’t a list of all the foods we offer him. We offer him a much larger variety, but this is what he continues to love. Basically, anything with marinara sauce or smothered in almond butter!

Breakfasts

  • Blender muffins (he loves spinach and beet, especially) with fruit
  • Oatmeal with bananas, blueberries, almond butter and hemp seeds
  • Vegan Pumpkin Oat Muffins (recipe here) with fruit
  • Yogurt with banana, blueberries, and almond butter
  • Waffles (love the Van’s brand) with almond butter, hemp seeds and fruit
  • Scrambled eggs with toasted bagel and Kitehill vegan chive cream cheese and fruit

Snacks*

  • Literally fruit of any kind
  • Yogurt with fruit
  • Toast with almond butter or butter
  • Crackers (Annie’s brand is his favorite)
  • Rice cakes (with and without almond butter)
  • Oat bars (we love the Little Duck Organics brand)
  • Applesauce with hemp seeds and buttered toast
  • Organic Valley mozzarella string cheese (usually served with a clementine)
  • Almond butter sandwich with thinly sliced banana or strawberries
  • Thinly sliced raw carrots
  • (Recently/seasonal) – dried okra snacks from Trader Joe’s
  • Energy bites
  • Green smoothie (recipe here)
  • Ice cream – hey, it’s a fun activity and a source of protein, fat, and calcium!

*Check out this post for more snack ideas.

Sides

  • Roasted sweet potatoes (with cinnamon or paprika, roasted in olive oil)
  • Roasted purple sweet potatoes (with cinnamon or paprika, roasted in olive oil)
  • Roasted butternut squash (with cinnamon, roasted in olive oil)
  • Dr. Praeger’s Spinach Littles
  • Roasted carrots (roasted in olive oil with cinnamon)

Lunch*

* These can also be served as dinner.

Dinner*

  • Turkey or chicken meatballs with buttered toast and a mozzarella string cheese
  • Mac and cheese (sometimes he won’t touch it and sometimes he loves it!)
  • Ditalini pasta with chopped spinach and marinara sauce
  • Brown rice with chopped steamed green beans and marinara sauce
  • Turkey bolognese (served with a side or as a casserole with brown rice, topped with mozzarella cheese)
  • Simple Mills pizza crust with chicken sausage and broccoli
  • Cauliflower gnocchi from Trader Joe’s in marinara sauce
  • Chicken sausage and broccoli chickpea pasta

*These can also be served as lunch (especially when leftovers!)

 

with love, Ali

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