I have a toddler that's recently turned two. This little boy has amazed me in his short lifespan, eating everything I put on his plate, especially the spicy or very unusual tasting things. From the beginning of his non-milk meals I have fed him homemade foods, pureeing my own vegetables, mashing my own fruit. I wanted him to have the best he could get, without the extra sugar and whatever else processed foods have in them, (although you can find "baby" foods that are pretty natural with not a lot of added junk.) It simply felt good to be taking good care of him.
The last couple of weeks however, his little appetite has hit a roadblock. The Dr. says it's normal for little ones his age to go through a phase like this, a lot of it has to do with texture. My little guy is also teething heavily. He's been quite slow getting his teeth in, the first one didn't break skin until 10 months and then it was another 3 before the second one came through. We still have 1/3 of the way to go before he's done.
So, vegetables are not his favorite at the moment. However, he loves fruit. So I thought to myself, what if I tried to sweeten up the vegetables. Maybe I could get some in him that way. Low and behold he actually ate some, and so did my husband, which is saying something. So here are two vegetables that I sweetened up a bit. Maybe you'll like them too. Feel free to share some of your toddler tips with me, let me know how you get your little ones to eat their foods.
Roasted Acorn Squash with Brown Sugar.
No real recipe here. I bought the squash at the market and followed the baking directions. When the squash was done I slabbed some butter on it, and some brown sugar and then stuck it under the broiler to caramelize. I served it hot with a little salt and pepper. Now, I don't normally care for squash, but this won even me over.
Caramelized Carrots
Again, no real recipe here. I sauteed the carrots in some butter until they just started to get some color on them and then added just a touch of brown sugar. These I must say were very tasty and inspired by a caramelized sweet potato and carrots baby food that my son used to love. I know, a strange inspiration... but they taste great.
9 comments:
Butter and brown sugar makes anything taste great! I'm glad he's eating his veggies. My kids used to like putting salad dressing (usually Ranch) on their veggies.
Wow, a little kid that eats veggies. That's great. I have one of each. My oldest (19) is a vegetarian and a great cook, my youngest(15) will starve before eating vegetables. All we can do is keep offering them up! I'd offer up those carrots!
I have to agree with Linda about the butter and brown sugar! We eat a lot of sweet potatoes that way.
That stuffed acorn squash looks amazing. Great photo and great idea!
Yummy! I am always looking for new ways to cook veggies and make dinner interesting now that most of my old standbys are gone.
Great ideas! We have a two-year-old who hates veggies and a three-year-old who loves them; thanks for the tips on making carrots and squash more palatable to the little guys!
even my husband will eat acorn squash like this too. yummy!! I'll have to try carrots like this.
My daughter is three and she is becoming more picky with eating. She used to eat anything, now she says "I don't like it!" before she's even tried a bite. I'll have to try the glazed carrots on her. Thanks for the idea.
Yum! Do you think it would work with Winter Squash? For me not the kids! Hee hee!
Jessie
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