What Harrison Eats

Shortly after Harrison turned one I found myself in a rut when it came to what to feed him. I asked members of my mommy group for help, and they happily gave me a ton of suggestions. I figured I couldn't be the only mother out there in a rut and finding herself feeding her baby/toddler the same things over and over. So, I decided to write about what we've fed and feed Harrison. We try to feed him as many all natural or organic things as possible. My theory is that all those chemicals, additives, and preservatives can't be good for adults let alone babies, so as long as our budget allows we buy all natural or organic. There are some exceptions (like meat- just too expensive right now), of course, and I'm ok with that. I feel like if he is getting say 85% all natural or organic stuff at home then if we're out somewhere or someone else is watching him it's not a big deal if he isn't eating organic. I am laid back about it. I want him growing up with a healthy notion of food. I'm a believer in everything in moderation. He eats pretty much everything including sweets and "junk" like ice cream, Nilla Wafers, and Oreos. He just doesn't eat "junk" every day. My goal is that Harrison will love a wide variety of foods and become an adventurous eater. That's why we offer him pretty much every type of food and flavor we can think of. Sometimes he loves it and wants more, sometimes he doesn't. But, we keep trying and will reintroduce the disliked food a few days later. Harrison used to hate broccoli, but now it's one of his favorites.

I breastfed him until a couple weeks after his 1st birthday and at around 6 months started him on purees in addition to breast milk. Closer to 10 months he was ready for more "adult" foods. We started giving him jarred organic meals from Earth's Best. I love their products and Harrison does too. They have a wide variety of foods, are reasonably priced, and are available at a lot of different stores. Their organic purees are about 25-50 cents more a serving than non organic brands, but to me that isn't that big of a deal. We've also tried Gerber's organic purees and jars and Harrison has liked them as well. His favorite jarred meals from Earth's Best are the chicken and stars and the vegetable beef rice pilaf.

As he was getting closer to his first birthday I started having him eat what we ate. But, this is when I started getting in a rut. Dinners were fine because we were usually cooking chicken or pork, fresh veggies (90% of the dinners we make are no carb) and would cut up some of that for Harrison. Sometimes I have to modify the protein a bit, though. For example, if I'm making something spicy or with a sauce he doesn't like I put some of the meat aside for him before adding the seasoning/sauce. Lunches were a different story, however. Normally I eat a sandwich or even skip lunch (not the healthiest I know), so it was harder for me to come up with lunches besides leftovers or jarred foods; which were getting to be a little expensive. My friends had some great suggestions which included; pancakes, eggs (why didn't I think if that?), rice or quinoa with ground turkey or chicken, black beans, and pasta. So here's a list of what Harrison loves;

Breakfast: We pretty much alternate between two things

1. Stonyfield organic plain yogurt sweetened with a little Crofter's organic fruit spread. I also sprinkle in some ground flax seeds for the health benefits.
       -We used to buy the Stonyfield YoBaby yogurt, which Harrison loved. But, it was getting a little pricey. I have found that buying the giant tub of plain yogurt and a big jar of good quality jam lasts longer and is cheaper.

2. Smashed banana with a scoop or two of Earth's Best organic whole wheat baby cereal, a little organic whole milk, cinnamon, and flaxseed. I sometimes add a tiny spoonful of all natural peanut butter.

Harrison goes nuts for both of these. I've also occasionally given him a scrambled egg with some whole wheat buttered toast as well as pancakes made with fresh blueberries. Since they are finger foods and Harrison loves feeding himself, I am going to try to do more eggs and pancakes. I'm also starting to buy up berries (organic if they are not too expensive) when they are on sale and freeze them. That way I always have some on hand for pancakes and smoothies.


Lunch: I am still working on getting more variety, but whatever I make for lunch I try to make enough for several servings. That way I can portion it out into bowls, cool it down, put the lids on and store them in the fridge. I do this with fresh steamed veggies, pasta, macaroni and cheese and quinoa. That way I can just grab a bowl and heat it in the microwave. Easy peasy. Sometimes these double as dinner depending on what we're eating (i.e. if we order a pizza Harrison eats one of these).

1. Annie's (or generic brand) organic macaroni and cheese with some sort of veggies; either frozen peas and carrots or fresh broccoli. If I'm using broccoli I just add it to the boiling water 2-3 minutes before the pasta is done. Then I strain it all and pick out the broccoli and set it aside. I'm all about less dishes and clean up. :)
       -I started adding frozen peas and carrots during the last couple of minutes of cooking and then mixing the butter, milk, and cheese powder in with both the veggies and pasta. I figured Harrison wouldn't be able to tell the difference and would eat everything. Wrong! He just picked out the pasta. Little bugger. But, he does like veggies. So now I keep everything separate and I don't let him see the pasta before giving him the veggies. Once I'm satisfied that he's eaten enough veggies I give him the pasta.

2. Eden Food organic pasta made with veggie powder (or any pasta you like) with or without pasta sauce. If I'm not using sauce I add a wee bit of butter. Harrison loves these little shells. They are all different colors; red/beet, orange/carrot, green/spinach, etc... and he can't get enough. I portion it out into a kid size bowl and once it's gone it's gone.
       -I also tried mixing in veggies with this, too, but same deal as the mac and cheese. So I offer the veggies first.

3. DaVinci dried mini ravioli or tortellini with sauce. I stumbled upon these in the grocery store and they have been a staple ever since.
       -Just like the mac and cheese and shells I steam or boil veggies and offer them first.

4. Quinoa with ground chicken has also become a favorite of Harrison's. Sometimes I buy organic quinoa sometimes I don't. I've bought the boxes with flavoring and dehydrated veggies already in the mix (like rice-a -roni). But you have to watch out for the salt in those sometimes.
       -I just brown up the chicken (or you could use turkey) while I'm cooking the quinoa then I mix everything together, portion it, cool it, and store it in the fridge.
       -I'm looking to try more quinoa recipes with fresh veggies and different herbs, too.

In addition to what's above, Harrison also eats plenty of leftover grilled or bbq chicken from dinner the night before (we are big on grilled chicken around here!). He doesn't always eat carbs with lunch even though that's pretty much all I listed. Soon I'll probably start offering sandwiches and wraps/roll ups. I love using whole wheat breads and wraps as well as pitas for my sandwiches, and I am excited to introduce these to Harrison.


Snacks: I will offer a snack after Harrison's afternoon nap to hold him over until dinner. I also offer most of these at lunch/dinner time after he's eaten everything else.

1. GoGo Squeez applesauce pouches; these are a every day go-to in our house. We love these! They are all natural, but not organic, and the sugar content isn't crazy. Harrison can feed himself one of these; which is also awesome. I don't leave the house without at least one of these.
       -I buy these in 12 packs at Target for about $7.

2. Nature's Promise (Giant brand I think) organic teddy bear cookies (basically teddy grahams) and animal crackers. I always have some of these in my diaper bag for a quick snack on the go.

3. Freeze dried strawberry and banana slices. Right now my favorite are Target's Archer Farms brand. They're $2-3 dollars a bag and have 3 servings of fruit and only 90 calories in each bag. Plus, they are just strawberries or bananas- no added sugar.

4. Happy Tot or Earth's best fruit and veggie puree and smoothie pouches. Portable, healthy, and Harrison can feed himself. Check, check, and check!

5. Happy Tot freeze dried yogurt puffs, cereal puffs and rice cakes. Harrison is growing out of these a bit, but he was in love with them a couple months ago. We didn't go anywhere without these.

6. Raisins. Harrison isn't the biggest fan, but I think they're growing on him.

7. Fresh fruit like blueberries and strawberries. These get offered at breakfast, too. I'm starting to branch out into more fruits, like melons, as they come into season.

8. Back to Nature chocolate chip cookies. I like these because they are all natural (Yay for no high fructose corn syrup or preservatives!) and the cocoa is sustainably harvested.

9. Cheese; Harrison is a cheese fanatic! Often times he'll snack on a piece while I'm making dinner. Also, if we're out to eat and I get a salad with cheese on it, or better yet if they have a salad bar, I'll give Harrison some shredded cheese to munch on.

10. Whole wheat cinnamon swirl bread; I sometimes offer this with breakfast or, since it's sweet, in place of dessert after dinner.


Soon I'll be trying raw veggies like carrots, but right now I'm concerned about choking (Harrison seems to choke easily). But, if your toddler is able to eat raw veggies, they would be a great snack with some low fat ranch or hummus. Pita chips, pretzels, and crackers dipped in peanut or almond butter, hummus or with cheese would also be good choices. I love that there are so many natural and organic snack choices out there. For pretty much every snack (goldfish crackers, pretzels, cookies, fruit snacks, etc...) there is an all natural or organic option. And, often times, the cost isn't that much different. If you can afford it, I recommend all natural or organic snacks whenever possible. And one more thing, try not to get sucked into the "kid food" trap. So many things are marketed for kids these days and it's so easy for us parents to get sucked into only buying kid food like chicken nuggets, frozen dinners, etc... The parents end up making an "adult" meal for themselves and something kid friendly for the little ones. Why can't all food be kid friendly? Obviously, your kid might not like something no matter how hard you try, and sometimes heating up chicken nuggets is just easier after a hectic day. I get it. There certainly isn't anything wrong with that. :) I just encourage you to think of all food as kid food. Offer your kids everything and encourage them to take at least one "try me" bite. Maybe they'll love it! If not, at least they tried it.

Peace, Love, and Happy Eating!