Healthy Snacks

I'm on a mission to get Nolan to eat. In general he is just not too interested in food. It's not that he is picky and refuses to eat certain things it's just that he sometimes can't be bothered to stop and eat in general! For a 20lb 17 month old that's not good. he likes variety and wants to try lots of different things.

I got a few great tips from a friend who specializes in pediatric feeding. She recommended making fun smoothies. I had been doing this with yogurt and baby food purees but switching over to frozen fruit seemed to make Nolan actually enjoy them and take more than a sip or two. The smoothies are a great way to hide supplements (Omega 3's, liquid vitamins) and protein. Protein, you say? Yes! I've started adding white mild beans to the smoothies. They don't add much flavor but they definitely up the protein and calories he is getting.

I also came across a great blog: Super Healthy Kids. Amy has some great tips and lots of recipes with an extensive archives section. I started out trying the roasted garbanzo bean snack idea. Last week I took a can of garbanzo beans and rinsed and dried them. I put them on a greased baking sheet and sprinkled with Parmesan cheese. I baked them on 400 degrees for around thirty minutes. They were a hit for both Nolan and I and the dogs who stole them off the counter when I left the house later that day.

Today's snack is still in the oven but it's homemade apple chips. Using my nifty mandolin slicer, I sliced two apples super thin. Then I boiled them in apple juice with some cinnamon. Once they were transparent, I pulled them out and placed them on a cookie drying rack and patted them dry. The cookie drying rack went straight into the over at 225 degrees and will stay there until the apples are crisp. I think these will be a big hit with Nolan and I know they will be with me!

Next up I'm going to try some fun veggie based snacks.