Soybean and Chick Pea Recipes???

My name is C. and I am a feeding specialist. It sounds like your daughter is getting some fiber from the foods she will eat. Have you mentioned this to your pediatrician? Is he/she concerned? Any issues with bowel movements? I find that most children that age enjoy soft, easily chewed food since they usually don't have all their teeth and don't have a lot of jaw strength. Try making her a participant in "making" the foods (mixing batter, pouring, putting in ingredients). Kids love being involved with the process. It also helps to let her get messy with it since she may be avoiding a particular texture. Try sitting with her at the table and make a 'game' of eating. Show her how you can touch the food, kiss the food, lick the food and taste the food (work your way up to actual eating). Encourage and verbally reward any attempts she makes. Use positive language without questioning. For example say "you can try it" instead of "can you try it?" (this lets the child say 'no'). Say things like "Mommy can eat it", "Yum, this is great!!", etc. Let me know if you have any other questions and GOOD LUCK!!

Hi L.,
My son is the same age and is the SAME way. He used to spit out rice, but recently, my son started liking rice the way my sister-in-law cooks it (I looked over and while she was feeding my nephew, he kept running over to her begging for more!). She cooks up a bunch of veggies until they get really soft, then adds rice and broth, some olive oil. It is really bland so NO idea WHY he likes it (there were even mushy turnips in it!) but he does, and so do both her boys (16 mths and almost 4). I think maybe b/c of the texture--it gets kind of creamy. You can also add some fresh herbs to give is some flavor. My son likes basil. I even made it with brown rice until it got very soft, and he eats it. It doesn't always work depending on his mood, but it helps. Also, have you tried putting cream cheese on bread? He will eat some that way (depending on the day, of course!)

Does she eat veggies? That is another form of fiber you didn't mention. Have you tried grilled cheese sandwiches?

Hi L., fiber is very important in everyone's diet. However, please note that the kind of fiber that you are focused on is the worst kind-even whole wheat. It is important that your daughter receives her fiber from beans, whole grains like brown rice, barley, and oatmeal etc... Fiber from processed wheat products like breads and pasta are foods that are binding and promotes constipation, and are one of the causes of obesity and diabetes. With that said, I would not focus on trying to get her to eat it. Trust me, this will save a lot of headaches when she is older. Lastly, do more research on soy products. Most naturopathic doctors think that they promote estrogen related breast cancer because they have phytoestrogen, which mimics estrogen in our bodies. Continue to feed her all of the wonderful fruits and veggies that she will eat. Introduce a variety of beans and some lean organic chicken. I hope this helps.

T. Hall Parker, Holistic Health Counselor
My Food Therapy
www.myfoodtherapy.com
Momma Don't Eat It
www.mommadonteatit.com

I don't have any recipe's for you, just some info that I don't see from other responders.
Hummus is made from mashed chick peas, then flavors and seasonings are added. There are many to choose from. It is a good source of protien & fiber. It can be eaten with bread or crackers. Or try adding it to pasta, with or without a little sauce. Use some to top a hot dog, burger, or other meat. Maybe even try mixing one of the flavors with mac & cheese, or anything else that she "will" eat.

Check out this recipe with pasta, chickpeas and corn!!

http://www.foodmomiac.com/foodmomiac/2007/07/featured-ing...

I discovered it one night while surfing and trying to find a new way to use up a ton of leftover corn from the night before. My daughter gobbled it right up!

~C.

try lentils. Ina Garten on foodnetwork has an excellent, easy recepie. on the episode she made it with salmon. I leave out some ingredients..like the leeks and vinegar. You can add the leeks, but I don't recommend using the vinegar. My kids LOVE it. Also..for the chick-peas..you can also puree them and add them to almost anything. I add them to my chocolate chip cookies, my tomato sauce..anyting.

Hi L.,
Have you read The Vegetarian Mother and Baby Book by Rose Elliot? There are many recipes with these ingredients in it. But keep in mind, soybeans and chick peas are considered proteins more so than carbs, and it sounds like what she's short on are carbs.
Good luck!

My daughter loves edamame served at sushi restaurants. It's fun to eat and tasty.

L.,

Besides hummus, you can use chick peas to make falafel or veggie burgers. You puree the chick peas, add grated carrot, cumin, fresh parsley or cilantro, garlic, or whatever seasonings you like then form them into a ball or patty and pan fry or bake. I'm sure there are tons of recepies online.

I got my falafel receipe from the Joy of Cooking and the veggie burger receipe from Super Baby Food.

I wouldn't worry too much about your daughter not eating bread and pasta as long as she eats beans, fruits and veggies. Its probably better for her, but I bet its a hassle for you.

Good luck,
R.

Hey L.,

Sounds like your daughter is forming her own likes and dislikes!!! As long as she isn't losing weight she should be ok with what she will eat! My daughter is going through a similar thing with fruit! She used to eat any fruit I gave her but recently most fruit she will spit out! Some toddlers go through a texture prefence phase. Now as for different types of beans have you tried baked beans? My daughter loves them. They are soft and have a sweet smokey flavor to them. If you do want her to have the stuff they come in (gravy) wash it off! but my daughter loves them and she is 16 1/2 months! Another food you might try , is the campbell's low salt veggie soup with beef stock! My daughter loves this too. There are so many veggies and pasta in this soup ,green beans, carrots, pasta, peas, red and white beans, celery, and potatoes. Because of the way it's packaged all the veggies and pasta are soft but hard enough where she has to chew! Sometimes I mush it up for her a little more because it's chunky! A good fruit or veggie not sure what catagory it falls under is Avacado!! Again my daughter loves this and it's high in the good fats (omega 3). At this age it's trial and error. Just recently my daughter tried a black olive and she loved it too!! (I hate them gross) , but she eats it! Hope this helped and good luck!!!

Try these chickpea burgers from Martha Stewart -- they are really easy to make- just toss everything in a food processor!

http://www.marthastewart.com/portal/site/mslo/menuitem.fc...

Dear Mom,

I just researched the amount of fiber needed at your childs age, and attached the links.

If you child eats and apple a day, ( or even just a portion of the apple she will have full filled her quota)

Again below I posted a link with fiberous fruits and veggies.

Something very simple is to just add some lentil beans to rice.

If she doesn't like plain rice try a soup, or a sauce.

Broccoli and cheese make a quiche with spinache or broccoli,
these are SOOOO easy and my kids LOVED them.

Cream of spinach

Bluberries and cream, When my kids don't want to eat a fruit, i drizzle a little choclate syrup over them or let them dip it in something sweet.

As for breads well, a little nutella
( or the cheap kind that doesn't have hazelnuts)
even some fluff

on warmed bread

And my kids seem to be happy.

Eventually they ASK for it plain without the sweets.

Pancakes, or whole wheat pizza, and waffles

Add some syrup or strawberry preserves.

there are lots of ways to sneak in healthy foods.

Cereals, oatmeal, oatmeal COOKIES

There are so many ways,

At 16 months she is half way to 2 years old.
So try and encourage her to eat independently, ( watch her)
but let her explore her food, and hopefully this will help her expand her eating options.

Good luck

M

http://pediatrics.about.com/od/nutrition/a/1108_kids_fibe...

http://pediatrics.about.com/od/fruits/a/0308_fruits.htm

http://www.fruitsandveggiesmorematters.org/?page_id=137

Fruit and Veggies for fiber. Meat, seed butters, fish, tofu etc for protein. Don't stress about her not eating wheat based foods. She may be avoiding it because her system is not ready for it or she may be instinctively trying to balance her system after a tummy upset. There's also a possibility that she avoids it because of an intolerance/allergy to gluten or wheat. Don't force it on her if she's not interested. There are plenty of other places to get the nutrients that are in wheat based grains. For a grain replacement try non-gluten "grains" like rice, quinoa, amaranth, millet, buckwheat, etc and see if she prefers them.

At 16 months your daughter should be able to eat pretty much any table food without special preparation. If she's not to that point yet, encourage her to eat on her own under supervision. (FWIW, My daughter only had 4 teeth at 16 months and was eating everything--whole nuts included, at that age with no worries about choking. The only thing she could not chew was raw leafy veggies.) If you are still worried about the choking factor, get a mesh bag and put the food in there for her to eat.

Definitely look into the actual daily requirements for her age regarding protein, fiber, and other nutrients. As long as she's eating a variety of foods throughout the week, she should be fine. (Kids that age will go through patterns where they may only eat one kind of food all day then switch to something else the next--ie yesterday fruit, today meat, tomorrow greens, next day all grains etc)

Hi L.,
I am Italian and make a dish called Pasta Chicci (Pasta with Chick Peas) and do it one of two ways, depending on when I decide to make it. I always keep dried Chick Peas in a jar in my cabinet and when I use them (1/2 lb) I soak them overnight in water that is about 3 - 4 inches over the top of them. In the morning I put them on the stove and boil until tender adding more water as needed. When tender you take a tip of a teaspoon of baking soda and add it to the chick peas. Let them cook until the foam stops, about 5 minutes. Add parsley (I use fresh Italian parsley and chop it up) and 1/4 cup of olive oil. Cook 5 minutes more. Add salt to taste. Let cook another 5 minutes. When done add the spaghetti and cook until tender, stirring frequently to prevent the spaghetti from sticking.
If I make it with canned chick peas I just omit the soaking and rinse them under cold water then add the water and boil about 30 minutes to heat the chick peas. I then add the baking soda and continue with the recipe.

I also make Pasta Fagoli (Beans and Macaroni), excuse the spelling please. :) My family loves it especially when I add pepperoni which they say gives it some zing. LOL Let me know if you want this recipe.

If you don't mind me giving you some advice from experience, don't make a big deal if your daughter won't eat something, just don't let her have dessert unless she eats her dinner. The less fuss you make of her not eating certain things the more likely she will eat them. I have 5 children and learned this with my first one (my one and only daughter). My 4th child eats odd Italian dishes like Suffrito, him and I are the only 2 in the house that will eat it. The other favorite with us is Minest which only my husband, 2nd, 4th and 5th childre, and I eat, the others are a bit picky. Let me know if I can do anything else for you.

T.

I give my 16 month old daughter beans all the time so she can get some fiber and protein. I cook chick peas, cannellini beans, navy beans, etc on the stove top, mix it with some spinach, broccoli or even kale (any kind of greens so she can get her vegetables in) which I just buy frozen and cook in the microwave and puree it all. It's very easy to make and I usually make a big batch and put them in empty Gerber containers I've saved from before. When I feed it to her, I just microwave for 30 seconds and add a little milk if it seems too thick. She laps it up! HOpe this helps.