My daughter is almost 1 1/2 and I think she is bored with my lunches for her...I usually give her cheese, beans, or an egg (along with fruits and veggies). Every once in a while I give her ham. She doesn't like chicken or tofu. Any ideas for a new protein?
How about Barilla Plus pasta? It is whole grain pasta with protein. And Omega-3 fatty acids which is great for everybody!
I see others got to yogurt before me! It's terrific and if you can, look for low-sugar ones (but not ones with artificial sweeteners--no "light" yogurts because they contain sweeteners. Real sugar but less of it is better than chemicals, to me). There is a very high-protein brand called Fage that is in Whole Foods stores; you have to buy a small tub of it and it's plain yogurt so you may want to mix it with fruit puree you make yourself (put some frozen berries in a blender) or with a dab of fruit-juice-sweetened spreads like Polaner Whole Fruit spread. Fage has about 17-20 grams of protein per serving, more than twice that of most other yogurts on the market. Also, try cereal! A healthy cold cereal for lunch is perfectly fine if she didn't have it for breakfast! My daughter loves Kashi GoLean high-protein, high-fiber cereal dry, as a "trail mix" snack. Again, lots of non-meat protein and fiber, which most kids don't get enough of. We are not beef eaters and I don't cook chicken often so we're always using dairy, cereals etc. for protein. And they're varied! Have fun!
I usually give my kids a sandwich with cheese & cuccumer , some crackers like ritz , sometimes some pringles and a yogurt , I just try to vary it each day.
My guys love peanut butter - sandwiches or Ritz Bits peanut butter sandwich crackers. ...also Yogurt. Both have a fair amount of protein. They can all be picky eaters... just keep trying. :)
~J.
Yogurt has been a favorite in my house!
As far as protein goes my son loves salmon patties. Take canned salmon, drain the liquid - leave the bones in - add 1 egg and 1-2 tablespoons of flour. Make into small patties or cakes and saute in a bit of olive oil. He loves them dipped in a tad of maple syrup!
He also eats ground beef mixed into mashed potatoes. I even hide green peas in there from time to time.
You might want to consider having her try fish (now that she's past the one year mark). Or deli sliced turkey. My son LOVES turkey meatballs. Also, sometimes it can take 15-20 tries before a child figures out that they like a food that they've previously rejected...
Good luck!
J.
My girls enjoy dipping veggies in hummus, which is great protein. I've found dipping is a great way to get kids to eat things they might not eat otherwise. OK, it can get a little unconventional, like dipping broccoli in ketchup and chicken in salad dressing, but whatever works! I don't give peanut butter yet, but soynut or sunflower seed butters are a big hit.We do veggie burgers sometimes, and there are lots of varieties to try. Also, when I give my kids yogurt I mix plain and a regular flavored yogurt about 50/50 to cut down on the amount of sugar. Don't worry too much if she doesn't eat protein at every meal. They get lots from milk if they're good milk drinkers and don't really need as much as we might think.
