Vectors to Feeding a One Year Old

The one year mark is such a big and weird transition point in terms of eating for us. It seemed like overnight Elijah went from breast milk and formula with some solid food mixed in to the just the opposite.  Now it’s food with a little milk mixed in. Plus, cows milk! Figuring out meals for him has been kind of a challenge for me for a couple reasons. First of all, the logistics of preparation.  With our crazy work schedules there aren’t many times during the week that Daniel and I are eating meals together with Elijah as a family so the whole eat what we eat thing doesn’t quite work.  Plus, I don’t have hose extra hands around to keep Elijah out of trouble while I cook.

I try to cook as much as I can ahead of time and have organized my kitechen into safe and danger zones with open cabinets and locked ones to keep him busy while I prepare the stuff I haven’t made ahead.  Ideally, he’s in his gated playroom just off the kitchen, but sometimes that’s just too far away for him so having those safe zones with plastic Tupperware and sealed Lara bars or a pot and a wooden spoon are essential.

Second,  what in the world does a one year old eat?  He has a few teeth but only the front ones so it has to be soft, but how soft, and how big, and what should his meals be to be balanced and make sure he’s getting enough nutrients? Well after a little research and a lot of trial and error i think we’re starting to get the hang of things and so I thought I would create a list of some meals that seem to work for us.

Breakfasts

Scrambled egg, lightly buttered toast, berries

French toast (no syrup) and berries

Whole wheat pancakes and berries

(Berries are pretty much a staple of every meal for our little guy)

Egg muffins and berries 

Lunches

Turkey and cheese sandwich, yogurt, and berries

Sometimes the above meal will be with a veggie, but he’s picky so not much veggie gets eaten

Veggie burger with yogurt and berries

Mac and cheese with veggies and/or berries

Grilled cheese, yogurt, applesauce, and broccoli

Leftovers

Dinners

Pasta with tomato sauce and ground beef or turkey

Mac and cheese (again)

Meatballs and squash (zucchini is a fave)

Raviolis and broccoli

Chicken stir fry chopped up

Turkey or lean beef burgers chopped up

Snacks
Fruit and veggie pouches

Banana – Elijah really only likes bananas if me and him split one and I let him take bites

Yogis and cheerios

Yogurt

I try to keep snacks pretty simple and neat. He makes a big enough mess at meals that I try to keep snacks a little easier.  We’re also usually running around doing errands or going to the gym at snack time, so well take cereal bars or teething crackers to munch on in the shopping cart or at the gym daycare.

These ideas are definitely not all that he eats but a good portion of his diet.  We give him a cup  of milk at every meal and milk or water with snacks, and he is still breastfeeding at naps a lot of the time and in the middle of the night because of survival, but that’s a whole other topic.