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	<title>WIRL Project &#187; eating</title>
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	<description>What It&#039;s Really Like.</description>
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		<title>How to Prepare Meat During Your Child&#8217;s &#8220;Meat-Fickle&#8221; Phase</title>
		<link>http://www.wirlproject.com/how-to-prepare-meat-during-your-childs-meat-fickle-phase/</link>
		<comments>http://www.wirlproject.com/how-to-prepare-meat-during-your-childs-meat-fickle-phase/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 19 Mar 2015 09:00:52 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Amy G.]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Family]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Food/Drink]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Health/Fitness]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[eating]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[feeding]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Food]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[kid's food]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[meat]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[picky eating]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[toddler food]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.wirlproject.com/?p=4282</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Something happens when a toddler approaches 1 ½ years old.  It happens to the best of us: your formerly fantastic eater who previously dined on chicken, beef, lamb, and fish suddenly starts rejecting certain foods—especially meat!  You may not have changed a thing about the way you’re preparing it.  This new development may not stop at meat.  The banana you served him yesterday brought tears of joy to his eyes as he devoured it.  Today when you serve a banana, he squeezes it to mush in his palms as you watch apprehensively.  The horror movie continues: the squashed banana-mush moves from his palms to your clean kitchen floor.  He then peers at you, eagerly awaiting your reaction and next move. What happened?  As a parent, you may feel frustrated and concerned.  What am I doing wrong?  Is my child getting enough protein?  Is he going hungry?  Rest assured that you’re probably not doing anything wrong; this is likely just a phase that has to do with new, temporary texture and consistency preferences of food.  The great news is, this too, shall pass!  “What a Good Eater!” brings you 6 suggestions for meat preparation during this meat-fickle phase.  Remember that these are tips—not guarantees—that are designed to make this phase more manageable.  Toddlers are crazy little people with minds of their own.  Keep in mind that something that doesn’t work today may very well work tomorrow, next week, or next month. Tips for Preparing Meat During Your Child’s “Meat-Fickle” Phase: Pound it out, and I don’t mean with fist bumps. Take a rolling pin or meat mallet and pound the meat so that it’s thin and flat, no more than ¼ inch to ½ inch thick. If your baby or toddler gets a thick, tall piece of meat in her mouth, it might deter her during this phase. Let her slowly readjust to the texture and consistency of meat by serving her thin pieces that are easy to handle. Once she takes a bite of meat and doesn’t spit it out, pound it out with fist bumps to celebrate. Bread it. Once in a while, you can try serving the meat breaded. Try breaded chicken. Pound out the chicken breast, season it, and lightly coat it with flour, eggwash, and bread crumbs. The result is delicious, and it adds an interesting, crispy texture that your child may find pleasing during this phase. Immerse it in a delicious sauce. Bite-sized pieces of meat swimming in a delicious tomato sauce, for example, is often positively received! Two prime examples are Chicken Tikka Masala and Chicken Parmesan. The sweetness of the tomato sauce is often very appealing to babies and toddlers, and a sauce doesn’t make the meat seem like “the main event.” Slow cook it. I’m no slow-cooker expert, but I know many moms who are! They swear by their slow-cookers because the food is easy to prepare, delicious, and the whole family enjoys it, including their kids. Who wouldn’t enjoy meat so tender, it falls right off the bone? Our expert, slow-cooking moms swear by recipes such as crock pot lasagna, pulled pork, and chicken tacos: add chicken breasts, mild salsa, corn, and black beans to your slow cooker. Then, cook on low for 6-8 hours, shred the chicken with a fork, and optionally top with shredded cheese or sour cream. You can serve this plain, with rice, or in a tortilla! Serve it small. When you serve the meat to your child, cut it into pieces that are very small—slightly smaller than she’s used to. Getting large chunks of meat in her mouth may seem distasteful during this phase. Think small in terms of quantity, too. Start by placing only 2 or 3 small pieces of meat on her plate with the rest of her meal. Small quantities may help her feel less overwhelmed. Dip it. Toddlers love to dip! Serve the meat with a dollop of your child’s favorite dipping sauce, such as yogurt (regular or Greek), hummus, sour cream, mashed avocado, honey mustard, or ketchup. Show him how to dip the meat in the sauce and self-feed. This makes his dining experience more interactive, interesting, and enjoyable! For more tips on feeding your baby or toddler, visit www.whatagoodeater.com.  Sign up to receive our newsletter, and we&#8217;ll send you free recipes and tips on feeding your family!  http://www.whatagoodeater.com/newsletter-sign-up-2/]]></description>
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		<title>Speedy Toddler Lunch Idea, Good Lesson for Mom</title>
		<link>http://www.wirlproject.com/speedy-toddler-lunch-idea-good-lesson-for-mom/</link>
		<comments>http://www.wirlproject.com/speedy-toddler-lunch-idea-good-lesson-for-mom/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 03 Mar 2015 14:00:04 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Amy G.]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Family]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Food/Drink]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[baby food]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[eating]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Food]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[kid meals]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Lunch]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Toddler]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[What a Good Eater!]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.wirlproject.com/?p=3595</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[On Super Bowl Sunday, my husband asked me what appetizer we should bring to share at our friend’s Super Bowl party.  We originally decided to bring jalapeno poppers, but on the day of the party, my husband got a text message from the host saying someone else decided to bring the same thing.  We quickly aborted our plan and decided to bring something else instead.  Enter The Vegetable Party Platter!     We chopped up some raw broccoli, cauliflower, baby carrots, and arranged it on a beautiful, white platter.  Positioned in the center was a bowl of creamy Ranch dressing.  I’m aware that there is absolutely nothing novel about this idea.  We’ve all seen and eaten this at parties.  Grocery stores even sell these prepackaged!  My biggest surprise came from witnessing my 1 ½ year-old son ogling the vegetables at the party and asking to eat them, even amongst the many bowls of chips, dips, and desserts.   Honestly, I think it was the presentation and blocks of beautiful colors that enticed him. I’d tried serving my son raw vegetables before without much luck.  Sometimes he’d eat them; sometimes he’d return them to me like I was a waitress at a restaurant serving sub-par food.  His change of tune at the Super Bowl party was a great lesson for me.  It reminded me that sometimes I can get trapped into incorrect, preconceived notions that my toddler doesn’t like a certain type of food.  I maybe tried a particular food once or a few times a while ago, and he didn’t care for it.  But try that same food again tomorrow, in a few weeks, or in a few months, and I’m always amazed to discover that often times, he’s changed his tune and will eat the food or at least try it.  Studies show that it can take 12-16 times for a toddler to try a new food, eat it, and enjoy it.  That’s a heck of a lot of tries, but a good reminder that we shouldn’t give up or get discouraged too early if they indicate they don’t like a particular food.  They might just need a little time to warm up to it, or they might like it prepared slightly differently: baked instead of sautéed, for example, or raw instead of roasted. After the Super Bowl party, I started serving my son The Vegetable Party Platter for lunch pretty often.  It’s especially useful when I don’t have time to cook or when I’m just too tired!  Here’s how to assemble it: Chop some raw broccoli, cauliflower, and bell pepper into bite-sized pieces that are small enough and safe for your toddler. If your toddler favors other vegetables instead, try those! Consider celery, cucumber, tomatoes, and black olives. Brightly colored foods are often super foods. Serving your child a variety of different colored foods ensures well-rounded nutrition, so mix up the colors! I like to chop the vegetables and assemble his meal in front of him, because watching me prepare his meal excites him! Serve them with your toddler’s favorite dipping sauce. The dipping sauce is key with The Vegetable Party Platter. Toddlers love to dip! My first picks are hummus, yogurt, peanut butter, or almond butter because they add good nutrition and protein to the meal. Other options are Ranch dressing or cream cheese. Dipping allows toddlers to exercise their independence, touch and feel their food, and heck—it’s just a fun, interactive eating experience—so let them dip away! Food presentation matters. Adults aren’t the only ones who eat with their eyes first…so does your child! Arrange the food on your child’s plate attractively, grouping them into bright color blocks. Place their favorite dipping sauce in the middle and show them how to take a vegetable and dip it in the sauce. Be a food role model for your child. How can we expect our kids to be great eaters if we don’t model good eating habits ourselves? How can I be eating fast food in front of my son for lunch while I try to serve him The Vegetable Party Platter? I don’t know how well that would work. It helps immensely if they see you eating and enjoying the food too. As Landon and I sat down for lunch together today, I made sure that along with my sandwich, I served myself baby carrots and raw broccoli on the side. I made a special point to make sure he saw me eating them so he knows we’re in this together. I can’t remember the last time I ate raw vegetables like that for lunch. I normally don’t enjoy raw vegetables, so I found that I surprised myself too! I actually enjoyed the way they tasted, and it made for a wonderful, crunchy compliment to my sandwich. It also gave me the opportunity to eat more vegetables in the middle of the day…something I find a little more difficult to do. &#160; I’ve got to say, this new lunch idea has been a win-win for my son and me, and a huge time-saver!  What are your favorite toddler lunch ideas?  Tell us in the comments section.  Visit www.whatagoodeater.com for more baby and toddler meal ideas, and sign up for our newsletter to receive free baby, toddler, and family-friendly recipes!]]></description>
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