I take care of two amazing little girls and on top of their basic needs, meds, emergency girly situations and mental health. Im also in charge of feeding them.
Being vegan myself, i dont mind making carnivorous meals. I grew up in a family who eats (and still eats) meat. I prefer not to deal with meat, but its inevitable.
BUT... seeing as im in charge of their meals, i tend to stick to vegetarian, if not vegan snacks/meals depending on what is in the fridge and what i have to work with. And i have to say. They ask for fruits and veggies more often then say, chocolate. We make home made hummuce and vegan cupcakes and cookies. And i may have cried a bit the first time one of the girls came to me and said "i hate no animal for lunch today!" all excitedly.
I truely believe we eat with our eyes. Kids especially. If something doesnt look appetising or fun, their not gonna be willing to eat it. Ill add cinnimon to apple slices, honey and peanutbutter on bananas, parsley on hummuce, paprika on cauliflower. Anything to help make it a little more festive and fun.
Here's an example of a snack. Sliced strawberries, a banana with drizzled peanut butter, and organic peanut butter pretzels. With a fruity yogurt drink on the side.
And heres a (less then stellar picture) of a more savory meal:
-Tofu scramble with bell peppers and mushrooms on an english muffin.
-With vegan cheese.
-pop chips for the older one, extra bell pepper slices for my little one.
Start with the tofu scramble with veggies. Add vegan cheese to a toasted english muffin. Place scramble on the english muffin and Wha-lah! Veganized and much better version of an Egg McMuffin!
**What are some of your favorite veg-friendly snacks/meals? Do you think its hard to get kids to eat healthy?**
Gah you're such a wonderful little mommy in training. These are perfect ideas.
ReplyDeleteMy little nephew isn't allowed to eat anything sweet before a certain time period (maybe one year), but little miss piggy/auntie Erin was carrying him in one hand and a cookie in the other and that little thief grabbed a piece and put it in his mouth. I didn't know it was a big deal, but I broke my sister-in-law's heart that day :) xo love
i know nothing about children! :) one of my best friends is a nanny, and she is "the nanny" of my hometown. i will give her your blog address, and i shall bet you $99 that she will comment very soon, providing her expert counsel on your vegan snack question. her name is barb, and she's fabulous! xxx
ReplyDeleteI have noticed that the children tend to want to eat what I eat...both girl are pretty good about trying new foods. I cut peppers into flower shapes and make them little tea sandwiches with different fillings. We also make lots of different dips for fruit. The girls love when I cook for them..all different kinds of soup.
ReplyDeleteOne of my dreams in life is to get kids to eat healthy, actually. I have a whole board omn my Pinterest dedicated to career aspirations and I find so many cool ways to remind kids that food comes form the earth and not from the package.
ReplyDeleteAre you on Pinterest?
I had no clue you were in this line of work and -- WOW- so many cool ideas.
Follow your passion right? Of course, you always want to be a role model right? And look and feel and BE your healthiest?
Do you think about that at all? I ask because I always do. It's a motivator for me. I want to "walk the walk" of a healthy eater. Just curious. Love you girl!
Ps - Love the "I h-ate no animals today."
Imma use that.
Ok your banana/pb/strawberry plates look like gourmet! I'm impressed girly, you're quite the chef! You're going to make the funnest mom someday. (That is if you want to of course. I hate when people tell me that because it's like, hello I don't want kids! haha)
ReplyDeleteNice pics and suggestions! I've been vegan for about seven years but never had 'vegan scrambled egg' . Is it good? You mention giving it to the kids but do you like it yourself? It's just that I will make things for other people that I don't like (or at least don't eat) myself, so, just wondered :) xxx.
ReplyDeleteP.S. Apologies if you've mentioned liking it in other posts, I've only read a couple so far x.