My Favorite (Kids) Foods

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Sometimes when I read other mom's blogs, the ones who only feed their kids organic foods, make their own hummus (okay, sometimes I do that too), grow their own veggies and drink goat's milk, I end up feeling pretty lame. I could try to persuade my kids to eat cous-cous for lunch, garbanzo beans for lunch and steamed veggies and tofu for dinner, but I'd end up wasting time and money. I don't have anything against people who do those things - to the contrary, I respect and admire them. But my life motto seems to be lately "I'm just doing the best that I can."

So for all you moms out there who can't grow it all, make it all, steam it all and puree' it all yourselves, here are some of my favorite, easy foods that my kids actually eat. I try to walk that fine line between healthy food and junk food :)

From Trader Joe's (if you don't have one near you, you can try to find similar items at stores near you):

Apple Carrot Fruit Sauce Crushers
My sons love these! They taste like applesauce but have carrot sauce mixed in!

You could probably make this yourself if you pureed some carrots and added them to applesauce. I always look for applesauce that has only two ingredients: apples and water. The rest almost always has added sugar, but you can almost always find the pure stuff just by looking at the ingredients.

Trader Joe's Oatmeal Complete:
Has added calcium, B6 & B12, Folic Acid, Flax Seed, and Soy Protein.

I could have a whole blog just about Trader Joe's foods that I love, but I realize that not everyone has a store near them. So here are a few other favorites that can be found almost anywhere:

Mott's For Tots Juice Boxes.
I'm not a big fan of giving kids juice, but sometimes juice boxes are great to have on-the-go. These are 50% water and the other have is pure juice. No artificial sweeteners. My boys love these and since all they've ever had is watered-down juice, they'd never be able to tell the difference.


Annie's Macaroni & Cheese
Some households are adamantly against mac & cheese. This household could not live without it. Sometimes I hide things in it, like probiotic powder (see below), peas, or sweet potato puree. (But mostly we have it plain) :)


Primal Defense Kids Probiotic Formula
This is great for boosting kids immune systems, especially if they have digestive issues. You can mix this in any food, although I mix it in yogurt or juice since it has a slight banana taste.

You can order this online here.

Also, these are all Tonsillectomy-Recovery Approved!  I have had to try to find some soft foods that are still somewhat nutritious, that Micah will actually eat, and these all do the trick.  There are many more, but I'll start with these for now :)