Does anyone else have a vegetarian child?

[Hallie_D]

I'm a vegetarian but DH is not. We have never given DS meat. He is currently going through a very picky phase where he will only eat certain foods, just like any toddler, but I'm concerned that he isn't eating enough protein besides cheese and yogurt and the occasional faux chicken nugget. I'd appreciate hearing about any vegetarian meals that work for your toddler. Like just about every toddler, he loves pasta and mac and cheese but doesn't want much to do with veggies. Sometimes he will eat black or canellini beans, but not always.

TIA!

[sntm]

Hallie, you may want to check out the www.mothering.com boards too. There's a lot of vegetarian/vegan parents and they have a forum specifically about food. You may get more responses there.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
shannon
not-even-pregnant-yet-overachiever
trying-to-conceive :)
PREGNANT! EDD 6/9/03
mama to Jack 6/6/03

[Hallie_D]

Thanks, Shannon!

[houseof3boys]

We're not trying to raise a veg, but it seems like he is for now! I do give him an egg yolk in his yogurt every other day but that is it. I have tried all kinds of chicken, turkey and white fish but he won't have any of it!

He loves the Heinz vegetarian beans in tomato sauce despite my not liking the sugar and sodium content of a sauce. I tried to make veggie muffins this week but I didn't get the squash and zucchini small enough so he is boycotting them. Does he eat tofu? I am going to start doing fruit smoothies for Ryan since he won't drink milk and I am using the silken tofu.

I hope you get some great suggestions because I need them too! :)

[Hallie_D]

He will sometimes eat tofu. I went looking online the other day for "sneaky" tofu recipes like your smoothie idea. I actually found a few recipes for tofu chocolate mousse that are easy to make--I thought it would be the perfect way to sneak some protein into him. I haven't made it yet because my grocery store (which I am beginning to hate) had no silken tofu last time I went shopping.

He does eat scrambled eggs, so he gets them at least twice a week (and at our house they are not just for breakfast!). Veggie muffins is a great idea--he does like blueberry muffins, so maybe he will eat another kind like zucchini.

I'll let you know if I find any other good recipes!

[CiderLogan]

My DD is just 11 1/2 months old (my first time on the toddler boards!) but we are vegetarians so we've already started experimenting with various veg table foods. So far we've had success with:
-veggie burgers of all types
-fake meat stuff like sandwich slices, veggie dogs, etc. (these are probably not all that healthy but they do have lots of protein, are easy to prepare, and are certainly healthier than the meat varieties that have lots of additives)
-eggs/omelets
-spinach nuggets (in the produce section at Publix - these are surprisingly high in protein)
-canned beans in sauce (similar to the baked beans another poster mentioned) - and sometimes beans without sauce if she's in the right mood
-yogurt, cheese, etc.
-lentil patties (from a recipe in Super Baby Food - combined cooked lentils with oats and wheat germ and formed into patties and baked - very easy, cheap, and a hit!)
-tofu (either breaded and baked, or sauteed in a little oil - very popular in our house right now!)
-lentil pasta (from a health food store - made with lentil flour instead of regular flour)
-hummus or soynut butter sandwiches

Jenny
Mom of Julia, 8/03