Claire's Favorite Foods

Gulp. So I have about 30ish days or so to go. I keep saying I'll be early, but with my luck, I'll be late and have to get induced again. Or with my luck, have him tomorrow and be oh so not ready. Like I said, I've had SO SO SO many Braxton-Hicks, it ridiculous. Today I made sausage and pancakes for supper and that little time moving quickly around the kitchen felt like labor. INSANE. So I decided I better make a list of Claire's favorite foods for whomever is taking care of her for however long I'm imprisoned...aka till I can get an early release from the hospital. So here's what I feed my kid. :) Don't judge or I'll call you on that time you took yours to Crapplebees or McDs. ;)

Claire’s Favorite Foods
Apples - ask if she wants it peeled, or sliced. She can just eat them whole, too.
Oranges - peel and section, duh
Clementines - watch to remove any seeds!
Bananas - peel and remove any strings before giving it to her
Grapes- no seeds! If they are giant ones, cut in half
Mozzarella string cheese
Slice of American cheese
YoBaby Mixed Berry Yogurt - STIR REALLY WELL! Not premixed
Honey Graham crackers
Cheddar Bunnies or Goldfish crackers
Pretzels any kind or goldfish pretzels
Peanut butter sandwich, cut in 2 triangles diagonal (NO JELLY!)
Spaghetti - You have to mix the sauce on the noodles/cut noodles before giving it to her or she will not eat it, she will cry and beg for just the plain noodles. I usually use the Ragu traditional and add 1 lb of burger that I fry.
Tater Tot Casserole
Hot Dish with tomato soup, burger, noodles
Tuna Casserole- Has to be hot! I use miracle whip and about 2-3 cups of noodles, 1 can peas, 1 can tuna. She’ll just ask you to microwave it if it’s not hot enough or if it cools off too much while she’s eating it
Chicken soup – any kind with small noodles or curly ones so I don’t have to cut them. There is a red spoon that doubles as a straw in the drawer.
Grilled Cheese – cut in 2 triangles. I use 2 slices of American and grill it with butter
Mac and Cheese – Kraft blue box, but usually any kind will do
Lasagna
Hot dogs- gross I know.
Hamburger - plain patty. I will fry them and sometimes she’ll want ketchup and bun, sometimes not, just ask. Or you can give her ketchup to dip it in
Corn – any kind
Green beans- calls them “Shrek beans” since they are green
Little trees- broccoli, cut into manageable sized pieces
“Chicken suckers” which are drumsticks
Pancakes or French toast cut in bite size pieces with pure maple syrup or agave nectar
bacon
boiled eggs (chopped up) - have to be hot if they've been in the fridge
Gerber Strawberry Yogurt melts - yellow bag in toddler/baby food area
Cheerios
Flax Seed Cereal (green box)
Captain crunch (yuck, but Josh’s fav too) Probably would like some other cereals, but I never buy them. Does not like raisins/dried cranberries/other dried fruit. I think it's a texture thing. She will chew on them and spit them out.
Quaker Oat Granola Bars with choc chips
Banana bread, esp if you let her help u make it, but no toppings, and likes it heated up if it’s been in the fridge
Won’t eat fruit snacks usually, but likes to squish them. ;)
Loves GUM
Loves ICE … her most requested “food” item.
Loves any kind of crap like cookies, candy, pudding, ice cream, Popsicles, fudge bars, potato chips. Limit for obvious reasons. 2 oreos at 4pm= not eating dinner
Has started eating some kinds of fries, but mostly I think for the ketchup ;)
Will eat most any kind of “sloppity globbity stew” from the crock pot. Loves carrots from the crock pot and you don’t have to cut them too small.
Loves honey roasted peanuts, but watch close…choking hazard! Have not tried any other nuts with her yet.
Love applesauce, look for no sugar or just boil up a pot of apples that need to go with some water and maybe a tiny bit of sugar and make some
Will usually be more willing to try something new if you let her help you make it
Will eat almost anything with noodles or pasta of some type. More willing to try foods separate vs. mixed. Aka... if you make chili, leave out some plain burger meat and she'll eat a bowl of that vs. the mixed up batch.
Likes white rice (won’t always eat baked potatoes, can’t get her to try mashed. Sigh)
Likes peanut butter on crackers
Loves cheese pizza and breadsticks (Good American!)
Will do better eating something if you have the plate completely served/cut up and then put it in front of her. If you dish 1 item, then try to dish another, it’s like you’re messing with what she has and she gets mad. She also won’t want you to cut it in front of her. Cut on the counter when you dish it! She’ll want to have a little toddler knife and try to cut it herself. Do not tell her to try it. Just talk about how yummy and good your own food is! Show how "big" of a bite you can take.

Eating pattern: breakfast around 9. Lunch about 11:30. Maybe a small snack around 4 when I start dinner. Eat dinner at 5:30. Bedtime snack around 8-8:30. I usually don’t actually do a morning snack or afternoon one since she nurses all the time, but I always have a sippy cup of water out for her or an open cup that’s plastic. If we’re out and about she will probably eat a snack, but if we’re home, we’re usually lazy.
But if she doesn’t nurse, she’ll probably need some more snacks!!! Bedtime snack is usually about the same as what she’d eat at breakfast, like a bowl of cheerios and milk or an egg.
And after looking at this…maybe she is drinking too much and that’s why she doesn’t eat snacks? Who knows. They say toddlers regulate themselves…I’m not sure that’s true. It’d be gum and ice cream for every meal!

DRINKS-
100 percent apple or dark purple grape juice. I think she’ll drink OJ, but I don’t normally buy it
Milk-white or chocolate
Gatorade- traditional orange or the light blue flavor (watch out for the diet crap!)
· I have been trying to give her a variety. As much water as she wants of course, but I try to limit to 2 cups juice, 2 cups milk, 2 cups Gatorade per day. Fill them all the way up. She will drink it all! She hasn’t been drinking quite that much lately, but if her nursing is cut back, she probably will.

Yup. She's a picky eater. Is that born or made? Nature or nuture? Hmm...but I sure wouldn't want someone to force me to eat something I didn't like.