Toddler Lunch Equipment

SoYoung lunchbox

I had a couple of friends ask about what I was packing these toddler lunches in, and I realized that I never posted a complete description, so:

The lunchbox we use is by SoYoung (not the cheapest one out there, but its got a cute design and its pretty roomy- fits our stuff perfectly.). I bought it on Amazon. They also make 'cooler bags' which may be a better fit for bottles or depending on your containers. I love the bird and bicycle designs on those, and the robot or rocket would be cute on the lunchbox, too. And the giraffe!- though since its pink, so that won't fly at our house.

 

The containers I use are made by Sassy, and are BPA-free. We were handed down one set, and found another at Kohl's, but I found them available on amazon  and am sure you can find them at Babies'r'us, BuyBuyBaby, Target, etc., too. Weelicious.com recommends (and offers discounts on) some metal 'laptop lunch' containers.

I like using these containers and lunchbox, combined, because it makes packing lunch feel like a coloring book: I pack a lunch, coloring inside the lines, and ta-da: lunch is packed.

What do you use to pack your kids' lunches?

Toddler Dinners (including a super-fast option!)

I was a single mom for a couple of nights this week. The first night, we had leftovers, which took a lot of pressure off for the evening. The second night, however, I didn't plan so well. In fact, I thought Daddy was going to be home in time to help with dinner/kid management, so I had actually planned to make a totally new meal. But I was wrong. I started to make one of our favorite, 20-minute meals: Cauliflower Mac n Cheese (recipe at the bottom of this post). However, with the help of my toddler this was taking much longer than usual, and I had to bail about halfway through, when it was 6:30 and I still was nowhere near close to getting something on the table. So I pulled out a piece of bread and a slice of cheddar and got started on a half a grilled cheese sandwich. Somehow this cooked perfectly, and landed on a plate with a few steamed carrot sticks (a staple in our fridge) and a handful of (still) frozen peas. AND HE ATE THE WHOLE THING. Our guy has been boycotting dinners this week (except cheese and milk), so I was glad to see him gobble this meal, and ecstatic that he ate the bread and veggies, too! See the photo of a couple minute in.

I wanted to include a few photos of other lunches we have packed this week, constructed of leftovers:

The entree here is the guts of an enchilada (see recipe below), torn half a whole wheat tortilla, cubes of steamed sweet potato, strawberries, blueberries, mango, kiwi, a yogurt-covered pretzel; Snacks: yogurt and granola; applesauce (in the container) and toddler trail mix (pretzels, raisins, craisins, diced dried apricots)

Cauliflower Mac N Cheese, strawberries, blueberries, cherry tomato halves, steamed carrots, yogurt -covered pretzel; Snacks: yogurt, frozen edamame (in a Dora single-serve pack - full disclosure, most of these came home...); halved grapes, fig cereal bar

Cauliflower Mac N Cheese

(based on a recipe from What to Eat When You're Expecting)

8 oz whole wheat macaroni

1 small head of cauliflower, chopped into bite-sized pieces

2 tbsp butter

1.5 tbsp whole wheat flour

1 cup milk

1/2 cup shredded Gouda

1/2 cup shredded cheddar

1 cup shredded mozzarella

1.5 tbsp wheat germ

1.5 tbsp Parmesan

Start cooking macaroni according to package directions. Meanwhile...

Steam cauliflower. Meanwhile...

Melt the butter in a saucepan. Whisk in the flour for a couple minutes to create a rue. Add the milk and simmer until slightly thickened. Remove from heat and stir in Gouda, cheddar, mozzarella until smooth. Add macaroni and cauliflower, and stir to coat.

Mix together the wheat germ and Parmesan.

At this point, if you like baked mac n cheese, like grandma makes, you can transfer the mac n cheese to a baking dish, top with the wheat germ/parm and bake on 350 for 10 minutes. We usually can't wait this long and dish it right up, and sprinkle the topping right on our bowls.

For more veggie sneakiness, we have tried stirring in peas or sauteed kale. Broccoli would be an easy swap for the cauliflower. And chicken or beef or edamame would be an easy addition if you feel like you need more protein.

Easy Enchiladas

(based on a recipe from my friend Shelley)

10 oz canned chicken

1 cup black beans

1/2 cup shredded cheddar

1/2 cup salsa*

1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt (or sour cream)

7-8 whole wheat tortillas

1 can enchilada sauce*

Preheat oven to 350.

Combine chicken, beans, cheese, salsa and yogurt in a bowl. Scoop even amounts of filling into tortillas, and roll into tubes. Nestle the tubes side-by-side, touching, into a baking dish. Pour enchilada sauce evenly over the tubes. Sprinkle a little more cheddar on top.

Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes.

Serve!

*To really make this toddler friendly, use a mild salsa, and look for a non-spicy enchilada sauce (unless your little one likes heat. We couldn't find our usual brand, and the replacement was still hot, so we only served him the guts, with pieces of dry tortilla.

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Overnight Diaper Suggestion?

So... the dog ate one of our nighttime diapers...

This has never happened before, but usually we don't leave diapers where she might be tempted either. I was a single mom last night and as I folded toddler clothes and stacked clean diapers after bedtime, I left them outside M's bedroom door, so as not to wake him. And left them there. Our mornings generally have a good routine, but the last 5 minutes usually go haywire. I will have our bags and lunchboxes on my arm ready to go and I'll see M dumping out a box of blocks across the room, or I'll have forgotten my badge, or my shoes...

Needless to say, I forgot to put the aforementioned clothes and diapers IN the bedroom, and found one dissected on the living room floor upon arriving home.

So now we need a new one to keep our rotation full, and could you really find a better excuse to buy a new diaper? So which one should I get for overnight? We have tried Rump-a-rooz so far - what's next?

We do have a pretty heavy wetter, but we also have some extra bamboo inserts that I am willing to add to anything if we need to!

Also, given the dog's preferences, I will take this dog event as a hint that I need to start research stripping diapers...

A perfect trip to the park!

We have been to Irvine Regional Park playground several times, but this time all the pieces finally fell together perfectly and it was just a relaxing morning.

Even on a weekend it still seems a little crazy to make some breakfast, squeeze in a Skype call with our parents, and all get dressed (not even showers!), especially after a night of interrupted sleep. So we all welcomed the trip to the park as a nice break. Somehow we arrived with water, snacks, sand toys, a kickball, the camera, hat, sunglasses, sunscreen, and two coffees. The weather was warm. There were some other families there as well and M even shared his sand toys. He had a great time climbing up the stairs and sliding down the slide. Over and over. Digging in the sand. Chasing after his ball. Swinging along side the other kids. Daddy and I soaked in the sunshine and leisurely sipped our coffee (those of you with small children may appreciate what a rarity it is to enjoy your cup of coffee without fear of small hands threatening it at every moment).

Maybe M is just approaching the age where he can explore this whole play area with minimal assistance from us. In other words, the leash is getting longer.  Or maybe we just got tired of helicoptering and are finally give him his space... And its relaxing.

This is a short post, but I'll call this park hour a Kairos moment (thank you, Momastery for this term). :)

Tyke Hike: Shipley Nature Center

Saturday we went on a 'Tyke Hike' at the Shipley Nature Center in Huntington Beach.

I learned about this hike though this FunOrangeCountyParks blog.

We decided to go to breakfast at Crystal Cove beach beforehand, and even though we got there early, we had so much beach fun we were running a couple minutes late getting to Shipley. Luckily we were still among the first to arrive and didn't miss any part of the program.

starting our hike!

We signed in, and got name tags and explored the space in front of the center (mostly just the magnets on the sign board) until everyone arrived. Then we sat down in the mini amphitheater for just a minute while the guides explained the game plan.

We would (loosely) follow some 'clues' to 3 different spots where activities had been planned. Along the way, we learned lots of fun facts about California flora and fauna. For instance, I didn't know California has two State Trees (the Redwood and the Sequoia).

learning about the different varieties of sage in the park - some are good for rubbing on you to keep bugs away, while others you can rub on you to mask your scent from deer you may want to hunt

All walking involved was probably under half a mile and we spent 1.5 to 2 hours on our 'hike'. Also, there was a cost of $5 per person for the hike, but the guides were having so much fun, they nearly forgot to collect it. Overall, I was very pleasantly surprised at this trip. I was most happy with the fact that even though I think kids a little older than M (19 months) would get more out of this hike, we were never made to feel like he was disrupting the group (even when he was totally ignoring the meditation exercises below and throwing the props and running screaming into the open field), and the guide often used his name to engage him in activities. I am definitely planning on attending the next one in May!

If you visit Shipley on your own, check out the main center. Since we arrived late, we only caught a glimpse when we ducked in for a diaper change, but I instantly wish we had more time to play in it. It is relatively small, but appeared to have lots of activities, and props for kids to learn. Bathrooms are located there as well!

Don't forget water, snacks, a hat and sunscreen... and your camera!

our first stop was to check out the inside of a Native American hut (an Eagle scout project donated to the park)

we heard about the Native American legend about how California was built on the backs of turtles, and when the turtle siblings push each other, we feel earthquakes.

then we got to make turtles out of egg crate sections, pipe cleaners and paint.

our next stop was to learn some animal-themed Chi Gong exercises. M was less interested in this activity, but was happy to throw the balls they had as extra props

family exercisers

walking to our last station

the guide showed some native animals, that we were allowed to touch: a tortoise, a tarantula, and a gopher snake!

then we got magnifying glasses to look for bugs

using mirrors to look for bugs on the undersides of leaves

we were even given a kids' guide to state parks (written by kids) and a history of Orange County coloring book 

Toddler Breakfast!

Typical oatmeal breakfast (in a convenient coffee mug) + fruit

For this week's lunches we are back to the veggie pasta (from Toddler Lunch Part II), so I thought I would share some of my favorite toddler-friendly breakfasts for our family.

During most weekdays we stick to instant oatmeal, either apple-cinnamon or plum flavored in the convenient (to pour and measure water) pouch - our favorite brand is Mom's Best. Part of our routine is to mix it, microwave it for one minute in a coffee mug, and then add an ice cube and let it wait at his place at the table, until he is up and dressed and ready for breakfast (does anyone else struggle with getting a meal made and cool before your toddler is ready to eat?). We usually pair this with a fruit - a banana, some sliced strawberries, a handful of blueberries, a cubed kiwi, or whatever other fruit we are test driving that week.

Leftover pancake breakfast with banana and honey for dipping

Our second most common breakfast is leftovers. At least one day during the weekend we make either pancakes (Aunt Jemima Whole Wheat or Trader Joe's multigrain) or French toast (whole wheat bread dipped in egg+ a splash of milk and a generous sprinkle of cinnamon). And there are almost always a few leftover, that we put in a ziploc bag, and reheat in the toaster for weekday breakfasts. This weekend we made both, and I am looking forward to them during the week! I like to mix it up by adding a schmear of peanut butter on a pancake or giving M a quarter-sized dollop of honey to dip his bites in. He is very into dipping these days.

We nearly always have hard-boiled eggs on hand, or may have leftover scrambled eggs and/or biscuits from the weekends. Often we add yogurt as a side (or for dipping fruit!). Or the blueberry muffins (see the Valentine's Day post with our raspberry version.

Another breakfast we have tried just recently is a bowl of cereal: Cheerios, with about 60% of the milk I would use for myself for the same amount leaves the cereal wet, but not so much milk that it gets sloshed everywhere.

What do you do for your kids' breakfasts?

Ps. Here are a couple of lunches from this week :)

A peek at the pasta lunch this week: veggie pasta, apple chunks,  string cheese,  yogurt pretzels; yogurt, pommegranite seeds and kidney beans; kiwi and cereal bar

Leftover Taco Salad lunch (sans the salad; ground beef, kidney beans, tomatoes, shredded cheddar, tortilla chips), grapes, steamed carrot sticks; yogurt and granola; kiwi and pretzels

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