Written By: Sarah Muniz, RD, LDN
The way I eat (and not to mention my entire life!) changed drastically when I became a mother a year and a half ago (20 months to be exact.) And, now that my son is a toddler and shares in the family meals, it’s changed even more! I used to make more nightly dinners on the spur of the moment and hit up the grocery store whenever I needed a last minute ingredient… Now, I find myself making large batches of food and freezing portions into cubes to use throughout the week. I’ve also started grocery shopping only once a week. Going to the grocery store with a toddler is challenging when you want to peruse the aisles and stop to explore new items you see on the shelves! But you learn to adapt and find new ways to make it work, right? So, here’s a day of food in the life of a dietitian (and her son)!
Breakfast: Somewhere between 7:30-9:00 AM
Of course toddlers will be toddlers, but overall my son is a well rounded eater and I am always working to introduce new foods in his diet. He loves a variety of healthy foods and the breakfast item we’ve been introducing recently has been eggs (scrambled and hardboiled). He and I usually share breakfast. Something else I’ve learned as a mother is that you will share everything with your child and you’ll always save the best bite for them! This morning our shared breakfast consisted of oatmeal (frozen cubes of oatmeal popped into the microwave and then topped with cinnamon), a hardboiled egg, a slice of Colby Jack cheese, Greek yogurt, a small piece of homemade banana bread from the weekend and my cup of tea. No luck with the hardboiled egg today… he wasn’t having it! But, I’ll keep trying!
Morning Snack: around 11 AM
Morning snacks are typically something quick and simple! We’ll usually share an apple, peanuts with raisins, strawberries or crackers with almond butter! Today, we went for strawberries and raspberries. He loves strawberries, but he’s still learning to like raspberries!
Lunch: somewhere between 12-2 PM
On days when it’s just the two of us and I haven’t prepped much ahead of time, I go for simplicity. Today was salad with my homemade dressing (that I make small batches of and use for several days), a Morningstar sausage patty, a few pieces of cheese, some red beans and baked sweet potato fries. My homemade dressing is Asian inspired and contains rice vinegar, low-sodium soy sauce, sesame oil, Sriracha sauce, honey, peanut butter and minced garlic. We love beans in my house and I make them almost weekly. We will typically eat off of this batch throughout the week! They’re a healthy source of lean protein and an excellent source of fiber and iron!
Afternoon Snack: around 5 PM
As with our morning snacks, afternoon snacks vary depending on where we are and what we’re doing. Today we shared a small bowl of Great Grains cereal topped with Greek yogurt, strawberries, and peanuts.
Dinner: somewhere between 7-8 PM
My husband and I are both Hispanic so our staples will typically include foods like rice, beans, plantains or yuca. Our dinners are also often later in the evening as well, so we try to have a light dinner. Tonight, neither of us was up for cooking. My husband ate leftover lentils and chicken from the night before, and I opted for an egg and cheese sandwich on a whole wheat bread with some tomato, cucumber and basil salad I made earlier in the day. My son had a little of both for our meals and some peanuts as well. He liked the tomatoes in the salad, which made me happy! I’ve been trying to get him to try tomatoes and he liked this one! He is already a fan of cucumbers so that wasn’t difficult! My day usually ends just like it began, with a nice cup of hot tea… a habit I learned from my mom!
