Cooking for the Family

Our Q&A starts now!

7 month old feeding schedule

• Lindsay L. Hi! I wouldn't worry too much about the amount of solid food she's eating at 7 months. Use it as a time for her to develop her coordination and explore different flavors and textures. Here's a post my friend and fellow RD wrote about toddler serving sizes (with visuals) that might help as she gets a little older! http://momtomomnutrition.com/nutrition/toddler-serving-sizes/ The two of us also wrote an ebook about feeding young kids. You can find more info about that here: http://www.theleangreenbean.com/table-talk/ Lindsay Lindsay Livingston, RD **Please note I've had a change of address. If you plan to mail me something, please confirm you have the correct address** *Blog: The Lean Green Bean* www.theleangreenbean.com Let's Connect! Follow me on: *Twitter* *Facebook* *Instagram* *Pinterest* *Google+*

Toddler won't eat vegetables

• Lindsay L. Definitely keep trying. I serve vegetables constantly and my son often doesn't eat them...but if they're there, you never know when he might take a bite. Also try different forms- roasted, raw, steamed, mashed. My son likes roasted squash mixed with vanilla yogurt and a little maple syurp, roasted sweet potatoes with cinnamon, raw carrots with hummus. Here are some kid-friendly veggie recipes: http://www.theleangreenbean.com/kid-friendly-vegetable-recipes/ I also puree veggies into sauces like tomato sauce, shred them into muffins, bake with things like pumpkin and sweet potato and most recently I've started putting frozen cauliflower in his smoothies: http://www.theleangreenbean.com/blueberry-cauliflower-smoothie/ Lindsay Lindsay Livingston, RD **Please note I've had a change of address. If you plan to mail me something, please confirm you have the correct address** *Blog: The Lean Green Bean* www.theleangreenbean.com Let's Connect! Follow me on: *Twitter* *Facebook* *Instagram* *Pinterest* *Google+*

Serving Size

• Lindsay L. Don't get too hung up on amounts! Every kid is different and kids are actually really good about eating when they're hungry and stopping when they're full. My 2 1/2 year old eats a TON compared to other 2 year olds...but he's also much bigger and taller than average. Here's a post my friend and fellow RD wrote showing the recommended toddler serving sizes, with visuals, that might be helpful...but remember every kid is different so these aren't hard and fast rules: http://momtomomnutrition.com/nutrition/toddler-serving-sizes/ Lindsay Livingston, RD **Please note I've had a change of address. If you plan to mail me something, please confirm you have the correct address** *Blog: The Lean Green Bean* www.theleangreenbean.com Let's Connect! Follow me on: *Twitter* *Facebook* *Instagram* *Pinterest* *Google+*

Meal prep

• Lindsay L. Ah, this is my specialty! Here's a link to a page with several food prep posts I've written, including one with 5 tips for beginners: http://www.theleangreenbean.com/food-prep/ I also wrote an entire ebook about food prep: http://www.theleangreenbean.com/ultimate-guide-food-prep/ My best tip is to pick the time of day you struggle with the most and start there...so if you're constantly skipping breakfast because you're too busy in the morning, prep a few breakfasts ahead of time. If you're always going to the vending machine for a snack, spend some time making a couple snacks you can pack for the week. Once you see how much it helps you, you'll probably be motivated to do a little more the next week! And remember food prep doesn't mean you have to prep every single thing your'e going to eat for the entire week! Every little bit helps, even if it's just grilling some chicken, chopping some vegetables to snack on and hard boiling some eggs. Lindsay Livingston, RD **Please note I've had a change of address. If you plan to mail me something, please confirm you have the correct address** *Blog: The Lean Green Bean* www.theleangreenbean.com Let's Connect! Follow me on: *Twitter* *Facebook* *Instagram* *Pinterest* *Google+*

Insta Pot

• Lindsay L. Hi! I have an Instant Pot and love it! For me it can replace the slow cooker because it can actually act as both a pressure cooker and a slow cooker...although now that i use it as a pressure cooker i rarely slow cook anything anymore. I use mine pretty much every week to cook shredded chicken or port to put in a variety of dishes. Here are a few recipes I've made several times in mine: http://www.theleangreenbean.com/instant-pot-asian-chicken/ http://www.theleangreenbean.com/instant-pot-beef-stew/ http://www.theleangreenbean.com/instant-pot-pasta-with-meat-sauce/ http://www.theleangreenbean.com/instant-pot-shredded-hummus-chicken/ You can also saute right in it so you don't have to use another pan. There are lots of facebook groups you can join for more Instant Pot recipe ideas as well! Lindsay Lindsay Livingston, RD **Please note I've had a change of address. If you plan to mail me something, please confirm you have the correct address** *Blog: The Lean Green Bean* www.theleangreenbean.com Let's Connect! Follow me on: *Twitter* *Facebook* *Instagram* *Pinterest* *Google+*

Packing lunches

• Lindsay L. I wrote this post last year with some tips and examples of healthy packed lunches: http://www.theleangreenbean.com/healthy-packable-lunches-for-kids/ and this post of 50 packable lunches: http://www.theleangreenbean.com/50-packable-lunch-ideas/ that might help. I also have a few posts with toddler meal ideas that you can look through that might give you some new ideas: http://www.theleangreenbean.com/category/baby/ Meal prep can definitely help! You could prep some traditional "breakfast foods" that also work for lunch like egg muffins, waffles or pancakes (great with yogurt), roll-ups with deli meat, hummus and cheese can be a hit. You could also try homemade lunchables with crackers, squares of cheese and squares of turkey. Leftovers are also good for lunch - things like burgers and meatballs that can be eaten warm or cold are good! My friend and fellow RD Holley has this post of 125 healthy lunchbox ideas: http://www.holleygrainger.com/healthy-lunchboxes-for-kids/ Hope that helps! Lindsay Livingston, RD **Please note I've had a change of address. If you plan to mail me something, please confirm you have the correct address** *Blog: The Lean Green Bean* www.theleangreenbean.com Let's Connect! Follow me on: *Twitter* *Facebook* *Instagram* *Pinterest* *Google+*

Need meal guidance for toddler

• Lindsay L. I would just focus on offering a variety. There are tons of different plant based protein sources you can introduce her to that are perfect for little fingers like beans, lentils, chickpeas. Pair them with different fruits and vegetable to encourage her to try new things instead of always serving the same couple. You can also try making things like black beans or chickpeas into mini patties or nuggets with some breadcrumbs and shredded or chopped veggies and serve them with different dips like salsa and hummus! I have some posts with toddler meal ideas here. They have meat but still might give you some ideas! http://www.theleangreenbean.com/category/baby/ Lindsay Lindsay Livingston, RD **Please note I've had a change of address. If you plan to mail me something, please confirm you have the correct address** *Blog: The Lean Green Bean* www.theleangreenbean.com Let's Connect! Follow me on: *Twitter* *Facebook* *Instagram* *Pinterest* *Google+*

• Maria Thanks ladies!