Vegan Toddler Meals

I don't have any of my own kids yet, but for the past two years I have run a small daycare out of my home. The food I feed my daycare kids has always been vegetarian and over time has become increasingly more vegan. Right now, aside from the dairy milk I serve as a drink with breakfast and lunch, the meals I serve are vegan. I serve dairy milk because I participate in my state's food program and I need to meet certain regulations to earn money for the meals I serve. If a parent requested a dairy alternative I would happily provide it.

I used to take pictures of my food a lot and post it on Facebook and lately I've been spending less and less time on social media so I thought I'd try a new way to share images of the food I make.

This is a pretty standard meal. Brown rice, beans, veggie side and fresh fruit. I usually make my beans from scratch but these came from a can since I was pressed for time. I steamed the kale and put raw tomatoes and bell peppers on top. I usually put some new or relatively new food on her plate at lunch each day. This time it was steamed kale. She tried it and started talking about broccoli which I thought was cool since the two plants are closely related.

This is probably one of her favorite meals. Lentil sloppy joes with brown rice. Cucumbers and bell peppers on the side. The lentil recipe is one of my favorites too because it's sooooo easy!

http://www.forksoverknives.com/recipes/sloppy-lentil-joes/

Here is a typical breakfast. I only serve sugar free, whole grain cereal. Currently wheat squares with a sprinkle of cinnamon are her favorite. My wife makes a smoothie with apples, bananas, kale and strawberries most mornings and my tiny friend always asks for some.

This picture is missing the chick peas, I forget stuff in the microwave often ;) This meal was a total experiment. The soup is broccoli cream soup and the sandwich is grilled chao (an amazing vegan cheese) and she loved them both! The pile of carrots and cucombers was my insurance that at least something would get eaten, much to my surprise the whole meal was devoured.

http://fieldroast.com/product/chao-slices/

We all eat the same stuff at my house, even me. And this is one of my favorites. Miso soup with udon, bean sprouts, tofu and seaweed. The green beans went in touched which surprised me cause she was all over them for snack the day before. Brown rice is hiding behind the bowl and apples are always delicious. I left the chick peas in the microwave again! I tend to remember about them once I'm seated and eating :)

Sometimes I think she likes opening the clementine more than eating it! 

So, that was a sampling of what I eat with my two year old friend every day. The food is simple, inexpensive, healthy and the toddler eats it :)