18-36 Months: Eating with the Family - Out and About (part 1)

As your child becomes more independent, she’ll be able to enjoy an increasing number of outings with family and friends, and may begin to eat meals outside
her home. It’s natural to be concerned that she’s getting everything
she needs, but keeping your eye on the overall picture, and using a little creativity, will help.

What are good restaurant options for little children?

Given the opportunity, many little ones are very adventurous
eaters and will try foods from many different cultures. In fact, eating
out can encourage them to try things you may have no luck in serving at
home.

Thai food is fun,
and many dishes are fragrant rather than spicy, with lots of vegetables,
noodles, and rice served alongside. Pizza is perfectly healthy as long
as you stick to vegetable toppings, thin crust—and don’t overdo the
cheese! Even grilled beef or chicken burgers, made from 100 percent
meat, are fine. Traditional favorites such as vegetable-based pasta
dishes, fish or shepherd’s pies, or even roast dinners are good choices.

In reality, anything
goes, as long as you avoid anything that is very fatty, high in salt,
and high in sugar, or which contains artificial colors, flavorings or
additives such as MSG (often found in Chinese dishes).

Are there any healthy alternatives to fast foods?

First of all, there is no reason why you can’t prepare healthy
fast food in your own home. Burgers made with lean meat are delicious ,
and you can make your own “fries” by blanching sweet potato and potato
wedges for a few minutes, brushing them with olive oil, and roasting
until golden brown. See Tender Chicken Fingers , too, for healthy alternatives to chicken nuggets.

Vegetable pizzas
created with light homemade bases, such as split toasted English
muffins, topped with fresh vegetables, tomato sauce, and a sprinkling of
cheese, are far superior to store-bought and takeout alternatives. You
can easily create chicken skewers by marinating chunks of chicken in any
number of ingredients such as lemon juice, honey and soy sauce, or
olive oil, lemon, garlic, and fresh thyme. Stir-fries are great fast
food, and the vegetables are lightly cooked, so retain most of their
nutrients. Baked potatoes with easy-to-prepare toppings, such as baked
beans or tuna-mayonnaise make a healthy, family-friendly meal too.

My child is more adventurous with her food now; can you suggest some exciting packed lunch ideas?

The first thing to consider is that your child’s packed lunch
represents a meal, and should be as nutritionally balanced as any meal,
with protein, carbohydrates, vegetables, and fruit appearing in some
form or another.

Small bite-sized sandwiches are always popular, and if you use whole wheat, half-and-half, or
multi-grain bread, she’ll get even more nutrients. Wraps make a nice
change—fill them with chicken or shrimp and lettuce.

If your child is adept
with a fork, you can create mini-salads, which are a good alternative to
sandwiches. Add chunks of chicken, halved cherry tomatoes, and snipped
chives to a potato salad, or make a pasta salad with pasta twirls,
turkey, and broccoli, and a delicious dressing (3 tbsp light olive oil, 1
tbsp balsamic vinegar, 1 tbsp soy sauce, and 1/2 tsp sugar).

Raw vegetables are
often more appealing and easier to manage in lunchboxes, and you can
provide a selection with a little container of hummus. Miniature fish or
chicken balls with a little bit of ketchup or sweet and sour sauce for
dipping are nutritious and fun, too.

Little containers of yogurt, miniature cheeses, and cartons of cream cheese with breadsticks will provide a boost of calcium.

Smoothies or fruit
juices, plus small containers of fruit chunks or berries, and tiny boxes
of raisins or other dried fruits, yogurt-covered raisins, individual
portions of fruit purée, and dried fruit bars are good ways to encourage
your little one to eat fruit. Mini-muffins (see Apple-bran Muffins ) and oatmeal raisin cookies make ideal homemade desserts.

What should we take along to keep our fussy toddler happy on vacation?

Some children are aghast to find that their firm favorites are
not available on vacation, and may struggle to find something on the
menu.

Snacking doesn’t tend
to be as popular in some areas, so if your toddler gets by with regular
small snacks and meals, you may want to consider bringing along
individual packets of breadsticks, raisins and other dried fruit,
mini-containers of peanut butter, and rice cakes. But don’t panic; you
can easily get good-quality bread, fruits and vegetables in most areas,
and most restaurants will offer rice, noodles, or pasta, and serve it
plain as requested. However, you may well be surprised how much your
toddler enjoys eating some of the ethnic-style food, such as noodles,
paella, or curries. Many toddlers eat better when they’re away from
their usual routine.