It's Not All Fancy Pants

Yes, I post a lot of food... like A LOT. Because I loooooove food, however my kids are pretty picky and sometimes it's not all fancy pants.

Do your kids eat everything you make?

Definitely not. They choose their breakfast and for the most part, their lunches, too. They know they need each food group to make up their lunchboxes, and they do pretty well with choosing what goes in each section. But when it comes to dinner, I make them try at least 3 bites of the dinner I've prepared. They get to choose 2 out of three meals a day, so mom gets to choose dinner. It's about 50/50 whether they eat it or not, and sometimes there's crying and "EWWWWW" and throwing a fit, but sometimes they like it. It's basically a gamble with kids this age, and I lose half the time.

A couple times a week, I make them things that I know they like (grilled cheeze, noodles, noodles & tots, etc), and not because I'm being nice, but because those are the days I'm exhausted and don't feel like putting much effort into dinner. We all know how that feels, right?! Sometimes, you've had a hard day with little sleep and just getting food on the table or just in their hands is a miracle...AND THAT'S OK!

I like cooking, I truly do. I enjoy being in the kitchen creating new things whether it ends up in the trash or on the table, it's still fun to me. And I feel like I'm constantly learning, which is amazing. That being said, some days I'm just plain tired.

One thing that gives me comfort on these days is that even though everything on their plate is beige, it's plant based. It's without cruelty, cholesterol, or cancer causing properties. I know that it's not packed with nutrition like their other meals, but it's better than giving them chemical-filled "food".

Here is a list of our favorite "mom's-tired-so-I'm-not-cooking-food":

Veggie Nuggets

Our favorite is Simple Truth brand Organic nuggets. These things are the real deal. They are crispy and literally taste better than any chicken nugget I've ever had.

Grilled Cheeze Sammiches

I use Daiya brand American sliced cheeze and Kroger's $0.99 vegan wheat bread.

Plain Noodles

Barilla or store brand veggie noodles (the green ones). I top them with Himalayan pink salt (because they love pink!) and I stir in some veggie bouillon for flavor.

Peanut Butter and Jelly

Kroger's cheap wheat bread, Jif peanut butter, and whatever flavor of jam we have in the fridge.

Tater Tots and French Fries

Any big 'ol bag of frozen taters! Just check the ingredients for egg or milk, as some of them use those ingredients as a binding agent. But the ones we buy taste just as good!

Ramen

I know, I know... these are literally like negative for nutrition, but hey...you do what you gotta do! We buy the Nissen brand in soy sauce flavor. The other "oriental flavor" contains fish sauce. Sometimes I add cooked edamame to feel better about feeding them this terrible excuse for food.

Quesadillas

Any brand tortilla shells, Daiya shredded cheddar. Slap the cheeze on one tortilla, throw another tortilla on top and cook in a pan or microwave.

Hot Dogs

Lightlife veggie dogs are the kid's jam. They love these things. My middle little likes them heated up on a bun with ketchup and load of mustard. My big little likes them cold out of the package, plain no dip (weird, I know).

I hope this helps you feel a little better that even "healthy" vegans give their kids crappy food. In the end, we're all just trying to survive *including animals ;) (come on, I had to plug that in there!)

Please feel free to message me if you have any questions making vegan kid food substitutions!

Keep Cooking, friends!

-Kristin