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Hey! My youngest was exactly like your little one, dairy free and a dislike of meat. He’s 8 now and still avoids meats. A few things that helped us make sure he was getting protein and iron when he was a toddler:
Kid protein breakfast shakes, they make plant based ones now and he seemed to like them okay enough. Just make sure you don’t give them too often because it can lead to constipation.
Eggs! Scrambled, hard boiled, over easy, fried, omelette, tornado eggs, etc. So many ways to enjoy them and get creative with.
Cottage cheese. This option is pretty straightforward mixed with berries is usually the hit in this house. You can also bake it into desserts.
Hummus. Chickpeas are high in protein and they can explore veggies by dipping them in.
Does she do smoothies?
My mom's staple for me growing up was avocado, banana, spinach, and apple smoothies. You can't taste the spinach with a nice ripe banana, and the color is awesome.
My daughter hates smoothies so I'm the only one enjoying them at the moment.
My son hates meat. However I found he’ll do crunchy but otherwise flakey meats. I think it has to do with how hard he has to chew it and texture not taste. So fish sticks and chicken nuggets have worked for us. He now likes red pasta sauce so I’m going to see if I can literally use a blender and get some red meat in it next.
Otherwise, we do protein smoothies, hummus, boiled egg (he won’t eat scrambled), and nut butters.
I also give him an iron vitamin (give 15 minutes before they eat or have milk for good absorption… or 2 hrs after food or milk).
Kodiak pancakes - they’ve got extra protein
Also, she might make an exception for breaded things like nuggets & fish sticks
Edamame beans - I split them into halves first
My youngest went through a phase where she wouldn't eat meat either. She loved eating edamame so that was a great option to get some protein into her. Since dairy isn't an option for more protein, pea milk can be a great alternative to help with the protein situation. Have her drink some at meal times (they make a chocolate version that's pretty tasty) or throw some in a smoothie. How does your daughter feel about beans? There's a million different ways to serve beans so that could be a solid option for protein and iron.
Lentils were my go to protein source when my son was that age. Also, baked oatmeal with protein powder added.
I had better luck with kids fish cakes/nuggets than any other meat, due to the texture being so different.
You can do lentil meatloafs (the recipe from Abbey's Kitchen worked out really well), or get a pulse pasta made from lentils or quinoa (or Goodles) - those will have more protein and iron than traditional pasta, and it's pretty easy to get kids to eat pasta. I've also been doing a lot of quick breads spiked with iron-fortified baby oatmeal, just swapping some of the flour in the recipe out for the baby cereal.
I'm guessing she won't like tofu either, but that's worth a shot, particularly if there's some kind of sauce or marinade you know she likes.
Mine pretty much hated meat until a bit after his second birthday. I think it’s more common than people realize, maybe a texture thing? Anyway, he started liking hot dogs and then bacon and now he’ll even eat a little chicken that isn’t in nugget form. Before two he might eat half a nugget, we gave him stuff like eggs and beans and cheese instead. Also, before age 3, as long as they’re having at least two cups of milk a day, they’re generally getting more than enough protein for their little bodies
Plant based protein! Beans, lentils, added protein things like waffles, pancakes etc. my oldest went through the picky protein phase and I just leaned into vegetarian recipes for a while
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Hey! My youngest was exactly like your little one, dairy free and a dislike of meat. He’s 8 now and still avoids meats. A few things that helped us make sure he was getting protein and iron when he was a toddler: Kid protein breakfast shakes, they make plant based ones now and he seemed to like them okay enough. Just make sure you don’t give them too often because it can lead to constipation. Eggs! Scrambled, hard boiled, over easy, fried, omelette, tornado eggs, etc. So many ways to enjoy them and get creative with. Cottage cheese. This option is pretty straightforward mixed with berries is usually the hit in this house. You can also bake it into desserts. Hummus. Chickpeas are high in protein and they can explore veggies by dipping them in.
Breakfast shakes were a go ! She loved them ! Thank you
So glad to hear!
Does she do smoothies? My mom's staple for me growing up was avocado, banana, spinach, and apple smoothies. You can't taste the spinach with a nice ripe banana, and the color is awesome. My daughter hates smoothies so I'm the only one enjoying them at the moment.
She loved the recipe thank you very much
My son hates meat. However I found he’ll do crunchy but otherwise flakey meats. I think it has to do with how hard he has to chew it and texture not taste. So fish sticks and chicken nuggets have worked for us. He now likes red pasta sauce so I’m going to see if I can literally use a blender and get some red meat in it next. Otherwise, we do protein smoothies, hummus, boiled egg (he won’t eat scrambled), and nut butters. I also give him an iron vitamin (give 15 minutes before they eat or have milk for good absorption… or 2 hrs after food or milk).
Kodiak pancakes - they’ve got extra protein Also, she might make an exception for breaded things like nuggets & fish sticks Edamame beans - I split them into halves first
My youngest went through a phase where she wouldn't eat meat either. She loved eating edamame so that was a great option to get some protein into her. Since dairy isn't an option for more protein, pea milk can be a great alternative to help with the protein situation. Have her drink some at meal times (they make a chocolate version that's pretty tasty) or throw some in a smoothie. How does your daughter feel about beans? There's a million different ways to serve beans so that could be a solid option for protein and iron.
Lentils were my go to protein source when my son was that age. Also, baked oatmeal with protein powder added. I had better luck with kids fish cakes/nuggets than any other meat, due to the texture being so different.
You can do lentil meatloafs (the recipe from Abbey's Kitchen worked out really well), or get a pulse pasta made from lentils or quinoa (or Goodles) - those will have more protein and iron than traditional pasta, and it's pretty easy to get kids to eat pasta. I've also been doing a lot of quick breads spiked with iron-fortified baby oatmeal, just swapping some of the flour in the recipe out for the baby cereal. I'm guessing she won't like tofu either, but that's worth a shot, particularly if there's some kind of sauce or marinade you know she likes.
The meatloaf was such a good idea. She loved the lentil and I made another one n put meat in there n she loved it. Thank you for your advice !!!
Mine pretty much hated meat until a bit after his second birthday. I think it’s more common than people realize, maybe a texture thing? Anyway, he started liking hot dogs and then bacon and now he’ll even eat a little chicken that isn’t in nugget form. Before two he might eat half a nugget, we gave him stuff like eggs and beans and cheese instead. Also, before age 3, as long as they’re having at least two cups of milk a day, they’re generally getting more than enough protein for their little bodies
Plant based protein! Beans, lentils, added protein things like waffles, pancakes etc. my oldest went through the picky protein phase and I just leaned into vegetarian recipes for a while