Written by Cathy B.

Nope. Not pregnant. I’m just eating for two… me and my toddler.

I find ever since I’ve been an official stay-at-home mom, I spend a lot of time in the kitchen. Washing. Prepping. Slicing. Dicing. Cooking. Eating. Snacking. Cleaning. (Cleaning, by the way, also means polishing off my two-year-old’s leftovers.) What can I say, I hate waste. But, if I keep this up, I know I’ll hate my waist even more!

Here are 5 small things I’ve done to put the “Bon” back in “Appetit.”

For me…

1.  I started to either brush my teeth before I cook or chew gum while I’m cooking so I don’t feel the urge to splurge before we eat.

2.  Instead of eating my daughter’s leftovers after I’ve eaten, I pack them in my husband’s lunchbox for the next day. Or if it’s bread, I’ll make a trip to the park with my daughter and feed them to the birds. (With all that wing flapping going on, they can use the extra carbs).

3.  If my toddler snacks, I generally have peeled carrots, celery and cucumbers at hand so I can join her without the extra calories. (Dipping them in low-fat tzatziki dip gives them a little zip).

4.  I drink a big glass of milk or eat a banana a half hour before I cook so I feel full while I’m prepping the meal.

5.  Ok, who can be perfect all the time? I sneak in chips every now and then. Portion controlled snack packs (generally 100 calories) are a great friend when I’ve had a crusty day!

For my toddler…

1.  These days, meat isn’t one of my daughter’s favourite things, but quesadillas are. So, I cut up meat in really small pieces, add cheese and wrap it in a tortilla flat bread. I’ll bake it for about 5 minutes (or until the cheese melts) and ta da… she’s eating meat.

2.  I sneak in vegetables any way I can. She likes pasta, so I’ll puree carrots in the tomato sauce. She likes scrambled eggs, so I’ll puree cauliflower in.

3.  Catch up with Ketchup! Most kids love the act of dipping, so if I see she’s not eating, I’ll put a small container of ketchup next to her dish and it sometimes works. She’s even dipped asparagus in there!

4.  Since getting kids to the table can be a bit of a tug of war, I pick up her favourite stuffed animal or toy and pretend it is telling her to eat with them at the table because they’re hungry. I’ll pretend it’s walking to the kitchen and say, “Follow me” in a jovial manner. All of a sudden, mealtime seems fun.

5.  Be a good example! Kids watch their parents and pick up healthy habits. I try to eat a lot of the same foods that I’m pushing on her so she learns from the best… moi!