Easy Fried Rice for Baby

Cooking foods that your toddler will love can be a challenge sometimes... errr, all the time. Getting creative in the kitchen can be time-consuming as well. Having to come up with breakfast, lunch, AND dinner on a daily basis?? Say what?! Just thinking about it is exhausting.

Worry not! Our friends over at @easyhealthykids created this toddler-friendly meal that is sure to make your little one happy!

Not only is this meal oh-so-tasty, but it's also got some amazing health benefits. The sooner you teach your child to eat whole foods, the easier it’ll be for them to form healthy habits as adults.

Here are the reasons why you’re going to love making this delicious meal for your little one.

Between the onions, sweet potato, and butternut squash you’ve got yourself some antioxidant powerhouses! Antioxidants are compounds that are naturally found in our bodies and in food. They’re useful in protecting your cells from damage caused by free radicals. What are free radicals, you ask? Not to get all Bill Nye the Science Guy on you but... free radicals are unstable single electrons that look to pair themselves with other atoms in your body. They alter lipids, protein, and DNA which then triggers a number of human diseases. This is why it’s important to eat foods high in antioxidants. Let’s move on.

One thing that not only makes our little ones miserable but us too, because we don’t like seeing our baby suffering, is constipation. That’s the worst! Luckily, the combination of sesame seeds and sweet potatoes is a good source of fiber, which promotes gut health. These ingredients are chock full of vitamins and minerals like iron, calcium, and selenium, which support the immune system and cognitive function, which our growing babies need.

All these ingredients combined have beneficial properties that will boost eye health, blood pressure and heart health, to name a few. Teaching little ones to eat whole, unprocessed, or minimally processed foods at a young age is the best gift you can give them. Yes, it’s easy to pop a frozen meal in the microwave or go to a fast food restaurant to grab dinner but their growing bodies won’t get all the healthy nutrients they need to optimally function as adults. 

This meal is also a great way to start teaching them how to self-feed because the ingredients are diced or chopped up into little pieces. Letting them learn to eat on their own will also promote confidence and independence. You can read more about that here (link messy eating blog). Give them a grabease utensil and let them practice eating. This will also help them fine-tune their motor skills.

Happy healthy eating!