What My Sick Toddler Ate In A Day

Foods Served:

Click on the link (name of the recipe) to be directed to the recipe OR you may also find the recipe as you scroll down this page

Another great meal option that contains Vitamin C but is not included in this diagram, is Cauliflower Fried Rice.

At our house, when one child gets sick, everyone gets sick. Therefore, I thought I would share with you what a days worth of meals looks like at our house when they start to show symptoms of the common cold.

When I see any signs of the common cold or the flu (i.e. runny nose, cough, elevated body temperature) I immediately try to reach for foods that are rich in Vitamin C and Zinc since they help support the immune system. In addition to increasing their intake of Vitamin C and Zinc, I make sure they stay hydrated with water. Furthermore, I give them Zarbee’s Black Elderberry Syrup (immune support for kids 2+years) and Wellements Organic Children’s Cough Syrup (for kids 1 year+)

Through my years of reading about foods that are rich in Vitamin C and Zinc, I have learned that the following foods contain Vitamin C: Please note I am not a nutritionist. Below you will find a list of some of the foods which I have learned are rich in Vitamin C and Zinc (reference-WebMD)

Some Foods Rich in Vitamin C:

Red Bell Pepper
Cauliflower
Broccoli
Cantaloupe
Kale
Strawberries
Kiwi
Mango
Pineapple
Spinach
Orange

Some Foods Rich in Zinc:

Beef
Poultry
Pork
Chickpeas
Nuts

Therefore, when thinking about what to serve my kids when they get sick, I look at these list of ingredients and try to come up with a menu from there. I also like to keep in mind foods or recipes they normally enjoy or like to eat. When my kids are sick (or even when I get sick) they don’t always have an appetite for food or are even less fond of eating certain foods. Now is definitely not the right time to introduce new foods. Therefore, I like to think of a menu where I know they like certain foods, like quesadillas or cereals. Which brings me to what they had for breakfast; cereal.

Breakfast

Kashi Whole Grain Cereal with Whole Milk (which is fortified with Vitamin D)

I had read that Vitamin D also supports immune health (among many others things as well). Nowadays, majority of milk has Vitamin D added to them. Therefore, I decided to incorporate milk into their breakfast. Here I served Kashi Whole Grain Cereal with whole milk.

Milk with cereal was served in Bumkins First Feeding Set in Sage.

Lunch

My kids enjoy eating quesadillas, so I decided to add broccoli, red bell pepper and kale which are high in Vitamin C. In addition, I served it with fruits that contain Vitamin C-oranges, strawberries and kiwi.

Served in Bumkins Blue Silicone Grip Dish

Recipe:

Ingredients:

(Makes 2 whole quesadillas)

4 – (8 inch) tortillas
2 tablespoons of butter or oil to coat the pan
1/4 cup small diced onion
1/4 cup small diced red bell pepper
1/4 cup small diced broccoli
4 beaten eggs
1 small or medium kale, finely diced (stem of kale removed and discarded)
Shredded mozzarella or Monterey Jack cheese

Method:

Add 2 tablespoons of butter to the pan and swirl to lightly coat it.
Add the onion, red bell pepper, and broccoli. Cook it, stirring occasionally, for a couple of minutes- about 3 minutes
Add the beaten egg. Stir and mix with the veggies. Cook till the egg is cooked through
Remove the egg mixture from the pan and transfer it to a heat-safe glass bowl. Add the finely diced kale to the veggie/egg mixture in the bowl and mix with a spoon. Set it aside.
To the pan, place 1 tortilla (over medium-low heat)
Spread shredded cheese of choice making sure to cover the entire tortilla.
Add some of the egg/veggie mixture.
Top it with some more shredded cheese making sure to evenly cover the surface (this will help hold it altogether)
Finish it with another tortilla
Let the bottom tortilla get golden brown then carefully flip it over so the other tortilla gets golden brown and the cheese melts
Repeat this process to make additional quesadillas
Allow the quesadilla to cool, cut it into desired size and serve.

Snack

Smoothies and Smoothie Bowls are yet another recipe my kids enjoy eating. Therefore, I added fruits and vegetables, from the list mentioned above, to their smoothie that are high in Vitamin C.

Served in Bumkins Silicone First Feeding Set in the color Pineapple

Recipe

Ingredients:

2 cups of the following combination: Frozen strawberry, frozen mango, frozen pineapple, frozen peaches. I used a bag called Daybreak Blend which I purchase from Costco. It has a combination of those fruits.
1/2 cup frozen riced cauliflower
1 Apple, diced
2 tablespoons flaxseed meal or ground flaxseed
1 cup orange juice
2 Kales, stems removed and discarded

Method:

Add all of the ingredients to a high speed food processor. Blend until it’s smooth and combined, stopping to scrape down the sides when needed.

Note: I served it in a bowl because the consistency was thick and my kids also prefer to eat it with a spoon. You may add more liquid if you’d prefer the consistency to be less thick.

Dinner:

Chicken Noodle Soup is a family favorite in our house. It does take some time to make it from scratch, but it truly is worth it. This soup contains so many great nutrients from the homemade stock and from the vegetables that are added to make this soup. It is so warm and comforting. Every time I eat Chicken Noodle Soup when I am sick, I always feel like it’s what my body needs to help it heal-it’s that comforting to me.

The chicken itself helps provide zinc while the added vegetables like broccoli, red bell pepper, and kale help with Vitamin C.

I have a blog post showing the step-by-step process on how I like to make my Chicken Noodle Soup from scratch. Click here for the recipe. Or, you may also use store-bought Chicken Broth or Stock to make this recipe. Just skip to the instructions where I talk about how I make the chicken soup.

Served in Bumkins Silicone First Feeding Set: Lavendar