Lily Payen : Cheesy Carrot Bites

 Q + A

Tell me about yourself!

I’m a wife, mama to Myles (3 years old) and Levi (1 year old), middle school math teacher, and food blogger. I know that teaching math and food blogging may seem like two different things, but there is actually so much math behind cooking and baking and I love merging my two passions on the kitchen! I share simple recipes for babies and toddlers over on the blog at feedingtinybellies.com along with tips for navigating the feeding journey with ease!

What do you love about this recipe, and how has it helped you with feeding your toddler?

I love serving carrots to my little guys as they are rich in vitamins and calcium, but I think that they were starting to get a little tired of the standard way I had been serving them.

I wanted to come up with a new, fun way of serving carrots to get my boys excited about eating them again. So, I came up with these cheesy carrot bites and they are the perfect way to use up carrots and great for the whole family!

There is something magical that happens when cheese is added to veggies and that definitely is the case with these bites! I love how easy they are for my little guys to hold and they can be served for lunch or dinner. They are freezer friendly and only take a few minutes to whip up!

What is your biggest tip when it comes to feeding a toddler?

Always keep in mind that toddler appetites vary A LOT. One day your child may gobble down 3 full meals and multiple snacks and the next day they may barely take a bite at dinner.

One day they may love your signature pancakes and the next month they may want absolutely nothing to do with them.

It doesn’t mean that you are doing anything wrong or that they don’t like your cooking, it’s just toddlers being toddlers! It can be so easy to fall into the comparison trap and compare our children’s eating habits to those of others, but comparison does nothing but rob us from the beauty that comes with raising our little ones.

Try to be patient and remember that fluctuating appetites is completely normal and as long as your little one is following his/her growth curve, they are thriving in their own unique ways.

What is your current eating challenge and how are you working to overcome it/how did you overcome it?

The recent picky eating phase that my 3 year old has been going through. He used to be so willing to try anything and everything but has become so particular about the foods he chooses to eat.

The way that I have been overcoming this has been to get him involved in the kitchen. I’ve been having him help me make as many recipes as possible and though this ends up taking double the amount of time than if I were to make a recipe alone, he is much more willing to try the items that he assists in making.

Not only do we get to create great memories together, but he also feels so proud of his creations and is usually so excited to try new things out. Involve your kiddos in the kitchen when you can!

How do you keep your child entertained when prepping a meal?

I do love getting my son involved in the kitchen, but there are times when I just need to get a meal prepared quickly on my own. I try to coordinate prepping meals during their nap times, but if they are awake, I usually occupy them with coloring activities, magnetic tiles, or food activities!

One of my favorite ways to keep my sons busy are to give them pieces of food (usually pieces of items from what I am cooking) and a child safe knife and let them explore cutting and working with the food. This is something that usually can keep them busy for a good chunk of time, so the boys get to have a blast while Mama gets to work!

Follow Lily at: @feedingtinybellies