flaxseedWhen a cookless, meatless, and effortless lunch, snack or meal is called for, make the hungry kiddies a Yogurt Fruit Salad. This recipe contains a surprise healthy ingredient: flaxseed oil.

shivasgirl, who practices Hinduism, uses flaxseed all the time. Derived from the seeds of the flax plant, the oil contains many heart healthy benefits, including the ability to lower cholesterol, blood pressure and prevent heart attacks. shivasgirl is the owner of the Religious Debate and Your Baby Calls ME Mamma groups.

"My twins are vegetarian and completely on a healthy diet," says shivasgirl, mom of three year olds Damien and Ivy, as well as 5 year old Jayden and 20 year old Laine. "So since they were born, I have been coming up with new and improved ideas to feed them well and keep them happy."

flaxseed

I asked shivagirl if it was hard to keep toddlers happy without meat:

"It's not hard or expensive either," she says. "The lack of meat more than gives us a budget to buy organic and specialty produce. I'm the sole breadwinner in my home, my husband is a stay at home dad. So this can be done on a limited income too."

Yogurt Fruit Salad

Cook time: None!

Prep time: 5 mins.

You'll need: (feeds 2 tots)

1 cup plain yogurt

1 cut up banana

3 sliced strawberries

12 blueberries

1 sliced apple

1 tsp. cinnamon

2 tbsp. flaxseed oil

Make it:

1. In a small bowl, mix yogurt, flaxseed oil, and cinnamon.

2. Toss in fruit, serve, and enjoy!

Tip: You can also serve the fruit on the side, and use the yogurt as a dip.

Tip: To make the salad tropical, use pineapple, banana, oranges, kiwi, and mango.


Check back next Thursday for another great recipe. Got a favorite toddler friendly meal or snack of your own to share with other idea-strapped mamas? Let me know about it and I may feature it here.

Past Toddler Meals:

Vegetarian Chili

Fruit Salsa With Cinnamon Crisps

Taco Cups

Sweet-and-Sour Chicken

Italian Goulash

Parmesan Risotto

Chicken Sausages

Easy Quesadillas

Barbecue Cups

Healthy Ketchup

Cinnamon Raisin Roll-Ups

Hot Dogs with Mashed Potatoes