This post is sponsored by Little Green Pouch
Feeding a toddler has turned out to be one of the hardest parts of motherhood. I don’t blame Mazen at all for being a picky eater – imagine if someone was creating your whole menu and you had very little way to communicate back. Sometimes you just don’t want meatballs. Sign language has helped us a lot (“Mazen would you like an apple or some cheese?”) but beyond the basic foods, it’s hard to tell what he’s in the mood for until he pushes it off of his tray.
I give Mazen a lot of credit – he is an adventurous eater and will touch his tongue to a lot of new foods. But he lets us know with a loud NO if he doesn’t like it. Texture plays a huge part in his likes and dislikes. And it’s for this reason that I often still make smoothies, soups and purees for him. If he hates the texture of string beans but will eat them in a soup, then let’s eat more soup!
Just like adults, I believe that the more variety you can get into a child’s diet the better. It’s hard for a toddler to chew kale or celery and texture can make or break a dish. Thus, the more you can adapt things to make kiddos like them the better off their diets will be. Smoothies and pureed soups are as versatile as they come and offer an easy way to introduce more real food. Best of all – you can enjoy them along with your toddler.
This recipe came to me as I was thinking up a way to get Mazen to eat more greens. He is really into pears right now and loves coconut. He’s iffy about the texture of rice and can’t really chew greens yet. So I made this simple blend that he loved eating all by himself from his Little Green Pouch. Think of it as a hybrid smoothie + soup. It’s on the sweeter side thanks to the coconut milk and pear so little taste buds will like it, but it has the nutrition and veggie backbone of a soup. I served it room temp in his pouch and warm in a mug for me.
Coconut Rice & Pear Soup
Ingredients (4-6 servings)
- 1 cup cooked brown rice
- 1 can full-fat coconut milk
- 1 ripe green pear
- 2 cups baby spinach
- 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
- Pinch ground ginger
Instructions
Puree all ingredients in blender.
Serve with extra rice for garnish.
Heat to taste.
Clapping means he liked it!
Thanks to Little Green Pouch for sponsoring this post. We love their reusable pouches for yogurt, applesauce, smoothies and soups like this one! Get 15% off all orders until March 5 with the code KATHEATS15.
Lisa @bitesforbabies says
That soup looks delicious!! I have to say though, I’m not such a fan of those pouches…just personal preference, I guess. I just think of myself “drinking” my fruit or soups from a pouch and it seems odd, lol! I SHOULD choose that option though because it is definitely not as messy as eating with their hands, spoons,etc!
Anele @ Success Along the Weigh says
Great way to sneak in some of the things he might’ve given the heave ho in it’s original form! 🙂
tiffany says
Hi, do you use the extenders for the little green pouches or are they fine without?
KathEats says
He’s fine without
Jen says
Of course every kid is different and we all know our own the best, but may I suggest sautéed spinach? Sliced chiffonade and cooked in olive oil, my little one loved it! She would eat 1/2 cup at a time at 1 year, and it was the gateway to lots of other greens. Even as she tries to be a picky three and a half-year-old eater, she still loves kale, collard greens, any greens that we serve her. Worth a try?
KathEats says
I bet M would love a creamed spinach
Alex @ Kenzie Life says
This soup looks great, even for adults 🙂 I also thought this was a really creative recipe! I’m going to pass it along to my godson’s parents who now have 3 kids under the age of 3, so I’m sure one of them is bound to need a creative way to eat some greens!
Katie @ Peace Love & Oats says
I never would have thought to blend rice into a soup, but I guess it’s just the same as blending oatmeal into a smoothie. Smart thinking!
Sally says
This soup looks so yummy! What kind of blender do you use? I have a Ninja and it’s powerful, but I am worried it would not process the pear.
KathEats says
A Ninja actually!
Maureen says
What a great idea! Sometimes I think I need my own Little Green Pouch to carry around! 😉
@simple green moms says
what a fantastic idea! i am totally getting these for my Little Man who is such a picky eater too! Great post Kath =)
efd says
I love your jacket in those photos! May I ask where it’s from? Thanks!
KathEats says
Thanks it’s Lululemon and new! I love it – it’s so comfy and flattering too.
[email protected] says
That soup sounds great, I totally understand why Mazen loved it! Are the pouches good for picky husbands too?? 😉
KathEats says
: )
Amelia @i_heart_kale says
It’s amazing how much changing the texture of a food will make it more desirable to eat. I can get my husband to eat all sorts of greens if they are puréed or finely chopped and cooked. However, raw greens are a no go except romaine lettuce. He is weird like that, I suppose. 🙂
Can’t wait to try out this flavor combo. Sounds yummy!
Sheila says
How do you wash these pouches, if they’re reusable?
KathEats says
I rinse them well in the sink and then you can put them in the dishwasher
[email protected] says
Yummy combination!!
Sagan says
Aw, cute! He looks so happy in that last photo.
Great idea for a meal for the kidlets!
Livi says
yum!! soup for kids + adults- so perfect!!
Ashley @ Saving Money in your Twenties says
What a good idea! I bet M is going to grow up loving all sorts of foods- that’s awesome!
Jessica says
This is too cute! 🙂
Lindsay says
I can’t wait to try this! I do not have a toddler (or any little friends just yet) but we do have a green pear! Haha! Thanks for the inspiration, I would have never put these flavors together on my own!
Xiomara @ Parkesdale says
Just wanted to let you know, you look so beautiful. Glad to see you are enjoying life!
Alex Caspero MA,RD (@delishknowledge) says
I love little green pouches! We use them as baby food on the go for my niece! So funny, I just posted yesterday about homemade baby food and reusable pouches. I’ve also filled them once with homemade energy goo for long hikes and runs!
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Terita @ Kid Can Eat says
This looks like such a yummy combination! I still love making soups for my little one, even though he’s a good chewer now. We eat a lot of lentil and bean-based soups–does M like beans?
KathEats says
Sometimes. .
[email protected] Healthy Simple says
That’s a great combo. My son is similar – just pushes stuff off the chair. It’s why we have a shower curtain on the floor. My older son would eat ANYTHING in soup form. So I think it’s time to start using the reusable pouches and give him more “soups”. I have to admit I’ve been lax about making my own baby food purees this second time around.