My son, Nathan, had eating aversions as a toddler, and didn’t like crunchy or dry foods. This was due to the severe reflux and low muscle tone he had as a baby. (Nathan was a preemie, born seven weeks early and weighing only 3 lbs. 11 oz. Hard to believe he’s over 80 pounds and turns nine-years-old this week.)

Nathan would gag and potentially vomit up anything that wasn’t slimy, squishy or creamy. He soon refused to eat crackers, cereal and even cookies. Instead, Nathan preferred foods like noodles, pudding, canned peaches, cantaloupe, small pieces of cheese, flan and yogurt. The lack of variety in his diet, and the fact that he was still barely in the 10th percentile at age two, were the reason I gave him toddler formula or Pediasure to drink between meals.

Kids love to dip

Sheri, his occupational therapist, suggested dipping dry foods into dips to make the food less dry feeling when he put it into his mouth. She started slowly, first with skinny stick pretzels, and then worked up to chips and crackers. Nathan has developed a taste for a variety of foods, and is in the 90th percentile for height and weight. Even so, he still has such a preference for noodles that we call him our Pasta-terian.

Back then, Nathan’s favorite dip was pretzels in ketchup. Yuck! I wish I had this healthy ketchup recipe from Jessica Seinfeld’s Deceptively Delicious: Simple Secrets to Get Your Kids Eating Good Food back then. Unlike the stuff on the store shelf, this has super healthy tomato and carrot puree and no high fructose corn syrup.

Use homemade ketchup – either by itself or added to plain yogurt – as a dip for crackers, pretzels, or veggie sticks. You can also use it as a “paint” to decorate food. Use a veggie stick or plastic knife to paint the ketchup on to a piece of bread, a veggie burger, or a sliced cheese or deli meat – either you or your toddler can do the painting. My five-year-old daughter, Lucie, loves when I use ketchup to make a smiley face on a slice of turkey bologna. Plus, kids are more likely to eat something that they helped make.

Homemade Ketchup with Carrot Puree
Prep: 5 minutes
Total: 25 minutes
Makes 1 cup

Ingredients:

1. 1 (6-ounce) can of tomato puree
2. ½ cup carrot puree*
3. ¼ cup water
4. 2 tablespoons apple-cider vinegar
5. 2 cloves garlic, minced
6. 1 tablespoon firmly packed light or dark brown sugar (optional)
7. ½ teaspoon dry mustard
8. ¼ teaspoon salt
9. ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
10. ¼ teaspoon chili powder, or to taste

Directions:

1. Stir all the ingredients together in a big saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
2. Reduce the heat and simmer until the mixture has reduced by about half, 10-20 minutes.
3. Let cool before serving.
4. Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to five days or freeze in ¼-cup amounts in zipper-lock snack bags for up to three months.

*Carrot Puree

Prep: Peel, trim the ends, and cut into three-inch chunks.

Cook: Steam for 10 to 12 minutes.

Puree: In a food processor or blender for about two minutes, with a few teaspoons of water if needed for a smoother texture.

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