How to get protein into my three year old

[GlummyMummy]

My three year old is going through a very fussy phase at the moment and is refusing most of the meals she used to enjoy.

She does eat fruit and veg and is healthy enough. The main thing bothering me is that she gets very little protein. Today, for example, she ate toast for breakfast, an oaty bar for snack, a buttered roll at lunchtime, some potatoes, lettuce and beans for tea, followed by fruit and yogurt. She refused sausages at lunch and scrambled egg at tea. Her diet is heavy on the carbs but she won't eat any meat or fish, nuts and seeds are also out.

I'm wondering if anyone has any suggestions of how I can maybe get hidden protein into her? Any help gratefully received!!!!

Following as my 2 year old barely eats any protein! On the other hand, my 3 year old's favourite foods are roast chicken and hard boiled eggs. Bloody toddlers.

You say she eats veg. Peas and beans have plenty of protein in them. How about nut butters on her toast?

Sorry, just saw she refuses nuts. Would she eat a PB-based satay sauce on noodles?

Peanut butter and jam sandwhiches
Cheese- Philly if she doesn't like hard cheese
Houmous
Pancakes- heavy on the eggs, lighter on the milk
Flapjack/biscuits with ground almonds in place of some of the flour or oats

Thanks for the suggestions. Might try almond based biscuits though I'd need to make sure they weren't too heavy on the sugar. Like the idea of the satay sauce as she will eat noodles but she's iffy about sauce at the moment too. Keeps complaining about sore bits in her food - drives me mental as I eat everything and always have!

If you have a smoothie maker pop some nuts etc in. You can also get nuts in things like flapjacks and homemade protein bars. Peas, broccoli and kale also contain good amounts of protein. DS will eat them but not potato so I make a sort of mash with veg, I suppose it would work the other way round too if she's more keen on the potatoes!

Blend beans into pasta sauce

Would she take peanut or almond butter?

Beans and quinoa also have protein.

Lentils. Cook them up and stir through other food, or grind them up into flour and make biscuits.

Mine is similar, but with the added complication of being allergic to nuts. He'll only willingly eat meat if it's coated in breadcrumbs, or sausages/burgers. Chickpeas and lentils have protein - he likes falafel and he'll eat lentil soup if it's quite thick. Fishcakes go down quite well too, if I make them small and crispy and flake the fish up very small!

Hummus

Silken tofu in smoothies or home made ice cream (or actually in loads of stuff)
Falafel?
Lentils in soups or any sauces she will eat?

It is unlikely that she will be getting too little protein. She only needs about 15g a day. A recent study suggested that 99.9% of 2 year olds were consuming too much protein.
Have a look and see how much is in her yoghurt, in a slice of bread, in beans etc. Even lettuce has protein in it!

Perhaps limit snacks between meals so that she is hungry at mealtime?
Will she eat soft boiled egg and toast fingers, salmon pate, cheese on toast?

One slice of Warburton's white bread has 4 grans of protein.

Great suggestions thanks! She won't touch soup and has gone right off sauces-just wants everything plain!

She is such an odd child in that she'll eat broccoli and kale, but refuses chicken nuggets, burgers, bolognaise, macaroni cheese and other kids staples!!!!

Nemesia, that's good to know. Sounds like she's ok then. It's just the pickyness driving us mad....and eating out is a total no-no!!

My girls love them some carbs so I try to provide carbs with nutrients rather than just refined pasta and cereal. Currently they are loving Sultana Bran cereal - yes it's carb heavy but they are better carbs than doughnuts or white toast with jam.

When DD1, still a picky discerning eater, was this age I sneaked a lot of protein into her with filled pasta: tortelloni or ravioli with cheese or some other protein meaty. Now 10yrs, she quite likes salami sandwiches and hummus with carrots or cukes; she also likes expensive salmon (thanks, Granny) and meatballs.

As a stepping stone, some 'heavier' carbs like bananas and apples could give your DD some ballast with nutrients.

Baked beans

Edamame

Pasta that has been enriched with protein

Yes, she definitely loves her carbs. Would happily live on toast. Problem is she does tire easily and I think her diet is a lot to blame for this. Possible lack of iron too as she won't touch red meat.

Hoping this is a phase she will quickly grow out of!!!!

My HV always used to say look at what they eat over a 2 week period and you might find they eat enough from all food groups. She was mostly right about that

Eggy bread? If she loves toast, you could try a very dilute eggy bread first so she barely notices, then build up.

Broccoli is absolutely loaded with protein - as much as cooked lentils!

Muffins and other baked things made with eggs? A frittata which is mostly potato and veg?

Will she eat pizza or cheese on toast?