Lauren Maat : Turkey, Quinoa, Spinach + Apple Meatballs

 Q + A

Tell me about yourself!

I am married to my high school sweetheart, Aaron, and we have two toddler boys. We moved back to our hometown of Holland, Michigan after about a decade living in London, Lexington, KY, Chicago, and Oslo.

I spent the last year building a new brand and am proud to announce the recent launch of audwell, thoughtfully designed children's furniture that brings harmony to your home and family. Our first product is our learning tower, but we have big plans to expand our portfolio with new products.

As a Founder/CEO and a mom, I love all the food hacks for quick and healthy eating.

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

We started making this recipe when my oldest son was around 10 months old. He didn't (and still doesn't) love meat so this was an easy way to sneak it in.

It can be used for lunch or dinner and it has a lot of flexibility - if you start with the core ingredients of a ground meat (turkey, beef, sausage, lamb, etc.) and quinoa, you can then add other veggies you may have at home. The shredded apple gives it a little bit of a sweet taste that my boys love. You can definitely freeze the leftovers!

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

Options! Giving them a sense of independence and feeling of control has helped us a ton. Even if you give them two healthy or similar choices - "would you like red or orange peppers today" - it goes a long way.

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

My boys love to snack, but don't love to eat during meal time. We're still working on this, but I have found success in making mealtime fun and also making them them feel like meals are snacks.

Their favorite meal is when I give them a bunch of small things on a tray and even better if I cut them into fun shapes. It could be the same meal I was otherwise planning to serve them, but by giving it to them in small little piles spread out they enjoy it a lot more (and actually eat).

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

We love to get our boys involved in prep in their Oslo Learning Towers! We either have them help, or give them a separate activity like doing a puzzle, etc, but they love to be at counter height with us.

Follow Lauren’s brand audwell at: @meetaudwell