Is your kid a decent eater who will eat literally anything you put in front of them or do you have the kid who will only eat chicken nuggets, but only that one specific brand from a co-op four states away? We all know that feeding your toddler can be rough, especially because their palate can change like the wind. One day they LOVE apples and can’t get enough of them, the next day apples are being thrown across the room (thank goodness for my built in floor cleaners, AKA the dogs). The minute I find something Ellie loves and pretty much buy stock in that company, the next thing I know she is turning her nose up at it. Well, EXCUSE ME, Queen of England! For this post, I thought I’d list out a few of my go-to meals and snacks. As I have mentioned many times, my bar is set really low. I don’t typically get home on time to be like Julia Child in the kitchen… and let’s be real, even if I did, I still wouldn’t put the time into cooking.
Breakfast
My daycare feeds Ellie after I drop her off, but on the weekends I typically keep it pretty basic. Most days she gets Cheerios, a banana, and some whole milk. On occasion, I might have some leftover egg bake that I pop in the microwave for a couple minutes. Some days she loves egg bake, other days, meh. My trusted friend, General Mills, is on standby just in case. Here’s one of my favorite (and super easy) egg bake recipes: Broccoli, Ham, and Cheese Egg Bake. I swap out the mozzarella for cheddar and add in green onions. Score one for the added veggies.
Snack
These are pretty easy typically. My go-to options are Veggie Straws, Goldfish, string cheese, fruit, and fruit pouches for on-the-go (these are Ellie’s favorite). Ellie is usually all about fruit and I usually don’t have trouble with getting her to eat it. Occasionally I will peel and cube up an apple, throw it in a microwave-safe bowl with a tablespoon of water and maybe some cinnamon, then microwave it (covered) for about 2 minutes. I drain them and let cool for a bit. She devours them anytime I make them. She also loves to steal my green smoothie… not sure if protein powder is recommended for toddlers, but if my kid looks like the Rock in a couple years, well, you know why.
Lunch & Dinner
I lumped these together because they are pretty much the same in our house. These meals tend to be whatever we have leftover or whatever can be quickly tossed together, because again, time. People often tell me that they “feed their toddler whatever they are eating”. Maybe it’s just me, but that doesn’t always work. If we are eating chili I don’t really feel like scrubbing down my walls like a crime scene after dinner. We also like really spicy food…. forget that you made a moderately spicy dish once and your toddler will never forgive you (I still get side-eye from Ellie and this happened months ago). That being said, we have a few items we keep on hand. We buy a lot of pre-made pizza crusts and toppings for a quick meal that Ellie loves. Kristin gave me this extremely easy chicken taco recipe that we now live by (see right). Beyond this, we do a lot of breakfast for dinner at our house, quesadillas with cheese and black beans, and, yes, my forever best friends – chicken nuggets.
Hopefully you found this post helpful. If you have any ideas to add, please let me know. I am always looking to add to my list of easy to make toddler foods. Good luck friends!
~Karen
Where's My Epidural? 