Saturday, June 16, 2012

Feeding A Toddler

I don't know about you but I have a hard time coming up with different ideas for feeding my toddler. Thankfully AJ is not a picky eater, for the most part, but I always find myself in a rut with his meals. I'm constantly looking for new ideas on things to feed him. Just in case you're like me and looking for some kid friendly foods to shake up your menu, I decided to share some of our favorites that we've found so far and some of the recipes that are on our list to try!

Let's start with breakfast!

I am all about things that can be made in large batches and frozen or refrigerated for later!

Photo credit : Cooking Light


Blueberry Oatmeal Muffins from Cooking Light - These are fantastic! Our whole family loved these. I'm not sure how well they would freeze but I kept them in the refrigerator for several days with no problems.

Frozen Blueberry Muffins from Stockpiling Moms - I am planning on making these next week!
**Update! I just made these a few days ago and they turned out great! My batch made about 28 large muffins so if you made them smaller I'm sure you could get quite a few muffins! They thawed perfectly!**

Toddler French Toast Sticks from Once A Month Mom - These are on my "to make list" once freezer space opens up.

Frozen waffles are a quick and easy breakfast. (I don't give AJ any syrup for two reasons, I have no desire to de-stickify a wiggly 18 month old and he has more than enough energy without the aid of sugar!)

Toasted bagels are also another easy breakfast. AJ's favorites are blueberry and cinnamon raisin. (Again I usually give them to him plain. I have put a little cream cheese on them before but he didn't really seem to care.)

We also like to make pancakes. I cheat a little and use a pre-made mix. I usually make "silver dollar" sized pancakes and AJ loves them! If I'm feeling fancy I'll add blueberries or mashed banana and poor little AJ just goes nuts with excitement. (Sigh. Is that a sign that I'm a boring mom? Lol) Any leftovers just get put into a storage container in the fridge and served later.

Now onto lunch!

One of AJ's favorite lunches is probably one of the most simple, pita bread cut into smalls squares with a little bit of hummus on them, grapes or some other fruit, and cheese or cold pasta salad.  This is great for hot summer days since it's cold and light but still very filling. (Plus mom likes eating it too!)

Mini calzones - I used Pillsbury ready made pizza dough, cut it into rectangles (as big or small as you like), put pizza sauce and any toppings your child likes on one end of the dough then fold over the other half and seal by pinching sides together and then pressing with the tynes of a fork. Then I just sealed them up in Press and Seal wrap, labeled them and stuck 'em in the freezer. When you're ready to cook just preheat oven to 400 degrees, place on cookie sheet/pizza stone, and bake for 10-15 min. or until done.


Photo credit: allrecipes.com

Grilled cheese -  You can switch up the cheeses or try adding tomato

Quesadillas - cheeses and veggies, you could also add some sliced/shredded chicken.

Peanut butter and banana in a whole wheat wrap - I tried this one with AJ once last week and the jury is still out. He ate some of it before deciding that it was faster and more fun to just pick out the peanut butter covered banana slices. :/ I'll keep trying. Ha!

Now for the finale, Dinner!

AJ almost always just eats what we eat for dinner now, either in whole or in part, depending on what we're having. If you're sweet one(s) aren't quite there yet here are a few more ideas!

Mac & Cheese -  You could add some broccoli or other veggies for a change up.


Photo credit: simplebites.net

One Pot Toddler Meals from Simple Bites

Pasta - (any kind) with a tiny bit of melted butter with a little Parmesan or some oregano or other seasonings. This is what I make for AJ when we have ravioli or tortellini with marinara. (Only rarely do I let the mess maker have marinara.)

Homemade pizza with your kiddo's favorite toppings!

Easy dinner recipes, two ways -  This has recipes for adults that can easily be modified to serve the kids at the same time! Great idea!


I know it can be hard to come up with new ideas for feeding our kids but that's why the internet is so fantastic!! All those incredibly talented people out there have already come up with endless mealtime possibilities and all we have to do is find them! :) I hope this helps some of you out there get out of your toddler friendly food rut!! If you have any recipes to share please do!!










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