Ridiculously Easy Meals for Toddlers

Ridiculously Easy Meals for Toddlers

Being a first time mom I was always searching Pinterest for easy meals for toddlers I could feed my son, Noah, once he got past the baby food stage. Finally I searched the nutrition requirements for a toddler and came up with meal ideas of my own! These are some of my simplest, and my son’s most liked, meals!

According to kidshealth.org , toddlers should have about 1,000 to 1,400 calories per day depending on how active they are. They need a minimum of: 3 oz of whole grains, 1 cup of veggies, 1 cup of fruits, 2 cups of dairy, and 2 ounces of meat or other source of protein on a daily basis.

Easy Meals for Toddlers

Breakfast

Easy toddler meals that will satisfy even the pickiest of eaters!


For breakfast I always like to include 1 ounce of the whole grains in the form of toast. my son loves to feed himself and toast tends to not be very messy. I get a natural sausage like Jimmy Dean® All-Natural sausage and make a small 1/2 ounce patty, feel free to replace this with 1/2 hardboiled egg also to satisfy the 1/2 ounce protein requirement. Serve with a half a cup of vitamin D milk and a half a cup of fruit, typically I choose a half a banana. Don’t forget to give your toddler their daily vitamin!

Totals: Whole grains (1 oz) Veggies (0) Fruit (1/2 cup) Dairy (1/2 c) Protein (1/2 oz)

Lunch

Easy toddler meals that will satisfy even the pickiest of eaters!


Banana Peanut butter Pinwheels

1 whole grain tortilla

1 Tbs natural peanut butter (without chunks)

honey

1/2 banana

For lunch Noah loves PB! The peanut butter will satisfy another 1/2 ounce protein requirement. A fun way to incorporate peanut butter without the same old peanut butter sandwich is a whole wheat tortilla! This is a great one to split between siblings because the recipe makes enough for two! If your child is an only child like Noah, I like to eat the other half or my husband does.

Take a large whole wheat tortilla and warm up in the oven at 150 for 2 minutes. Once warmed spread 1 Tbs. of natural peanut butter on the tortilla. Chop the other half of the banana from breakfast and pile in a line down the center. Drizzle with honey. Roll and cut into pinwheels. Serve half to your toddler with 1/2 cup of plain yogurt. Serve with 1/2 cup of veggies, such as corn, carrots, or asparagus. Noah has taken better to canned veggies, they are softer but tend to be preserved with salt. Run under hot water after draining in a small strainer to wash away some salt and warm them up! Quick and easy!

Totals: Whole grains (1 oz) Veggies (1/2 c) Fruit (1/2 c) Dairy (1/2 c) protein (1/2 oz)

Easy toddler meals that will satisfy even the pickiest of eaters!

Snacks


1 cup milk

1 Veggie pouch

Totals: Whole grains (0) Veggies (1/4 c) Fruit (0) Dairy (1 c) Protein (0)

Dinner

Easy toddler meals that will satisfy even the pickiest of eaters!

 


Cheese and Spinach Enchiladas

a mild green enchilada sauce

3/4 oz grated Monterey Jack Cheese (about 4.5 Tbs)

corn tortillas

1/4 cup spinach (torn into small pieces)

olive oil

For dinner I like mexican food! I tone down the spice on the enchilada sauce so I don’t end up making separate meals for us and Noah. He loves eating whole beans since it’s a finger food. Bonus!! its an excellent source of protein paired with the rice.

Warm up the corn tortilla in the oven at 150 for 5 minutes. Switch the oven to broil. In a small pan sauté the spinach with a dash of olive oil until soft. Place inside of corn tortilla with most of cheese (save some the sprinkle on top). Roll up the tortilla and place in an oven safe container (I use a pie tin) cover with sauce and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Put in the oven until the cheese is melted. Let cool for a minute or two then serve to toddler with 1/2 cup brown rice (I make spanish rice with brown rice) and 1/4 cup whole black beans.

Totals: Whole grains (0) Veggies (1/4 c) Fruit (0) Dairy (1/2 c) Protein (2 oz)

Easy toddler meals that will satisfy even the pickiest of eaters!


All of these meals and snacks bring us to a grand total of:

Totals: Whole grains (3 oz) Veggies (1 c) Fruit (1 cup) Dairy (2 c) Protein (2 oz)

**The minimum daily requirements for toddlers!**

Let me know what your toddler’s favorites are in the comments below!

Enjoy! ♥

coollogo_com-1308361

Easy toddler meals that will satisfy even the pickiest of eaters!

26 Comments

  1. Yum!! I love that you’re looking for whole-grain options for your toddler. We have done all kinds of quesadillas – when my kids were smaller, I’d just cut them into thin strips for them to eat. Ham and cheese, “pizza” quesadillas … whatever I have on hand!
    Kimber @ Let’s Do Some Good Today recently posted…Happy 4th of July!My Profile

    1. I bet my son would love a pizza quesadilla! I’ll have to try that. Thanks for the suggestion!

  2. Great, simple ideas. My little man has loved cheese and ham roll ups (in a tortilla), and we also love to just do a “tasting tray” assortment of a whole bunch of different finger foods.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

CommentLuv badge