The best thing that I found for my toddler that works great are the prepackaged meals for toddlers. They are in the baby isle usually next to the baby food. I think that Gerber makes them (I could be wrong). They are called "little entrees." She eats them whenever I am in a hurry and can't make her a meal. She loves them. They have all different kinds and they are really good for toddlers diets.
Also, I try to get her to eat healthy snacks too, but she loves sweets (my fault :) !!) So I get her the nutrisnacks that have all the vitamins in them but still have a sweet kick.
Good Luck!!
if you go to kraftfoods.com they have a part on their website for kids. that might give you some ideas that are quick and easy.
here's stuff my 3 year oild likes in additional to the ethnic foods we make:
Milk (he like with Nestle quik)
bananas
apple slices or celery stick with peanut butter
crackers and peanut butter
crackers and cheese
yogurt and go-gurts (sometimes he likes to mix in cheerios or walnuts for the crunchiness)
scrambled eggs with a slice of ham
pancakes (w/sugar-free syrup)
waffles (w/sugar-free syrup)
cinnamon roll Oatmeal from Quaker Oats
mac n cheese with teenie-tiny bits of broccoli mixed in (he doesn't notice)
chicken noodle soup (if you're worried about sodium content you can try to make your own)
cold cut sandwiches
any kind of baked or sauted chicken
rice
raviolis (the really small microwave kind aren't all that terrible)
pretzels
baby carrots with ranch dressing
homemade tacos
sandwich wraps with torillas (slice of ham, lettuce, etc.)
beans (any kind lots of good fiber and protein)
pizza bread (take a loaf of french bread, a roll, or a bagel then spread sauce and top with cheese and veggies, he loves to help make his own. put in the oven for a few minutes and as far as your kid's concerned you're a gourmet chef)
cucumbers (sliced of cut into sticks) with a little lemon juice
So glad to see a good mom worried about not putting junk into her little toddler. :o)
Did you know that this is the age to introduce foods you want her to like?
Here's a great dish:
Take a cup of lentils and boil it with 2 cups of water and a little salt until it's tender.
Take a cup of brown rice and boil with 2 cups of water and a little salt until it's tender too. Then add a half a cup of fozen peas and cook for another couple of minutes (until the peas aren't frozen anymore)
then mix the two and serve as a side to little bits of chicken breast.
It's SOOOO delicious and good for her and the rest of you too.
If you add details and ask me to, I'll come back and add a few more. ;o)
ps Please stay away from Kielbasa, hot dogs, bacon and some of the nitrate processed foods suggested above. those processed meats have so many chemical preservatives that they will increase cancer risks for children. Cooking lean meets are so easy that you can spare her the processed meats. Just sticking meat into a bit of water and putting a lid on it is all you need to cook meats.
A 2 year old can eat anything an adult eats. My kids ate small sandwiches, yogurt and fruit usually for lunch at that age.
I thought I just answer this, must be two of you out there,
But When I babysat my toddler nephew we took whatever we ate minus the oil salt an added sugar food process it to a mush and labeled it in the gerber hars. Be yams, potatoes, bananas an strawberries, bananas and peaches, Chicken beef mush everything mushhed to a mush carrot and peas,.. Not only was it cheaper, but fresher and hence more nutrious.
But check with a nutrionist and dont keep food more that a couple of days three at the most because there no preservative in the stuff you process fresh so it has to be air tight
I'm all about fast and nutritious meals so what about for breakfast, waffles with sausage and fruit on the side; oatmeal, cereal with fruit, waffles with cream cheese and jelly on top, egg and cheese sandwich. Always include milk for their little bones!
For lunch and dinner I am pretty easy - a meat (chicken, turkey), a veggie (peas, green beans, corn, etc.), and fruit (apple slices, pineapples, bananas, applesauce, etc.) Milk to drink
Almost everything in the store is processed, so you have to watch out.
breakfast ideas: cereal, eggs, muffins,home made waffles/pancakes, oatmeal, applesauce, banana, oranges
Lunch: grill cheese with peeled apple or can fruit in lite syrup, mac & cheese, soup, left over supper
Supper: pork chops,meal loaf, shake & bake chicken, steak, chicken nuggets, steamed vegs, beaf stew, kielbasa, hot dogs and beans, BLTs.
My daughter has been eating most of this at age 6 months. hope this helps. Can throw fruit in a blender with some jucie of smoothies. Best of luck
Hi, I have the same problem but I've come up with a few.
1- buy the shred cheese and elbow macaroni. Boil the macaroni, drain, add the cheese, Voila: mac and cheese without all the extra crap the boxed kind has.
2- My friend gives her son soy burgers and garden burgers cut up. He loves them. My daughter tried one and liked it, but I haven't bought any yet. I tried them...they taste much better than they sound, and they can be microwaved.
3- PB& J of course
4- Try breakfast for lunch, or leftover dinner, you don't have to stick to the usual breakfast for breakfast routine, and it spices things up a bit.
5- Try a bunch of little foods. In the morning, if you get up before the baby (because this is the only way you'll probably find time to do it), cut up all kinds of food, cheese, banana wheels, apple slices, wheat crackers, avocade wedges, cheerios, anything relatively healthy you can think of. Throw it all in a muffin pan (who has time to bake with the pan anyway) and you have a nibble platter your munchkin can munch on.
6- Try food even you think is gross. I'm amazed at how much I was influencing her diet until I friend suggested this to me. They will eat a lot more than we think they will.
7- If your daughter is good with chewing etc. buy some tortilla soft wraps, you can throw just about anything into them and they make a quick snack or lunch. Fruit (buy frozen if you are too lazy to cut it up, that is what I do, and I don't think the nutritional value goes down too much) and cottage cheese, leftover taco meat etc. (try taco's by the way, my daughters personal favorite)
Good Luck.
I was having the same problem! Here is what I came up with from other suggestions on yahoo answers:
I make large quantities of things and then freeze them into little ziploc containers. I usually have 3 or 4 different items in there, so I can just throw one in her lunch for her to have at day care, or heat it up if we are home.
For Convenience
Frozen Potstickers, you can make several in advance and freeze them after you have browned and steamed them. They come in a lot of different flavors and my daughter loves them. If you can't find them at the regular grocery store, Whole Foods has them. A sneaky way to get in some veggies too.
Frozen mini-quiches (again a good way to sneak in some veggies)
Look through the appetizers in the freezer section, I often find spinach or brocoli appetizers with cheese that are good as well.
Major emergency foods in the freezer are chicken fingers and fish sticks... only if I am out of everything else
Things you can prepare at home in bulk and reheat later:
Homemade chicken soup, my daugher eats all of her carrots and mushrooms and always asks for more (send me an email for the recipe, if you want)
I make homemade mac and cheese (I have a 5 minute recipe) mixed with brocoli and peas
Penne and Vodka Sauce
Spaghetti and meatballs
Chicken saute with peanut dipping sauce
If I make a meal with a veggie, meat and carb I put it in one of the containers like a tv dinner
Pita with hummus, chicken and tomatoes if she is a brave eater
Yogurt and cheese.
Apples with Cheese (plain laughing cow cheese is great)
PB&J
Grapes
Bumps on a log: Celery with peanut butter and raisins (okay, they can't eat the celery, but they can eat the Peanut Butter off of it and in the process get used to the flavor of celery... and it takes a long time to eat, which can be a good thing sometimes) If they do manage to get a bite off, it comes off in small pieces because of the fibers and it usually also helps with her teething.
For dessert: pudding with little surprises mixed in: banana, a couple of crushed cookies, dried fruit, whatever you can think of
Hope you like some of the suggestions, I hope I can pick up a few more ideas from your question. Good luck
my daughter is 3yrs old and she loves
Wasa crackers sandwiches. I get out all the food and let her make her own.
This recipe never fails my daughter loves it and we have a great time making it together
Brown rice balls
2 cups cooked brown rice
1/2 cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
milk
bread crumbs
1-2 eggs
cooked Ham, chicken, or vegetable cut into about 1 inch pieces (my daughter likes Broccoli)
Mix cooked rice in a bowl with the cheese and egg (you want a consistency where you can make balls out of it) add extra egg if you need it
Roll the rice into balls about 3 inches in diameter
place a piece of cooked meat or vegetable into the center of the ball (meat or vegetable should be surrounded by rice)
dip in milk than roll in breadcrumbs
place on a baking sheet and bake at 350 for about 15 min
serve with marinara or plain
After they are baked you can freeze them.
my child is 1 and she likes the little entrees by Gerber. also buy a bag of frozen chicken and a bag of frozen fish. you can bake or grill both of these still frozen so it saves on prep time. add a grain of your choice a veggie/fruit and milk. there's a good meal
also a pot of spaghetti using ground turkey instead of ground beef goes a long way! kids that age like salad too, experiment with the dressing you use.
homemade banana bread can be substituted for cake.
buy some tortillas and make wraps instead of regular sandwiches. you can use deli meat, or shredded chicken in them.
no hot dogs, corn dogs or yucky stuff like that. soup is always a winner. grilled cheese, meatballs, i can go for days. go to foodtv.com to look for kid friendly menus as well.
good luck and don't get discouraged, feeding them is the easy part!
You can always boil veggies and use a food mill, which can be found at a hardware store. You can also buy frozen veggies. Also, avocado is an ideal food for toddlers.
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