Now that Nate is becoming a (almost) toddler, he’s eating more and more solid table food. Not much of the jarred baby food for him any more.
I’ve been feeding him pretty much the same two things over and over again: turkey hot dogs and lunch meat (usually turkey or ham). With these I also include some cheese and a vegetable, usually peas or corn, all things he can eat with his hands. He needs more variety, but I’m having a hard time coming up with quick, easy, nutritious lunches for him.
A friend of mine suggested making a simple cheese quesadilla for him, which I did, and which he loved. So now I’ve added that to my repertoire. I also made him a grilled cheese sandwich, which he enjoyed. (He is definitely our child: he likes his cheese like his Daddy and his bread like his Mommy).
So, any ideas out there for quick, eat-with-your-fingers meal ideas for toddlers? I’d love to hear your suggestions! I think it’s one of the golden rules of childhood that you will never tire of eating hot dogs, but I might be pushing it with this every other day hot dog habit I’ve created.
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
Nate is very cute! He can eat almost anything that you would as long as it’s cut up. Throw some ham into the grilled cheese sandwich (make sure you’re using wheat bread from the beginning so he doesn’t turn his nose up to it later). Or use a cookie cutter to make peanut butter sandwiches into fun shapes (if he’s old enough to have peanut products). Any type of pasta/sauce would work well too. I frequently save tiny portions of supper leftovers to use for lunches. How about egg salad? Just some ideas
Hope it helps.
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Nicki – Those are great ideas! I didn’t think about adding lunch meat to the grilled cheese, but I’m definitely going to try that. He’s almost old enough for peanut products, so he is certainly going to be having a peanut butter sandwich as soon as he’s able! Thank you so much for your suggestions!
Scrambled eggs with cheese (yolks only until 1 year) were always a huge hit with Aidan. Bananas are also good because they are mushy. I agree with the pasta suggestion, Aidan especially loved rigatoni because it was easy to pick up.
Erin – I do make him eggs for breakfast a few times a week, and he’s had a few different types of fruit (bananas, apples, pears, peaches, oranges, etc.). For some reason I’m just drawing a blank on the main course for lunch. But I’m definitely going to do more pasta…I think he might like that!
I have three kids and one of our lunch staples is pasta salad. I use penne or corkscrew, add cheese chunks, peas, brocoli, olives, cut up red peppers avocado, and meat. I have the deli slice turkey or ham pretty thick and cut it into cubes the same size as the cheese cubes. I usually use ranch dressing or pesto instead of italian…but getting him used to bold flavors now is a huge step in avoiding a picky eater. My kids devor it. They are 4 1/2, 3 and 18 months and they all love it! Its also great at like…3:30 when you are starving…grab the bowl, stand next to the fridge and eat a few (or 7) spoonfuls. mmmmmm