STM+ Toddler meal plans

AutumnBonfire · February 2014

I have no idea what to feed DS anymore. He's getting pickier and I'm getting less creative. He eats oatmeal with pureed fruit mixed in for breakfast usually with some cheerios or other dry cereal if he's still hungry. He gets a lot of fresh fruit (limited because its winter) for snacks or with lunch. He used to eat yogurt and cottage cheese with fruit often, but was getting tired of it. He likes cheddar cheese and peanut butter toast (organic natural on 15 grain bread). I try to have him eat pretty healthy, but I'm letting him have lunch more often at daycare because I don't know what to send.

For dinner, he'll have what we have if I cook. Since I'm so tired lately, DH and I have been doing a lot of just picking for ourselves and I make a lot of pasta dishes that last a few days. DS loves scrambled eggs and I usually mix in pureed broccoli (since he won't eat it otherwise) for extra nutrition. I can't feed him this every day.

What do you feed your kids? I need ideas.

runrinserepeat · February 2014

DD likes carrot, beans, cheese. She always asks for broccoli when I cut it up but then hands it back when she realizes it's raw. For breakfast she usually has cereal, maybe a banana and some yogurt.

Some days I'm convinced she subsists on milk.

TurtleMonsters · February 2014

"DS loves scrambled eggs and I usually mix in pureed broccoli (since he won't eat it otherwise) for extra nutrition. I can't feed him this every day."

Why not? That seems pretty healthy for breakfast every day...or another meal. I can't comment on what ds eats, he's on a very restricted diet. If you have a few trusted meals that are balanced, why not feed them? I get into kicks- fried eggs and potatoes/onions every morning for months. Is he on a children's vitamin? That could fill in some gaps if there are huge ones. I found DS appreciates fun looking foods, making faces on the plate, cutting things into shapes with cookie cutters.

Some weird things that spring to mind that are healthy and make up for calcium: kale chips. mix potatoes/squash/cauliflower or even rice into purred broccoli. I think broccoli has some calcium in it as well. I like legumes, you could do black beans and cheddar. Ants on a log- celery, peanut butter and raisins. if he likes tomato sauce, maybe throwing in extra veggies here and there. I bet there are some suggestions on google for picky toddlers.

destinie_87 · February 2014

DD likes whole grain tortillas with smashed black beans & cheese made as a quesadilla lately. Steamed carrots sprinkled with cinnamon, broccoli with cheese, acorn squash, scrambled eggs, fruit, steamed broccoli/cauliflower/carrot blend (she seems to like it better after it's steamed but is cold again-weird). Turkey hot dogs (not often), Annies mac & cheese (whatever variety-shells, white cheddar, etc), chicken.... I don't know. We're running out of ideas too these days. The quesadilla was my newest idea and it's gonna be old soon.

aimeepigott · February 2014

DS eats whatever I eat...if I make a bagel and a smoothie for bfast he has it too ( just scaled down serving size). For lunch, if I have a salad or a sandwich he eats the same. Dinner is the same. He is 15 mos old and during his well visit the MD said that toddlers tend to eat 1.5 meals a day worth of food so not to fret. He stated as long as he has a variety like I do he is fine. Hope that helps!

sraexx · February 2014

My DD use to be the best eater, I bragged so hard on her loving red peppers as a snack...then she hit 2. Omg, it is so bad we are thinking of seeing a specialist this kid eats nothing, but that doesn't help you. What about smoothies? I make her a smoothie pretty much everyday with protein and veggies. Greek yogurt, peanut butter, kale or spinach and lots of fruit. It is a crap shoot here but some days she loves it. We offer her what we eat but she usually skips meals, unfortunately. So she ends up living off smoothies and peanut butter toast snacks.

BPer · February 2014

I can commiserate with having a toddler who is a picky eater.

For breakfast:

On weekdays, because she'll eat a more 'normal' breakfast at daycare, she just snacks on milk and dry cereal while I get ready.

On weekends, we usually make eggs, or pancakes, or waffles or something. Sometimes I'll mix veggies in her eggs or make an omelette, but she usually picks around it.

Lunch:

Cottage cheese with fruit

PB&J

Homemade chicken tenders

Macaroni & cheese

Leftover pasta

Dinners:

Pasta

Meatballs

Marinated chicken

Our options are really limited with her. She still gets most of her veggies via pouch. I'm really hoping that she grows out of this soon.

ghostof5letters · February 2014

What about cucumbers or cucumber sandwiches?

Black beans are also a really big deal here.

My daughter only eat at daycare, she won't eat at home. I send her with enough food for an entire day, lol. She eats dinner leftovers for lunch.

AutumnBonfire · February 2014

TurtleMonsters said:

"DS loves scrambled eggs and I usually mix in pureed broccoli (since he won't eat it otherwise) for extra nutrition. I can't feed him this every day."

Why not? That seems pretty healthy for breakfast every day...or another meal. I can't comment on what ds eats, he's on a very restricted diet. If you have a few trusted meals that are balanced, why not feed them? I get into kicks- fried eggs and potatoes/onions every morning for months. Is he on a children's vitamin? That could fill in some gaps if there are huge ones. I found DS appreciates fun looking foods, making faces on the plate, cutting things into shapes with cookie cutters.

Some weird things that spring to mind that are healthy and make up for calcium: kale chips. mix potatoes/squash/cauliflower or even rice into purred broccoli. I think broccoli has some calcium in it as well. I like legumes, you could do black beans and cheddar. Ants on a log- celery, peanut butter and raisins. if he likes tomato sauce, maybe throwing in extra veggies here and there. I bet there are some suggestions on google for picky toddlers.

This is what I really wanted, someone to give me permission to feed him the same thing every day. The eggs are usually for dinner. They are quick and easy and usually by evening I don't feel like a battle. He does get a vitamin.

I have also used pureed spinach or kale instead of broccoli and I do add those things to tomato sauce. I forgot about black beans. I don't usually buy them because I'm not a fan, but the few times he's had them, he did like them.

cookieinva · February 2014

Let's see breakfast could include any of: dry cereals, toast, fresh fruit, dried fruit, sausage, bacon, waffles, pancakes, yogurt, Nutrigrain bar or granola bar, oatmeal.

DS isn't into sandwiches unfortunately, so lunch is whatever the lunch is at school (ours serves lunch, no packing it) or at home similar to dinner foods.

He eats what we eat for dinner, which could include any of: chicken, pork chops, Italian style sausage, steak, lamb, fish, shrimp, corn, peas, carrots, green beans, broccoli, mushrooms, rice, potatoes, sweet potato, beans of any kind, pizza, spaghetti with meat sauce, spaghetti and meatballs, chicken curry, quesadilla, fajita, beef stew, tomato soup, hot dogs, mac n cheese which he actually doesn't like that much, peanut butter crackers.

He is a pretty good eater I think, but like most kids his age he is not keen to try new things, though he will once in a while, so if we haven't already been eating it regularly he is not interested. That started I would say sometime around 2 years old because before that he would try pretty much anything. Good luck.

lindslalala · February 2014

Breakfast is usually yogurt or cereal with a banana. Sometimes we do pancakes, waffles, homemade muffins, or steel cut oatmeal. Lunch is some combo of leftovers, pb and j, Mac and cheese, hummus with veggies to dip, fresh fruits, chicken nuggets, corn, diced avocado, cheese, a thick soup. Dinner he eats what we eat. Snacks are mainly fruit, hummus with crackers, cheddar bunnies, pouches, dry cereal, mini bagel with cream cheese, green smoothie, raisins. Check out eating_whole and littlestlunch on Instagram too! they have lots of great ideas!

AutumnBonfire · February 2014

sraexx said:

My DD use to be the best eater, I bragged so hard on her loving red peppers as a snack...then she hit 2. Omg, it is so bad we are thinking of seeing a specialist this kid eats nothing, but that doesn't help you. What about smoothies? I make her a smoothie pretty much everyday with protein and veggies. Greek yogurt, peanut butter, kale or spinach and lots of fruit. It is a crap shoot here but some days she loves it. We offer her what we eat but she usually skips meals, unfortunately. So she ends up living off smoothies and peanut butter toast snacks.

I did a smoothie for him once with fruit, Greek yogurt, and kale and he liked it after it sat around for a while and the ice melted so it wasn't so thick. I need to get a new blender though. I dropped mine and it cracked and for some reason the blender part of the baby bullet is leaking, so smoothies have been on hold.

ghostof5letters · February 2014

AutumnBonfire said:

TurtleMonsters said:

"DS loves scrambled eggs and I usually mix in pureed broccoli (since he won't eat it otherwise) for extra nutrition. I can't feed him this every day."

Why not? That seems pretty healthy for breakfast every day...or another meal. I can't comment on what ds eats, he's on a very restricted diet. If you have a few trusted meals that are balanced, why not feed them? I get into kicks- fried eggs and potatoes/onions every morning for months. Is he on a children's vitamin? That could fill in some gaps if there are huge ones. I found DS appreciates fun looking foods, making faces on the plate, cutting things into shapes with cookie cutters.

Some weird things that spring to mind that are healthy and make up for calcium: kale chips. mix potatoes/squash/cauliflower or even rice into purred broccoli. I think broccoli has some calcium in it as well. I like legumes, you could do black beans and cheddar. Ants on a log- celery, peanut butter and raisins. if he likes tomato sauce, maybe throwing in extra veggies here and there. I bet there are some suggestions on google for picky toddlers.

This is what I really wanted, someone to give me permission to feed him the same thing every day. The eggs are usually for dinner. They are quick and easy and usually by evening I don't feel like a battle. He does get a vitamin.

I have also used pureed spinach or kale instead of broccoli and I do add those things to tomato sauce. I forgot about black beans. I don't usually buy them because I'm not a fan, but the few times he's had them, he did like them.

DO IT!

seells · February 2014

For breakfast DD usually does some variation of whole grain toast(sometimes with butter or peanut butter. Or jam because her great grandma grows the fruit and makes it herself), eggs, dry cereal, yogurt. She has a banana every morning. She loves them.

She usually does an apple of string cheese for snack.

Lunch is 99% of the time a turkey & cheese sandwhich. She loves those. Usually with broccoli and whole grain goldfish.

She gets another snack before dinner but that's with her dad and he usually makes popcorn for them.

Dinner is whatever I've prepared in advance for her and DH to have while I'm at work. Or if I don't have time for that DH will make her beans, rice, and a casadilla or something. She loves beans and rice, it's the one food she will ALWAYS eat besides bananas.

Honestly, if she's having a hard couple days being picky and not eating much I take her to her great grandparents house. She LOVES to eat there. I have no idea why. They are vegan and grow most of there own food so it works.

Jillybean100 · February 2014

DD has really been into yogurt lately. We get plain, whole fat Greek yogurt. I sometimes add in honey and some fruit or I just mix in some jam. We do a lot of fruit too like you do. She's been loving applesauce and blueberries lately. Here are other things we offer her frequently. Now whether she eats them depends on the day really. Gotta love toddlers!

Breakfast type items: buttered toast, buttered English muffins, peanut butter toast or English muffins, scrambled eggs, waffles, hard boiled eggs, muffins, and banana bread (I use this recipe: https://www.dailygarnish.com/2012/03/whole-wheat-oatmeal-banana-bread.html). On the weekends I'll do pancakes (homemade) and sometimes even cinnamon rolls (from the refrigerated section). A lot of these work for lunch and dinner too. I just sent my daughter to daycare and packed waffles for lunch in a thermos along with some cheese and pears.

Lunch/Dinner items: chicken nuggets (this recipe works well for us: https://www.skinnytaste.com/2011/04/healthy-baked-chicken-nuggets.html), annie's mac and cheese (DD usually refuses homemade, but loves annie's), burgers (black bean and turkey are our go-to burgers), chicken and black bean tacos (we serve hers deconstructed so she gets the meat and beans and the toppings), bean chili (messy, but she usually likes eating the beans), pasta with meat sauce or meatballs, chicken stir fry with rice, quesadillas, pasta with pesto (this time of year I just buy a small jar to make some for her to bring for lunch to day care; you can add in tomatoes, olives, garbanzo beans, cheese, etc.) roasted veggies (butternut squash, carrots, sweet potatoes, broccoli, cauliflower), steamed veggies.

I hope this helps! I feel like I'm running out of ideas too.

AnotherPreggo · February 2014

Meals are definitely tough.

Breakfast is almost always yogurt, cereal or puffs in her snack trap, and some fruit.

Lunch and dinner vary. Sometimes we just do some ham, cheese and a veggie (carrots and broccoli usually go over okay) for lunch. Lately I've started making her mini Hawaiian pizzas on rice bread (can't have wheat). She loves them, and they seem decently healthy. Just ham, cheese, pineapple, pizza sauce and rice bread.

Dinner we give her whatever we are eating, if it works with her food sensitivities. Last night she ate carrots and potatoes, just played with the chicken. I ended up giving her cottage cheese afterward to ensure she at enough, and I added pieces of chicken into each spoonful so she'd get it in her. Gotta fool her somehow

Then she had some grapes afterward.

Getting her to eat new foods involve a LOT of clapping, YAY!, MMM-ing, and whatnot. We show her a lot of excitement when she puts food on her fork, and when she brings it to her mouth. It doesn't always work, obviously, but that's ok.

AmericanInOz · February 2014

quesedillas - I shred up zuchiini and/or carrot - put it with some grated cheese between 2 tortillas in a pan, cook lightly on each side til brown - slice like a pizza - dd loves it

other things like homemade fish sticks, rice-veg & fish balls (I bake them, put some egg in to make them stick), puff pastry with meat (or fake meat) red sauce & veg - roll it up and cut into pieces so they cook like individual rolls in the oven

AmericanInOz · February 2014

I love the website weelicious for food ideas (she does a good homemade chicken nugget with veggies in the mixture you put on the chicken) and I like the sneaky chef book

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