10 Toddler Meal Ideas | Easy & Best

Toddlers are mostly known to be picky eaters compared to babies. At six months old, solid foods are usually introduced to them, starting with mashed vegetables or pureed fruits, which are soft, easy to chew, and digest. 

As they grow, they’re exposed to a wider variety of food like fish, chicken, and meat. You may be wondering: ‘When can babies have meat?’ You can begin adding meat to their food after they’ve started solids. 

This is the time that they really need to be fed with healthy food items to hone the growth of all organs and faculties. So molding the healthy food items to fit into their favorites will go a long way in keeping them satisfied and healthy. 

As the food selection widens, their food preference starts to narrow, which is a challenge for parents trying to provide healthy food choices for their toddlers. Luckily, here are some healthy and easy toddler meal ideas.

1. Pasta And Meatballs

Pasta is easily digestible and gets swallowed easily in a toddler’s mouth without much effort. They will like the pasta when it is induced with different attractive flavors that children will fall in love with instantly. 

The sauce could be made by combining all the healthy ingredients like tomatoes, garlic, onion, celery, and carrots in a blender.

If you want to bring a good texture to this food item, you can start by mixing ground meat like beef, pork, or chicken with carrots, eggs, parsley, bread crumbs, salt, and pepper. 

Cheese can be stuffed in the middle to spruce up the taste. The baked meatballs can be included in the pasta to be served and relished by kids with so much love. 

2. Fruit And Vegetable Smoothie

Toddlers generally are aversive to fruits and vegetables. However, this is the best time in their life to consume lots of fruits and vegetables.

Finding innovative ways to feed them with vegetables and fruits will help them substantially in their growing years. How about smoothies that instantly get kids’ attention and easily dissolve in their mouths?

A fresh blend of milk, spinach, banana, strawberries, and honey with cold water to dilute the intensity is more than delightful for toddlers. Frozen bananas or strawberries in the above mix will help you cool the smoothie without the presence of ice cubes. 

Pour the mix into the glass and serve it with a straw so they can sip away the whole of it. Just make sure the consistency is kid-friendly for them to be able to suck it away completely. 

If you need more time to get the ingredients from the supermarket, you can click here, shop, and stock up from a reputable baby food shop. They have a wide range of healthy smoothies that your kids will love.

3. Oatmeal And Berries

Oatmeal is the best when it comes to toddlers and adults healthwise. It is a fitting breakfast item and is easily digestible, considering the fibrous texture it boasts of.

Children will love that texture, and it would be a delight to swallow it easily. If you can induce it with different flavors that suit kids’ preferences, they can have a handful of it and crave more.

The preparation is relatively easier and requires less number of ingredients. Berries easily add flavor to any mix and are a great addition to boost the taste. Oatmeal is added to the boiling water with blueberries, cinnamon, and vanilla. 

Simmer for 8–10 minutes until the liquid reduces. You have to wait till the water dissipates and the consistency becomes thicker. Top it with pieces of strawberries and feed it to the toddlers.

It is served in a bowl that is quite handy to toddlers, who finish it in a jiffy without much ado. 

4. Chicken Tenders

Meat is a favorable option for toddlers, and it can provide essential proteins in their formative years. However, the meat must be subtle and mildly textured so they can easily digest it.

Chicken tenders qualify as a toddler-friendly meat option that is very healthy and tasty simultaneously. Below lines elaborate on the steps of preparation that make the meat suitable for toddlers. 

Cut the chicken breast into strips. In a bowl, beat an egg. In another bowl, combine flour, salt, and pepper. Dredge the chicken into the flour, shake the excess off, dip it into the egg, then back into the flour. 

Fry using avocado oil as a healthy substitute for cooking oil. Serve chicken tenders with honey mustard dip and air-fried sweet potato chips.

5. Peanut Butter And Banana Sandwich

Sandwiches are the best food choices to satisfy your appetite instantly. Nothing works like a sandwich to complete your breakfast menu. If you have to make it toddler-friendly, then inducing it with lovely flavors will go a long way in luring them.

 Peanut butter and bananas are instant energy givers that are exclusively needed for toddlers at this age. 

Spread peanut butter onto the wheat bread and then add banana slices. Cut the sandwich in half or use a cookie cutter to make exciting and fun shapes. Serve with string cheese and grapes for dessert.

6. Pumpkin Mac And Cheese  

Who would not love mac and cheese? The item in itself is a delight for toddlers who are tempted to finish it in one go. Mac and cheese combined with a good vegetable will give a healthy spin to the meal. 

Pumpkin is a sweet vegetable that has a flavor of its own. How about mixing the two and making a delicious treat to entice the kids?

Boil the pasta according to package instructions. Set aside. Make a pumpkin puree. Then, make a cream sauce in a pot by melting butter and whisking in the flour. Pour milk, add salt and pepper, and then continue whisking until the sauce becomes thick. 

Add the pumpkin puree, sharp cheddar cheese, and pasta. You can enjoy it as it is or make it more special by adding more cheese and breadcrumbs. Then, pop it in the oven to make a brown crust. Serve it hot on a kid-friendly plate, and look how quickly it empties.

7. Cheesy Cauliflower Patties

Cauliflower is an essential vegetable that qualifies as a must-have for toddlers. It should definitely be given to toddlers in a form they like and devour without any complaints. The best way is to find a recipe that fits their preference and entices their taste buds.

 Patties are the best and most exquisite option to meet their snack cravings. Here is how you can prepare the patties with cauliflower and feed them to their satisfaction.

Cut cauliflower into florets and boil until soft. Place it in a bowl and mash it with a fork. Mix eggs, breadcrumbs, grated parmesan cheese, cayenne pepper, and salt. 

Form it into patties using an ice cream scooper. Pan-fry the patties for 2–3 minutes on each side or until golden brown. You can also bake it in the oven for 8–10 minutes per side.

8. Coconut Flour And Banana Pancakes

Pancakes never fail to entertain toddlers, especially when induced with brilliant flavors. Bananas are kids’ favorites; they would just love it when it is molded into pancakes.

 They can be perfect as breakfast items which they eat in a jiffy and run to school on time. 

In a bowl, mash the bananas. Make sure that the banana is ripe. Crack eggs into the bowl and whisk them together. Then, add the milk and coconut flour.

Coat a non-stick skillet with coconut oil. On medium heat, fry the pancakes for 2–3 minutes or until golden brown. Serve your pancakes with honey or maple syrup.

9. Cheese Omelet With Baby Spinach And Mushrooms

Eggs and omelets are deemed the most important food items to improve children’s stamina. They should be somehow included in their daily diet schemes in a way they will enjoy it. 

Adding some lovely vegetables to the omelet can be a flavorful addition to entice toddlers. Below is the preparation method that explains how it can be cooked and served to their liking. 

In a skillet, cook mushrooms until soft, then add baby spinach until wilted. Set aside. In a bowl, beat eggs. Add half of the egg mixture to the skillet. Add the mushrooms and baby spinach as the egg cooks, and sprinkle some cheese.

Using a spatula, move the omelet from the middle to the other side of the pan. Add the other half; once it’s ready, fold it and then serve.

10. Pita Bread Pizza

Pizzas always tend to lure toddlers like nothing else. However, pizzas on a daily basis could be a difficult option given the complexity of preparing them. Bread is a must-have for kids and can be customized as a pizza for them to revel in it. 

A simple recipe that converts pita bread to pizza is detailed below, and that is enough to get the attention of toddlers by all means. 

Place wheat pita bread on a baking sheet. Spread pizza sauce on top. You can make a homemade pizza sauce by blending tomatoes, basil leaves, extra virgin olive oil, sugar, salt, and pepper in the food processor. 

Sprinkle mozzarella cheese, mushrooms, olives, and red peppers as toppings. Bake pizza for 8–10 minutes until the cheese melts and the crust crisps.

Final Thoughts

Kids love to eat, but sometimes they’re pretty challenging to feed. That said, being creative in preparing their food is the key to giving them a balanced meal and all the nutrients they need.

This is the prime age when they can try different variations of food items and resolve a favorite of their own. 

Their formative years also demand healthy food choices that feed them lots of energy and stamina. The above list of items will hopefully be a good start to make toddlers fall in love with healthy dishes.

They can be tried and tested on a regular basis until we come to know what they love to binge on. 

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