If you’re anything like me, figuring out what to feed my toddlers EVERY SINGLE DAY can be exhausting. I also found trying to meal plan every single meal exhausting as well, like how could I come up with 3 meals and 3 snacks 7 times a week?
Luckily I was able to find a system that made things a little easier, because truly I love feeding my kids and find a lot of joy in it, but it doesn’t mean it’s easy and can be a lot when you’re doing it full time. Join me as I show you a few things that have simplified toddler feeding for me as a stay at home working mom with two toddlers.
BREAKFAST
Breakfast is tough because my toddlers wake up and want to eat STAT, leaving little time for me to prepare a fully balanced breakfast before one of them is having a full meltdown and crying at my feet. There are two ways I try to ease the stress during the morning shuffle:
- Start with milk or a smoothie, I will either fill the boys favourite tumblers with whole milk or whip up a 2 minute smoothie before starting on their main entree.
- Have ready to go items in the fridge or freezer that just need to be heated or thrown on the plate. The best ways to do this is to either double a batch of something you made when you had time (for us thats pancakes, muffins, waffles, etc) or meal prep on the weekend when you can dedicate an hour of your time.
SHEET PAN PANCAKES
Ingredients
- 2.5 cups all purpose organic flour*
- 1 tbsp organic cane sugar (omit for younger toddlers)
- 2 tbsp baking powder
- 2 cups milk of choice*
- 2 eggs*
- 4 tbsp melted/cooled butter*
- 1 tsp vanilla
*top allergen, options for replacing:
- Gluten free flour
- Plant based milk
- Flax egg
- Coconut oil
Toppings
- Blueberries
- Dye free sprinkles
- Maple syrup
(you can absolutely use other fruit as a topping, I find my toddlers like fruit better fresh on the side like banana or strawberries, blueberries are one of the fruits they enjoy baked in).
Method
- Preheat oven to 425 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper
- In a large bowl, mix the flour, cane sugar, and baking powder
- Pour in milk, melted butter, eggs and vanilla. Whisk until combined
- Pour batter onto sheet pan and distribute evenly
- Top with desired toppings
- Bake for 15-18 minutes
Keep in fridge for up to 3 days or freeze. To heat up, use a toaster/toaster oven.
LUNCH
Got a pasta obsessed toddler? Same. Having an easy but nutritious pasta sauce prepared and ready to use has saved me so many times at lunch when all my toddler wants is pasta. I love pureeing in whatever vegetables I have in the fridge or freezer while adding ingredients I know they like (a tomato or cheese based sauce always does well with my toddlers). I make enough to freeze portions, that way they just need to be heated up and poured onto noodles whenever you need them.
SNEAKY VEGGIE PASTA SAUCE
Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked vegetables of choice (I used carrots and zucchini)
- 2 cups organic marinara sauce
- 1 scoop bone broth powder
Method
- Cook your vegetables and let them cool
- Add to a blender or food processor with the marinara and bone broth powder, puree until smooth
Store in an airtight mason jar in the fridge for up to 3 days or freeze in individual portions. To heat from frozen, add to a pot with a splash of water.
SNACKS
I find snack time to be a challenge as a stay at home mom because my kids LOVE to snack, and it can be exhausting trying to be creative at snack time every single day. Having ready made nutritious snacks helps me avoid heading straight to the pantry and grabbing a processed granola bar every single time. The good news is my toddlers eat a very wide variety of foods, so as long as I have something ready and convenient it takes away a lot of stress for me.
This week, as a quick protein option I did boiled eggs (my toddlers go crazy over these) and my all time favourite, cereal bars.
CEREAL BARS
These are basically just healthy rice krispie treats but they are packed with healthy fats and protein without the nasty ingredients so you can feel good about serving them. The full recipe is in my toddler feeding guide which you can find here: MODERN TODDLER FEEDING GUIDE
SEE YOU NEXT TIME
That’s it for this week, thank you for joining me and I hope your toddler enjoys any of these recipes. If you’re needing more support with toddler feeding make sure you check out my straight forward self paced Modern Toddler Feeding Guide, follow me on instagram and youtube!
