Love SoftBums Blog: Feeding the Little Monsters

I don't know about you but meal times can be trying with two toddlers. I wish I could hire somebody to come into my house prepare a meal and feed my kids then leave. I'll clean up no problem! I like to think I'm not the only one who gets stuck in a rut and can't think of anything new to feed the kiddos.

Here is a list of options! I found this list on Pinterest. Dear Pinterest-I LOVE YOU!

What to feed your toddler:

Snacks:

1.) Ants on a Log (raisins, celery, peanut butter)
2.) Whole Grain Nacho Chips with veggies, salsa, shredded cheese, and guacamole or Bean Dip
3.) Fruit Bars
4.) Apple Slices with Peanut Butter or String Cheese
5.) Berries and Low-fat yogurt
6.) Crinkle cut carrots with hummus
7.) Whole wheat pita triangles / baked wheat crackers with melted cheese for dipping
8.) Low fat yogurt with granola and fresh or dried fruit
9.) Whole grain, fiber rich cereal

10.) Graham crackers with apple sauce
11.) Yogurt Smoothie made with low-fat yogurt, milk, ice, and fruit
12.) Graham cracker sandwich with a scoop of yogurt and slices of banana
13.) Whole grain pretzels or rice cakes with cheese
14.) Cucumbers, celery or green pepper with low fat dressing for dipping
15.) Healthy Trail Mix made of whole grain oat cereal, chopped walnuts and dried cranberries
16.) Dip a banana in yogurt, roll in crushed cereal and freeze
17.) Oatmeal Raisin or Ginger Snap cookies
18.) Whole Grain crackers and fruit or sliced up carrots / other veggies
19.) Sorbet
20.) Nilla Waffers Sandwiching Banana Slices with Peanut Butter and Sprinkles on the Sides21.) Low-fat Pudding22.) Raisins23.) Cheese and Crackers24.) Fruit Salad

Meals:

Breakfasts:

1.) Blueberry Pancakes (mash up blueberries and add to batter) or Whole Grain Waffles
2.) Whole Grain Raisin (or carrot / pumpkin / zucchini) Muffin Cakes with Cream Cheese “Frosting”
3.) “Banana Split”: Yogurt, a Quarter of a Banana and Sprinkle of Cereal
4.) Cereal: Cheerios, Kix, Life, Peanut Butter Multi Grain Cheerios, Shredded Wheat (<– as suggested by my following tweeps:@PheonyxFlower @LeeAnne_K_Owens @lucymarieslife @TheMamaMash – Thanks!)
5.) Blueberry Oatmeal Breakfast Supershake -6.) Mini Cheese Scones7.) French Toast Squares8.) Toasted Egg Smiles
9.) Cheesy Scrambled Eggs10.) Apple Breakfast Bars

Lunches:
1.) “Sundae” Layer Finely Chopped Fruit with Yogurt and Cereal in a Tall Parfait Glass
2.) Muffins with Grated Zucchini or Carrots Baked in
3.) Brown Rice and Chickpeas
4.) Bologna Rolls on Pretzel Sticks
5.) Bologna and Cheese Hummus Wrap and Cucumber slices
6.) Octopus Hot Dog, Mac and Cheese and Baked apples
7.) Cheese and Veggie Quesadillas
8.) Fish Stix
9.) Carrot Wraps – Cheese, Nuts and Apricots added to Carrots in a Wrap
10.) Peanut Butter and Banana Grilled Sandwich

Dinners:
1.) Macaroni & Cheese with Finely Grated Veggies: Carrots, Beats or Zucchini
2.) Chicken and Rice with the aforementioned Veggies added
3.) Meatballs with Veggies added Inside

4.) Spaghetti with Veggies added into the Sauce – Finely Chopped Peppers, Carrots, Parsley or Beans (cook until softened or even use a blender)
5.) Home-made or Store-Bought Pizza with Soft-Cooked or Roasted Veggies
6.) Pinto Beans / Kidney Beans
7.) Turkey Tenderloin, Steamed Snap Peas, Steamed Carrots and Frozen Mango Chunks
8.) Beef and Cheese Taco with Mac & Cheese, and Frozen Blueberries
9.) Cheese Ravioli with Steamed Carrots and Green Pepper Slices
10.) Little Hot Dogs in Buns with Sweet Potatos or Mac & Cheese

Source: mannlymama.com via Jamie on Pinterest

Evaluate the Day’s Nutrition
According to the What to Expect website, we should think of the “big picture”, making sure the little ones eat protein (dairy or meat), calcium (dairy or veggies), vitamin C (fruits or veggies), a mixed bag of different colored fruits and veggies (several every day), whole grains (pasta and bread), iron (legumes, cereal), and healthy fats (avoid trans-fats).

Additional Nutrition Tips:
* Get Wheat Germ to sprinkle on pizza, mac & cheese and spaghetti for extra fiber!
* Toddlers typically need breakfast, morning snack, lunch, afternoon snack and dinner

Pointers on Serving:
* [This is based on my own experience.] Feed your toddler meals in stages or in courses. I’ve found that if I give Cupcakes the whole meal at once, she will eat her favorite foods and just want more of that so she won’t eat the veggies or meat. So start off by giving your Little One some peas. After she/he has eaten a lot of those, give meat. After that you can give him/her the fruit, cheese, bread and other parts of the meal. This way, you could get a lot more goodies in your toddler’s tummy.

* Cupcakes and I still nurse 4 times a day. In addition to that, she gets Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner. Recently, I started giving her a morning snack (before lunch) and an afternoon snack (after lunch/her pm nap). Toddlers are burning so many calories all the time that they need lots of good food throughout the day to keep up their energy.