A week of easy toddler meals
How we plan out Max’s meals depends on a mishmash of things like how busy we are at work, when we last made it to the grocery store and how lazy we’re feeling. Although no week is the same, we try our best to sneak in some greens at each meal and give him as much variety as possible. Here’s what a typical week of toddler dinners look like.
###Day 1
Steamed veggies, fettuccine with pesto sauce and blueberries. We buy the ‘steam in a bag’ frozen vegetables, which I love for their convenience. Typically we opt for the peas, corn and green bean medley because Max will eat it, but occasionally we are daring and try the broccoli and cauliflower mix. The latter option is not as well received and mostly ends up on the floor. Lately we’ve also been loving pesto. It’s a healthy and significantly less messy option from marinara (see image below!). Lastly, we like to include one “sure thing” at each meal to make sure Max always eats something. In this meal it is the blueberries.
###Day 2
Caribbean jerk chicken, banana slices and green beans. Before I take credit for this delicious home cooked meal, I must confess that we subscribe to a local RVA meal delivery service called Eat Smart Now (*read my review here). We typically order 2-3 meals a week and each meal can be divided into 2 meals for Max. We started using the service when Max was about 6 months old and it has been a huge time saver for us. It is also the best way for us to introduce new foods to Max since Aaron and I collectively know how to make 3 dishes.
Bananas are another one of our “sure thing” foods. Lately Max has started saying “nana”, which is so cute. By some miracle he actually likes green beans. It’s not a food he has always loved, but he has grown to eat them and nowadays will reach for them without parental trickery (aka disguising the green bean in a spoonful of mashed potatoes).
###Day 3
Grilled chicken, steamed mixed vegetables and sweet potato chunks. This was the first time Max tried sweet potato and he was not a fan.
###Day 4
Chick-Fil-A 6 piece grilled nugget kid’s meal. Half way through the week we usually succumb to convenience and opt for a quick take-out option. Chick-Fil-A grilled nuggets is always a win with Max.
###Day 5
Orange slices, pasta with pesto sauce, tomato slices. Over the summer we love buying locally grown tomatoes from the farmer’s market. They are so flavorful and Max loves them.
###Day 6
Stir fry veggies, rice and ground meatloaf and a side of cucumber wedges. Wegman’s grocery store recently opened up near us and we have been enjoying their amazing selection of prepared meals. Aaron and I love their meatloaf dinner and we typically mash bits of it up into a rice and veggie bowl for Max.
###Day 7
Orange slices, turkey meatballs and rice. Turkey meatballs is one of Max’s favorite meals. Another Eat Smart Meal concoction.
###Day 8
Quiche Lorraine and blueberries. Max loves eggs and easily eats two every morning. Occasionally we prepare a quiche on Sunday as a quick breakfast option for days we are running late. But it also serves as a great dinner option.
###Day 9
Broccoli rabe, rice, grilled chicken. To our surprise Max loves broccoli rabe!
I’m always looking for new easy toddler meal ideas, so I’d love to know your tips and tricks!