What are some EASY but nutritionist meals for my 16 month old??

Question

I wouldn’t call myself a "cook" but I pretty much have the basics down. I don’t usually have enough time to really fix my daughter a good home cooked meal. Her meals usually consist of canned or microwave foods. Now I want to get into the habit of making her healthy home cooked meals so she can have good eating habits. Any suggestions on easy but healthy meals that my toddler might enjoy for breakfast and dinner???

Answer 1

You can always try to make things that will fit in your toaster oven. I do chicken nuggets and tator tots--not the healthiest, but better than some junk. Also---try the Banquet pot pies--you can microwave them for 4 minutes and now they actually get brown. Plus, the meat and veggies inside are already cut to a good size for her. It does come out very hot so you'll have to let it cool off a bit before she eats it.

Pasta is also quick--don't do spaghetti, but buy penne or shells pasta that are smaller and easier to cut to her size. Add frozen meat balls that you can cut up to add more protein.

Also--you can make any meal healthier by adding a veggie like green beans or peas and carrots--a can will last you a couple of meals if it's just the two of you.

Also try making lasagna or something on Saturday or Sunday when you have more time b/c the leftovers are easy to reheat and it's easy to cut into bite sized portions.

Whenever we grill I grill extra chicken or pork or whatever is on sale so my 15 month old can eat healthier during the week.

The best way sometimes is to make healthy stuff ahead of time so you can heat it up druing the week for a quick healthy meal. My doctor also said fish is good if it's only done once or twice a week. I make tuna salad and my son loves taking bites off of a sandwich as I hold it for him.

I think it's great that you trying to be concious about feeding your child healthy meals--they need to start young. Keep up the good work!

Answer 2

Macaroni and cheese is so easy to make and kids love it! Just get the "blue box" (Kraft) and all you add is butter or margarine and milk.

At that age, my daughter loved to eat scrambled eggs for breakfast or lunch. If you don't want to cook it on the skillet, you can scramble the egg in a bowl with a bit of milk and put it in the microwave for one minute.

My daughter also loves turkey burgers. SOOO easy to make. Just get some ground turkey meat, mix in some parsley, parmesean cheese, garlic (not much), and salt and pepper to taste. Cook them on the stove top in a pan with a bit of olive oil in it. My daughter likes to dip the pieces I cut up in ketchup.

Does your daughter like vegetables? My daughter's favorite meal is turkey or chicken cutlets with broccoli and some rice. Your daughter may be a bit young for rice, but she can eat everything else.

I hope this helps a bit!

Answer 3

Oh, this is one of my favorite topics! I work so I don't have a lot of time to prepare food for my kids either, and feeding them healthy foods is very important to me. Here are the things I give my kids (2 1/2 and 1):

- bananas, bananas, and more bananas
- baked sweet potatoes...they are firm enough that you can cut them up into pieces (or you can cut them up first and roast them, also very yummy)
- canned peas, carrots, green beans
- whole grain waffles (frozen, from Trader Joes) & pancakes (from a mix...Arrowhead Mills makes a good mulitgrain one)
- soft fresh fruits like mango, cantaloupe, and watermelon
- canned fruits like peaches, pears, and mandarin oranges
- scrambled eggs
- yogurt (Stonyfield Farm has less sugar than most and it's either organic or all natural)
- oatmeal -- Quaker makes a low sugar version that is great
- low sugar cereals like Cheerios with soy milk
- veggie burgers (Gardenburger original is my kids' favorite)
- meatless meatballs (made from soy protein and mushrooms)
- slices of cheese or cheese sticks
- quesadillas -- made with whole wheat tortillas, smashed black beans, and shredded cheese
- Amy's frozen broccoli pot pie -- it has a whole wheat crust and lots of soft veggies inside
- grilled cheese sandwiches (on whole wheat, very little butter)
- no-sugar added applesauce
- turkey meatballs (make sure you check the ingredients though...try to find natural or organice ones or you'll end up with lots of junk in them)
- organic uncured turkey hot dogs
- hummus & whole wheat pita
- whole wheat pasta with jarred tomato sauce (Trader Joe's has great choices)
- turkey chili
- Bell & Evans chicken chunks (all white meat, no hydrogentated oils)
- Broccoli Munchees (in the frozen section)
- Annie's All-Stars or Bernie O's
- Trader Joes mac & cheese

These are all really quick and easy. Good luck!

Answer 4

In the superstore, fruits are usually selected far too soon. Some are rocks, many are bad. Some of the fresh vegetables are typical right (zucchini, onions, garlic, lettuce, greens, and a few others) so I'd have to go with vegetables.