Toddlers can be fussy eaters. It can be a tough phase to adjust to when trying to get them out of formula for both you and your baby. “Formula provides all the necessary vitamins to your child, so make sure to feed your baby with quality baby formula until you switch to solid food. “ Don’t worry. We are here to help you with it.
With just a little knowledge about their food preference, you can make them easy and delicious food that they will enjoy a lot!
Let’s look at sixteen shortcut toddler meal ideas that are so quick to make and healthy that you and your baby will love them!
How to Put Together a Toddler Meal
Toddlers like having straightforward meals with simple flavors. So if you’re worried about where to start, that should be a good place.
When making a plate of food for them, try to balance it by incorporating protein, complex carbohydrates, healthy fats, fruits, and vegetables. Also, always prepare their food with fresh ingredients.
Give them both animal and plant-based proteins, as they carry proteins of different formulations and amounts. Besides the unique toddler growth formula that you give them to aid their development, protein variations also help them grow too.
Healthy Shortcut Toddler Meal Ideas
Toddlers have a sensitive digestive system and immune system, so they may not be able to withstand any toxins they contract from food. That’s why you should be careful and cook their food with fresh ingredients.
Here are sixteen shortcut toddler meal ideas that you can make easily. They are super quick and simple to make while being delicious for your toddler.
Also, if they aren’t comfortable using a spoon, let them use their hands! Just clean them properly before they start eating.
1. A Plate of Fruits, Veggies, and Cheese
The simplest thing to get your toddler started with is a plate of various fruits, vegetables, and shredded mozzarella.
Here are the things you’ll need to prepare it:
- Add carrots, cucumber, and tomato cut into fun shapes on a plate.
- Add oranges, strawberries, apple slices, and mango slices.
- Add some shredded mozzarella.
And there you have it! An easy plate for your toddler!
2. Roasted Sweet Potato
Cut a sweet potato into wedges, add a light layer of olive oil and a pinch of salt to half of them, and roast them in the oven.
Let your toddler try both salted and unsalted versions to see which they prefer. It’s also an excellent way to add complex carbohydrates to their diet.
And if you’re on, say, a keto diet and want diet-friendly recipes, you can try this too with your toddler!
3. Fish Fingers with Wedges
Fish is an excellent source of healthy fats and essential minerals. You can boil or roast a fish filet for your toddler or make fish fingers with salmon.
Let’s look at how you can make them:
- Cut a thick salmon filet into three or four strips.
- Roll in flour and salt, beaten eggs, and breadcrumbs.
- Bake in the oven or shallow fry.
Serve them with roasted sweet potato wedges and vegetables.
4. Fish Tacos
White-fleshed saltwater fish is the way to go for making fish tacos. Let’s look at how you can make them:
- Bake fresh tortillas.
- Bake fish fingers or fry a fish filet in a skillet.
- Shred up or slice the fish and put it in a folded tortilla.
- Add chopped tomato, shredded lettuce, mayonnaise, and sprinkle cottage cheese on top.
5. Stir-fried Shrimp with Spinach and Peas
Shrimp is a tasty protein to include. Sauté some spinach, peas, and fresh shrimp in olive oil with salt. Add a small amount of cream to add some sauciness while cooking.
Make sure they are all fully cooked. It’s super simple, and you can prepare it in minutes!
6. Chicken Burger with Sun-dried Tomato
Make your toddler a chicken burger! Prepare a fried chicken patty. Toast a burger bun, add some ketchup, put the chicken patty, sun-dried tomatoes, and shredded cheese. And you’re done!
A hearty, delicious meal for your toddler to try!
7. Mushroom Burger with Vegan Mozzarella
A good way to introduce your toddler to vegan recipes is by making them a mushroom burger with vegan mozzarella.
Just sauté some mushrooms in a pan and sear oyster mushrooms. Spread vegan mayonnaise on a toasted bun and add the mushrooms and some vegan mozzarella, and you’re good to go!
8. Simple Egg Fried Rice
Egg fried rice is a good dish for your toddler, as it has carbohydrates, proteins, vegetables, and healthy fat. This is how you can make it:
- Scramble an egg and set it aside.
- Sear some sliced onions, vegetables, and chopped-up chicken in olive oil.
- Add your cooked rice with some salt and stir.
Your toddler’s meal will be ready in no time!
9. Golden Mango Smoothie Bowl
It’s extremely simple to make. Blend a frozen mango with some sugar or syrup in a blender to a smooth texture. You can add a splash of milk if you want.
Serve it in a bowl as it is, or top it with a crispy rice or fruity cereal. We’re positive your toddler will love it!
However, if you use syrup, do your research first. If you’re planning to use corn syrup on toddler meals, you may want to think of a better substitute.
10. Italian Tuna Melt
The tuna melt is scrumptious yet very simple to make. Shred a boiled tuna filet, mix it with some mayonnaise, shredded cabbage, onion, and salt, and spread it on a slice of Italian bread. Add a slice of American cheese on top, and serve!
Your baby will be getting good fats with the taste of milk derivatives, some protein, good carbohydrates, and some fiber and vitamins.
You can do the same with a beef patty, minus the mayonnaise and cabbage.
11. Pasta in Tomato Sauce
For the pasta sauce in this recipe, it’s better to use canned crushed tomatoes. Just check the ingredients list because the fewer the preservatives, the better.
Boil rigatoni pasta in salted water and set some of the pasta water aside. Put the canned crushed tomatoes in a pan, add salt, onion, garlic, olive oil, and basil, and reduce the sauce. Add some pasta water and the pasta. Top it with shredded cheese.
A super simple yet super tasty and filling pasta dish for your toddler’s taste buds!
12. Avocado Hummus
Hummus is made with chickpeas, an excellent source of plant-based protein. What’s better than pairing it with the mighty avocado that’s rich in good fat?
Add chickpeas, a whole avocado, Greek yogurt, coriander, lemon juice, olive oil, and salt in a blender, and blend everything into a smooth consistency. Serve it to your toddler with some baked potato chips.
Healthy, balanced, simple, yet tasty snack item for your little angel!
13. Ultimate BLT Sandwich
A bacon-lettuce-tomato sandwich is an effortless way to introduce essential nutrients to your toddler’s diet.
On a slice of sandwich, add some mayonnaise, a few slices of tomato, two crispy bacon slices, lettuce, two more crispy bacon slices, and a slice of American cheese.
A nice, simple meal for your toddler with different textures to enjoy!
14. Asparagus Salad with Fried Egg and Prosciutto
This is a very simple and easy yet very healthy and delicious salad for your toddler to try. Asparagus is rich in vitamins and minerals, while egg and prosciutto offer good fat and proteins.
Just roast some asparagus with salt and olive oil. Top it with a sunny-side-up egg and slices of prosciutto. I’m sure your baby will love poking at the yolk and mixing it around on the asparagus and enjoy it fully!
15. Veggie Scramble with Mushrooms, Spinach, and Goat Cheese
Sauté some chopped-up mushrooms with onions and salt until they lose all moisture. Chop up some vegetables like carrot, tomato, sweet potato, cabbage, spinach, broccoli, and cauliflower, stir fry them with some salt in olive oil, add the cooked mushrooms, and mix it all up.
When serving, top it with some goat cheese. It’s a nice veggie dish packed with nutrients for your toddler!
16. Black Bean Omelet
We’ve saved the most fun meal for the last. It’s none other than the nutritious and tasty black bean omelet.
Sauté some black beans with some salt in olive oil. Chop up an avocado and prepare salsa without any chili. Make an omelet big enough to roll or be used as a taco shell, add some of the sauteed black beans, avocado, salsa, and goat cheese, and top it with tomato sauce.
Roll it or fold like a taco and serve it to your toddler. You’ll see how much they enjoy this whole experience!
Conclusion
You may dread the thought of making meals for your toddler right now. But if you follow the sixteen shortcut toddler meal ideas mentioned, you can make delicious, simple meals that your toddler will love and want more.
The recipes you just read are intended to cater to everyone irrespective of dietary preferences, food habits, and taste buds. So, you must have found at least one or more suited to your needs. So, do give them a shot and we hope you and your toddler will love them!
