Dinner ideas for a toddler

kaos16

Anyone have any good dinner ideas for a 1.5 year old?  I feel like we are in a dinner rut, and want to mix things up for him.  We always have rotisserie chicken on hand, he often has that or meatballs with pasta.  I make him veggies often, sometimes he'll eat them.  He loves his veggies in green smoothies more than just on a plate.

When we're out, he'll try anything at all.  At home he is much less adventurous!

TrixieJess

Grilled cheese, pad thai, baked ziti, lasagna, meatloaf and mashed potatoes, curry, roast beef.

I'm just going by what we fed my kid at that age. 

southernbelle0915

We just break up bits of whatever we are eating and give it to him. Prevents us from figuring something else out for him every night and he gets used to "this is what's for dinner". 

He doesn't like salad, so if we're having entree like salads, I'll give him that (knowing he likely won't eat it) but also bits of sandwich. 

STARMOON44

Cracker that fell on the floor 4 hours ago; ice cream; 7 oreos, preferably after spending half an hour licking the frosting; only the heads of 4 dinosaur shaped chicken nuggets. 

MissKittyDanger

southernbelle0915 said:

We just break up bits of whatever we are eating and give it to him. Prevents us from figuring something else out for him every night and he gets used to "this is what's for dinner". 

He doesn't like salad, so if we're having entree like salads, I'll give him that (knowing he likely won't eat it) but also bits of sandwich. 

My parents did the same thing. I only got a separate meal if they were having something I didn't like. {ex: if they had baked beans with cut up wieners, I would have hot dogs}

MissKittyDanger

Is your toddler picky? If not, I'd go with whatever you're having. At least it's easier than making more than one meal

kaos16

MissKittyDanger said:

Is your toddler picky? If not, I'd go with whatever you're having. At least it's easier than making more than one meal

He's hit or miss. . . . out, he'll eat anything.  I end up preparing something different for him most nights because DH works very late, so he and I eat dinner long after our son's bedtime.

DrillSergeantCat

STARMOON44 said:

Cracker that fell on the floor 4 hours ago; ice cream; 7 oreos, preferably after spending half an hour licking the frosting; only the heads of 4 dinosaur shaped chicken nuggets. 

This is so accurate.

kaos16

DrillSergeantCat said:

STARMOON44 said:

Cracker that fell on the floor 4 hours ago; ice cream; 7 oreos, preferably after spending half an hour licking the frosting; only the heads of 4 dinosaur shaped chicken nuggets. 

This is so accurate.

I just get to "in my own head" about him needing a balanced meal.. . . . . I really need to be less hard on myself.  He's happy and healthy!

CMGragain

Macaroni and cheese with green food coloring.  Scrambles eggs and ham with green food coloring. (DH's idea.  After he did it, the kids insisted on the food coloring!)  Tuna fish and spaghetti.  (Yes.)  Those little packages of chicken flavored noodles with leftover chicken chopped up and stirred in.  Fish sticks.  Hot dogs.  Tuna fish casserole:

Mom's special tuna casserole

2 cups egg noodles, boiled
1 can tuna
1 small can peas
3 hardboiled eggs, sliced
I can cream of chicken soup, prepared
Mix above ingredients in 8 x 11 pyrex casserole dish, top with cheese (kids like Velveeta) and Worcestershire sauce.  Bake 30 minutes at 350.

I had an ex-boyfriend who absolutely LOVED this stuff!  I had to give his mother the recipe.  DH won't touch it!

MobKaz

southernbelle0915 said:

We just break up bits of whatever we are eating and give it to him. Prevents us from figuring something else out for him every night and he gets used to "this is what's for dinner". 

He doesn't like salad, so if we're having entree like salads, I'll give him that (knowing he likely won't eat it) but also bits of sandwich. 

Agreed.  On days we did "whatever", it was quesadilla's, hummus, beans, cubes of turkey or chicken, cubes of cheese, grilled cheese, macaroni, eggs, pizza puffs made from crescent rolls, creamed soups.  Dinner was typically the worst appetite of the day, so I did not make too many ala carte meals for the kids. 

TrixieJess

CMGragain said:

Macaroni and cheese with green food coloring.  Scrambles eggs and ham with green food coloring. (DH's idea.  After he did it, the kids insisted on the food coloring!)  Tuna fish and spaghetti.  (Yes.)  Those little packages of chicken flavored noodles with leftover chicken chopped up and stirred in.  Fish sticks.  Hot dogs.  Tuna fish casserole:

Mom's special tuna casserole

2 cups egg noodles, boiled
1 can tuna
1 small can peas
3 hardboiled eggs, sliced
I can cream of chicken soup, prepared
Mix above ingredients in 8 x 11 pyrex casserole dish, top with cheese (kids like Velveeta) and Worcestershire sauce.  Bake 30 minutes at 350.

I had an ex-boyfriend who absolutely LOVED this stuff!  I had to give his mother the recipe.  DH won't touch it!

My kid wouldn't touch this with a ten foot pole. 

My kid has always eaten whatever we ate just in smaller bites. 

ei34

If you're ever worried about lack of veggies, while I'm making dinner I set out a big platter of cut up bell peppers, carrots, and broccoli nestled into wheatgrass...they always think they're eating real grass  add some Greek-yogurt ranch dressing since toddlers love to dip and you've got a tasty, healthy and fun meal.

My kids just eat what we eat though..just like me they prefer, say, penne alla vodka, chicken parm and enchiladas to quinoa power bowls and baked chicken over greens.  

If you can take an meal and put it into a quesadilla, that usually helps.  One of my three can be picky, it's such a PITA!  You hit the nail on the head, the fact that your son is happy and healthy is most important!

southernbelle0915

I should also say (re. my comment), that my kid has demonstrated pickiness as well. I mean, if he had it his picky way, he'd eat french fries, animal crackers, fruit and plain ketchup for every single meal.

*Most of the time* I continue to just give him bits of whatever we're eating, whether it's something he likes or not. If he doesn't like it, he doesn't have to eat it. But if he's hungry later, his untouched food is "what's for dinner". If he decides not to eat it (again), he doesn't have it, but no animal crackers or cherrios.

This was advice we got from our pediatrician. Her thinking (and I agree) is that we have a lot more control over what he's exposed to right now and it's easier to create the "take it or leave it" menu expectation now than it is to give them whatever they want now and try to get them to be non-picky later. 

MissKittyDanger

kaos16 said:

DrillSergeantCat said:

STARMOON44 said:

Cracker that fell on the floor 4 hours ago; ice cream; 7 oreos, preferably after spending half an hour licking the frosting; only the heads of 4 dinosaur shaped chicken nuggets. 

This is so accurate.

I just get to "in my own head" about him needing a balanced meal.. . . . . I really need to be less hard on myself.  He's happy and healthy!

I see a lot of parents pressured to feel like they need to do more and it makes a lot of them be really hard on themselves.

That being said, I'm sure your kid is doing great If you have questions about his health maybe ask his doctor?

DrillSergeantCat

Most nights, Mouse gets chicken nuggets, string cheese, sweet pickles, and water. When we get home for the day, he gets a banana (or two) and sometimes an applesauce as well. I feel really bad on the days he's eating chicken nuggets again, but with little sister, it's nearly impossible to cook dinner until after at least one of them goes to bed. Now that she's a little older and able to play by herself (supervised of course) for a bit, I can cook earlier. Last night, I put her in the jumparoo and cooked carrots, noodles, and polish sausage. Mouse ate that right along with me.

flantastic

We try to eat with her most nights. (She'll be 2 in a couple months.) She gets what we're having. In general, she will usually try it, because it's "cool" to be eating what we're eating. It helps us eat more balanced meals too.

There have been a few short spells where she seemed to get pickier (would maybe only eat one of the side dishes) and I'd worry this would stop working, but we didn't really offer her something separate. She's also recently started to understand the deal of "if you want more corn, you need to eat the chicken you have" and that it's worth it to do what we say, because we mean it. That's helped a lot in being sure that she's getting all parts of our meal.

LondonLisa

 Cauliflower cheese is awesome and a good way to get more veg into kids. 

Have you tried doing spiraliser courgette or butternut spaghetti? This mixed in with regular pasta is a good way to 'sneak' in veg but also expose to new flavours and textures. 

I agree with PP- I always ate what my parents ate (sometimes toned down and smaller portions).

MissKittyDanger

Stirfry is also really good. If you make your own, you can be specific on what veggies and/or meat is in there and if there is a sauce.

When I was older - like early teens - I wouldn't eat pork chops because they were too big {I wasn't a big meat eater} So my dad would cut them into strips, marinate them in oil with steak spice, onion powder and garlic powder then fry them.
Cut smaller, I'm sure kids would eat it too.
{Note: I wasn't a picky eater, just specific on certain things and I was more of a 'snacker' - still am}

CMGragain

Honestly, DH is pickier than any kid I have ever known!  Now that he is diabetic, it is worse.  DH is notorious in his own family about his food phobias and eccentricities.  Meat must be well done to leather.  No fish.  No eggs.  No mushrooms.  No Jello.  Now, no pasta or bread.  Going to a restaurant can be an ordeal.
This is all part of why we do cruise ships when we travel.  He won't eat local food, and if he must, he looks for an American fast food chain.  Kids are a dream to feed compared to this!  Think he'll eat Japanese sushi?  Yeah, right!

flantastic

CMGragain said:

Honestly, DH is pickier than any kid I have ever known!  Now that he is diabetic, it is worse.  DH is notorious in his own family about his food phobias and eccentricities.  Meat must be well done to leather.  No fish.  No eggs.  No mushrooms.  No Jello.  Now, no pasta or bread.  Going to a restaurant can be an ordeal.
This is all part of why we do cruise ships when we travel.  He won't eat local food, and if he must, he looks for an American fast food chain.  Kids are a dream to feed compared to this!  Think he'll eat Japanese sushi?  Yeah, right!

That's unfortunate. Did you have any actual
suggestions for OP about dealing with a picky eater, since you have so much experience?

OurWildKingdom

flantastic said:

CMGragain said:

Honestly, DH is pickier than any kid I have ever known!  Now that he is diabetic, it is worse.  DH is notorious in his own family about his food phobias and eccentricities.  Meat must be well done to leather.  No fish.  No eggs.  No mushrooms.  No Jello.  Now, no pasta or bread.  Going to a restaurant can be an ordeal.
This is all part of why we do cruise ships when we travel.  He won't eat local food, and if he must, he looks for an American fast food chain.  Kids are a dream to feed compared to this!  Think he'll eat Japanese sushi?  Yeah, right!

That's unfortunate. Did you have any actual



suggestions for OP about dealing with a picky eater, since you have so much experience?

Actually, yes, @CMGragain did have some suggestions (although personally, I'm skeptical about the green food coloring).

P.S. I don't have kids, but I was a picky eater, mostly about meat. I like @eileenrob's suggestion about vegetables and ranch to dip in. I still like raw vegetables better when I have something to dip them in.

charlotte989875

LondonLisa said:

 Cauliflower cheese is awesome and a good way to get more veg into kids. 

Have you tried doing spiraliser courgette or butternut spaghetti? This mixed in with regular pasta is a good way to 'sneak' in veg but also expose to new flavours and textures. 

I agree with PP- I always ate what my parents ate (sometimes toned down and smaller portions).

I do this with my H. 

OurWildKingdom

charlotte989875 said:

LondonLisa said:

 Cauliflower cheese is awesome and a good way to get more veg into kids. 

Have you tried doing spiraliser courgette or butternut spaghetti? This mixed in with regular pasta is a good way to 'sneak' in veg but also expose to new flavours and textures. 

I agree with PP- I always ate what my parents ate (sometimes toned down and smaller portions).

I do this with my H. 

I should do that with FW.

OurWildKingdom

Like this, @LondonLisa?

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/358608/cauliflower-cheese

charlotte989875

OurWildKingdom said:

charlotte989875 said:

LondonLisa said:

 Cauliflower cheese is awesome and a good way to get more veg into kids. 

Have you tried doing spiraliser courgette or butternut spaghetti? This mixed in with regular pasta is a good way to 'sneak' in veg but also expose to new flavours and textures. 

I agree with PP- I always ate what my parents ate (sometimes toned down and smaller portions).

I do this with my H. 

I should do that with FW.

I tried to do zucchini noodles alone, but he wasn't a fan. Mixed with actual pasta and he said they were great. 

OurWildKingdom

charlotte989875 said:

OurWildKingdom said:

charlotte989875 said:

LondonLisa said:

 Cauliflower cheese is awesome and a good way to get more veg into kids. 

Have you tried doing spiraliser courgette or butternut spaghetti? This mixed in with regular pasta is a good way to 'sneak' in veg but also expose to new flavours and textures. 

I agree with PP- I always ate what my parents ate (sometimes toned down and smaller portions).

I do this with my H. 

I should do that with FW.

I tried to do zucchini noodles alone, but he wasn't a fan. Mixed with actual pasta and he said they were great. 

Good to know!

OurWildKingdom

TrixieJess said:

CMGragain said:

Macaroni and cheese with green food coloring.  Scrambles eggs and ham with green food coloring. (DH's idea.  After he did it, the kids insisted on the food coloring!)  Tuna fish and spaghetti.  (Yes.)  Those little packages of chicken flavored noodles with leftover chicken chopped up and stirred in.  Fish sticks.  Hot dogs.  Tuna fish casserole:

Mom's special tuna casserole

2 cups egg noodles, boiled
1 can tuna
1 small can peas
3 hardboiled eggs, sliced
I can cream of chicken soup, prepared
Mix above ingredients in 8 x 11 pyrex casserole dish, top with cheese (kids like Velveeta) and Worcestershire sauce.  Bake 30 minutes at 350.

I had an ex-boyfriend who absolutely LOVED this stuff!  I had to give his mother the recipe.  DH won't touch it!

My kid wouldn't touch this with a ten foot pole. 

My kid has always eaten whatever we ate just in smaller bites. 

Isn't your FI vegan, @TrixieJess? (I'm vegetarian and an aspiring vegan, BTW.)

LondonLisa

OurWildKingdom said:

Like this, @LondonLisa?

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/358608/cauliflower-cheese

yes-I love it! Granted, anything cooked in bechemel and covered in melted cheese is going to taste delicious.

Heffalump

We mostly feed the kids whatever we're eating, with occasional modifications.  (If they want the chicken w/o sauce, I'll plate theirs first, then add the sauce for DH's and mine; last night I did curried cauliflower which DH and I love but they don't, so they had carrot chips instead.)  I would think it's trickier if you're eating a lot later, but that's similar to our weekend lunch situation, so I'll comment on that:

Fruit is a big one: whatever is in season, sliced apples, grapes, you name it
Veggies: baby carrots, carrot chips, corn, edamame, avocado are their favorites, but YMMV
Any kind of pasta: buttered noodles, mac and cheese, marinara, pasta salad...
Some kind of dairy: string cheese, cheese cut into shapes with cookie cutters, yogurt, whatever

Do you have Trader Joe's nearby?  We get so much kid food there.  The kids love their fish nuggets and shrimp nuggets, and their yogurt.  (I'm pretty sure their TJ's yogurt tubes are made by Stonyfield Farm, they're identical.)  IMO, their mini pizzas are decent.  And just whatever random stuff your kid likes: DS raves about their blueberry scones to anyone who will listen, DD prefers their bagels.  Hummus, reduced fat guac, all kinds of good dipping stuff.  Lots of cheese.     

charlotte989875

Heffalump said:

We mostly feed the kids whatever we're eating, with occasional modifications.  (If they want the chicken w/o sauce, I'll plate theirs first, then add the sauce for DH's and mine; last night I did curried cauliflower which DH and I love but they don't, so they had carrot chips instead.)  I would think it's trickier if you're eating a lot later, but that's similar to our weekend lunch situation, so I'll comment on that:

Fruit is a big one: whatever is in season, sliced apples, grapes, you name it
Veggies: baby carrots, carrot chips, corn, edamame, avocado are their favorites, but YMMV
Any kind of pasta: buttered noodles, mac and cheese, marinara, pasta salad...
Some kind of dairy: string cheese, cheese cut into shapes with cookie cutters, yogurt, whatever

Do you have Trader Joe's nearby?  We get so much kid food there.  The kids love their fish nuggets and shrimp nuggets, and their yogurt.  (I'm pretty sure their TJ's yogurt tubes are made by Stonyfield Farm, they're identical.)  IMO, their mini pizzas are decent.  And just whatever random stuff your kid likes: DS raves about their blueberry scones to anyone who will listen, DD prefers their bagels.  Hummus, reduced fat guac, all kinds of good dipping stuff.  Lots of cheese.     

What are carrot chips?