My husband doesn’t get home from work until 7:00pm most nights. Our little one, Gavin, whom we nicknamed at 2 days old “Bug”, cannot wait until 7:00 to eat dinner. And since I don’t get home from work until 5:00, I don’t always feel like starting dinner right away. Which is good because I don’t have to because hubby doesn’t get home til 7. But, I have to feed the Bug. :) So I’m always trying to come up with fast, nutritious, toddler friendly food. Now, I am by no means an “all-natural, only organic” type person and I will break open a Banquet or Kid Cuisine meal in a heart beat to feed my “cranky when he gets hungry” son. But I do try to be as nutritious as possible most of the time for Bug’s sake.
Here are a few toddler friendly “recipes” that I have “cooked” up that seem to work well for us:
- Ham and Cheese Rollups – Pretty much exactly what it says. I take a piece of ham sandwich meat, place a piece of cheese on top and roll-up. I squish it a little bit so it sticks together a little place on a plate and serve. I think the long stick-like appearance is what’s so appealing to a toddler in this dish. You can do this with turkey if your child eats turkey. Mine won’t…
- Tuna Mac-N-Cheese – It’s my way of not feeling bad about serving Bug Mac-N-Cheese two nights in row. :) I add a can of tuna (chunk light in water, drained) to a bowl of macaroni and cheese. You can also throw in some green peas just for good measure. Fortunately, Bug will eat green peas as they are. Carrots are another story.
- Veggie Mac-N-Cheese – Same as above. Add green peas and carrots. Since Bug does not particularly care for carrots (which is weird because that was one of his favorite baby foods) I cook them, mash them up and stir them in the macaroni and cheese. Voila! He never knows it’s there!
- Burrito Bites – Spread refried beans thinly on a burrito shell. Spread almost to all edges. Add any taco/burrito fixings (thinly)you think your child will eat. Gavin likes beef, lettuce, tomato and cheese. Fold into burrito and squish lightly (to make sure it sticks). Cut into bite sized pieces.
- Cheesy Spaghetti-O Bake – I made the mistake of topping Spaghetti-Os with cheese…now he won’t eat them any other way! I spoon desired amount of Os into a bowl, add some shredded cheddar cheese and stir. Microwave for 30 seconds top with cheese and microwave for another 10 seconds. (If you use a whole can of Spaghetti-Os, you’ll have to adjust your cooking times. I never use a whole can.) You don’t actually “bake” this. But I have a “Spaghetti Bake” recipe that is basically the same concept (add cheese and cook) so that’s where this “dish” gets it’s name.
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