Dinner Ideas for Toddlers: Healthy and Delicious Meals for Picky Eaters
Looking for dinner ideas for toddlers?
It’s challenging to deal with a toddler who’s picky about food. Sometimes they are hooked on to the same meal just for fun. Well, if you are missing out on the fun bit, they’re likely to keep eating the same thing. If they are not trying new food, they keep lacking their nutrition.
So, encourage them to eat different types of food (the healthy ones). But, as a busy parent, it’s always not easy to come up with dinner ideas for toddlers.
In that case, let us help. We have listed down some of the best dinner ideas for toddlers to try out. Keep reading.
20 Toddler Dinner Ideas for Picky Eaters
Here’s a list of 20 best dinner ideas for your toddlers –
1. Crunchy Chicken Nugget
Looking for dinner ideas for toddlers older than 6 months? DON’T OVERTHINK. Crunchy chicken nuggets are no-brainers if you want to make something kid-friendly, especially for dinner. It’ll just take 30 to 40 minutes to make them.
Even the peaky eaters would give in to the crunchy chicken nuggets. Plus, it also has added health benefits for your toddlers once served with fresh veggies. So, what are you waiting for?
2. Egg-Rice Bowl
No, cooking dinner for your toddler doesn’t have to be nerve-wracking. A veggie, egg, and rice bowl are just too easy to make. It takes no more than 20 minutes to prepare. Surely, there are different variations, and you are free to experiment.
But it’s just too simple to make if you do it with veggies and eggs you just need a packet of pre-cooked rice, chopped frozen vegetables, a little cooking oil, and eggs.
3. Salmon & Veggie Stars by Annabel Karmel
You won’t run out of dinner ideas for toddlers if we are here to help. Annabel Karmel, UK’s no. 1 children’s cookery author, suggests this fun dinner idea for toddlers. It has balanced nutrition for your toddler and is a perfect finger food for dinner. The funny thing here is – you can use leftover salmon to make these tasty stars.
4. Burrito bowl
This is probably one of those dinner ideas for toddlers that’s tasty and healthy at the same time. In fact, some people have it at home as a staple food. If you would have something like that, here’s a recipe to tempt you
5. Noodle Fritters
What’s the hardest part of parenting? That would be making them eat healthy food they usually refuse to eat. It’s a daunting task to make your toddlers like vegetables. But what if I told you that it’s possible? Noodle fritters give you a shot at making vegetables easy to eat for toddlers.
6. Spaghetti
You spend all your time in the kitchen making delicious meals, and all your toddlers love to eat is spaghetti. Well, it’s alright. You can try an easy recipe and cook spaghetti with creamy tomato sauce. You can just cook it in a single pot within 25 minutes at the least.
Spaghetti is a good source of energy for children, and they love the yummy taste of it. Plus, it’s rich in fiber, vitamin B, and protein. Yes, if you are looking for easy dinner ideas for toddlers, you can try spaghetti.
7. Chicken Meatballs
Another no-brainer for dinner recipes for toddlers is chicken meatballs. It’s one of the best dinner ideas for families with toddlers.
Meatballs are easy to make, and both adults and toddlers love it. Well, it may not seem like a proper heavy dinner. But if the family needs something easy, quick, and light, chicken meatballs are enough. You can serve them on flatbreads or skewers – whatever your toddler loves.
8. Macaroni Cheese
You can try healthy macaroni cheese for the whole family – your toddler included. Some recipes reduce the fat content. But the taste doesn’t go down. What’s more, you can have the delicious macaroni within 20 to 25 minutes.
Some self-taught master chefs would just use a can of mild salsa, beans, and corn. You can try your variety of macaroni pasta. But be mindful of the spices.
9. Slow Cooker Veggie Burrito Bowls
Wait, we have talked about this. You can go ahead and have that chicken burrito bowl or go fully vegetarian. What’s more, you can prep early and cook something for the toddlers and the elderly. It takes about 10 minutes to prepare, and you can read things while preparing your lunch.
Just add a slice of avocado to the beans, rice, and vegetable mixture for your toddler. Add tangy sour cream, cilantro, avocado, hot sauce, and tortilla chips for the adult bowls that you set aside. This is one of the best dinner ideas for families with toddlers.
10. Open-Faced Pizza Burgers
Here’s something inspired by the English Muffin Pizza. This can be a pretty good dinner idea for your toddlers and the whole family. Plus, making Open-Faced Pizza Burgers doesn’t take more than 20 minutes.
11. Grilled Cheese
If your toddler loves Cheese, you can try the Grilled Cheese sandwich for dinner. This can also be a pretty good option for lunch as well. It’s not that difficult to make as well. First, you must grate the cheese and butter on all four sides of the bread. You need a heavy-based skillet and place the bread inside after it’s heated.
Keep frying them until you get that extra toasty flavor. Now, place Cheese on top of a piece of bread and put another piece of bread on top. Now press down the sandwich slightly and slowly cook for three minutes. Again, turn the toast and cook for three more minutes. You should be done in no more than 15 to 20 minutes.
12. Mac & Cheese
Here’s a typical toddler’s favorite food. Mac & Cheese is, without a doubt, something your toddler would love for dinner. In fact, the sweet and salty flavor of Mac & Cheese can make them keep licking the plate.
Plus, you’re also not cutting down on nutritional values that keep your child growing. Mac & Cheese has a small amount of protein, thiamine, riboflavin, and folate in a small amount.
13. Swedish Meatballs
Swedish Meatballs are every day in dinners, lunch, and potluck suppers. It’s an easy weeknight dinner for your toddler. The aroma of the browning meat is mouthwatering to toddlers. In fact, the adults at home will find this dinner recipe quite irresistible.
14. Beef & Rice Enchiladas
You should keep yourself open for potions that are easy on your time when making dinner for toddlers. Beef & Rice Enchiladas is one of those dinner ideas for toddlers that’s quick to make. It’s a mix of beef, Cheese, and flavored rice.
The enchiladas are just too good to be valid for a health-conscious parent trying to save time without compromising nutrition. If you hate spending hours in the kitchen, you can come up with this.
15. Cauliflower Gratin
So, you have meat for dinner. If you’re giving your toddler ham, pork, or beef for dinner, it’s better to side it with Cauliflower Gratin. Well, it takes little to no time to cook. It’s delicious and creamy. If your toddler has a soft spot for crunchy food, try drizzling some buttered breadcrumbs over the top before finishing the cauliflower gratin.
16. Pancakes
If you thought pancakes were only for breakfast, you were mistaken. The curry-inspired pancakes stuffed with paneer make up for a hearty supper recipe. You can also stick to traditional flavors with eggs, benedict, and smoked salmon.
There are different varieties of pancakes, and you can try any of them for dinner. Homemade pancakes are always healthy whether you are serving them for breakfast, brunch, or dinner.
17. Black Bean Soup
It takes about 30 minutes to make and is healthy for your toddler. It’s one of the best vegetarian dinner ideas for toddlers, and it’s super easy to make on a weeknight.
Loaded with veggies and black beans- this soup is a comfort food for many toddlers out there. Even the peaky ones might jump in and finish the bowl before you blink your eyes.
18. Roasted Winter Vegetables
Talk about saving time – roasted vegetables are healthy, crispy, and tasty. You can bring out the natural flavors of delicious and sweet veggies just after tossing them onto the frying pan with some oil.
19. Parmesan Fish Sticks
If you want to serve something delicious and crunchy for dinner, try Parmesan Fish Sticks. The crispy coating of the fish sticks is irresistible to children.
20. Mexican-Inspired Chicken Soup
You can make chicken soup with corn and black beans for your toddlers if they want something spicy and healthy. Moms who’d love to prepare a recipe in the morning and cook them before night would enjoy making this.
Final Words
You can also try out Ravioli Casserole, Roasted Winter Vegetables, Cowboy Stew, Lunchbox pizzas, and many more recipes. There are too many good dinner ideas for toddlers if you are interested in exploring. But we have kept this list short and relevant so that you have everything close to your hands to prepare a healthy and tasty dinner quickly.
Do let us know which one of these dinner ideas your toddler loves. Thank you for reading.
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