Healthy and Easy Lunches for Toddlers

Toddlers are picky little creatures, they like routine and familiar things. Food is usually the item that they are most particular about. Feeding toddlers healthy food is often challenging, especially if there is not a lot of time to cook and plan. Here are ideas for a week’s worth of easy lunches, using healthy ingredients and encouraging a variety of foods.

Pizza Parlor – Top whole-wheat English muffins with tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese and bake until the cheese is melted and bubbly. Try adding some small broccoli florets or red pepper chunks to the cheese; if you need to be sneaky, chop the broccoli into a pulp and hide it under the cheese. Serve with some green grapes. This meal is a good opportunity to let your toddler help cook, he could sprinkle the cheese or spread the sauce.

Circle Time – Warm up a tofu hotdog or soy corndog (found in the natural food section of your organic supermarket). Cut it into coins and add a dipping pile of ketchup. Now, cut up a banana, also into coins. This lunch is simple, but the circle theme appeals to toddlers as they are just starting to appreciate shapes.

Take a Dip – Cut a whole-grain mini-pita pocket into quarters. Add some baby carrots and apple slices to the plate. In three little bowls, add some dips that your toddler likes. Hummus is a good match for the pita, ranch or creamy Italian for the carrots and natural yogurt for the apples. Let the toddler decide which dips go with what, they may like the hummus on the apple. Double-dipping is OK!

Simple Sandwiches – This lunch is easy to prepare and can be used for road trips or park picnics. Start with whole wheat bread and fill based on your toddler’s preferences. Cream cheese and whole fruit spread works well for kids that do not likes sliced deli meat. Ham, turkey and American cheese slices are usually safe bets too. Serve with pear slices and celery sticks.