Toddler Meals & Foods

I am always looking for things to feed G. I like to see what other moms feed their kids on social media or I ask other moms what is on their kids menu. I am always concerned he is eating enough veggies. Up until he was about 2.5 he would eat ANYTHING and EVERYTHING! Whatever I put on his plate he would eat. Now....oh boy....he tells me things are yucky, spits them out, or just refuses to even try them. 

Dinner time I put on his plate what we are having. Even if I know he won't eat it I still put it on there. I am hoping one day he will try it. At least different things will become familiar to him.  He doesn't eat a lot for dinner these days. He will eat a little then he is all done. 

This boy wakes up hungry for breakfast. There are some days he wakes up and tells me momma breakfast! He usually likes eggs, pancakes, yogurt or some fruit. He eats very good at breakfast. It's rare that he won't eat. 

Lunch I have been bringing him food to school. When he gets out he is so hungry and tired. Usually he falls asleep on the way home. He had been asking for butter and jelly sandwiches almost every single day. All of a sudden he has decided he doesn't like the crust of the bread too. No idea where that came from or why. He eats all around the crust then hands me the leftovers. 

I have been trying to come up with some new ideas for lunch time. I don't just want him eating a sandwich every day. He needs some veggies in his meal too. I decided to make these little bento style boxes for his lunch. I have a sandwich container that rarely gets used. I put 4 cupcakes liners in the sandwich container. I put cashews, tomatoes, meatball and some mini Larabars. He loved this!!! 

These are the best pictures, but I was trying to snap some before the food was all gone. You can get the concept of what I did. It's a great way to give him a variety of foods. He LOVES nuts! He is only allergic to peanuts, so he can eat almonds and cashews. The nuts were the first thing that disappeared. He also loves cherry tomatoes. I slice them in halfs or thirds, so he doesn't choke on them. 

I bought some ground meat from Sprout's recently to make a bunch of meatballs. We need some quick things to grab that are healthy. I make up a pound of little meatballs that I keep in a Pyrex container in the fridge. I can pop them in the microwave for 15-20 seconds and they are ready to eat. I actually made these really quickly while I was cooking dinner one evening. As my dinner was cooking I formed the meatballs and fried them in a pan. 

Kids are so crazy with their appetites and foods they decide they like. One day they will love bananas and the next day they hate them. I try to keep offering things to G that I feel are healthy. He won't eat spinach, but if I put it in a smoothie he drinks it right down. He also likes raw veggies with the Whole 30 Ranch Dressing I make. He likes to be able to dip things. 

I honestly don't make G a bunch of "toddler friendly foods". I make him what we eat. I was giving him the almond butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch because I eat the same thing almost every day for lunch. I have a kale and chicken salad. He will take a few bites of a salad. I will give him chicken, but he needs something else. I just don't feel a 2 year old is going to sit and eat a full salad right now. Maybe when he is a little bigger. I am a creature of habit and eat pretty much the same things for breakfast and lunch each day. 

What do you like to feed your kids? 

What are your easy to go to meals for kids?