What I Fed My Toddler This Week - 7-Day Meal Plan
Send this to a mom you know, or just enjoy pictures of little toddler paws eating all the foods.
With that, we’ll hand it off to Sarah:
As a newish-mom and copious researcher of all things, I went from apprehension around starting solids, to gaining confidence, to diving into meal planning and cooking for my toddler with enthusiasm and gusto.
Which…quickly wore off.
Before baby, I was used to a cushy 9 hours of sleep a night (working for yourself has its perks). These days, I’m lucky to get 7 hours. I had time for a nice little lunch spread, and now I’m trying to mind a toddler while the toast-that-was-supposed-to-be-my-breakfast-but-is-now-my-lunch is cold in the toaster.
I love cooking so much that I made it my job, but a year into having a baby, cooking was the last thing I wanted to do.
To pile onto my existential dread, there’s been a spate of pregnancies and recent births in our personal circles, and our friends have started to politely prod us for baby and kid-friendly recipes!
I realized I had to get serious about meal planning. Every week, I sit down and plan out 7 days’ worth of meals and snacks for Ethan, myself, and my husband. It’s taken the load off immensely—I always have what I need on hand, and I walk into the day with a plan that I can adjust as needed (e.g., if I have leftovers, we decide to get takeout, etc.)
This way, I don’t have to think. I just execute!
Every weekend, I spend an hour meal planning and writing out a shopping list for the week. If you’re the type of person that doesn’t mind the same meals showing up in rotation, it shouldn’t take that long. Alas, I like variety.
My personal philosophy and what I’ve learned is now the accepted wisdom is to simply feed toddlers what you eat (as long as it’s developmentally appropriate—Solid Starts has great guides to serving various foods at different ages). I wrote a whole post on starting solids here. I don’t plan separate meals for Ethan, so they’ve gotta be good—and potentially get vegetables into an increasingly picky toddler.
The recipes I pick each week are some combination of the following:
- Comforting
- Quick
- Stuff I know Ethan will probably eat and that’s developmentally appropriate for babies and toddlers. (i.e. we’ve taken a break from spicy food in our house for a while)
Reheated leftovers from dinner the night before serve as lunch the next day, so I’m really only “cooking” at breakfast (usually very quick) and dinner.
This toddler meal plan includes a mix of recipes that include dishes from other authors, cooks, and food bloggers I love, and of course tried and true recipes from The Woks of Life!
Okay—let’s jump in!
Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal
This is a pretty standard breakfast option that Ethan loves, and I make it once a week—either with apples or pears (pears work wonders if he’s stopped up).
I peel an apple, cut wedges off the core, and simmer in a small pot with 1 cup water until the apple is soft. Stir in ⅓ cup quick oats, and cook for 5 minutes. Add more water or a splash of milk if needed, but I generally keep the texture pretty thick so it stays on the spoon when Ethan scoops it. Stir in 2 tsp flaxseed meal, 1 tbsp nut butter (I switch it up—almond, peanut, pecan butter—so he gets exposure to different nuts), and a dash of cinnamon.
It’s a simpler recipe that I adapted for Ethan after I started loving this Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal during my postpartum period!
Mushroom Barley Soup
I started with Tori Avey’s excellent recipe. I love that it uses dried shiitake mushrooms which add so much flavor. Rather than boiling them as she suggests, I just put them in a bowl of water the night before or a bowl of hot water 2 hours before cooking. I used a food processor to finely chop everything (easier for Ethan to eat), added finely chopped tuscan kale for more veggie action, and cooked it all in one pot rather than using three pans/pots as suggested in the recipe.
I just cooked all the veggies, then added the broth, bay leaves, and barley (I used 1 cup rather than 1 1/4 cups), and cooked for 2 hours. Instead of 3 quarts chicken stock, I used 1 quart, and then 2 quarts water with 1 tbsp each of Better than Bouillon chicken base and beef base!
Enjoy this soup for lunch and have more for the rest of the week, or freeze the remainder for future emergency meals. This is a go-to when Ethan’s been pickier about vegetables. There are so many veggies packed into the soup, and because they’re finely chopped, he just gobbles them up in each spoonful.
Buttered Oat Bread, Cheese
Like most toddlers (and humans) Ethan LOVES bread. A piece of buttered toast and a few slices of cheese makes an easy, no-fuss snack.
Beef Tofu Stir-fry, Garlicky Broccoli, Quinoa Rice
This dinner was a trio of Woks of Life recipes! Beef and Tofu Stir-fry is the perfect recipe to get your kid into Chinese flavors. Ethan absolutely inhales it..
When you chop up the beef very finely and mix it in with the rice and tofu, it forms a pasty texture that’s perfect for spoon practice (or scooping handfuls). For the broccoli, I chopped it finely on a cutting board after cooking, and just mixed it in. It all formed a pretty cohesive texture, making it easy for Ethan to eat (even when he had fewer teeth). Quinoa rice is a healthier alternative to plain white rice, and it’s as easy as toasting a pan of quinoa and adding it to the rice cooker along with the jasmine rice.
I know many of you are concerned about salt levels. I pulled out a few pieces of broccoli for Ethan after blanching, before I added the sauce, so that the only salt was coming from the beef and tofu dish. Another thing I would do is use low-sodium stock in the recipe, and pick out cubes of tofu/pieces of beef for his plate while going light on the sauce. That’s it!
Spinach & Cheese Omelet, Turkey Sausage, Clementine
I like making omelets, because I can cut them into little pieces that are easily grabbable. Eggs are also a relatively “clean” food. (No splatters all over the high chair.) I find that they’re also a great way to get vegetables into the rotation, as Ethan loves eggs. He’s increasingly disliking mixed veggie omelets (with onions, peppers, mushrooms, etc.), but he’s still okay with spinach omelets!
I’ve also been making my own breakfast sausage from scratch using my aunt’s delicious classic breakfast sausage recipe so I can control the salt levels. Kaitlin calls me a trad wife for this, but it’s so easy! Just take ground meat, add a bunch of spices, mix it up, and form little patties. I put the patties between layers of parchment paper and freeze them, so I can just grab one patty at a time for Ethan’s breakfasts.
The recipe uses ground pork, but I like to use 1 pound ground pork and 1 pound ground turkey, which is a bit lighter. You could also use all ground turkey (make sure it’s dark meat, and not the super lean stuff). Of course, you can always just buy your own favorite breakfast sausage!
If he’s still hungry, I’ll give him a piece of fruit—berries, a banana, or in this case, a clementine.
Leftover Beef & Tofu Stir Fry
I always try to make enough dinner the night before to have leftovers the next day, so I don’t have to worry about lunch. I just go to the fridge, and heat it up. Lunch is usually the most hectic meal of the day, so this approach works. Ethan is still at home with us during the day, though we’re starting daycare soon, so I’ll have to adjust my approach for packed lunches. Le sigh.
Pumpkin Bar
I tried these pumpkin bars from a website called Yummy Toddler Food, and Ethan was a fan. I had made them several weeks earlier and kept them in the freezer, so this week, I just pulled one out and microwaved it for a quick homemade snack.
Air Fryer Chicken Tenders, Roasted Cauliflower
I decide to do the mommy thing and make air fryer chicken tenders. Ethan actually didn’t love them—maybe he’s just not ready for crunchy textures! That said, he did enjoy the roasted cauliflower, which was a win.
Peanut Butter Banana Toast, Milk
Ethan loves bananas so much that we have to make sure we don’t even utter the word “banana” unless we’re ready to give him one. A slice of peanut butter banana toast with milk is a super easy breakfast to put together.
If you read our post on Starting Solids, you know that Ethan had a peanut allergy. We went through about 6 months of Oral Immunotherapy, which has made him able to eat peanut, and we have to give him a little bit of peanut daily to maintain that level of exposure. Luckily, the kid enjoys it!
Leftover Mushroom Barley Soup
Having made a big pot of soup on Monday, we had it again for lunch today! I was glad to have it in the fridge, as Ethan wasn’t a huge fan of the chicken tenders from dinner the night before.
Blackberries
Do all toddlers love berries!? They’re pricey, so we don’t always have them around, but when they’re in season, they make a great snack.
Broccoli Cheese Tortellini
Boil frozen tortellini with broccoli florets. Mix with store-bought marinara sauce and a dash of cream. Dinner, done.
Avocado Toast, Breakfast Sausage
I can confidently say I spent the first 10 years of my life never having really eaten avocado. Today is a different story. I make Ethan an avocado toast on whole wheat bread and cut it into little squares. More homemade breakfast sausage!
Leftover Tortellini
Ethan has leftover tortellini for lunch. Justin and I feel like having something more lunch-y and whip up some tuna sandwiches. I rustle around in the pantry for potato chips. Mmm.
Cheese
I just have a big block of cheddar cheese in the fridge at all times. I carve off a few slices and cut them into thin squares for Ethan to munch on.
Tofu Sheet Stir-fry with Carrots, Celery, Sweet Peppers, Pork, Leftover Quinoa Rice
I love this Tofu Sheet Stir Fry and adapt my mom’s recipe to use non spicy peppers, carrots, and celery. I chop it up finely with a cleaver for Ethan to be able to eat it with a spoon, and I mix in some leftover quinoa rice from the other night. He loves it! Another win for building up his Chinese palate, but to be honest, this kid loves Chinese food first and foremost.
These banana pancakes never fail me. I documented them on the blog recently so that anyone in the family can whip them up. I’ve memorized the recipe, and they’re easy enough to make that Ethan can help me. Kaitlin bought him a Toddler Tower as a 1-year birthday gift, and Ethan loves asking for his “towee” so he can watch us cook, wash fruit, and mix pancake batter.
Leftover Tofu Sheet Stir-fry
Last night’s dinner was such a hit, I confidently serve it again for lunch! Victory is sweet.
Watermelon
Dinner with my parents!
Yippee!! We don’t have to cook. Sometimes this mom just needs her mommy, y’know? My mom makes a lot of vegetable-heavy stir-fries that I can run my toddler food scissors through and mix with rice (she usually makes millet rice or black rice, which Ethan actually really enjoys!) If Ethan’s coming over, sometimes she makes a little scrambled egg with a dash of sesame oil.
Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal
Oatmeal strikes again! Breakfast is always the easiest meal of the day.
Lunch out
Mama’s tired so we eat lunch out at a Korean restaurant. Ethan has japchae.
Mango
Whole Peruvian Chicken, Black Beans, Quinoa Rice, Sautéed Kale – PHOTO
This is one of my favorite Woks recipes, and it’s not even Chinese. It is beyond delicious, and roasting a whole chicken is actually a pretty simple way to get enough protein for two dinners in a row—plus the ability to make chicken stock for a future meal!
Banana Berry Yogurt Smoothie
One morning, Ethan sipped one of Justin’s morning smoothies and couldn’t get enough of it. Some mornings, I make him a version with frozen banana, berries, oats, yogurt, nut butter, flaxseed meal, and hemp seeds. Pop it into a silicone cup with a straw, and it’s definitely a treat!
Wonton Egg Drop Soup
Ethan LOVES, I mean LOVES egg drop soup. It also takes minutes to cook. I boil up some frozen wontons and cut them up in there, so he has some protein and carbs. Not much vegetable in this meal, but I read somewhere that you should look at what a toddler eats over the course of a week rather than each day, so I take comfort in that.
Leftover Banana Oat Pancakes
Banana oat pancakes make great snacks, either on their own or spread with nut butter. If I have some remaining from breakfast a day or two before, they eventually become an afternoon snack. They also freeze well, making them an anytime go-to!
Leftover Chicken, Rice & Beans
Phew. That’s it.
That’s it!? It’s a lot, I know. If you’re thinking, that sounds exhausting/unachievable/crazy, I get it. It feels exhausting to me sometimes, and I cook for a living.
Believe me, there are plenty of weeks that don’t turn out this way. There are evenings when the thought of dragging myself into the kitchen and making a meal out of raw ingredients feels too insurmountable, and we order a pizza instead.
Maybe you have go-to recipes that feel simple and easy for you! I hope at least that this toddler meal plan has given you an idea of a template that you can use to plan your own family’s meals and feel calmer and more in control going into the week.
My next post will be more centered around cooking Chinese food for babies and toddlers, so stay tuned!
