Meals for toddlers

Eating together as a family is really important to me. My husband works late, and often comes home just for dinner with our toddler – so it’s a window in our day where we actually get to spend time together. We talk through what we’ve done that day and it’s also very entertaining to watch our toddler ‘eat’!

Time always just runs away in the evening – I don’t know what happens between 3pm and 7pm time just evaporates!! So… without a lot of time, I almost always only cook one meal. So it’s a tricky checklist of tasty (for us and a two year old), is a balanced meal (but will be eaten by a two year old) and something I can cook in under 20 minutes. ;No easy task!!!

I have a few regular meals that i’m sure my husband is sick of, but they tick all the boxes so he’ll have to put up with them for a while yet!!

Quick Beef Stir Fry

This is great for nights when you need something balanced to eat, but really short on time. My toddler loves the veggies when they’re in the stir fry sauce. I grab the pre-cut stir fry beef strips from the supermarket, a stir fry packet sauce (I like the Honey Soy ones, or Hoisin can be good too), a pack of frozen stir fry veggies and some pre-packed noodles.

I fry the beef in a hot pan while i microwave the vegetables. Add the stir fry sauce, stir through the vegetables. And then add the noodles before serving.

Chicken Schnitzel

Chicken schnitzel is a definite crowd pleaser. I use smaller strips of chicken instead of big pieces so it cooks faster.

Pasta Sauce with a Twist

Pasta is so quick and easy especially if you use some of the jar sauces. I like to add something fresh with the sauce. Sliced up cherry tomatoes, crumbled feta or even some frozen veg all work well.