The hours of 6-8 PM are the most chaotic because I have to pick up my LO, make dinner (while entertaining her), feed her, bathe her, and put her to sleep. If I try to make anything elaborate, we run the risk of entering the "too late bedtime terror" but I feel like I feed her the same foods day in and day out. I also pack 3 small meals for daycare so variety is VERY important. What are your go to 30 min meals that are toddler friendly?
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Grilled cheese sandwich and tomato soup. We always have a jar of La Madeleine's tomato soup in the pantry (my fave). I haven't tried making tomato soup yet.
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I have been in such a rut lately - it's like I forgot everything we used to eat! Our favorite quick one lately is shredded chicken tacos. I can throw in corn, peas, onions, peppers while the chicken is cooking, and then toss the chicken in the mixer to shred it. Too easy!
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Egg scramble with frozen mixed veggies, topped with cheese of course.
Sweet potato and pastina "balls" (cook sweet potato in microwave, pastina on the stove and mush together. Put spoonfuls on plate)
Pasta with ground turkey, frozen peas and corn in tomato sauce
Eta- sorry I misread OP. I meant these are quick meals I make for DD. She will usually eat one part of what we're having for dinner but I almost always have to make her something quick to supplement. She refuses all meat, fish and usually veggies. -
OK so my daughter eats burritos and quesadillas REALLY well. She loves dipping them in guacamole, salsa, tzatziki, etc., so I stuff tortillas with different healthy ingredients for her when I am in a pinch. Here are some examples:
Breakfast: A corn, flour, or spinach tortilla stuffed with scrambled eggs, sauteed zuchini (or whatever random veggies s I have on hand) and seasoned ground turkey, dipped in salsa. Avocado on the side.
This can also be done as a quesadilla with cheese and whatever meat or veggies you would like.Dinner: Same thing, but with other combinations. The other night we did a flour tortilla with sliced sauteed sweet potatoes, leftover shredded chicken, corn, and black beans.
Seriously, I shove whatever I have into any sort of tortilla and give her some sort of dip and she LOVES it.
We have also done squash, black beans, and ground beef and she loved that too. I usually use left over meat (I will cook extra the night before and then use it throughout the week in her breakfast and dinner).
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I buy these frozen turkey meatballs and she loves them! Also turkey keilbasa or chicken sausage. Those are the only meats that I can get her to eat. Or sometimes I will do scrambled egg and turkey sausage for breakfast dinner.
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frozen ravioli with marinara sauce and microwaved frozen peas. it's actually what i'm going to give him tonight!
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My LO's favorite last minute meal is peanut butter toast, some sliced Gouda, mandarin oranges, and chopped tomatoes. Super quick and easy!
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For dinner I always do a meat + veggie + grain. I make sure to have a quick meat on hand, because that typically takes the longest to cook- rotisserie chicken is great for adding to meals, frozen meatballs, frozen grilled chicken/fish, etc. I sautee a variety of veggies on Sunday so I can add them to my dishes (red peppers, zuccini, squash, broccoli, spinach, mushrooms, asparagus). Then typically all I have left to cook is the grain for each night (usually pasta, rice, or ravioli).
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My boys expect to eat the second that we get into the door. I have no clue why they're like that but they will whine and throw tantrums if I don't get them in their high chairs right away. Soo, we prepare their dinner the night before, unless I have a crockpot meal that will be ready that evening. Then all I have to do is heat up their dinner, which just takes a few minutes.
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Tacos, burritos & quesadillas are quick and easy dinners. LO loves them. Pasta is always good. Breakfast for dinner. Having a rotisserie chicken is great. I make meatballs and some type of nugget on the weekends when I have time.
When all else fails, we just give LO dinner and eat later. On those nights I end up eating a bowl of cereal or PBJ!
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What works the best is to save out some of whatever we have and then give that to her the next day for dinner. Then it’s literally just getting reheated in the microwave for a few seconds!
Cook pasta/grains ahead and keep them in the fridge so you only have to heat up some sauce. Portion out sauce in ice cube trays and freeze so you just grab a couple out of a baggie and you’re good to go.
Quick hits in our house:
Homemade alfredo sauce with pasta
Red pasta sauce with pasta
Pesto sauce with pasta
Fried rice
Egg/ham/veggie/cheese scramble
Sauteed/grilled veggies with pesto
Quesadilla (salsa/cheese/avocado)
Mac and cheese (with pasta or with quinoa), with broccoli
Baked chicken with veggies
Soup or chili (fresh, frozen or canned), I love to add avocado to chili and southwestern type soups
Mexican rice
Tacos
Salmon with veggies
Caesar salad
Regular salad
Hummus with crackers
Baked chicken “fingers” with ketchup for dippingAnything LO can dip (the dip can be ketchup, hummus, salsa, pasta sauce - doesn’t seem to matter much!)
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