Happy Friday! We’ve had a house-full of colds and stomach bugs the last couple of weeks so there has been a whole lot of chicken soup going on over here. I figured bowls of broth would probably not be very inspiring so I left those out. However, we have had a few days of regularly scheduled toddler meals. Here are just a few of the meals I prepared for them this week. What do you make for your children when they are sick?
Lunch: Turkey and humus roll-ups with dill, watermelon cubes, and cucumbers to dip in chive yogurt.
Notes: Anything dipable is a hit in our house! I found a chive yogurt dip at Trader Joe's that the twins really seem to like. Peeled cucumber slices are easy for them to dip and next time I think I’ll try cucumber spears.
Breakfast: Oatmeal with dried cherries, organic whole milk and bananas. Clementine segments.
Notes: The twins LOVE oatmeal. I think they get that gene from their Dad because hot oatmeal is not my favorite breakfast. That being said, it's a good hearty alternative to eggs and they love it with raisins or cherries.
Dinner: Roasted chicken with barbecue sauce for dipping, mashed potatoes and roasted squash.
Notes: Give my twins anything with barbecue sauce (or ketchup) and they will eat it. Just make sure you pick a sweet barbecue sauce without too much spice.
Lunch: Peanut Butter and Jelly Stars, organic Colby jack cheese cubes and Harvest Snaps.
Notes: At first Jackson wouldn't touch his pb&j (I had cut it into squares) so I cut the second sandwich into stars with a mini cookie cutter and surprise, surprise, he ate them! Gotta love toddlers. I use whole wheat bread and organic, unsalted creamy peanut butter with no sugar added.
Dinner: Creamy baked sausage rigatoni with peas and carrots.
Notes: You can get my recipe for the rigatoni right here! It was a family hit and made for great leftovers and easy lunch the same week. One tip, don't serve your child the same meal for dinner and then the next day's lunch. I find that giving it a day in between is best as toddlers are easy tired of eating the same thing. Anyone else experience this or is it just my twins?
Pinnable Menu Right here...
Emma says
Is it bad that I read these and think that they look like really good (though a bit small) meals for myself?!
Leah Bergman says
Haha! Not at all! I pretty much eat all of this.
erica says
Just curious, how old are your toddlers? I have a 15 month old (kinda - he was born a couple months early) and I am still so terrified at the thought of him choking. He has just 5 tiny teeth and loves to shovel so much on his mouth at once if given the opportunity. I know I'm probably babying him and need to move forward. 🙂 He eats a lot of full fat yogurt, scrambled eggs, and pasta, but I need to offer more fresh fruits and vegetables! These meals look so exciting and tasty!
Leah Bergman says
Hi Erica! My twin's are 19 months old now but also came early so their adjusted age is 17 months. I've been feeding them solids like this for a long time now even when they only had about 4 teeth. I know it's scary but you'd be surprised how much they can chop down on with nothing but gums! They also figure out how to bite with their front teeth which is cute.
erica says
Thank you, Leah! Good to know! I'll definitely start trying some of these things and follow along. And I'm sorry to hear we have premature births in common. What a difficult experience to go through as a new mom. 🙁 They're such awesome little fighters though!
Leah Bergman says
Agreed! Such little fighters...and we are strong Mamas too. 😉 xo