It can be easy to lose inspiration when these little ankle biters are hungry day in and day out several times a day! Here are some ideas to rejuvenate your toddler lunches!
I recommend that at least 3 or 4 food groups are offered at mealtimes. One should always be a fruit or veggie. Since I want to expose my little guy to both cooked and raw veggies, I’ve fallen into the habit of serving raw veggies at lunch and cooked veggies at supper. It’s just a little shortcut I’ve given my brain so that it doesn’t have to think as hard!
Note that the amount of food on these plates aren’t prescriptions for how much a toddler should eat. Kids should be given a range of healthy food, and allowed to eat as much or as little as they need. I try to offer a small amount of each food so that my toddler isn’t overwhelmed with food on his plate. I have refills close by and he knows he just has to ask (politely!) for more and I’ll oblige.
- Cooked chicken
- Cheese
- Peppers
- Cucumbers
- Cherry tomatoes (cut in half lengthwise to prevent choking in young children)
- Tofu
- Cheddar cheese
- Whole grain crackers
- Pickles
- Yellow peppers
- Cucumbers
- Lentil garlic cheese toast
- Cucumbers
- Celery sticks with nut butter
- Leftover farmer sausage and rice dinner
- Cheese
- Red peppers
- Cucumber
- Sun-dried tomato and tuna salad sandwich
- Yellow peppers
- Cucumber and ranch cottage cheese open faced sandwich
- Cherry tomatoes (cut in half lengthwise to prevent choking in young children)
- Cheese curds
- Turkey pepperoni cut into bite-sized pieces
- Cherry tomatoes (cut in half lengthwise to prevent choking in young children)
- Whole grain crackers
- Couscous salad with garden veggies
- PB and honey sandwich on sourdough flax bread
- Carrots (grate raw carrots for young children to reduce the risk of choking)
- Panini grilled cheese sandwich
- Cucumber slices
- Cherry tomatoes (cut in half lengthwise to prevent choking in young children)
- Whole grain quesadilla with cheddar cheese, guacamole and chipotle salsa for dipping
- Snap peas
- Whole grain wrap with cream cheese and cottage cheese
- Sliced cucumbers
- Cherry tomatoes (cut in half lengthwise to prevent choking in young children)
- Leftover whole grain pasta with spaghetti sauce
- Cherry tomatoes (cut in half lengthwise to prevent choking in young children)
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Katie {moms kitchen handbook} says
Great line up of ideas. And love that there is fresh produce on every plate!
Jessica Penner says
Yup! I believe in including fruits and veggies at every meal! In fact, my son falls more on the side of eating TOO MANY fruits and veggies.
Brittany says
I am always on the lookout for healthy lunch ideas for my toddler! Having a description + pictures is great. Thanks for sharing!
Jessica Penner says
Thanks for the feedback!
Jessica @ Nutritioulicious says
Moms are always looking for new meal ideas – great group of them right here! And glad to know it’s not just my kids who are hungry all the time!
Rachel says
I was just racking my brain for some toddler lunch ideas. I do childcare a few days a week and suddenly find myself stumped for meal ideas even though I have my own kids! wraps are something I haven’t tried yet and will give them a whirl this week. Thanks for the inspiration!