Easy Toddler Meal Prep Tips for Busy Moms
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Planning what to feed your toddlers is a daunting task at times, but the good thing is, it doesn’t have to be. I currently have 2 toddlers that I need to feed 3 times a day with a couple snacks in between. Sometimes it feels like the whole day consists of preparing my kids’ meals (and cleaning up in between). Squeezing in time to prepare meals for my kids that are decently healthy, while still providing variety, took some practice. But, I think I found ways to simplify it. Here are some tips to help make assembling meals quick and easy for your toddlers.
Divided Plates
First off, I like to use plates with dividers. Any plate with dividers should work fine, but I started out with the ezpz Mini Mat Plate to help prevent my kids from tossing their plates on the floor. Then I moved on to the Munchkin Splash Toddler Divided Plate or the WeeSprout Silicone Divided Plates. One of the reasons why I prefer to use divided plates is that it is a simple, visual reminder for me to offer at least 3 different kinds of foods per meal. I try to challenge myself to fill all the sections and offer at least 3 different food groups with different textures. Another reason why I prefer to serve my toddlers’ meals in divided plates is that a lot of young kids do not like to have different food groups touching.
Deconstruct Your Own Meal
If I can get away with it, I like to put what I am personally eating, on my toddlers’ plates. This is a great way to save time by not having to cook 2 separate meals for you and your children. However, we all know that some adult foods do not look appealing to little ones. The way I get my children to be open to eating what I’m eating is by plating some sort of deconstructed version of my food for them. For example, if you are eating a burrito, you can easily plate a small portion of beans, meat, and cheese in separate sections. That is 3 different foods in 1 meal right there! You can also choose 2 different ingredients in the burrito and add a side of fresh fruit, like sliced avocado. All of a sudden their meal looks elevated and decently healthy. This works well with many of the other foods that my husband and I eat most frequently. If we are eating Filipino food, they can have either the entrée meat on the side served with rice or with something they like, such as a peanut butter sandwich and a side of fruit. Typically deconstructing my meals has really helped to reduce time, brain energy to think of what to feed my children and it introduces foods that we cook regularly into my children’s diets. Deconstructing my own meal also encourages me and my husband to eat healthier in order to model healthy eating habits for our kids. Overall, this method has positively affected our family in more than one way.
Fruits and Vegetables
Fruits and vegetables are one of the easiest healthy side dishes to add to your toddlers’ plate. Most children enjoy fruits, so having that as a safe food, available at all times for most meals can really save you! However, on days I want to offer a vegetable side and I don’t already have a vegetable cooked as part of my own meal, I like to stock up on frozen vegetables. My go-to frozen vegetables are broccoli and peas because they are easy to steam in the microwave in smaller portions. I do like to substitute fruit for vegetables from time to time, just to offer my kids variety. It is a hit or miss depending on the day, but the exposure to different tastes, looks, and textures, whether they decide to eat the vegetable or not, really helps to keep them practicing open mindedness when it comes to trying different food groups.
Freeze Favorites
When my kids show interest in a certain food, I like to make ahead and freeze it! One thing that I always make ahead and freeze are mini pancakes! Having something like pancakes on hand in the freezer makes preparing different breakfast menus on weekdays a breeze and reduces the time it takes for you to prepare their breakfast. I’ve also done the same with other breakfast foods, such as pre-sliced zucchini bread or blueberry muffins.
Small Portion Sizes
You don’t need to fill their plates up, especially if you are not sure if they will be interested in a specific food. Sometimes it’s easy to get caught up in how much my little ones are eating, but in reality, they are little people and have smaller bellies. I learn to trust my children to know when they are full or hungry. A smaller portion size is also less intimidating to try on their plates. Plus, there is no reason that you can’t serve them seconds if they’re still hungry!
Cut Food with Scissors
Sometimes, the thing that can really slow you down when preparing a plate of food for a toddler is cutting things into non-chokable pieces. I used to use a steak knife and spend way too much time cutting food into little pieces, until a friend recommended using scissors. With a good pair of kitchen shears, I’ve cut meat, pizza, long noodles, and more, in half the time!
Make A Safe Food List
Making a safe food list will take time and will change over time. In the beginning of my toddler food preparation phase of my life, I found it helpful to keep track of the new food that my children enjoyed or at least ate, then I put it on a list. This served as a mini toddler menu and I try to make sure at least 1 food on their plate is something I know they have liked in the past. This makes the plate less intimidating to start eating. As this list grows, it will get easier to decide on meals to prepare for your toddlers.
Toddler meal prep only got easier with more time and practice. After practicing these steps for so long, I feel pretty comfortable preparing meals for my kids with what seems like minimal effort. What was once an intimidating task shifted to something that I was comfortable with and almost second nature. Besides the time saving aspect, the most important thing that came of all of this is that my children are healthy and thriving, which is my motivation to stick to the process. I hope these tips are able to help other mamas out there who are new to toddler meal prep or just looking for some tips to make it an easier process.
