Tried-and-True Toddler Favorites

If you’re a mom with a toddler or kids who WERE toddlers, then you know that you must act quick when the HANGER hits! Healthy eating for kids I think takes a little more planning, so I wanted to keep an ongoing list of the tried-and-true recipes I make often for my toddlers which have become household favorites! I want to help you overcome the food struggle AND have healthy options that the little people ACTUALLY enjoy.

I know that sometimes it’s easier to grab the frozen lasagna, mac n’ cheese in a box, fruit snacks, cereal, etc. — but I want to start a revolution for us as parents to educate our future generations about the importance of nutrition and health.

A quick Google search tells me this:

“The U.S. adult obesity rate stands at 42.4 percent, the first time the national rate has passed the 40 percent mark, and further evidence of the country’s obesity crisis. The national adult obesity rate has increased by 26 percent since 2008.”

And direct from the CDC:

“Obesity now affects 1 in 5 children and adolescents in the United States.”

One in FIVE, y’all.

Parents often joke about the ability to “keep the kids alive”. Whether solo parenting, going on a vacation, getting through the first two weeks postpartum, any time we’ve just got a lot going on — “well, we kept the kids alive!” is often a typical phrase.

Can I suggest that part of “keeping the kids alive” and healthy is educating them about the importance of whole and healthful foods starting at a young age? So that they will have the lifelong knowledge and coping skills to actually appreciate their bodies and not feel shame over them? So they’ll do things the right way because they love their bodies and not because they hate them? So that in the future, they will take precautions to safeguard their health as they grow up? So that they will learn the life skills necessary to have proper nutrition whether on overnight field trips, after a big soccer game, or in their college dorm? So that they will be less at risk for disease and poor health?

A couple last reminders here to really drive it home since COVID seems to be at the top of everyone’s radar:

• Obesity is linked to impaired immune function.
• Obesity decreases lung capacity and reserve and can make ventilation more difficult.
• Having obesity may triple the risk of hospitalization due to a COVID-19 infection
• Having obesity increases the risk of severe illness from COVID-19
• As BMI increases, the risk of death from COVID-19 increases
• Studies have demonstrated that obesity may be linked to lower vaccine responses for numerous diseases

I pulled this from the CDC site. Just sayin’.

Join me for the healthy living revolution! It’s truly something worth fighting for.

Recipe Round-up: Favorite Finger Foods

Now without further adieu, let me jump into sharing some of our household favorites that I tend to make again and again! I don’t think finger foods really ever get old 😉 Especially when you can feel guilt-free about knowing that what you’re giving your kids is wholesome and healthy.

While I pulled a lot of these from Pinterest, my favorite app of all time, I also took a lot of good information from The Big Book of Organic Baby Food!

Y’all. This book has been my bible raising small children! I learned SO MUCH from her, I made a TON of my own baby food and realized just how easy, fun and cost effective it can be, as well as got inspired by her suggested flavor and texture combinations. I took the knowledge I have on the food groups from my portion control nutrition program and realized how thoughtful and well-rounded all of these recipes are.

While I know not everyone is in the baby stage, and this one has recipes really for kids of all ages, perhaps there is a cookbook out there for you and your family that can be the thing that makes it all click for you. I hope you find it, because this one truly changed the game for me!

I tend to prepare a couple things on the side for my kids each week – a meal or two, some sort of diced fruit, muffins, and I’ll have their staples on hand too:

• Cottage Cheese
• Yogurt
• Cheese sticks
• Graham crackers
• Blueberry Fig bars
• Rice Cakes
• Fresh fruits – Strawberries, bananas, mangos, peaches, apples, pears, in particular
• Blueberry pancakes
• Avocados
• Marinara sauce
• Hard-boiled eggs
• Daily Sunshine — I’m not kidding, we have this every. single. day. after naptime! I will create a separate post eventually to talk more about it, but for now if you’d like to watch this short video about what this magic is, check it out!

Muffins and Bites

First I want to start with muffins because I seriously make them all. the. time! They are so easy to have your kids help, and it doesn’t take too long because they are kind of just a dump and mix concept. It doesn’t get easier than that!

Veggies can be hidden without any detection from the unsuspecting subjects, and I opt for recipes with natural sweeteners like honey, maple syrup, agave nectar and bananas rather than plain sugar. They also rock because all kinds of things (think egg cups, mac n’ cheese bites, oatmeal — wait for it…..) can be turned into finger foods by making them muffins, either full-sized OR mini!

These are the tins I use:

I love these silicone muffin tins that are rust-free (a big problem for my old metal tins) and come with a set of silicone muffin liners as well. For whatever reason, my kids love to play with those liners so it’s a win win!

Yogurt Oat Blueberry Muffins

From Mel’s Kitchen Cafe

Greek yogurt brings a dose of protein to the table, and the blueberries are a nice little burst of vitamin C and antioxidants! Made with whole grains and without refined sugar, but still pretty dang tasty.

Double Chocolate Zucchini and Avocado Muffins

From the Nourished Seedling

Definitely DEFINITELY good enough to be dessert and you can’t taste the veggies. The perfect texture!! My husband probably ate half.

Coconut Flour Strawberry Muffins

From Sugarless Crystals

Coconut flour strawberry muffins are perfect for anyone with a nut allergy and craving something sweet. You can still get a super moist muffin that’s low carb and keto friendly swirled with delicious strawberries! Each muffin is only 3g net carbs!

Healthy Zucchini Muffins

Recipe and photo from Cookie and Kate

The walnuts can be substituted for chocolate chips, or you could just add them in if you felt the need! They are good with or without.

Banana Oat Greek Yogurt Muffins

Recipe and photo from Running with Spoons

These are another serious dessert-lookalike only with the addition of Greek yogurt, bananas and heart-healthy oats. These go pretty fast at our house!

Paleo Pumpkin Muffins

Recipe and photo from Real Food with Jessica

Guys, the texture on these!! Between the four of us, they didn’t make it two full days.

Chunky Monkey Muffins

Recipe and photo from My Planted Plate

Naturally sweetened with banana, these healthy muffins are nutty, chocolatey, gooey, and delicious! They are also vegan, sugar free, and gluten free.

Sweet Potato Peanut Butter Muffins

Recipe and photo from The Natural Nurturer

One-Bowl Sweet Potato Peanut Butter Muffins are easy to whip up and a delicious way to get vitamin-rich sweet potato into your family’s bellies. Paired with delicious peanut butter and made with just 8 real food ingredients, these muffins make the perfect addition to any breakfast or as a healthy snack.

Vegetable Savory Muffins

Recipe and Photo from Healthy Little Foodies

Savory muffins packed with four different vegetables. Light and fluffy making them perfect for baby-led weaning, toddlers and lunch boxes!

Mac and Cheese Muffins

Recipe and photo from Emily Bites

Mac n’cheese, but in muffin form. Becomes a little easier for little hands to pick them up and make slightly less of a mess.

Cottage Cheese Egg Muffins with Ham and Cheddar

Recipe and photo from Kalyn’s Kitchen

These tasty and protein-rich muffins have a tiny amount of flour, but they’re still very low in carbs! Switch out the flour for Flaxseed Meal if you prefer.

Quinoa Pizza Bites

Recipe and photo from Pop Sugar

Quinoa is seriously such a secret weapon! These bites are a nutritious treat featuring the goodness of the whole grain packed with fiber and protein and a savory, gluten-free snack.

Cheese Veggie Quinoa Bites

Recipe and Photo from The NY Melrose Family

Veggies, protein, and whole grains packed into fun, cheesy tots—perfect for little fingers to grab and munch on! SO easy too!

Other Baked Goods

Pumpkin Baked Oatmeal

Recipe and photo from Family Food on the Table

I love the fall. When the weather starts to cool down, the trees turn, the preferred smell of my every day activities turns to apples, pumpkin, and spice. Seasonal produce is fun to talk about with your kids, although the canned stuff is available year round to bring the fall feels to you.

Apple and Almond Breakfast Bars

Recipe and Photo from Nest and Glow

Just 3 ingredients!!! Seriously that’s it. AND they freeze well.

Flourless Banana-Quinoa Breakfast Bars

Recipe and Photo from Simply Quinoa

These are totally delicious and my kids loved them too. Just like the last recipe, they freeze and can be reheated well to make them last longer! No crumbs wasted at my house.

Carrot Cake Breakfast Cookies

Recipe and photo from Simply Quinoa

These made a lot and I froze the extras, which we are still working off of one cookie at a time! Anything “carrot cake” pulls me right in but that good news is that rarely (if ever) disappoints!

Snacks + Sides

Perhaps one of the most important things in a toddler’s life, and therefore in a mom’s purse arsenal, are snacks.

Chickpea Oat Crackers

Recipe and photo from My Kids Lick the Bowl

In full disclosure, I have not made these myself yet, but they are at the top of my list. A good replacement for graham crackers is needed and I plan to start with this!

Applesauce

Recipe and Photo from Made to be a Momma

The strawberry applesauce with a little vanilla Greek yogurt tastes just like a dessert! That combination can also be turned into popsicles! I omit the sugar and use apple juice + cinnamon instead, but we LOVE this recipe at my house. I’ve made it with just apples, and with the addition of either strawberries or carrots (sneaky veggies!) and it was good all 3 ways.

Caramelized Honey Glazed Carrots

Recipe and photo from Clean Eating with Kids

Honey makes everything better! I want to point out that I did something similar by sticking a bunch of peeled carrots (mostly whole, maybe halved) in the air fryer and my youngest DEVOURED them.

Good old roasted veggies

Get creative! Play off vegetables with natural sweetness — like butternut squash, sweet potatoes, carrots, parsnip — and complement it with a flavor combination of something like vanilla and cinnamon, raisins and rosemary, or feta and thyme. The precut veggies in a bag at the store works well for this too (broccoli, cauliflower, carrots), or carrot chips/baby carrots, diced sweet potatoes, etc. to save time.

And PS — the vanilla butternut squash bites are in the Big Book of Organic Baby Food too!

Chickpea Veggie Nuggets

Recipe and photo from The Natural Nurturer

This vegetarian twist on traditional chicken nuggets is loaded with extra vegetables and plant based protein! These chickpea veggie nuggets are the perfect finger food for little eaters!

Daily Sunshine

We have a couple official snacktimes in our day: one is around 10 AM, and the other is post-nap or quiet time. Daily Sunshine fills the later snack time and it reminds me to have my shake alongside the kids, too. It’s a 3-in-1 shake that is made with organic fruits and vegetables, organic pea protein, and healthy fats, making it a great nutritional choice for parents and a delicious choice for kids! It’s also gluten-free, soy-free, non-gmo, and dairy-free.

Main Dish Recipes

Easy Cheesy Homemade Pizza Pockets

Recipe and photo from One Little Project

I’ve made these any number of ways with whatever I have on hand — different cheeses, different “crust” (tortillas, naan, canned, etc.), different toppings and it’s still almost always a winner.

Zucchini Pizza Bites

I always have a jar of marinara sauce in my fridge because I use it for so many kid’s meals, including these zucchini pizza bites! I did ham and cheddar here, but mozzarella and pepperoni, or ricotta and basil would be good too.

Macaroni with Spinach Pesto

Recipe in the Big Book of Organic Baby Food

The spinach pesto in this recipe is loaded with healthy antioxidants, iron and vitamin C, and also serves as a good source of vegetarian protein and calcium. If you’re gonna do macaroni, feel good about what you put on it! It’ll always be better if it’s not in a packet 😉

Toast

Yep. In lots of different ways! Think of it like an open faced sandwich…

• Ricotta and orange slices (maybe with a drizzle of honey!).
• Avocado and a balsamic glaze
• With egg salad
• Nut butter and banana, or strawberries
• Ham, spinach + fried egg

Lots of options here! PLUS when you cut them into happy little shapes, it makes food fun! There are plenty of different kinds of cute cookie cutters out there! I like these (#plantlady! Can’t help it…) for Spring:

Avocado Egg Salad

I just throw this together (I’m talkin’ MOST days) with any combination of mashed avocado, cottage cheese, a couple boiled and diced eggs, a little dollop of dijon mustard and whatever else looks good — I’ve done basil, cilantro, sweet gherkins, lemon juice, garlic, salt pepper, Greek yogurt if you don’t have cottage cheese, a little bit of maple syrup to balance the tart from lemon and dijon, etc. Play with it to find what you like!

Zoodles with Ground Turkey and Carrot-Tomato Sauce

Recipe in the Big Book of Organic Baby Food

Sneaky veggies in the noodles, sneaky veggies in the sauce… I like that!

Don’t have a spiralizer? I like this one and it comes in handy making fun new shapes and slices of vegetables.

Fruity Breakfast Quinoa

From the Big Book of Organic Baby Food

When I say this is a favorite, I mean that! It’s my go to meal prep for my kids especially while traveling (this photo was at my parents’ house). It’s super easy to throw together and makes a good-sized batch that can make it several days!

Butternut Squash Mac n’ Cheese

Recipe and Photo from My Fussy Eater

The flavor in this sauce is so good! And it makes a ton so you can freeze for later.

And to go completely full circle, it could probably be made into muffins too 😉

Some other recipes we love in the Big Book of Organic Baby Food in case you too have this book in your life already:

• Cauliflower Fried Rice
• Ground Beef with Lemon Pea Puree
• Black Beans and Rice with Tropical Salsa
• Scrambled Eggs with Sweet Potato and Bell Pepper
• Broccoli Bites with Cottage Cheese and Chive Dip (even my husband likes to munch on these!)
• Cheese quesadillas with Guacamole

I hope this helps you find some new ideas and inspiration for keeping the little people fed and happy! I will be diving more into this in other posts to come, so suggestions for what specifically you are struggling with are encouraged and I’ll make sure to cover it! I’ll also be adding new recipes as my kids grow and we find new favorites. Thanks for reading 🙂