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Easy Meals for Fussy Toddlers…

Healthy, Cheap & Easy Meals for Fussy Toddlers… (Yes! Really!)

As mums I believe we either get one of 3 types of eaters with our toddlers;

  1. The Toddler that eats everything! 

  2. The toddler that HATES any form of fruit, vegetables or healthy food of any kind.

  3. The ONLY plain food toddler!

As mum’s we want to ensure our children are happy, healthy and have full tummies… But sometimes this can seem absolutely impossible, right? Well, with the help of other mum’s, Early Childhood Educators and personal experience; We are here to help! We have come up with a few easy, healthy & fun meals & tips you can try in your kitchen! 

Tips: 

  • Choice! Allowing your little one to have various options to choose from can make all the difference (especially for a fussy toddler). 

E.g: What does your tummy feel like for dinner? We have.. (provide 3 options). This encourages independence, self expression and continues the learning experience as a mum that never ends as your little one will always be growing and changing; and being mums, we always want to feel like we know our little one and we strive to keep that connection. 

  • Work together! Meals that you can cook together are not only an amazing bonding experience but it is also a chance for a bit of fun education for your little one (e.g is a banana a fruit or a vegetable?) but also for your little one to be having so much fun with you, they start talking instead of running off to play, We have all had the discussion of “What did you do at DayCare today?”... Response? “I played”. It helps to break down that barrier as they are focused on the time they are spending with you rather than the next toy they are running off to play with. 

  • Incorporate your child’s interests in the meals you prepare! 

(YES! I promise the meals are still quick & easy) 

Children all have something they get excited or obsessed over, this can be anything from monster trucks, unicorns, The wiggles or Paw Patrol. You can encourage meal times that can be sometimes painful by including their interests such as; Unicorn Pancakes, Emma Wiggles Spaghetti etc. You can use fruits and vegetables to relate to their interests ( like a Piece of Banana for a unicorn) If it’s a little too tricky, just use a plastic, easy to wash toy that you can incorporate into the meal. 



Quick, Easy & Fun Meals to make with your toddler! 

Banana Pancakes! (Yay! Fruit Made Fun!) 

Ingredients: 

1 x Ripe Banana

1 x Egg 

2 x Table spoon Self raising flour

Steps! 

  • - Mash banana in a mixing bowl until smooth. 

  • - Whisk in egg, then flour until smooth. 

  • - Set aside for 5 minutes.

  • - Spray a non-stick frying pan with oil and heat over medium heat.  

  • - Spoon 2 tablespoons batter into pan and spread out with the back of a spoon until 1cm thick. 

  • - Cook for 1–2 minutes or until golden & turn. 

  • - Serve.

Pirate Ships! (soft tacos) 

Ingredients: 

Old El Paso - Soft Tortilla bowl

500g x Mince

1 x Shredded Cheese bag.

2x Tomatoes 

1x Iceberg lettuce

1 x taco seasoning 

1 x pack of little flags ( pirate flags, princess flags - relate to your toddlers interest - usually found in party or baking section at the grocery store.) 

Steps!

  • Heat Medium non stick pan - When ready place mince in the pan and separate. 

  • While the mince is cooking, Prepare 5 small bowls, this is where you will need to get your little apprentice chef! 

  • Have your toddler separate the ingredients into the separate bowls ( no this probably won’t look perfect and may make a bit of mess; But this is a fun memory you are creating!) 

  • Once the mince is prepared, the ingredients are in their bowls and we are ready to serve, Encourage your toddler to serve themselves ( if possible.) if not, go through the ingredients starting with the tortilla bowl, filling and ending with the flag to make it a fun boat! Mummy should have a flag too! 

And lucky last! 

Dunking Soldiers (As my grandma used to call them!) 

Ingredients: 

1 x Egg ( per child) 

2 x toast.

Steps!

  • Boil eggs for approximately 3-4 minutes (for runny yolk) 

  • Pop your toast in the toaster.. & wait! 

  • When the toast is ready - Cut toast into long straight pieces ( this is your soldiers!) 

  • Prepare the egg for your toddler to dip ( remove the top of the shell to expose the yolk) 

Good Luck & Have fun making some fun meals with your little one!

Kate Buechner