Toddler Meals

Kess hasn't ever been much of a picky eater. She's actually more picky now than she's ever been - I chalk that up to being old enough to have an opinion & a say in what she wants.

She took pureed foods like a champ & once she could pick up small pieces of food I felt like the possibilities were so fun! She loved small noodles, peas, raisins, kidney beans, garbanzo beans, chewy granola bars, little squares of cheese, etc. It was so fun to see what she would enjoy eating. As she got old enough to eat what we were eating her likes & dislikes became more clear. If she didn't like something I never pushed it. I stopped giving it to her & would eventually try it a few weeks/months later to see if she changed her mind. Sometimes she did, sometimes she didn't. 

I absolutely love to think of new meals for Kess to try. I think it's so fun. Not sure if that makes me weird, or just a mom. ;)

I have found it hard to not let "mom guilt" destroy my love for meal making. Do you ever feel like if your child's food isn't kale, quinoa, organic or triple washed in unicorn tears then it just isn't good enough? I do. Honestly I pride myself on feeding Kess wholesome good foods, but let's remember that she's a kid. Kid's love macaroni & cheese, chicken nuggets & what have you. It's ok to feed your kids kid food every once in a while. 

Below are some of our favorite Kess meals... 

1. Mandarin oranges, strawberries & cut up granola bar

2. Diced pears, cheddar cheese & Costco Dino Nuggets with "wanch" or ranch ;)

3. Greek yogurt with agave, diced pears, & cinnamon sugar toast

4. Cheddar cheese, veggie straws & PB&J bites

5. Jello, mozzarella cheese & mini corn dogs with "chup" or Ketchup ;)

6. Diced pears, pretzels & grilled cheese sandwich

7. Strawberries, diced pars & scrambled eggs

8. Corn, french bread & spaghetti

9. Laughing cow cheese with pretzel sticks, green salad & pizza

Can you tell she likes diced pears? I just buy the little cups of them.. I usually grab the ones that are in 100% juice, but sometimes they're out so I'll get the ones in light syrup & rinse them. Kess loves cheese (got that from her momma) so I bought these super cute mini cookie cutters & used them a lot. She has never been a huge fan of pb&j, so I cut them into mini heart shaped to see if that helped. It so did. I had to make 2 more sandwich that day. Jello is usually a treat & she loves it. She always asked for "mo' je-o?" Sometimes I make a big batch of jello if I'm feeling like it, but we usually just buy little cups of jello & they last for quite a while. Spaghetti is a fan favorite at our house... does anybody else eat corn with their spaghetti? I sure as heck didn't, but Matt loves it. And now so does Kess. Pizza is another favorite at our house. We usually grab a take&bake after a long day & then have the left overs for lunch the next day. And no, Kess definitely did not eat that green salad. A mom can try, right? ;) She did like some ranch off the lettuce though... baby steps?

Some other favorites of ours are Annie's Mac&Cheese, grilled chicken, rice, green beans, skittles ;), greek yogurt covered raisins and much more.

These RePlay Recycled plates are amazing. They wash up so nicely & endure the constant fork-stabbing skills of a toddler. RePlay Recycled kindly sent us an entire set in purple that included the plate, a cup, silverware, a bowl, a sippy cup & a snack container. I am in love with them & want to order more. I love the divided plate for different foods & all the colors are so bright & fun! I can't wait to order more!

What are your go-to meals for your kids? Give me all the ideas!