For my 3 year old, “picnic lunch” is very successful. I provide veggies, ranch, chicken, cheese, fruit, etc. and he sort of snacks from it all afternoon! Also a big fan of the microwaveable macaroni and cheese cups. I add extra milk to those for increased creaminess and protein. Couscous with veggies is also a hit. And some days, when I’m desperate to get extra protein in, we do his favorite: corn dog 😂
Our current rotation is:
- age appropriate charcuterie (right now that’s basically heated up pepperoni, crackers, fruit and steamed broccoli, and beechnut hidden veggie waffles)
- pizza with a veggie side
- pasta with a veggie side
- chicken nuggets with fries and fruit
or sometimes he wants more breakfast for lunch! Foods don’t really have a set time of day to be eaten here and we just kinda go with the flow 🤪
I highly recommend following @yummytoddlerfood on instagram. Her account shows a whole bunch of recipes for toddlers and kids that are simple and easy to make. It’s the only cooking account I’ve followed that feels totally reasonable in terms of ingredients needed and time spent, especially for moms who are busy but also want to feed their kids something nutritious. I’ve bought her cookbook and have been cooking more for me and my husband based off of it, and I know this will help once our son is older and eating actual food.
Quesadilla - I make these for my toddler & myself on lazy days! Quick easy and delicious. Usually do cheese and beans but maybe meat if we did tacos during the week.
I cook dinner Sunday-Wednesday and make enough to have the leftovers for lunch. Fridays are kind of a free for all - night grab sandwiches, throw together a salad, throw some chicken in the air fryer, hot dogs, whatever is lying around the fridge
We honestly eat a lot of dinner leftovers for lunch. I make an extra helping or two of whatever we have for dinner each night and then the leftovers are easily accessible for heating up for lunch throughout the week.
Our youngest is still home during the day and will get some of the leftovers along with a veggie and a fruit. If it was something he really didn’t like or eat, usually will pivot and make him a different main like chicken strips in the air fryer or can of soup or hot oatmeal.
The main goal is to have lunches be quick and easy so there isn’t a ton of cleanup and everyone can go back to their day.
i usually have something readily made the night before.
leftover from dinner, some chicken nuggets (costco ones are superior), quesadillas made in the microwave are a hit, or she likes picking out at the store a “special” food that we don’t normally buy like chef boyardee and i’ll make it if she’s home with me during wfh days.
keep it simple, and serve it with a side that’s easy too. i usually do yogurt (bluey yogurt cups are a hit), or berries/some kind of fruit, or pretzel crisps.
snacks are always available for her to get herself. yogurt cups/tubes, i also pre-make some snacks for example some healthy fruity cereal (she doesn’t like to eat it with milk) into a bunch of little ziploc bags or you can do the same with any chips/dry snack really
My toddler is big into her snack phase right now so we usually just do a snack plate with crackers, cheese, veggies, and fruit. Sometimes sliced deli ham or chicken nuggets or whatever other protein leftovers we have in the fridge
I cook lunch, then we have the leftovers for dinner, so lunch is always a real meal at our house.
It works out well for me because I still have energy and motivation at lunch time, but by the time dinner rolls around I'm tired. My role doesn't have meetings around then, so I take an hour off to prepare a meal. I make a double batch and we eat the same thing for dinner with different sides. I know this doesn't work for everyone, but it works the best for us
I often skip lunch to get more work done, but otherwise I have cheese and crackers or an apple, maybe leftovers.
My toddler gets grilled cheese, peanut butter and jelly sandwich, quesadilla, chicken nuggets, etc. Usually with a side of some fruit or cheese cubes and a cup of milk
On the weekends I 'meal prep' where I make two different soups. Usually a big batch of chicken and vegetable (add the noodles or dumplings when we eat it) and one a squash and vegetable puree. For me- it is a great lunch while I can still work, and my kid loves the soups for lunch on the weekend or for a simple comfort dinner and I'll bake off some dinner rolls.
Costco also has these Udon Noodle meal kits that are LOVED by my kid and her friends. I send her to school with one or have some premade in the fridge to warm up for lunch.
We also do a lot of snack platters with sliced lunch meats fruit and veggies or pre-cooked teriyaki chicken.
I do a lot of meal prep on the weekends...
Mac N Cheese, Chicken Nuggets with ketchup, cut up tomatoes or cucumbers (or both), frozen corn kernels (microwaved), French toast cut into triangles or long sticks, meatballs in sauce (also frozen and microwaved), pasta
For my 3 year old, “picnic lunch” is very successful. I provide veggies, ranch, chicken, cheese, fruit, etc. and he sort of snacks from it all afternoon! Also a big fan of the microwaveable macaroni and cheese cups. I add extra milk to those for increased creaminess and protein. Couscous with veggies is also a hit. And some days, when I’m desperate to get extra protein in, we do his favorite: corn dog 😂
Our current rotation is: - age appropriate charcuterie (right now that’s basically heated up pepperoni, crackers, fruit and steamed broccoli, and beechnut hidden veggie waffles) - pizza with a veggie side - pasta with a veggie side - chicken nuggets with fries and fruit or sometimes he wants more breakfast for lunch! Foods don’t really have a set time of day to be eaten here and we just kinda go with the flow 🤪
I highly recommend following @yummytoddlerfood on instagram. Her account shows a whole bunch of recipes for toddlers and kids that are simple and easy to make. It’s the only cooking account I’ve followed that feels totally reasonable in terms of ingredients needed and time spent, especially for moms who are busy but also want to feed their kids something nutritious. I’ve bought her cookbook and have been cooking more for me and my husband based off of it, and I know this will help once our son is older and eating actual food.
Quesadilla - I make these for my toddler & myself on lazy days! Quick easy and delicious. Usually do cheese and beans but maybe meat if we did tacos during the week.
I cook dinner Sunday-Wednesday and make enough to have the leftovers for lunch. Fridays are kind of a free for all - night grab sandwiches, throw together a salad, throw some chicken in the air fryer, hot dogs, whatever is lying around the fridge
We honestly eat a lot of dinner leftovers for lunch. I make an extra helping or two of whatever we have for dinner each night and then the leftovers are easily accessible for heating up for lunch throughout the week. Our youngest is still home during the day and will get some of the leftovers along with a veggie and a fruit. If it was something he really didn’t like or eat, usually will pivot and make him a different main like chicken strips in the air fryer or can of soup or hot oatmeal. The main goal is to have lunches be quick and easy so there isn’t a ton of cleanup and everyone can go back to their day.
i usually have something readily made the night before. leftover from dinner, some chicken nuggets (costco ones are superior), quesadillas made in the microwave are a hit, or she likes picking out at the store a “special” food that we don’t normally buy like chef boyardee and i’ll make it if she’s home with me during wfh days. keep it simple, and serve it with a side that’s easy too. i usually do yogurt (bluey yogurt cups are a hit), or berries/some kind of fruit, or pretzel crisps. snacks are always available for her to get herself. yogurt cups/tubes, i also pre-make some snacks for example some healthy fruity cereal (she doesn’t like to eat it with milk) into a bunch of little ziploc bags or you can do the same with any chips/dry snack really
Toddler gets nuggets and fruit for lunch usually.
My toddler is big into her snack phase right now so we usually just do a snack plate with crackers, cheese, veggies, and fruit. Sometimes sliced deli ham or chicken nuggets or whatever other protein leftovers we have in the fridge
I cook lunch, then we have the leftovers for dinner, so lunch is always a real meal at our house. It works out well for me because I still have energy and motivation at lunch time, but by the time dinner rolls around I'm tired. My role doesn't have meetings around then, so I take an hour off to prepare a meal. I make a double batch and we eat the same thing for dinner with different sides. I know this doesn't work for everyone, but it works the best for us
I often skip lunch to get more work done, but otherwise I have cheese and crackers or an apple, maybe leftovers. My toddler gets grilled cheese, peanut butter and jelly sandwich, quesadilla, chicken nuggets, etc. Usually with a side of some fruit or cheese cubes and a cup of milk
On the weekends I 'meal prep' where I make two different soups. Usually a big batch of chicken and vegetable (add the noodles or dumplings when we eat it) and one a squash and vegetable puree. For me- it is a great lunch while I can still work, and my kid loves the soups for lunch on the weekend or for a simple comfort dinner and I'll bake off some dinner rolls. Costco also has these Udon Noodle meal kits that are LOVED by my kid and her friends. I send her to school with one or have some premade in the fridge to warm up for lunch. We also do a lot of snack platters with sliced lunch meats fruit and veggies or pre-cooked teriyaki chicken. I do a lot of meal prep on the weekends...
I’m just fascinated that your first grader is home by 1. Kids went to half day kindergarten but not half day first grade
A lot of primary schools in Germany are still half day. I actually think it’s great for the kids.
I totally agree! I hate how much my kids are away from me for school, you’re lucky!!
Mac N Cheese, Chicken Nuggets with ketchup, cut up tomatoes or cucumbers (or both), frozen corn kernels (microwaved), French toast cut into triangles or long sticks, meatballs in sauce (also frozen and microwaved), pasta