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These toddler meal prep ideas are a total game changer! Choose a few ideas or recipes to prep for the week to save time, energy and get healthy meals on the table faster!
Toddler Meal Prep Ideas
If you’re struggling to get your little ones to eat a healthy, nutritious meal without spending all your time cooking, you’re in the right place! These toddler meal prep ideas are a great way to introduce your little one to new foods, even if they’re picky eaters. With over 60 quick toddler meals, you’re sure to find plenty of options for both your toddlers and the entire family!
Whether you’re trying to stick to a budget or want to offer your little one healthy, nourishing meals, meal prepping is the way to go! We’re all just way too busy these days to individually prepare every single meal from scratch. Meal prepping allows you to work ahead, tackling different parts of your family’s meals and healthy snacks a little at a time.
This is a huge game-changer! Honestly, once you see how much meal prepping helps you keep up with your child’s meals, you’ll want to do this for the whole family. Over time, it will become a habit, and you’ll find it easier and easier to serve homemade meals every single day.
How You’ll Benefit from these Toddler Food Ideas
- Reduce time cooking: It’s so much easier to make one batch of something and serve it throughout the week than cook every day! By prepping your family’s meals and snacks in advance, you’ll actually spend less time cooking throughout the week. Who doesn’t like that?
- Save money: When you have a plan for what you’re going to serve throughout the week, you’re much less likely to hit a drive-thru to appease a hungry toddler or dip into a pack of prepackaged snacks. Cooking from scratch is almost always cheaper than buying prepared foods!
- Eat better: Especially if you’re committed to feeding your child healthy, balanced meals, meal prepping will make this so much easier. Just imagine opening your freezer to find a stash of healthy waffles and homemade muffins or leftover frittata in the fridge! Your whole family will be able to eat better when you take control of the meals and snacks you’re serving.
Quick & Easy Toddler Meal Ideas
Don’t feel like you need to make everything from scratch right now! Focus on making small changes and buy whatever you need at the store if you need to! These items can easily be purchased ready-to-go from the grocery store for an easy meal anytime. I highly recommend having a few of these on hand, just in case!
These items can easily be purchased ready-to-go from the grocery store for an easy meal anytime. I highly recommend having a few of these on hand, just in case!
- Hard-boiled eggs – Little kids often love hard-boiled eggs, and you can either make them from scratch or grab them pre-peeled at the store.
- Shredded chicken – Next time you visit the grocery store, get a rotisserie chicken and shred the whole thing. You can add it to soup or pasta, make chicken salad, turn it into pulled chicken, and so much more.
- Meatballs – These are so easy to make and they store really well, so it’s a good idea to keep a stash in your freezer.
- Uncured hot dogs – Even picky toddlers love hot dogs, and the uncured options are a little bit healthier. You can serve a hot dog with string cheese, applesauce, or a variety of foods.
- Quesadillas – This is one of the best toddler lunch ideas because it’s so quick and easy! Just griddle up a whole wheat tortilla with their favorite cheese and cut into slices.
- Frozen waffles – Although you might not think of these as healthy, there are lots of frozen waffles made with whole grains and less sugar. I also have some amazing homemade waffles that freeze really well!
- Frozen chicken nuggets – Chicken nuggets are a classic food for your toddler’s lunch and you can easily make them from scratch or buy better-for-you options at the grocery store.
- PB & J – There’s nothing wrong with this classic! I recommend getting a bread with whole grains and look for reduced sugar versions of the nutter butter and jelly.
- Plain yogurt – Yogurt is great with a little fresh fruit or you can blitz up in a delicious smoothie. You can even use it in baking!
- Mac & cheese – Whether you’re making it from scratch or using a box, you can easily adapt mac and cheese by adding veggies or extra toppings. If using storebought mac and cheese, look for an option with whole grains and low sodium or try this 5-Ingredient Mac and Cheese!
Breakfast Meal Prep Ideas
It’s especially important to start your little one’s day off right! These options taste amazing and are healthier versions of their favorite recipes.
- Baby Oatmeal Pancakes
- 3-Ingredient Banana Oatmeal Bars
- 3-Ingredient Protein Waffles
- BLW Overnight Oats
- Baked Chocolate Chip Oatmeal
- Banana French Toast
- Mini Egg Bites
- Banana Pumpkin Bars
- 3-Ingredient Banana Oatmeal Muffins
- Spinach Zucchini Frittata
- Pancake Donut Recipe
- 3-Ingredient Banana Waffles
- Pumpkin Oat Waffles
- Baby Blueberry Pancakes
- Baby Oatmeal
- Healthy Oatmeal Muffins
- Healthy Blueberry Banana Oatmeal Muffins
Toddler Snack Ideas
If you’re new to cooking from scratch, start here! These healthy snacks are the best way to hone your skills, especially as a busy mom, because they’re so quick and easy. The best part is that they freeze so well, so you can stash the extras in the freezer for later!
- Unsweetened Applesauce Recipe
- Sweet Potato Cracker Recipe
- 3-Ingredient Cookies {No Egg, No Butter}
- 3-Ingredient Peanut Butter Oatmeal Balls
- 3-Ingredient Applesauce Oatmeal Cookies
- Green Monster Muffins
- Healthy Date Muffins
- High Protein Hummus
- Mini Chocolate Chip Muffins
- Baby Banana Bread
- Mango Puree
- Mini Chocolate Cupcakes
- Apple Banana Carrot Muffins
- Mango Popsicle Recipe
- 3-Ingredient Banana Brownies
- Blueberry Bliss Balls
- 4-Ingredient Peanut Butter Dip
- 3-Ingredient Peach Sorbet
- Pressed Fruit Bars Recipe
- Mini Cornbread Muffins
- Mini Blueberry Banana Muffins
Toddler Lunch + Dinner Meal Prep Ideas
The meal prep ideas below include side dishes, lunches, and delicious toddler dinner ideas! You’ll find many from scratch versions of your kid’s favorite foods. Most of these can be frozen for later, so you can make these freezable toddler meals once and eat them over and over again! They’re a great option for busy families.
- Fiestada Pizza
- Chicken Pastina Soup
- Homemade Pizza Rolls in Air Fryer
- Chicken Nuggets in Air Fryer
- Black Bean and Cheese Quesadilla
- Mini Salmon Cakes
- Broccoli and Cheese Pinwheels
- Mini Pizzas in Air Fryer
- Mini Meatloaf Recipe
- Pesto Chicken Bites
- Turkey Burger Sliders Recipe
- Vegetable Noodle Soup
- Quinoa Veggie Bites
- Healthy Corn Fritters
- Cheesy Zucchini Fritters
- Carrot Pasta Sauce
- Homemade Veggie Tots in Air Fryer
- Zucchini Fries in Air Fryer
- Mashed Sweet Potato Fritters
- Broccoli Cheddar Quinoa Bites
- Chicken Avocado Poppers
- Broccoli Cheese Tots
- Beef and Quinoa Meatloaf Muffins
- Mini Turkey Meatloaf Muffins
Tips for Prepping Easy Toddler Meals
If you’re new to meal planning, you’re likely bumping into some common hurdles. Don’t overthink it! Follow these tips to come up with a realistic meal planning routine you can actually stick to.
- Start small. If you decide to start making everything from scratch all at once, you’re going to get overwhelmed and quit. It’s much better to start really small, get comfortable with that, and then add the next skill.
- Share meals. If you make separate meals for the rest of the family, you’re going to be working twice as hard. I recommend finding kid-friendly meals the whole family will eat to save yourself some effort.
- Work ahead. Choose one of the recipes you’re making this week and make a double batch. You probably won’t have to do any extra work, and you’ll be able to store the extras in the fridge or freezer for later. If you do this each week, you’ll have extra snacks on hand at all times without much work at all!
- Batch cook. Batch cooking is a game-changer! You can do this with just your toddler’s meals or do it for the whole family. Instead of making one batch of eggs for breakfast on Monday, make a week’s worth of scrambled eggs and store them in the fridge to reheat later.
- Keep things simple. You’ll be surprised at how many of these toddler meals and snacks look and taste just like the regular homemade meals you know and love. That’s because babies and toddlers can eat so much more than people think! There’s a good chance that you can adapt your favorite meals for your little one.
- Use shortcuts. Who says you can’t pick up a rotisserie chicken or premade whole wheat tortillas at the store? Not everything has to be homemade. Just choose minimally processed foods as much as possible.
- Don’t make everything. The best quick snacks are the ones you can serve without cooking anything. Think apple slices, mandarin oranges, cheese sticks, sliced cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, cottage cheese, yogurt, etc. Think of these as your new “convenience foods!”
healthy little bites
Ready to start making your kid’s snacks? This ebook has 40 of my favorite make-ahead healthy kid’s snacks and meals! They are all kid-tested, formulated by a dietitian and more nutritious options than the processed snacks at the store!
