Quick easy (finger) foods for toddler

[jenna]

Hi guys,

I am doing my 3rd whole30 and I want to get my son eating more like me. He is 2.5. My husband is NOT on board with it, though he DOES recognize that feeding our son real foods is better than bread and cereal with milk (he just doesn't want to say that our son can't have those things....especially milk). I've noticed that if I can get quick easy foods together for my son to eat, he'll eat those and not even ask for milk and cereal. I'd like to keep more options on hand to feed my son, and hopefully my husband will start to choose those things because they are easy.

Right now we do fruit (apple, banana, berries, cantaloupe in season), olives (he LOVES these), nuts (cashews and macadamia) as regulars. Oh, and coconut milk that I make (does have honey in it). Though we alternate between that and cow's milk, because we have it on hand because my husband eats cereal.

Sometimes we do sweet potatoes (roasted), little smokies hotdogs (not that brand....but that size) or grilled chicken (but he rarely likes chicken). Maybe carrots but honestly until right now I have forgotten all about baby carrots! Sometimes we do eggs but that's hit or miss for him.

What other options are quick and easy for a 2.5 year old? I know there are a ton of options but because I don't eat finger foods much I can't think of any! Oh, and he can use a fork/spoon just fine but I'm thinking quick cold foods that we can pull out of the fridge and give to him. He sometimes eats dinner with us but we often eat after he's gone to bed, or we're eating breakfast after he does, etc.

Or if you have had success with other "systems" or types of food I am open to that, too. Like if there is something we can cook up really quickly.

Thanks in advance!

[CaseyD]

I don't know if this would be helpful, but I do a lot of big batch cooking/prepping so this is what I do. My daughter likes ground hamburger and pork, so I make meatballs with veggies mixed in. I'll get out my food processor and blend things like squash and carrot; spinach, onion and pineapple; maybe sweet potato and cauliflower or some mix of veggies and blend it in with the ground meat. Then I either pack up the meat mix and freeze it in smaller, usable portions, or actually cook all the meatballs. I also have homemade ketchup and bbq sauce I made in bulk this summer that I'll cook the meatballs in. I'll do a couple pounds of meat and have a month's worth on hand in the freezer that way. Then, I take one or two out and microwave them for a quick meal.

For easy breakfasts, egg pizza muffins or egg/veggie muffins for the freezer. I can pull these out a few at a time, let them thaw out overnight and she'll eat them cold in the morning. There's also a recipe for pumpkin/cranberry muffins and lemon/blueberry muffins in the Practical Paleo cookbook that I make in the form of loaves (omitting the syrup and mashing a banana instead) that make a great, easy breakfast. Those are very easy to make and are heavy on the eggs, so they make a pretty balanced breakfast for a little kid.

I also do deli meat sometimes with frozen veggies and some fruit. That's a 5 minute meal I can make while she's panicking for lunch. Oh, and for an easy (but, this is messy) snack, celery with almond butter, raisins and coconut flakes. My daughter also likes canned tuna, so when we go somewhere for the day, I'll pack tuna, a piece of fruit and sometimes carrots, but she's not too big on raw veggies. Usually, I'll keep some precooked veggies in the fridge that I'll pack for her to eat cold.

I really rely on having pre-made stuff, though. Really, if you can schedule one afternoon a month, you can usually get a few things cooked that only have to be heated up for a couple minutes in the microwave later.

[jenna]

Great ideas, thank you!

[Xandra]

Steamed broccoli. If you have a Costco near you, their frozen broccoli florets are great. Bring water to a rolling boil and steam one pack of broccoli for 8 minutes. Melt ghee and sprinkle with salt (I use Jane's Krazy Mixed-up Salt). You can either cut up into bite sized pieces or let your toddler eat the broccoli "trees".

[sb323]

You could also chop up some chicken, coat it in egg and dip in almond/coconut flour, and then stir fry in some oil -- makes great "chicken fingers" for a meal or snacking.

[bonnynancy]

My little guy, not yet 3, LOVES peeled, sliced cucumbers. (He calls them "cuke-bumbers.") When I prepare them, I am lucky to get them to the table; he tends to swipe them right off of the cutting board. Sometimes I drizzle them with a little salad dressing for him. Often as not, he just likes them plain.

[Monica P]

My daughter likes the small bell peppers. we buy a big bag and I put them in my purse when going out. She eats down to the stem! If I'm slicing the regular sized ones, she stands there and salivates over them until I give her some.