Quick Meal Ideas for Toddler

Toasted waffles and a banana - my sons love it! They don't do any syrup on the waffles and they think it's funny to eat them like a slice of pizza. They also have frozen pre-cooked sausage links; just heat and serve. Another fan favorite for us.

For Breakfast: nutri-grain bars-they come in lots of different flavors, granola bars, mixed fruit cups- i usually like to drain the juice in these so they're not so messy, or cut up apple, orange or a banana, applesauce cups, yogurt, toast.
For Lunch: ham or turkey and cheese sandwhich, pb & j sandwhich (use whole wheat bread), cup of pasta with either a little butter or marinara sauce for flavor (my daughter loves this one), cheese quesadilla, chicken nuggets (the kind with all white meat, no hormones), macaroni and cheese.
For snacks to go with, I like string cheese, graham crackers, goldfish, baked chips, baby carrots, crackers, teddy grahams, even a cookie now and then! hope this helps, good luck!

weelicious.com is a great website! it has a bunch of different recipes that are easy to make, healthy and delicious.

We often have the same problem with breakfast as my daughter just isn't hungry first thing in the morning, I can send her dry cereal with raisins in a ziplock, or oatmeal already cooked in a bowl so she can eat it there. Or trader joes has pretty healthy waffles ( make a sandwich for the car. peanut butter, cream cheese or jam.) or those cereal bars.
Our daycare heats up lunches for the kids, so I often send leftover pasta, mac and cheese, chicken nuggets, soup... I will also send cheese or chicken and cheese quesadilla, burrito.

My daughter eats a granola bar in the car most mornings, sometimes a banana as well. Just watch the sugar in the granola bars.

As for lunches, I've discovered that half a sandwich is plenty for preschool--they don't have that much time for eating lunch, and they also get snacks organized by the preschool throughout the day. So I make a whole sandwich (this month PB&J is her fave), cut in half and put half in the fridge, so the next day is a bit quicker. She really likes frozen Gogurt--it defrosts by the time they eat. Also apple slices, pre-packaged jello with fruit in it. Tortilla rollups made with a whole wheat tortilla, smear of cream cheese or mayo, sprinkle of shredded cheese and a thin slice of ham. Cut in half--half is enough. We buy the reduced-sugar Capri Sun juice or water and freeze them. They're defrosted by the time she eats.

Single parenting is hard, so you just have to stay organized--and forgive yourself when it doesn't go right. : )

Breakfast options:
-cheerios and bananas with milk at home
-cheerios dry in the car
-frozen pancakes (don't defrost, just give them to them frozen) and those can be eaten in the car too!
-I also pack cheerios and a banana in his lunch box so that he can eat at day care if he's hungry in the morning...they are usually fine with this.

Lunch options:
-pre-cut and bagged apples
-fruit cups
-applesauce cups
-turkey sandwiches
-PBJ sanwiches
-yogurt!!!!
-grapes
-cheese stick
-chicken nuggets (that they can reheat at lunchtime)
-leftovers from dinner (that they can reheat at lunchtime)
-frozen peas or corn (that they can reheat at lunchtime)

Hope that helps!
-M

I second www.weelicious.com -- excellent site and I've made quite a few of the recipes!!

I haven't read all yr responses so sorry to repeat.

My kids do breakfast with a fruit and grain and milk in a cup (or sippy)
so this morning was oatmeal with a cantalope slice (I make
a POT of oatmeal on the weekends, divide into single serving contianers, refridgerate,nuke in microwave 30 secs, serve!) I make oatmeal with milk, if I am in a rush and not prepared it is dry cheerios and milk in a cup. I have a just turned 4, I bet yr 3 can eat a bowl of oatmeal in the carseat with just a little mess.... eating in the car makes some kind of mess...it's okay!

Lunch after preschool is a pb&j/black bean & cheese tortilla/leftovers from night before.

My kids eat fresh raw veggies and fruits. So they love peas, broccoli, carrots. It is so quick and cheap and easy to steam these from frozen the night before and add to a tortilla rollup.

We ate spaghetti and steamed broccoli tonight for dinner. We ate the broccoli seperate tonight, but I mixed everything together and sprinkled cheese on top for lunch tomorrow. So we will eat spaghetti bake tomorrow at lunch.

My husband is the oldest of 4, raised by a single mom, and he talks about egg, cheese, and saugage/bacon tortilla rollups for breakfast in the car. As I understand, she would make huge batches on the weekends (like 50+ individually wrapped in plastic wrap, and frozen) they would microwave them and eat on the way to school.

Hi J.,
I was reading your post, and I said to myself, "I know this style of writing!!! Then I look at the name, and sure enough, it was you!!!!!
It's M.!! Sorry, I have no advice for you...LOL
I"ll talk to you soon!

Breakfast-Nutragrain bars, granola bars, dry cereal and sliced fruit, waffles with peanut butter or cream cheese, yogurt, oatmeal, peanut butter and jelly, egg sandwiches that can be made the night before and heated up in the morning...
Lunch-Do they have a microwave for heating food or does it have to be cold/ready to eat? If cold/ready to eat-soups/pastas in a thermos, variety of sandwiches (cheese, meats, pb&j, different toppings, different breads), meat/cheese/crackers to build his own, raw veggies (w/ or w/out dip), fruit slices or dried fruits, cold chicken, cold pizza...

Breakfast-bagels, pop tarts, granola bars, flavored waffles (there are all different kinds like chocolate chip or frenchtoast flavored so my kids will eat them dry) fruit, gogurts.
Lunch-sandwiches, lunchables, soup in a thermos, the single serving mac & cheese, bagel bites, hot pockets, hot dog.

Updated

Breakfast-bagels, pop tarts, granola bars, flavored waffles (there are all different kinds like chocolate chip or frenchtoast flavored so my kids will eat them dry) fruit, gogurts.
Lunch-sandwiches, lunchables, soup in a thermos, the single serving mac & cheese, bagel bites, hot pockets, hot dog.