To follow along with my blogs on 7 Days of breakfasts, 7 days of snacks, and 7 days of dinners, it’s time to share a blog covering 7 days of lunches for babies and toddlers!
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In my 7 days of dinner blog, I included quite a few recipes for hot meals. However, lunches in our house tend to be very much bish-bash-bosh options. I’m usually trying to make something as quickly as possible, using up a freezer stash or whatever we have in the fridge. So, for this blog, I wanted to share some inspiration for those types of meals that require less preparation and cooking!
As much as possible, I like to try and offer variety. This helps to keep up my kid’s exposure to a variety of foods and to ensure I’m offering them a balance of flavours and nutrients.
As with dinners and breakfasts, I like to think about how to “balance” the meals that I put together, which means aiming to include each of the main food groups at most mealtimes:
- A protein/iron rich food
- A wholegrain/starchy carbohydrate
- A portion of veg and/or fruit
- And maybe some dairy or dairy food alternatives
Stuck for lunch ideas for your baby or toddler?
Thinking of meals to feed your littles ones 7 days a week for every meal and snack can be a real challenge. In this blog, I’m sharing 7 main lunch options with 7 alternatives, just incase. At the end of the blog I’ve also shared another 7, in case none of these take your fancy. That’s 21 lunch ideas for your baby or toddler for when you’re totally lost for inspiration!
These options are meant to be as quick and simple as possible. For that reason, I haven’t shared as many “recipes” as such in this blog. I really want these to be easy and adaptable for when you really don’t have the time or energy to think up something complicated. And the reality is that, most of the time, I don’t follow recipes when I’m throwing together these kinds of lunches.
I try to build meals based on what’s in the fridge/freezer and then add in balance where it might be lacking. My favourite way to do this quickly is by adding dips or dolloping a spoon of something in or sprinkling an ingredient on top e.g. yogurt as a dip, stirring nut butter in and sprinkling on some milled seeds at the end.
Here are my 7 Days of lunches for babies and toddlers:
Monday
Toast with easy tuna and avocado topping – or any other toast topping like hummus, nut butter or cream cheese. Serve with some fruit or veg sticks for added colour and balance!
Pasta with easy spinach pesto recipe. This pesto recipe can be made in less than the time it takes for the pasta to cook! Add some extra ground nuts to the top or stir in some pulses for added iron.
Tuesday
Couscous with salmon/tuna, yogurt and peas – Heat the couscous & peas together and once ready, stir in the yogurt and salmon/tuna. Swap the fish for some tinned beans if you prefer to the fish. A really easy one that my two have always been great eating. Swapping the couscous for potatoes/rice or pasta works too.
Cold mixed bean salad with pasta and avocado. This can be a great quick meal if you have leftover pasta. You can buy tins of ready mixed beans or simply use whatever beans you have at home. Give them a little mash for younger babies and stir in some mashed avocado then top on pasta.
Wednesday
Veggie omelette with potato. This is perfect if you have leftover veg or potatoes from another meal, fry it all up with some eggs in an omelette for a really quick, simple and nutritious lunch option! Top with cheese or nutritional yeast to add extra flavour and nutrients
Egg fried rice with frozen veggies. Rice (use pre-cooked pouch) with frozen veg and egg – whack it all in a pan and add a little flavour and voila. You have egg fried rice and a nice and balanced meal. Add in additional tofu or cooked meat/fish for extra flavour and nutrition!
Thursday
Wrap with hummus and spinach – I have a fab, easy wrap recipe in my book, but you could just add any ingredients you have in your fridge. If you’re stuck, roasted veggies and chicken or avocado, grated carrot and hummus go well or even peanut butter and banana.
Fritters with yoghurt dip – try my courgette fritters or my carrot and sweetcorn fritters. If you can make a batch and pop them in the freezer, it makes for as super simple lunch option mid-week! Serve with any other veggies/fruits you have that need using up.
Friday
Soup – heat and then blitz up anything you want and serve with some toast or a nice crusty roll on the side! If you’re looking for inspiration, try my veg packed soup recipe, but you can easily just use whatever you have in the fridge!
“Fridge raid snack board” – In all honesty, many of my lunches end up being this type of meal. It might include something like some leftover cooked potato, a dip, some veggie sticks (either leftover cooked veggies or some cold options like quartered cherry tomatoes and cucumber) and some cheese.
Saturday
Jacket potato with beans and cheese – or whatever topping you like! Tuna and sweetcorn, leftover chili or Bolognese sauce – this can be a great meal for using up leftovers.
Bagel with nut butter and banana slices, or avocado and hummus – super simple with only the toasting required!
Sunday
Scrambled eggs with chopped tomatoes on toast – scrambled eggs are super quick to prepare. Throw in some frozen veg or simply serve with some fruit alongside
Pasta with lentils with tinned salmon chunks and peas – mix in some yoghurt and herbs/spices for a little added texture and flavour and use the ready cooked lentil pouches for speed.
So there you have it, my 7 days of lunches for babies and toddlers!
If your little ones are heading to school and you need some inspiration for lunchboxes – check out my blog on building healthy lunchboxes for kids.
And for more of my tips on making the most out of your meals, take a look at my blog on adding extra nutrients to your child’s lunch.
If you’re looking for more family friendly recipes as well as advice eating during the tricky toddler years, pre-order my new book, How to Feed Your Toddler today!
More lunch ideas for kids
- Beans on toast or stuffed jacket potato
- Savoury pancakes – You can use my pancake recipe and add in any cooked veg to the mix before frying. These are great to have in the freezer to make an even quicker option!
- Veggie stir fry – serve with rice and leftover meat/fish/tofu
- Sandwiches – vary up the toppings – cream cheese and cucumber, hummus and roasted vegetables, avocado and boiled egg, tuna and sweetcorn – I have some great options for these in my new book too!
- Dips with finger food veggies and crackers or pitta triangles – see my book for some fab dip recipes OR check out this butterbean hummus recipe
- Savoury veggie muffins – these are a great option to make a freezer stash of when you can – serve with a yoghurt dip for a quick, balanced meal
- Quick veg pasta with beans and cheese
