Baby lunch

It's really hard to pack a lunch for a new eater.  I try to keep it simple with foods that I know he will love!

Big section: Banana
Medium section: Applesauce
Small section: Cheddar cheese cubes and crackers

Mom's Lunch

My Lunch Today

Big section: Spinach, craisins, and walnuts (oil and vinegar on the side)
  homemade roll using ground wheat berry instead of store bought flour

Medium section: homemade yogurt (viili yogurt using 3 parts milk to 1 part cream) with homemade granola. 

Small section: homemade pumpkin mini muffins.

Lots of recipes to come: homemade granola, homemade rolls using wheat berry, homemade yogurt, and pumpkin muffins :)

Have a great week!

Simple Lunch for a 2 Year Old aka Busy Day Lunch

Simple lunch for a 2 year old aka Busy Day Lunch

 

This is a super simple lunch that I use on a busy day...
Big section: cereal bar, cheese, crackers, and a banana (in the bag)
Medium section: applesauce
Small section: blueberry muffin and a few teddy grahams

Not the most creative lunch, but my little guy likes everything in here, so it was a good day :)

Toddler Muffins

Toddler muffins that the entire family will love!

You'll need:
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup milk
1 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup oatmeal
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and spray nonstick spray into muffin tin (makes 12)
Combine all ingredients and divide into 12 muffins
Bake for 20 minutes or until a knife inserted in center comes out clean!

I make these in huge quantities and freeze the extras.

Enjoy!

Toddler Friendly Banana Bread

Not only is this banana toddler friendly, it is also toddler approved!  It's made with whole wheat flour and lots of bananas!

You'll need:
2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup butter
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
5 very ripe bananas

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray nonstick spray into a 9 by 5 inch bread pan.

Combine the flour, butter, baking soda, and brown sugar.  Add the eggs and then the bananas.

Pour the batter into the pan and bake for 60 minutes or until a knive inserted into the bread comes out clean.

I cut this bread into slices and then cut each slice in half.  I also freeze these and put the amount I want to use into the fridge the night before.  Yum!!!

Need a Cheap, Easy Meal? Try Camillo's Pizza Crusts

I was recently in the Dollar Tree and I came across Camillo's Pizza Crusts.  We really enjoy our pizza, so I figured, why not?  These are $1.00 and come with two 7 inch crusts to a pack.  These are a HIT in our house!  So far we have only made cheese, pepperoni, and pepperoni with mushroom pizza, but the possibilities are really endless! 

The way I have really made these work in our house is to cut one in half and let my toddler eat half at home and the other half in his lunch the next day.  In fact, I made them for his lunch a day this week, click here to see.  He really likes these!  I was thinking about them today and next time I'm going to try adding more veggies to his pizza.  maybe some small broccoli pieces or slices of tomato.  I'll post back to let you know how that works out.  It is always a challenge getting the little man to eat his veggies!  So far the only way he will eat veggies is when I make Spinach and Carrot Quiche.

I have found that my Dollar Tree sells out of these pretty fast, so when I see them I stock up.  Today I bought 4 packages which contain 8 crusts total.  So worth it for 50 cents per crust. 

Here's how you prepare the pizzas:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees
Brush crusts with olive oil
Add toppings
Lower temperature to 425 degrees and cook for 7-10 minutes.

Give them a try!  It's a meal you and your toddler will enjoy!

You can find Camillo's Pizza Crusts at the Dollar Tree.

Friday's Lunch

Large Section: Danimals Smoothie with a straw.  Spinach and Carrot Quiche (recipe below)

Medium Section: Mandarin Oranges

Small Section: Crackers and Raisins- I know they're hiding,. but trust me, they're there!

Spinach and Carrot Quiche is the ONLY way my toddler will eat vegetables.  He loves this stuff!  Give it a try:

1 pie crust
1/2 onion, diced
1 package frozen spinach, thawed
1/4 cup carrots, diced (you could definitely add more)
1 clove garlic, minced
3 eggs
1 cup cheese (I used mozzarella because it's what I had)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Place onion in skillet and cook until tender- you could add 1/2 tbsp oil here, but I don't.

Add spinach, carrots, and garlic and cook until the liquid from the spinach is gone.

Remove from heat and add eggs and cheese.

Pour into pie crust and cook for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

The trick here is to let the quiche cool in order to cut it.  In fact, I cut mine after a few hours in the fridge.  Quiche is just one of those things that needs to set.  I wish I could see my little man's face when he sees quiche in his lunch!