Lunch/Dinner Ideas for One Year Olds

My girls are sooo over baby food. It's time to move on from pasta pick-ups and stage 3 fruit/veggies... I am looking for ideas (please keep in mind I am challenged in the kitchen) for nutritious meals. Please help! Thanks!

 

I can't cook to save my life so I keep all meals simple. Here are some of the things they have for lunch/dinner.

Mac & Cheese (of course)
BowTie (or other pasta) with butter
Vienna Sausages (my girls love these, even though the smell of them makes me gag, they are super easy just heat for 30 seconds in the micro)
Scrambled eggs or egg whites it is soft and easy to pick up
Chef Boyardee Chicken and Rice (in small microvable container that you find with all the other canned Chef Boyardee stuff)
Chef Boyardee Pasta and mini-meatballs (kids love it, but it can get messy so I would give it at dinner when you are at the end of the day )
Fish Sticks (this one is hit and miss, but worth a try)
Frozen Veggie Burgers

With every meal I try to include a veg like canned peas, green beans, or fozen broccili and cheese which you can buy in single serve.

Hope that helps give you some ideas.

 

Mine eat whatever we eat, except for seafood and any type of nut. I do cook for the most part.

Other easy things I have on hand for their lunches (if they don't eat leftovers)

nitrate, antibiotic free turkey bologna or other lunch meat (the turkey bologna is by far their fav, buy it at Trader Joes)
frozen Stouffers mac and cheese or fettuccini alfredo
mine like those Gerber toddler meals, the star shaped pasta with tomato sauce and chicken & noodles (but none of the others)
nitrate, antibiotic free hot dogs
grilled cheese (big time favorite)
turkey burgers (I buy these at Costco)
fish sticks (all white meat variety I buy at Costco)
beef/broccoli (frozen, buy it at Costco)
teryaki chicken meatballs (another thing I buy at Costco, love Costco)
spaghettios
canned soup

HTH! I also always give them a veggie with each meal, which they eat enormous amounts of. They get fruit with breakfast and for at least one snack. I try to get in 3-4 veggie servings a day and 2-3 fruit.

 

Mine eat whatever we eat. But here are some things they will generally always eat:

chicken nuggets
chicken breats/patties
usually pasta
grilled cheese
bananas
pancakes
grapes
hotdogs
fish sticks
smiley face fries
mac and cheese
peas
corn
yogurt
crackers


I rotate between the main dishes on that list for lunch and always give either a fruit or veggie with it. Just keep trying new things with them.

 

Try the frozen tortellini and ravioli - with either cheese or meat filling. They get real soft and are just the right texture for little ones. We cut them into smaller pieces for easier eating.