Have you considered toddler meal prep to make your week a bit easier?
I definitely have! And while ritualistic Sunday meal prepping isn’t exactly my style, I have been successful in finding recipes that my 2-year-old almost always enjoys.
The recipes I share below can be modified with different proteins and veggies so that your little one won’t get bored week after week.
Let’s dig in!
4 Toddler Meal Prep Recipes
Here are my top four toddler meal prep recipes that have become part of our household’s rotation of healthy meals.
1. Salmon & Potato Bowls
Salmon is an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids which is great for brain health – especially for little ones’ growing brains!
Salmon is a weekly joy in our household but it wasn’t always this way. I used to find salmon to be dry and either tasteless or far too fishy. What changed? I explored and discovered how I like to enjoy my fish – as a rice bowl! Same goes for my toddler.
This recipe is not exactly Emily Mariko’s popular salmon bowl but some elements overlap. So, if you like her bowl, give this a go. You might just love it!
The key ingredients are as follows:
- Wild caught salmon*
- Rice – This doesn’t have to be sticky rice, I prefer organic basmati rice
- Potatoes – Any kind – chef’s choice
* Note: Wild caught fish are much better for you than fish that is farm-raised. I had a whole internship with Food & Water Watch where this was a focus. Trust me on this. Wild caught is important and you want it for your little one if it’s accessible to you.
Beyond the above, feel free to add anything else you or your child want.
I typically add:
- Raw, organic sauerkraut – I add this for my husband and I only, my toddler is still acquiring the taste
- Cucumbers
- Tomatoes
- Broccoli or broccoli sprouts
- Sesame seeds
- Extra virgin olive oil – 1 tbsp – This might seem odd, but I’m on a personal mission to incorporate more wholesome and nutrient dense ingredients into our food. That’s where high quality EVOO and the abovementioned sauerkraut enter the picture.
Cooking guide:
I bake 3 pieces of salmon for 12 min at 425 degrees. This might vary depending on the thickness of the salmon portions.
I bake the potatoes whole – 45 min at 425 degrees usually does the trick.
Pro tip: Don’t forget to poke your potatoes with a fork before placing them in the oven.
More reasons why I love the salmon and potato bowl:
✨ This meal basically cooks itself and I call that a major win. It’s mainly a matter of compiling ingredients after the salmon, rice, and potatoes are cooked. You can bring your toddler in for that part too.
✨ It’s nutrient dense and easily makes at least 2 meals for my toddler.
✨ It allows for easy exposure to different vegetables – even if you only opt to swap out the type of potato you use each week.
Oftentimes, the type of potato is all I change and as a result, my little is now familiar with stokes purple, japanese white, beauregard (i.e., classic), red garnet, and russet potatoes!
✨ Clean up is limited!
2. Quesadillas
Universally known, quesadillas might feel obvious for this list. So, this is your friendly reminder that they are an option and you should make them!
I love quesadillas for two main reasons: they’re delicious and, unless you’re making everything from scratch, they’re very easy to put together and require almost no prep.
Below is how I approach mine.
Key ingredients:
- Preferred protein – Our go-tos are black beans or shredded rotisserie chicken
- Tortillas
- Your toddler’s favorite cheese – Our go-to is cheddar, don’t come for us please!
- Avocado – I smash a layer of avo inside the quesadilla before grilling it
- Bell peppers – Thinly sliced and layered inside
- Microgreens – Not too many – just enough to get another vegetable serving in
Now, I know these ingredients don’t make for traditional quesadillas. But they do make a healthy meal for my toddler, packed full of vegetables (in reasonable doses that she is willing to tolerate haha!).
3. Cashew Spinach Pasta
We LOVE a good pasta in our home and this cashew spinach recipe does the trick.
The cashews add a creaminess unlike any other and my 2-year-old revels in eating food that’s green. While I enjoy that she’s eating something healthy!
What’s more, the cashews pack a protein punch and contain healthy fats as well as other key nutrients. And spinach is rich in vitamins and minerals – including iron and magnesium. If your child likes this dish, I say it’s a major parenting win.
Here are the key ingredients:
- Pasta of your choice – We like bowtie
- Cashews
- Spinach – Preferably organic since spinach is on the 2024 dirty dozen list
Cooking guide:
Once you’ve gathered what you need, blend a handful of spinach along with a handful of cashews and a few tablespoons of water. You can blend in a nutribullet or kitchenaid mixer.
When your pasta is ready, simply stir in your blended green sauce! Voila, bon appétit.
Now, there are ways to make this very fancy. I’m keeping it simple here. After all, this is not a cooking blog. This is a ‘how-to-love-your-life-and-help-your-kids-love-theirs’ blog. 😉
4. Burrito Bowls
Burrito bowls are a similar idea to our favorite salmon and potato bowls but they’re more open-ended and they offer different potential add-ons.
These are the key ingredients:
- Rice
- Preferred protein – Black beans, chicken, or ground chicken/turkey work well
- Avocado
- Lemon or lime
- Tomatoes
- Tortilla chips – Highly recommend Siete Foods’ avocado oil-based chips
Sometimes I leave the tortilla chips whole and my daughter attempts to load them with toppings from the bowl…wonder where she learned that from?!
Other times, I crumble them over the top so there’s a crunchy spoonful in every bite. I ask my daughter what her preference is for the evening.
With Chipotle’s ever smaller bowls and protein portions (hehe), this bowl is a winner in my household for both my toddler and my husband.
Toddler Meal Prep: How to Do It the Easy Way
If you’re into baking and cooking in batches, here are the few meal prep steps that I’m actually into that will make your life easier too.
Double Batch All Meals
Make a double batch of all meals so that you can freeze half to use when you need it next.
You may not be able to do this with every dish – I personally dislike freezing rice – but you can easily freeze soups, lentil curries, and most proteins.
Freeze Baked Goods
Freezing baked goods is such a life hack! I’m not a big baker but when my daughter and I bake something like blueberry muffins or banana bread, I’m sure to double the batch for future breakfasts.
Make ‘Flex Protein’
Someone said they like to keep ‘flex protein’ on hand for quick use and I love that concept.
Proteins are often the hardest part about cooking and clean-up. They take the longest and require proper sanitation before and after (if they’re meat-based proteins).
Cooking a double batch of ground turkey, ground beef, or any other protein goes a long way. You can freeze half and then eventually, use them in multiple ways, to bring out so many different flavors – hence the ‘flex’.
This is definitely the meal prep step I apply most often in our home.
Freeze Safely
It astonishes me when I see people still storing or freezing foods in plastic containers. Especially old plastic containers that are clearly worn out. If this is you, don’t feel bad but DO take note and change your approach.
Plastic containers are known to contain chemicals that can leach into your food. This is even truer when the containers are old. And, it’s a common misconception that ‘BPA-free’ plastic is 100% okay. BPA-free items can contain BPA replacements that aren’t so great for you, like BPS and BPF, and can still cause leaching.
Your best bet when freezing foods is to use glass tupperware. If you’re looking to save valuable real estate in your freezer, silicone stasher bags are another good option for freezing.
Quick, Final Toddler Meal Prep Ideas
Here are my toddler food ideas when you really truly have zero minutes to spare.
With these foods on hand, you can pull a healthy meal or snack together in no time:
✅Plain greek yogurt and berries
✅Honey and peanut butter sandwiches
✅Snack plate with foods like figs, apples, cheeses, and puffs
✅Hummus and cucumbers – Remember, chickpeas have some of the highest amounts of glyphosate. To avoid this harmful weed killer, opt for organic hummus.
And if you want even more comfort with the hummus you’re selecting, go with Ithaca. This hummus brand is the first to be certified glyphosate residue free.
✅Shredded jackfruit – Though low in protein, jackfruit has a meaty texture that makes for great tacos, quesadillas, and rice bowls.
More of my favorite, quick toddler snacks are in this travel post.
FAQ: Toddler Meal Prep
Can I meal prep for a toddler?
You can! Though there is one thing I’d be wary of: Making food on Sunday to last all week is best avoided. Eating older leftovers isn’t great for you and certainly not good for your child’s more delicate digestive system. Try cooking in smaller batches (every 2 to 3 days instead of for every 6 to 7 days).
What foods should I make for my 2-year-old?
Try the recipes above to start and remember, your toddler’s taste buds are complex and ever changing. Take their cues about what they like or don’t like seriously because they’re preferences actually change from week to week! They’re not just giving you a hard time.
Does toddler meal prep delivery exist?
It does! Little Spoon is one such delivery. I used them when my toddler was a baby so I could stock up on purees that I trusted. They also offer high quality toddler meal plates.
Final Thoughts: Toddler Meal Prep
There are many different ways to go with toddler meal prep and my final piece of advice is to remember – you’re meal prepping to make things easier, not more stressful.
The moment you find yourself stressing about meal prep and how to approach it, abide by it, execute it – take a pause.
Are you locking yourself up in a meal prep prison with a bunch of rules that you don’t actually have to follow? Because we have enough mind games going on trying to navigate life. We don’t need more!
Keep toddler meal prep low stakes – maybe try it one week, skip it the next. Do what works for you and for your little one.