One of the biggest mistakes we make when it comes to preparing meals for toddlers is that we spend too much time and energy doing it. Toddlers like and prefer simple food, yet we get upset when we prepare complicated recipes that they turn their noses up at. So, in an attempt to save you much time and energy, here are my top 10 quick, simple and nutritious recipes for toddlers, and meals they are even likely to eat!

Crumbed Chicken Pieces

Whether you make them as a nugget or as a strip, chicken breast crumbed with a multigrain or quinoa crumb and baked or fried with a little olive oil will go down a treat especially when served with some vegetable chips and a little tomato sauce. I serve with sweet potato chips or a side salad. See my Chicken Nuggets with Sweet Potato Chips recipe here.

Spaghetti Bolognese

An oldie but a good, spaghetti bolognese is a hearty mince dish, which gives you the opportunity to disguise plenty of vegetables in the sauce and team back with zucchini pasta or Bellamy’s Organic Veggie Pasta Alphabets an added source of iron in your babies diet. See my Spaghetti Bolognese recipe here.

Lean Sausages

Sausages are not generally considered healthy but if you look for the extra lean sausages available, they can have as little as 8% fat, which is exceptionally lean for meat in general and a simple grilled sausage served with some peas and corn is always popular. See my Healthy Sausage Bites recipe here.

Cheesy Tuna

Serve a child tuna and vegetables on a plate and chances are it will end up anywhere but in their tummy’s, yet mix the tuna with some pasta, a few vegetables and cheese sauce and suddenly it becomes a family favourite while ticking all the right boxes nutritionally. See my Tuna Mac and Cheese recipe here.

Rice Paper Rolls

The more children are involved in food preparation, the more likely they are to eat the food. A simple mix of sliced vegetables, chicken or prawns wrapped in rice paper by making-it-yourself will go down a treat every time. Make-it-yourself food is super fun for little ones, see my Homemade Rice Paper Roll recipe here.

Eggs

Usually enjoyed at breakfast, do not forget the user friendly egg is a quick, easy and nutritious meal for young children. Hard boiled, served with toast soldiers or scrambled, eggs are rich in iron, essential fats and protein means your dinner is taken care of in minutes. See my Easy Breakfast Pies recipe here

Make-It-Yourself Pizza

Forget the heavy bases and instead seek out a wholegrain pita or wrap bread. And, you can let the kids create the toppings themselves – think lean ham or chicken and a few vegetables and voila, a healthy dinner is served. See my Mini Cheese Pizza recipe here.

San Choi Bau

Kids love mince, and parents love mince because it is relatively inexpensive and you can hide vegetables in it. Enter san choi bau. Grate zucchini and carrot into your lean chicken or pork mince and serve with bean sprouts and lettuce cups for a make-it-yourself dinner the kids will love making and eating.

BBQ Chicken

When you really need a go to meal on the run, you cannot go past a BBQ chicken served with a few frozen vegetables. BBQ chicken also means you can use the leftover chicken to make sandwiches the next day, just keep the temperature of the chicken controlled.

Vegetable Mash

How rarely do kids eat their vegetables? But, if you blend them together, add some cheese and serve with a couple of lamb cutlets or lean fish fingers, not only will they eat their vegetables but they will enjoy the too. For a variation on vegetable mash, see my Veggie Fritters recipe here.