Breakfast and Lunch (Daycare) Ideas for a Toddler???

For Breakfast: when my son was little, he loved the cereal bars shaped like granola bars.... they have Cheerio Bars, Special K bars,etc. lots of kid-friendly flavors. He could hold them himself and feel very grown up. Nutrition similar to cereal with milk. Also, Quaker Oats and some other brands have muffin like bars, many of them oat based. A favorite at our house was called "Oatmeal to Go". They are still a good breakfast on the run when we get behind schedule.
Lunch is always a challenge. I hope that some other moms have good ideas for both of us there. L.

My kids would eat nutrigrain bars all day long if they could!
Also, they love the bags of mini muffins and graham cracker sticks.

I know this isn't much but I am usually running out the door in the morning so I put a bunch of different kind of cereal in baggies and my daughter who would eat dry cereal all day long if I let her loves it she just picks the kind she wants and out the door we go. It also helps keep it fresh longer and its a good snack for them.

What about the individual packs of flavored oatmeal ??

apple and cinnamon peaches and cream..

At his age he can eat anything.. just cut it up..

cold cuts cheese and fruit are what my son usually eats..

or hot dogs and cheese and fruit..

My little guy likes easy mac ... if he won't eat oatmeal or cold cereal any more, try a lightly toasted bagel with some cream cheese or jam spread on it ... after you toast it and put your topping on it, wrap it in some aluminum foil ... it'll stay warm and shouldn't get too soggy. I usually send soy butter sandwiches for my 3 year old since the room is a nut free room (nut allergies) and an apple or clementine (really yummy) and some yogurt, Whole Foods has a great yogurt for kids, it's made with whole milk and it actually tastes pretty good; also does NOT contain growth hormones. :) Like we need or want our kids to grow up any faster. :) I also try to send either a homemade cookie (there are lots of great recipes online; foodnetwork.com) or homemade brownies (email me for a simple but great recipe) my 3 year old helps me make the brownies. and I send a note saying if he eats the main part of his lunch and either the yogurt or the fruit, he can have the treat. It works ... my son is the world's pickiest eater. Just make sure you get an icepack if yous end the yogurt. :) Good luck!

At that age, my boys really loved "egg-casserole" for breakfast. And it was great, because you could make it and freeze portions. Take out what you need every few days.

- butter a 8x13 casserole dish
- cover bottom with bread (any kind) - remove the crusts first
- top with cheese (any kind, slices, shredded, etc.)
- top with whatever else you want, I would sneak some veggies in here (chopped brocolli, sausage, bacon, other meats, anything!)
- whisk 12 to 18 eggs, and then pour over the top
- bake at 325 for about an hour
- let cool, chop into appropriate bite sizes pieces
- freeze what you want, take out as you need it

I would make 1 a week for my twin boys, they ate it almost every morning for 6 months. Very easy to transport via containers to daycare.

Other ideas for breakfast...how about just a protein and fruit?
- Sausage/Scrambled Eggs/Cheese/Yogurt/etc.
- Apples/Grapes/Kiwi/Banana/Blueberries/Strawberries/etc.

For lunch - how about just a protein, a veggie, and a fruit?
- Beans/Chicken/Turkey/Meatballs/Hotdog/Cheese/Yogurt/Pasta with cheese or meat inside/etc.
- Peas/Green beans/Carrots/Brocolli/Sweet Potatoes/etc.
- Apples/Grapes/Kiwi/Banana/Blueberries/Strawberries/etc.

For Sweet Potatoes, I like to cut the skins off - chop them into tiny cubes, then cook on a plate in the microwave for ~5 or 6 minutes with a handful of water thrown on top. You can mix them around with a spoon half-way through. You get firm little cubes that are great finger foods and are easy to transport.

Does your daughter feed the kids? (Just wondering. Mine does...but I still send a lot of food b/c I am very picky).

Anyway, my daughter is 15 mos--

Breakfast-- Nutra Grain bar, banana, applesauce, dry cereal, whole grain waffle (no syrup or jelly)

Lunch- fruit, fruit, fruit (pears, peaches, pineapple, applesauce, strawberries, grapes (cut in quarters); cheese slices or cubes (cut up); chicken and rice (I prepare one big meal of this and then cut the chicken and package in gladwear and freeze in baby portions); whole grain spagetti noodles (rottini or something bit size) with A LITTLE sauce or italian dressing; cut up tomatoes/cucumbers; I also buy canned or frozen sliced veggies (carrots, green beans, corn) and mix that with the chicken or send separate); Yo-baby yogurt (good for lunch or breakfast).

Anything that you eat for dinner the night before. I will often package away Isabel's lunch before we eat...so I'm sure I have enough left over.

Good luck!

Hi H.---You know, you really don't have to think of breakfast in terms of cereal or eggs. You can feed him just about anything for breakfast. In Japan, they eat vegetables for breakfast. They give you much more energy to start your day than what we usually eat in the US. A good breakfast will start out with mostly complex carbs, like oatmeal, but it could also mean fruits and veggies, little sandwiches made of peanut or almond butter with bananas. You do want to have some protein and fat (nut butters, for example) mixed in there as it helps to slow the absorption of the 'sugars' once the food is digested. How about making mini-pancakes? You can use whole grain flours, add pureed fruit, gound flax seed and even nuts in those. Make them on the weekend and freeze for later that week.

I really like to carry shelled edemame with me as a snack when I travel. It would be great for little kids as well. Edemame is immature soybeans. You can find it in the freezer at Kroger, both in the regular section and other brands in the health food section. Soy is GREAT protein and contains many other nutrients as well. I have a friend who was feeding her year old daughter tofu and seaweed from her miso soup while eating sushi for lunch one day. Cubed tofu would pack nicely. You can do all kinds of things with tofu.

I also suggest you eliminate all processed meats (cold cuts) from your baby's diet. The nitrates are a known cause of colon cancer (www.pcrm.org). If you must have hot dogs or bologna, buy nitrate free from Trader Joes or Whole Foods. I do indulge in breakfast sausage patties (for egg and cheese breakfast sandwiches for my 18 yr old) and bacon, primarily for BLT's in the summer. But always nitrate free. Kroger carries an in-store brand, nitrate free bacon but I don't see it at all stores.

I am taking a Wellness Class from the Wellness Forum, run by a Naturopath who has her PhD in nutrition. I have a number of files and other ideas to help with menus for little ones. Feel free to contact me and I would be happy to share those with you. Wellness Education is my passion and my mission is to help people become healthier through education and whole food nutrition. I look forward to talking to you. In health, D. ###-###-####