Toddler recipes: 3 ingredient, quick and easy recipes for kid food. Includes 3 ingredient banana pancakes, easy salmon sticks, a quinoa blend for stirring into almost anything, and a easy vegetable snack! See my Baby Food section for more toddler recipes!
Camille is coming up on 22 months old, and I’ve really enjoyed feeding her. I knew before she was born that eating healthy food was going to be a priority for me as a Mom. I’m one of those people that doesn’t feel good unless I eat well, and I can only imagine someone that shares my genes might be the same way.
I’m going to get controversial on you, right off the bat. I hate ‘kid food.’ I do not buy food marketed towards children. Every time I’m at Target and I see another piece of junk food with a ‘Finding Dory’ character printed on the front, I curse under my breath (and then steer my cart to the wine aisle).
It can be hard to feed your kid real food. When in doubt, think back to your grandma’s time…what did they give their kids for snacks? (Steamed green beans + hard boiled eggs, cottage cheese + homemade applesauce, cheese cubes + fruit, peanut butter on homemade bread with a glass of milk—in case you needed help on that one). Grandmas are an incredible resource as you raise babies, and not just for snack ideas.
I describe ‘kid food’ as everything they sell to Moms from the moment babies turn 3-4 months old. My personal object of deep hatred is baby puffs. What in the heck are those? Empty calories? I can think of dozens of better real food options to give your kid than a puff of air with vague grain components sprinkled with vitamin dust (the vitamins that were removed during the grain discombobulation, no doubt). During ‘puff time’ I gave Camille quartered blueberries and steamed carrot pieces instead. If you love baby puffs because they’re shelf-stable, can I recommend freeze-dried fruit instead? It’s literally one ingredient (fruit!). When Camille was little, I always kept freeze-dried strawberries, a banana, an avocado, and Ezekiel bread cubes in my diaper bag).
Side note: don’t get me started on baby yogurt. Camille has only ever had plain, whole milk yogurt. As she’s gotten older, I’ve added fruit on occasion, but if you never buy them sugar-drench yogurt, they never develop a taste for it. And then you don’t have to pay $5 for 6 thimbles of sugar/ yogurt with Dory printed on label while I pay the same amount for a 32-ounce tub of plain yogurt.
Don’t you even talk about “fish crackers” around me. I’m serious; don't do it.
I’m an intense Mama, clearly. I know my approach to feeding Camille is extreme. You don’t have to be as extreme as me. In fact, you probably shouldn’t. You should probably relax and let your kid have a freakin’ donut every now and then. (For the record, Camille has had exactly ¼ of a donut in her life, but I gave her milk and strawberries beforehand to minimize the amount she would eat).
While I love these toddler recipes, I don’t recommend obsessing over everything that your kid eats like I do. My husband rolls his eyes at me, and I know he thinks I’m being annoying. A few months ago, he took Camille to visit his family for a weekend while I stayed home, and I’m still worried that he let her eat horrible things. I didn’t ask, and he didn’t tell. I’m just praying fast food wasn’t involved. It’s not good to be as overly concerned as I am. But we can meet in the middle with easy, 3-ingredient REAL FOOD toddler recipes!
I’ve got an easy 3-ingredient recipe for every time of the day, plus variations, too. If you have ideas to add, please leave me comments below! I’m always looking for new ideas! I want to hear your easy toddler recipes, too!
Toddler recipes for Breakfast:
Easy banana pancakes = 1 banana + 1 egg + ¼ cup flour
While I make breakfast, Camille sips on whole milk or homemade almond milk (which I make as a treat for myself, but somehow the baby ends up drinking the majority of it). These 3-ingredient pancakes are her favorite. Even when she’s had a big dinner with dessert the night before, she will still scarf down one of these pancakes.
My large banana measured ⅓ cup smashed, my eggs are size large, and my flour is whole wheat. I’ve also used oat flour (grind up rolled oats in the blender), and I’ve also added cinnamon and vanilla. Tiny diced walnuts would be good here, too, and it would up the banana bread flavor quotient. Next time, I’m going to add tiny frozen blueberries!
This recipe makes 4 kid-sized pancakes. Camille eats one and I freeze the rest, but feel free to scale up the recipe as needed and pack your freezer! Cook them like regular pancakes on a buttered griddle. Serve with more butter and maple syrup.
Toddler recipes for Lunch:
Salmon fish sticks = strips of salmon + 1 egg + panko breadcrumbs
Four days a week, Camille goes to daycare for 3 hours each day. While she’s there, she eats lunch with the other kids and socializes. (This is when I get most of my work done, especially photography, as tripods and children do not mix).
I’ve been making these salmon fish sticks a lot lately, and she loves them! After dipping each salmon strip in egg and then panko, place on a greased baking sheet, bake at 400 for 9-12 minutes (cut into one to ensure they're done).
When I’m feeling fancy, I do half breadcrumbs, half Parmesan cheese. And the day I took these photos, I had some extra fresh thyme, so I stirred that in, too. Camille is in a serious dunking phase (she says ‘dip dip dip’ while she dunks her food into sauces), and so I pack a little container of cheater’s aioli (¼ cup mayo + 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard + ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika). Ooh, that was a bonus 3-ingredient recipe for ya!
Toddler recipes for Snacktime:
Snack bowl = 5 cherry tomatoes + ¼ of an avocado + sea salt
I have weird feelings about snacks for kids. When we go to the playground, I notice other kids eating almost constantly. I wonder if they eat their food at mealtime? Camille’s snacking has always been limited, and therefore she’s always eaten her meals, so I’m not going to mess with it. The one exception is when she wakes up from her afternoon nap. We eat dinner pretty late in our house (after 7pm), so when she wakes between 4:30 and 5:00, she needs a little something to eat. I try to limit her to fruits and vegetables that don’t fill her up too much so that she's hungry for dinner.
Camille has been convinced that tomatoes are grapes. I blame this on last summer’s incredible tomato crop. I took her to the farmer’s market one morning, and her eyes fell upon a display of colorful cherry tomatoes in blue cartons. She demanded them (and who am I to get in the way of a child demanding vegetables?) I bought 3 cartons, and they were gone in a few days. She’s been very into tomatoes ever since.
When my avocados aren’t ripe, I use black beans (I cook several pounds of black beans at a time and freeze them; if I pull them out in the morning to pack her snack, they defrost perfectly by the afternoon). Sometimes I substitute cucumbers instead of tomatoes. I buy the tiny Persian cucumbers, and Camille eats them like apples.
Toddler recipes for Dinnertime:
Healthy mix = 2 cups quinoa + ¾ cup red lentils + 4 cups chicken broth
I was in camp ‘kids eat what adults eat’ before I even had kids. If you know how busy I am, you know that cooking a separate dinner for a kid was never an option for me. I try to keep Camille in mind when planning our meals and include something she loves at every meal. I’m also a firm believer in continuing to serve something even if a kid says they don’t like it.
Camille is a bit too young for the ‘take two bites/ try everything on your plate’ rule, but when she’s a bit older, I will be employing that strategy. She’s also too young for bribery (trust me, I’ve tried). But it’s okay, because there’s really only one thing she refuses to eat: red meat. I’m definitely concerned about lack of iron in her diet, so I give her plenty of black beans, raisins, and spinach in her smoothies). Our favorite source of iron is lentils.
Speaking of lentils, my amazing blog friend Kelly (who has a child that eats very well!) wrote another cookbook, Superfood Weeknight Meals: Healthy, Delicious Dinners Ready in 30 Minutes or Less, and I was so eager to get my hands on it! I absolutely loved her first book, and this is another extension of Kelly’s brilliant mind when it comes to nutrition. The premise of the book is incorporating 10 superfoods into your diet in exciting new ways: avocados, lentils, sweet potatoes, quinoa, almonds, eggs, spinach, citrus, olive oil, and cauliflower. All of her recipes are ready in 30 minutes or less, too! I mean, really, Kelly couldn’t make it easier for us to eat healthier (and deliciously!).
I’ve made at least a dozen things from the book, and loved it all (especially the broccoli cheddar soup, buffalo-ranch lentil burgers, and the green goddess quesadillas), but my favorite thing about this book is her genius strategy for cooking a pot quinoa-lentil blend and incorporating it into meals throughout the week. She stirs it into burgers, wraps, soups, smoothies, even fruit cobbler! If you have a bowl of quinoa-lentil blend in your fridge ready to go, you’ll find all kinds of ways to use it throughout the week! If we make it to the end of the week with just a mere ½ cup portion leftover, I always make one of Kelly’s grain bowls with coconut-almond sauce (exactly as delicious as it sounds!).
To make it, combine the quinoa, lentils and chicken broth (you can also sub water, especially if you think you'll be using it in sweet recipes). Stir everything together, bring to a boil and then reduce heat to medium. Partially cover the pan and steam for 20 minutes. Refrigerate leftovers for up to 1 week.
So, grab Kelly’s book, and these 3 ingredients to make a pot of goodness you’ll use all week!
And leave me comments and tips below on how to get kids to eat healthier, more adventurous meals. I love learning from other Moms.
(We'll be back to regularly scheduled dessert for two recipes soon! Love you!)
NicoleV says
I love your baby food posts. I secretly cross my fingers for more posts like this. I have an 11 month old daughter. When she started eating solids, it really gave me an eye opener to what my husband and I eat. If I won't feed it to the baby, we don't eat it now either. (Except occasional fry and Diet Coke runs but I'm not here for judgement. Just be glad I told you at all). I struggle with breakfast. We do eggs with veggies, PB toast with bananas...she really doesn't like Oatmeal. I'm thinking of trying quinoa next. What were your tried and try favorites around a year old? Thanks for such a great blog!
Christina Lane says
Hah, Nicole! We all have our vices and things we need to keep us going on this Mom journey. I'm a candy addict. I hide it in the pantry from daughter. Lately, chocolate covered espresso beans are giving me life (and extra energy!)
I have a few purees/chunky foods that I really liked for Camille when she was 1 in the baby food section of my site here: https://www.dessertfortwo.com/category/baby-food/. The mango meatballs, Colcannon, and baby Bolognese were huge hits. I also used to make cream of chicken and wild rice soup for her, but somehow, I never posted a recipe for it. Probably because when slightly pureed, it turns purple, heh :)
Also, I just saw this from Michelle at BabyFoodE for quinoa as an oatmeal replacement: http://www.babyfoode.com/blog/homemade-quinoa-baby-cereal I'm going to try it this morning because it's my day off with Camille :)
KayZee says
You have lentils listed twice in the last recipe. I assume one should be quinoa, but which measurement? I'm anxious to try it. Thanks.
Christina Lane says
Yikes, sorry! I was writing this while Camille was in my lap. Thanks for the catch! :)
KayZee says
...but which measurement is quinoa? 2 cups?
Christina Lane says
Sorry, I fixed it. Quinoa 2 cups, lentils 3/4 cup.
Monica says
Haha, just made the banana pancakes this morning and for some reason I swore up and down that it said 1 c. of flour and I didn't need to come and check it. Obviously it did not say that (after coming here to check), and obviously the batter looked more like dough with that much flour so I had to add milk to thin it out but they were still tasty! Will definitely try these again with the proper amount of flour! My kiddo (2 years) liked them, she's a fan of pancakes and also of dipping things and requests "dip" for things that you normally wouldn't dip at all. Ours also loves tomatoes, and has since about 4-5 months! These kids have good taste! :)
Claire says
I meant to say I love your recipe for the fish sticks. Not the store bought ones ;)
Claire says
Love these ideas!!! I'm with you on the "no kid food." Basically if I wouldn't eat it, why should my child? I love the fish sticks though...every good Catholic toddler needs fish sticks during Lent ;)
Kid yogurt is the worst. I keep plain yogurt on hand at all times. My son loves it mixed with homemade applesauce and pumpkin purée with a dash of pumpkin pie spice. It's like pumpkin cheesecake!
Christina Lane says
Oh yes, I'm scrambling to come up with fish recipes for Lent right now! I think we're going to our church's fish fry this Friday, and I'm curious how Camille is going to handle REAL fried fish after she's had my faux-friend version, hah!
I love your 'pumpkin cheesecake' idea, thank you! :)
Jacqueline Donisanu says
I love this, Christina!! I thoroughly believe in the girls eating what my husband and I eat, not "kids food." We are big fans of chickpeas, from making hummus that we dip our veggies in to roasted chickpeas with nutritional yeast and spices. I always had those in my diaper bag when they were younger. Mine tend to snack on fruits of all varieties which I'm happy about but I do make them your graham crackers, as you know, along with other homemade snacks - including wheat thins, cheese crackers (which I'll often change up by replacing the cheese with nutritional yeast) and fig newtons which are my favorite as they are vegan and refined sugar free.
Christina Lane says
Whoa, Jacqueline! I think I need your recipes for what thins, cheese crackers and fig newtons! They sound lovely :) And you sound like an amazing Mama with amazing girls :)
Kayle (The Cooking Actress) says
You're like my baby food mentor! I'm pinning this for future reference and can only hope I end up with little ones as amazing as Camille!
Emily says
Thanks for the pancake recipe! My 9 month old enjoyed it which I was semi-surprised since I've exhausted her on bananas :) Any tips on getting her to eat veggies? She doesn't have any teeth yet, but she manages to eat foods she likes with no issue. Put a piece of broccoli or carrot on her tray and she picks it up and puts it in her mouth only to spit it back out. I keep trying but she's not enjoying them any more than she did at first, though she eats them pureed just fine. Help!!
Lindsay @ The Live-In Kitchen says
You go girl! Those are some awesome healthy kid recipes. I feel the same way you do but have caved big time out of exhaustion. I'll have to try scale up some of your recipes to feed my army!
Amber says
Kudos to you for feeding your daughter so well! I have never met anyone who who fed their child as well as I fed my son when he was little & while we haven't met, I still say kudos! My son didn't have his first sweet treat (crap so-called "food) until he was 4 years old & his dad's mother fed him some apple fritter & Dr. Pepper. My son came home with a mysterious rash. 3 days later grandma fessed up & I was livid. In 3rd grade, he got his 1st taste of soda because I had a dentist appointment that wouldn't reschedule. I wasn't there to supervise & he threw the soda up. Way to go teacher for allowing 3rd grades Mtn. Dew. Needless to say, he will be 18 this month & doesn't drink soda or eat sweets very often. When he does, like me, he regrets the decision because he gets sick. Raise them with whole foods now & save their little lives later. Everything we instill in them now makes a lasting impression.
Lynne D. says
No kids and not expecting to have any (I'm 70 years young!) but these recipes appeal to ME! Sound great and not huge amounts ... just a kid at heart, I guess! Thank you.