Easy & healthy Toddler meal recipe ideas for your picky Eater.

Meal times with your toddler is a whole battle isn't it? I never expected my toddler to become a picky eater after successfully weaning her and introducing her to popular Ghanaian dishes like Banku and Okro Soup. I had such high hopes watching her slurp down the soup, chew on chicken drumsticks and down Jollof rice. Until she turned two and all of a sudden, my toddler became aware of her ability to refuse certain foods 😭😩. It takes some intentional and creative thinking to come up with healthy and easy toddler meals which won't be thrown at you or the floor.

Toddlers will test your patience at this stage 😅.

I have listed toddler meal ideas below to help you if you have run out of new ones and also if you want your child to eat healthier. These are great for packed school lunch as well and even dinner!

A few tips :

• Buy a durable food container with a minimum of two compartments / portion areas. The container must be BPA free and microwave friendly.

• Wooden / Bamboo cutlery or hard plastic cutlery are the best to get for your toddler's self feeding phase. Some containers are accompanied with these cutleries.

• Ingredients to always have on hand : Spaghetti, minced meats, eggs, rice, soy sauce, sausages, plantain, fries or yam fries, ketchup.

Toddler Meal Ideas

1. Whole wheat or egg pasta in egg tomato sauce.

   Whole wheat pasta contains good fiber and come in exciting shapes like regular pasta. Go for fun shapes like seashells (conchiglie) and curvy pasta. Your toddler will love the fun shapes too! Adding the sauce to the pasta makes them inescapable! The tomato Stew is every where on this pasta and knowing kids of today they LOVE pasta so there's no avoiding this sauce. Break an egg into the sauce and voila a healthy protein rich dish is ready! My cooking tip for this tomato sauce is to cook carrots and orange or red bell peppers in them and when softened, use a hand blender to puree them into the sauce. That is a sure fire method of getting them to consume their veggies! Freeze any extra sauce for later.

2. Spaghetti with simple Omelette and Avocado

Just like pasta, your toddler will love slurping down Spaghetti. Have several packs of them stored up in the kitchen cupboard. Once you cook the Spaghetti, add a a teaspoon of butter to melt into the strands. Butter is a good source of fat for your growing child. Omelette is your protein and the Avocado brings heart healthy fats and protein. Sprinkle a few grains of salt onto the Avocado to prevent browning and also lift up the flavor!

3. Sausage Spaghetti with Kelewele

Another Spaghetti dish you can't go wrong with. Make your carrots and bell pepper enriched tomato sauce and add cooked Spaghetti mixing it up well. Fry two sausages, slice into interesting shapes and add to the Spaghetti. Slice plantain into fun shapes like squares or mini circles and fry. You can also get more creative by sticking the sausages onto blunt skewers for a variety in your child's dining experience. Serve in other compartment of the lunch bowl. Lunch is ready!!! 😄

4. Plain rice, soy sauce minced meat

Does your toddler love rice more than anything else? Mine too! 😂 the only caveat for her is to not see any Stew on it 🫠. A way around this for now is to buy minced meat (beef, chicken or pork) and cook that down in a little oil till browned and add a tablespoon of minced onion and garlic. Cook that down and add a tablespoon of soy sauce with a few sprinkles of dry herbs. I'm telling you, this will finish so quick! Meat is excellent protein for your child's physical development and in a minced form it's easier for your toddler to chomp it down! Have at least a kilo of minced meat in your freezer. You can also cook it down and store in the freezer that way you cook more efficiently every time. A life saver!

5. Jollof rice with meatballs

For a really great enriched Jollof, make the tomato Stew like in point 1 and you'll have a sweetish and carotene rich Jollof for your child. Make meatballs easily by mixing minced meat with one egg, minced onion and garlic and some dry herbs. Make mini balls using your hand and bake for 15-20 minutes in the oven. You can also fry in vegetable oil till slightly crispy. You don't want the meatballs to be too dry.

6. Ga Kenkey with Omelette and Avocado.

Ga Kenkey is rich in fiber and probiotics which aids in giving your child a stronger healthier gut. One fried Omelette with Avocado and your toddler will be in heaven! To be honest, my toddler got tired of Ga Kenkey and rejected it a little after 2yrs. But she resumed eating only late last year 🙏🏾 after several tries and wooings 🤣. My trick was to always have a bit of juice on hand..works!

7. Fried yam with Kelewele Omelette and Sausages.

Is there a more easier dish to make than this? Fried yam is easier for you child to pick and eat and coupled with the sweetness of Kelewele what could go wrong? Add ketchup onto that fried egg and you'll be a happy Mom because your child finished their food 😂. Do you ever feel the need to buy a carton of ketchup? 🫣🤣🤣🤣 Yam is packed with fiber and good carbs. Slice, precook them and store them in the freezer for future use. It makes you more efficient in the kitchen.

I hope you have found this post useful. Each meal should be accompanied by a fruit such as mango, orange slices, watermelon, banana etc. That way you have a balanced meal. Most children will gladly get their teeth into a succulent mango.

It's very stressful when your child becomes a picky eater. What I tell myself is to just calm down and even be grateful when she eats anything at all! So if your child is eating only white rice and ketchup be grateful that something has even entered their tiny tummies 🤣. It will change trust me 😄.