Our little gal has been eating what her pediatrician refers to as “table food” for several months now. (Doesn’t that sound as though we were feeding her dog food before?) Really it just means that she lost interest in any kind of baby food, and just eats normal food, and we have yet to find anything she doesn’t like, with the exception of eggs. She. Will. Not. Eat. Them…in any way shape or form. If we sneak a bite in her mouth (even with other foods) she will manage to spit out just the egg.
Even though she will pretty much eat anything else that is put in front of her — or anything she finds under her high chair after the meal is over for that matter — it can sometimes be hard to come up with new and different ideas at lunch time. For this week’s Friday Favorites, I want to share with you a handful of the favorite lunch and meal ideas in our house.
Let’s also be real here…there are a million Pinterest-worthy and beautiful looking meal ideas out there, but I’m going to be honest…if my child will eat bugs food off the floor, she isn’t going to be worried about fancy presentations and spice palates. These are kid-friendly and simple ideas.
The timing of when you introduce various foods depends on your child, the number of teeth they have, how accustomed they are to chewing foods, etc. If you have any concerns about choking hazards or what foods are right for your baby, don’t hesitate to discuss it with your pediatrician.
- Avocado—This is a great “first” food if you are just introducing solids. It has great healthy fats, and it has a pretty mild flavor. It has continued to be one of Reagan’s favorites, and she’ll polish off an entire avocado herself in one meal.
- Sliced turkey and cheese—This is a great one if I am making myself a sandwich for lunch.
- PB & J—It is now recommended that introducing peanut butter earlier rather than later could help prevent allergies later on. Of course please discuss this with your pediatrician, particularly if there is any history of nut allergies in your family. We have determined that Reagan does not have an allergy, so this one works for us. Keep in mind, the peanut butter should be a thin layer to avoid choking.
- Buttered noodles with parmesan cheese
- Cheese Quesadilla
- Grilled chicken—Rather than specifically grill up chicken for a one year old’s lunch, this generally is a lunch derived from dinner leftovers.
- Green Beans—”No Salt Added” canned green beans are great because they are soft enough for her to eat with only five teeth, and I don’t have to worry about a ton of extra sodium. Give them a quick zap in the microwave and they are a fast and easy lunch…the same goes for the canned peas and carrots. Plus she LOVES veggies…I hope that lasts when she gets older and more opinionated about food.
- Chicken nuggets and tater tots
- Grilled Cheese Sandwich
- Broccoli—This is another one that I often use leftovers from dinner the night before when we usually steam fresh broccoli, but the frozen steamer bags are super easy to whip up if broccoli is a favorite in your house like it is in ours.
- Mac and cheese
I often add in some fruit, crackers, or “puffs” along with several of these meals. While this list doesn’t necessarily encompass everything Reagan eats for lunch, hopefully this snippet of our go-to’s will give you some lunch inspiration!
Bon Appetit and Happy Friday!
little green pear 