Way back in 2006, when my twins were one year old, I polled the mother of twins group for meal ideas for one year olds. I was in a rut, and I got lots of suggestions so I compiled them all together. Here they are! I didn't try all these with my kids so I can't vouch for all of them, but it's certainly a big list to get you thinking.
Feel free to add your own ideas in the comments, or if you're an author here, write your own post on the topic. It's so easy to run out of ideas or get stuck with the same few meals, especially with kids who are just learning to eat table food.
Hope this gives all you parents of younger kids some good ideas. And looking this over, there are a lot of ideas to try with my 4 year olds! Maybe I'll get them to try something new :)
Veggies:
Beets. I know, crazy! We just buy the canned, sliced kind. I rinse them with hot water which not only heats them up a bit, but gets rid of the MESSY red juice.
Veggies sautéed in salsa. Go figure - the kids ate some cauliflower.
Black beans & rice. I make it on the mushy side and dice up onions, garlic & red bell peppers.
Plain black beans, you can always run them through the blender and puree them and add a little bit of quinoa, which I do to much of their food.
Sweet Peas
Spinach pancakes and broccoli pancakes sold at whole foods and in most stores - Dr. Pragers I think they are called
Avocado
Fresh asparagus and green beans
Steamed carrots, zucchini, etc.
Baked or boiled squash/or sweet potato
Millet and cauliflower mash- good way to get whole grains and veggies in
Mashed potatoes
Cucumber
Well cooked beans- doesn’t have to be just black beans
Coconut cucumber soup
Nori- melts in mouth
Pieces of veggie burger
Spreading pureed broccoli on cheese sandwiches under the cheese
Broccoli (chopped or trees) and cauliflower
Cooked squash cubes
Sweet potato fries from Trader Joe's
Cooked carrot/potato/other root veggie chunks
Cannellini beans, green beans (canned cut or fresh cooked), garbanzos, black-eyed peas
Zucchini pancakes
Fruits:
Cut up watermelon, cantaloupe, or honeydew melon
Small pieces of melon or bananas
Kiwi
Steamed apple or pear
Grapes - peeled and quartered or halved
Apple sticks, whole apples, peels removed
Frozen berry mix (from Trader Joes)
Cherry tomatoes sliced tomatoes
Grains:
Whole grain slices of bread or pita
High quality dry cereals
Cooked whole grains like brown rice, quinoa, kasha (toasted buckwheat, not “kashi” the brand), etc.
Toast with hummus
Multi-grain waffles
Pancakes, toast (cut into quarters)
Croissant toasted
Crusty bread bagels/mini-bagels (frozen for teething)
Cheerios, Rice Crispies
Rice cakes, small graham crackers
Bread pudding
Biscotti
Quesadillas (bean and cheese, salmon and hot pepper cheese, veggie)
Pizza with ricotta, mozzarella, tomato sauce; cut
Eggos (with cottage cheese, cream cheese, cinnamon and sugar, or jam)
Polenta
Tortilla rollups (mix together cream cheese, mild salsa, and shredded cheddar. Spread thinly on a tortilla, roll up, and refrigerate for at least one hour. Then cut into coins
Pasta:
Puree black beans with red bell peppers, onions, garlic, etc. and add it to macaroni
Trader Joe's whole wheat couscous - takes 5 minutes to make and goes with everything
Small pasta. Like tiny O's and boiled it with red sauce and melted cheese and peas
Penne with trader joes (or any brand) spinach and artichoke dip on it
Spaghetti (or ziti or whatever pasta you want) is also a good, filling way to give them lunch or dinner---add some sauce if they'll eat it, if not, try it plain or with a little butter
Macaroni and cheese---what would kids be without that staple?
Fusilli long noodles cut up
Farfalle macaroni
Tortellini ravioli
Sticky rice
Meats/Eggs/Protein:
Scrambled eggs with cheese and grated carrots. Same goes for omelets.
Hamburgers/cheese burgers that have been grilled with BBQ sauce
Toast with plain hummus or cream cheese
Bits of turkey or ham cold cuts
Cold cut and cheese pinwheels (layer a piece of cold cut and a slice of cheese, roll up, and cut into coins)
Raw or boiled tempeh
Baked tofu pieces
Stir fried tofu (cube tofu, stir fry with a small amount of olive oil and soy sauce and a sprinkle of powdered ginger and garlic powder)
Silken tofu used like yogurt with fruit pieces
Sweet potato and ground chicken balls
Spinach and turkey meatballs (Mix together 1.25 lbs ground turkey and half a package of thawed, drained chopped spinach, along with whatever else you normally add to meatballs, such as an egg, bread crumbs and seasoning. Form into meatballs and pan fry)
Any kind of fish, baked with herbs (I was surprised by how much they like fish - nice consistency)
Progresso chicken noodle soup (the one with the veggies and chunks of chicken) and drain the soup part from it---rinse it out in a strainer to get out the added salt----and put it on a plate and let them hand feed themselves that.
Chicken nuggets, cut up or whole (try frozen for teething)
Scrambled egg (or egg yolk)
Hardboiled egg (or egg yolk)
Frittata
Rotisserie chicken, cut across the grain
Salmon, cooked, flaked, or chunked
Egg in a Hole
Chicken melt sandwich (mix a can of chicken and some grated mozzarella, make a sandwich and grill. The cheese melts and holds it all together)
Dairy:
Piece of cheese toasted on bread
Yogurt smoothie with added nutrition - flax seed ground up, brewers yeast, egg yolk, carrots, etc.
Grilled cheese sandwich
Yogurt
Any cheese -shredded, cubes, or cut into sticks
Soft cheese spread on bread chunks
Cream cheese and jelly sandwich
Snacks:
Veggie booty
Nutri-grain bars
Whole wheat goldfish crackers
Snap pea crisps
