Scrumptious Lunch Ideas for Toddlers

9 Scrumptious and Healthy Lunch Ideas for Toddlers

Do you often find yourself struggling for exciting lunch ideas to feed your toddler? Making a meal that is both nutritious and tempting for a midday pick-me-up can be time-consuming. But with some inspiration and careful meal planning, you can save time by cooking the night before, preparing ingredients in advance, or even freezing part of the meal for quick preparation.

Busy Bees in St Albans has compiled some of their most loved meals from the nursery menus at to help you lure your toddler to the table. These scrumptious and healthy lunch ideas are packed with both goodness and flavour to provide variety to their diet and the nutritional benefits essential for growing children.

Vegetable and Bean Burrito

Feeding your toddler the right amount of vegetables that they require can be tricky. A good serving will offer them the nutrients needed for their growing bodies. Vegetables contain many health benefits such as Vitamin A – this keeps eyes and skin healthy and protects against infection: Vitamin C helps heal cuts and wounds and keeps teeth and gums healthy. Make it colourful and fun; spoon the filling into a centre of tortilla and then wrap it up tightly.

Ingredients (for a family of 4):

Brown Rice – 1 – 1¼ cup
Kidney Beans – 200g
Black Eyed Beans – 200g
Mixed Vegetables – 300g
Mild Chili Powder – 1tsp
Cumin – 1tsp
Mixed Herb – 2tsp
Tinned Tomatoes – 400g
Tortillas – 4-6
Cheese – 150g

Directions:

Put the rice into a large pan of boiling water or vegetable stock and cook until tender and then drain.
Slice all the vegetables and then sweat in a little oil until they soften.
Add the herbs and spices and cook for a couple of minutes then add ½ the tomatoes and the rice and mix well.
Put some of the rice mix in to a tortilla, wrap/roll up and place into an oven dish
Once all wraps and rice mix used blitz the remaining tomatoes and put over the top of the tortillas, then top with grated cheese.
Bake in the oven for 15-20minutes until cheese bubbles.

Alternatives

For gluten free diets use gluten free tortillas
For dairy free diets use dairy free cheese

Chickpea Gumbo with Flavoured Rice

This is one of those surprising meals. It’s colourful, full of goodness and loaded with veggies for growing toddlers to enjoy. Chickpeas have a slightly nutty taste and are great source of protein and fibre. Fibre helps control blood sugar levels allowing the sugar to move slowly from the digestive tract into the bloodstream. This helps avoid blood sugar spikes after eating and, as a result, children are less likely to experience fatigue and irritation from blood sugar crashes.

Ingredients (for a family of 4):

Chickpeas – 1 Tin
Garlic – 2 cloves
Green Pepper – 1
Sweet Potato – 2-3
Celery – 3 sticks
Onion – 1 Medium
Paprika – 1tsp
Ground Cumin – ¾ tsp
Mild Chili Powder – ½ tsp
Bay Leaves – 1
Dried Parley – 2tsp
Plain Flour – 100g
Vitalite/Dawn Phase – 50g
Veg Stock – 1 Lt.

Directions:

Heat Vitalite or Dawn Phase in a large pan and add diced onion and flour. Let them cook and stir until they reach a deep brown colour.
Add diced pepper, celery, garlic and sweet potato and stir for a few minutes until softened.
Add spices and herbs and gradually stir in stock, little by little, until you have a smooth sauce.
Add chickpeas and okra (or courgette) and simmer for 45mins. Stirring occasionally
Season to taste with black pepper and serve.

Flavoured Rice Ingredients:

Brown Rice
Lemons
Bay Leaves
Turmeric

Directions:

½ the lemons and then add to boiling water with all the other ingredients and simmer until the rice is cooked and tender. Remove the lemon and Bay leaves and serve.

Chicken Casserole and Herb Dumplings

A delicious and hearty meal that simply smells great. This is something for them to slurp, get their teeth into and poke their forks into those dumplings. The best thing about casseroles is discovering the many ways to enjoy them as well as adding tasty vegetables to liven up the dish. A warm, exciting lunch for your toddler packed full of nutrition.

Ingredients (for family of 4):

Chicken – 2kg
Onion – 1
New Potatoes – 500g
Carrots – 2-3
Spring Greens – 1/2
Peas – 130g
Spring Onion – 2
Veg Stock – 1Lt
Fresh Herbs – handful
Self Raising Flour – 200g
Vitalite/Dawn Phase – 100g
Mixed Herbs – 1tbs

Directions:

Dice the onion and gently fry in a large pan with a little oil. Add diced carrots, potatoes and veg stock and bring to the boil.
Place chicken in a tray and cover with foil. Cook in the oven.
Add chopped spring greens and peas to the pan and lower heat to a simmer.
Finish the casserole with a little corn flour to thicken, chopped spring onions and fresh herbs.
Add chicken with juices to casserole.

For the Dumplings:

Put the flour, herbs and Vitalite/Dawn Phase into a bowl and rub with your finger tips until it resembles bread crumbs.
Add a splash of cold water and bind into a dough.
Divide the dough into the required amount of balls and then place on top of the casserole.
Cover and cook on a medium heat either in the oven or on the hob for 30mins

Alternatives

For gluten free diets use gluten free flour
For vegetarian diets use Vegetable Casserole Recipe

Baked Courgette with Cheese Crust

This is a scrumptious meal for kids with a good amount of greens. This is the perfect meal to use up a leftover courgette. Prepare with the peel intact to optimise its goodness. Courgettes supply the body with immune system boosting Vitamin C to help form and repair red blood cells, bones and tissues.

Ingredients:

Courgette – 3-4
Bread Crumbs – 200g
Cheese (Grated) – 100g
Chopped Dill – Small Handful
Chopped Parsley – Small Handful
Lemon (Zest and Juice) – 1/2
Butter – 25g
Plain Flower – 25g
Milk – 500ml

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 190c/GM6
½ the courgette then ½ lengthwise
Score the flesh of the courgette with a crisscross pattern and rub with a little oil
Top with a little grated cheese and then sprinkle over some of the crust mix (same as for fish)
Bake in the oven for 15 minutes

Alternatives

For dairy free diets use dairy free cheese
For fish free diets use Baked courgette recipe

Minced Lamb and Bean Pie with Mashed Potato

Make a simple yummy pie that your little one will love. This lamb and bean pie with a little gravy forms a great combination. A source of high quality protein, vitamins and minerals, lamb can be an excellent component of a healthy diet: it provides essential iron for growth and helps strengthen the immune system. Iron also contributes to the supply of oxygen to the blood to support healthy brain function, increased concentration and avoid fatigue.

Ingredients:

Lamb Mince – 400g
Onion – 1
Carrot – 2
Mushroom – 100g
Baked Beans – 1 Tin
Potato – 800g
Vitalite/Dawn Phase – 200g
Milk – 50 ml
Cheese – 75g

Directions:

Pre heat the oven to 180c/GM5
Peel and boil the potatoes until soft then drain and put back into the pan with the milk and Vitalite/Dawn Phase and mash.
Chop the onion, carrot and mushrooms.
Brown the mince in a pan then add the chopped vegetables and cook for 10-15 minutes before adding the beans.
Mix the beans in then put the mince into oven proof dishes, top with the mash potato and grated cheese before cooking in the oven until cheese is melted and bubbling.
Allow to cool for 10-15minutes before serving.

Subscribe

The Importance of Bedtime Stor..