My LO Is Bored with My Cooking. Need Ideas for Fave Meals for 17 Month Old :)

Snacks are super important. They should have 3 meals and several snacks a day. It is totally normal for him to start refusing food now. He will probably love it again in a couple weeks, then refuse it again. I never know what mine will eat. You don't have to do hot meals for lunch (or dinner), I do hot lunches about half the time and most nights. For lunch I often do leftover dinner from the night before, or make something easy, or just do sandwiches and some fruit or veggies. I also don't worry about whether the food "goes together". If he needs peas but wants peanut butter and jelly, I do both.

Mine loves peanut butter and jelly. (Spread the p.b. thin so he doesn't get choked up on it.) I use really good bread, the jelly that is just fruit with no other stuff, and good peanut butter without sugar and stuff. I don't feel bad about it at all. The jelly is called Simply Fruit, or you might be able to get a store brand cheaper, our Kroger has a store brand.

I also do healthy whole grain waffles. I put that jelly on them, or give him mashed up fruit, usually frozen thawed fruit that he can dip it in. I find that giving my son anything that can be dipped makes him like it better. I try to do dips that aren't just ketchup and ranch though.

I do scrambled eggs a lot, and I will add cheese and milk when I'm cooking them if he needs more dairy that day. I do breakfast food for lunch a lot because we just eat yogurt and fruit for breakfast most days. I am not a fan of cooking in the morning, and he doesn't like a big breakfast anyway, thank goodness.

Quesadillas are easy and great. Shredded cheese, some diced up chicken, mild salsa, and it is super quick to cook. I also give him mashed up avocado to dip it in. You can get packaged avocado halves or mashed avocado if they aren't in season.

It sounds like you make great stuff for him and that he eats really well. Don't get discouraged if he won't eat sometimes. Mine goes back and forth all the time, starting at about that age. I rotate around as much as I can, and offer variety and new stuff a lot. But I always have his favorites on hand as my staples just in case.

Here is a great website that might give you ideas: www.weelicious.com She does great healthy stuff for all age ranges, and tries to keep it so that everybody can eat what is made, with the exception of baby purees.

My youngest child likes to eat fruit all the time and not much else. The Dr said that it's absolutely fine and that as long as he's maintaining weight and healthy to continue letting him eat this way. Have you tried soy yogurt? Both my kids prefer it over regular yogurt and milk (they have never tried goat's milk).

You should feel great that he even eats what he does. You are doing a great job. My three-year-old to this day only eats mac & cheese, Pediasure, and cookies, seriously. Don't be worried!! He is eating just fine. When he's in his next growth spurt, he will eat a lot more. Good luck.