Need Ideas for Quick Lunches for 17-Month-old

Anything with cream cheese or melted swiss or cheddar works- rice cakes, graham crackers, vegetables. My kids love raviolis (which is a great way to sneak in vegetables) and tortellinis; they can be eaten cold or warm. Cut up deli meat; olives; mini waffles & french toast; omelettes; cooked carrots (I make a bunch and put them in old baby food jars for the week).
Fresh fruit is always better; frozen fruit & vegetables are better than canned.
We buy these mini-quiche at Costco that my daughter loves. Amy's makes these mini pizza snacks with spinach & cheese that are popular.
Good luck!

My son is 20 months know and he only has 8 teeth, 4 on top and 4 on the bottom....nothing in the back. We feed him and have since he was a year old anything we can eat, There little mouths can gum just about anything! Sandwich's are always nice, I will sometimes slightly blanch veggies, like carrots, apples anything hard, get them soft but not mushy, all the foods you mentioned may not apear to be a "meal" but really they are so long as they are balanced, look at her food intake through out the day, and then the week, with my older ones I would keep track of it cause I was worried that they were eating more snacks and not so many meals but when I saw a weekly intake they were getting all the nutrition they needed. A meal for them isn't the same as a meal for us.

I have a 17 month old too!! she has been off baby food since 11 moths. she just didnt like it anymore so I stared to give her, grilled cheese sandwich, cut up( if you baby is still learning how to chew), also some banana's, peaches, pears ect... for breakfast I buy frozen whole wheat pancakes. She loves those I put a little Jam on it and cut it into 4's. there way nice because u can heat them in the microwave for 30 sec. they are quick and easy!!! especailly when you runnin late. also toast and scrambled eggs are great and my dauger loves them. Mixed veggies are great in mac and cheese then that way they are gettting veggies in too!! also peanut butter sandwichs are great for being on the run!!! Shredded chicken is great to!!! I hope I've helped ypu out

HI L. - my daughter - now 3+ enjoyed applesauce (no sugar added), string cheese (can be torn into small pieces), those new "go-gurt" squeeze yogurts, danimals yogurt drinks (we mixed with her favorite juice in a sippy cup). Also try the sliced deli cheeses, and the "graduates" toddler snacks (I did not buy the graduate meals - I also thought they were pricey) - they were a staple in my daughter's go bag. We packed a lunch - that was made up of a variety of things we knew were good for our daughter and fun to eat too.
Good luck - and remember, these may seem "snack" oriented but your little one is testing the waters with food - let your daughter try them all - it won't hurt her a bit to have a wide range of good food to eat. :)

My daughter loves tofu, either just plain or with some cinnamon sprinkled on it. Other good ideas:
Veggie hot dogs and some cheese cubes
ham and cream cheese "roll-ups"
bagel with peanut butter and banana
yogurt and fruit smoothie with cheese and crackers
applesauce with shredded carrots and raisins in it
cheese, avocado, and black bean quesadilla (one of my daughter's favorites)with a side of mango slices
Good luck!
S.

Does your doctor know about you giving your 17 month old bottled baby food??? She is way old for that, and should have been having regular meals since at least 1 year old. They can eat just about anything within reason. I'd say throw out the bottles and start cutting up whatever your having for dinner/lunch to give to her too, I'm sure she'll love it.

I have a 14 month old duaghter who loves casseroles and thick soups and most of them I make in the crock pot overnight so all I have to do is scoop it up into a tupperware in the morning for her lunch later. They even have already frozen crock pot meals in the frozen section at the grocery store so all you do is add water and cook over night instead of chopping up the ingredients yourself. It's very economical and you get plenty to freez for later if you want and you still have plenty of time for everything else. These meals have it all veggies,pasta,rice and meats. My daughter loves the chicken and dumplings.You should give it a try,hope it helps.

Peanut butter/jelly sandwiches are a quick, high protein, lunches. Depending on how much she eats at one meal, snack foods are not always bad because you have cheese which is a protein (if it has at least 7grams of protein in it). Lunch meats, turkey, chicken based are good easy lunches. Yogurt with granola in it give her a milk calories with a fruit like granola is good. Any fruit can help her with the daily fruit she needs. Like bananas, cut up apples, grapes frozen and cut in half. Basically what you can eat for lunch that is quick. As long as you stick with the food groups, she can eat most anything and what she may lack at lunch you can get her at breakfast & dinner hours. I hope this helps.

We do a lot of meals similar to the Gerber Graduates, although we did those, too, as our little guy wouldn't eat table food but would eat those. Something we just found that he loves is Chicken Noodle Soup without the broth. I make mine with left over chicken, spaghetti, and vegetables. Just keep freezing until I have enough. Throw it all in a pan, cover with broth, and cook until boiling. The longer you let it simmer, the better the noodles taste as they pick up the broth flavor. GL!

It sounds like she's eating pretty well. If she doesn't like certain foods/textures, just don't push them on her. Some things that we like to pack for our 13 month old:

*Lunchmeat, like cubes of turkey ham or I roll lunchmeat into a tube and let her take bites off it
*Cheese chunks
*Crackers
*Steamed veggies (She especially loves steamed carrots. I cook 2lb at a time, dice them, and then freeze them in a ziploc bag. When I need some, I just pull out what I need.)
*Fruit - great summer produce like strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, (berries are SO high in antioxidants) and grapes, bannanas, nectarines and pineapple. Squishy fruit like peaches are great for home, but don't pack well.
*BEANS! Beans are an amazing food, packed with nutrients and protein, simple to cook, and free from the sugar, salt, preservatives, etc that so many snack foods have. I try to cook my own beans, but we often wind up serving canned beans. Make sure you rinse canned beans well. I drain a can (or cook some beans up) and just keep it in the fridge, pulling out what I need at each mealtime.
*I don't know if she likes tomatoes, but my little one loves those teeny Cherub tomatoes. Tomatoes are also packed with lycopene, which contributes to a healthy heart.

Basically, I try to pick something from each food group, or most of them, and just combine it all into a meal. Many of the "snack" food you listed can make a wondeful meal when put together. Just remember to put protein in her meal to keep her blood sugar steady and keep her filled up for a reasonable amount of time. Too many carbs will make her blood sugar spike, then drop drastically, causing mood swings and hunger in a short amount of time.

Best of luck,
S.

I am not sure if shes at a day care facility or at someones house. Have you tried making sandwiches for her just bread thin sliced deli meat and a slice of cheese. They do have easy mac, my daughter loves elbow noodles with butter and garlic salt.I also do bagel and cream cheese, with mixed fruit. Try a spinach dip with some crackers or vegetables. If you make something she can eat for dinner the night before make enough for the next lunch. I hope this helps and gl. If I can think of anything else I will let you know.

I really like lunchables:) My daughter is 16 months and only has 4 teeth and she can gum these just fine. They have the mini lunchables if you are concerned about the big bites. Or with the regular ones I just cut up the meat and cheese. I am not very domestic at all!! But I also buy chicken strips and cut them up for her into small pieces and she does fine.

My 14 month old son loves french toast, grilled cheese (which is easy to prepare and can be fixed the night before if you want), and I just found something that I think is fabulous- frozen crinkle sweet potato fries by McCain. So easy to fix and you can buy a bag at King Soopers for $2.88. Another thing I do is steam a bunch of veggies at a time, broccoli, asparagus, and then I have veggies on hand whenever it is meal time. Good luck!

Hi L.,

First congrats on your baby girl, that is such a heart warming story. I have also struggled with my son on what to feed him and still get him all the nutrients he needs after he went off jarred food and formula. Here are some things that I never thought he would like but they have turned into his favorite foods. My kid loves avocados, he can't get enough of them. he doesn't have a lot of teeth either and avocado cubed is perfect for him. Also hummus, he eats it on little pieces of bread or just shovels it into his mouth. You can make your own or just buy some at the store, I stick with the plain kinds and if it is too pasty I add a little more olive oil to it. Another thing that will work well for packed lunches instead of string cheese get a ball of fresh mozzarella at the store and slice some up for him. My son just gnaws on the slice and it is nice and soft for him, he also likes that it is more watery than normal hard cheese and it tastes better. It is a bit messy, but so is everything at 17 months. I have also "tricked" him when he won't eat meat by wrapping deli turkey slice pieces around the avocado or hummus so he is getting protein as well. White cannellini beans and black beans as someone suggested work well cold and pack a good nutrient punch. My son also loves canned green beans, they make little "to go" packs these days so those would be good for school. Good luck and one of my friends told me to just start cooking for myself and my husband and pull out some of the ingredients that work for my son and feed him from what we eat. That has made all the difference in not having to cook two seperate meals. he just gets his "leftovers" the next night.

Think sun, i am sick of this snow!!

What I would do is just send last nights leftovers. At 17 months, there really shouldn't be any foods that she can't eat, even with only 5 teeth, she can chew with her gums, and you can give her small bites.

At this age, everything a toddler eats DOES seem like snackfood. And he/she has particular tastes. Your child sounds normal. And what you are already doing sounds good. As far as making it quick --- I would make things ahead of time. You say you don't want to "cook" the night before and you don't want it to be snacks --- but, at some point you are going to have to prepare something. You can make your own graduates meals. Or use leftovers. For example --- make up a batch of plain pasta to use for the week. Pasta can be eaten cold. Cubed cheese. Cubed bread. Black beans can be eaten cold. Diced deli meat. Dried fruit or fruit in a cup/can. Canned/frozen peas or corn can be eaten cold. Edamame is great. Ask the daycare for good ideas --- I'm sure they've seen it all.

If ANYONE in your family has a peanut allergy, don't give her peanuts/peanut butter until she's 3 years old.

My 17-month old likes cheese toasts (cheese melted on a slice of bread in the oven or, if I'm in a hurry, the microwave). I cut it into quarters for her and serve it with milk and (rinsed) canned peaches.

She also likes burritos with cheese on top. I slice this down the middle and she gnaws on it. or sometimes I'll cut it into smaller slices.

She loves oatmeal, too. I microwave a bowl of instant oats and then mix in half a cup of apple sauce to help cool it off. She likes to eat this with a spoon. It gets messy, but she loves it.

Congrats on your beautiful daughter! I have a daughter just a little older than yours. She likes turkey slices, and avacado chuncks. Once a week I buy the pasta pickups from Gerber. One spinach & cheese, and one chicken one. I cut them in half. They are great when you need a quick meal. I've made a little casserole with instant potatoes. I've added peas, corn, green beans, cheese, and even hamburger. You can make that in a lot of ways. She also likes little baked potatoes with sour cream & cheese. (You can hide broccoli in both the potato & the casserole too.) She likes to dip her fruit in yogurt also. I make her smoothies with yogurt, banana, blueberries, strawberries, some benefiber, milk, a little protein powder. She loves those. Hope some of those ideas work for you!

Have you tried quesadillas? They are good cold (at least my kids think so!) and are easy to make in the microwave. Also, tortillas with cream cheese and lunch meat rolled up, then sliced--we call them pinwheels. You can sneak some baby spinich leaves in there too, if you want--my kids won't fall for it, though.