Growing up, my mom always said she hated lunch. I never understood- until I had kids of my own! I feel like by the time I feed my kids breakfast and get it cleaned up and we all get ready for the day, they’re wanting to eat again! Sometimes it feels like we just stay in the kitchen all day! And the hardest part for me is figuring out what to feed them! Breakfast is pretty easy- toast and eggs, cereal, oatmeal, or pancakes if I’m feeling fancy. With dinner, I like to try all kinds of recipes and I just give them what we’re having- I’m not a fan of making several different things for one meal. Take it or leave it- that’s my philosophy!

But with lunch, we don’t usually have Daddy with us and I haven’t always thought out what I’ll be making. I’m sure I’m not the only mom with this problem! So to help with the brain activity part of preparing lunch, here is a list of meals that are toddler approved. Some of these are far from original, but I’m trying to take as much of the brainwork out of this process for you as I can ;).

Peanut butter sandwiches- classic, but my kids’ favorite! You can always cut it into shapes with cookie cutters to change things up a little bit.

Grilled cheese sandwiches- you can vary these by adding different meats, veggies and cheeses- or even the bread you use!

Cheese quesadillas- If your kids are less picky than mine, you can vary these quite a bit! Add shredded chicken/pork or ground beef, or throw in some veggies/herbs like red pepper, corn, cilantro, etc.

Mac n’ Cheese- My mom used to add peas for some added nourishment, or you can add a can of chili or slices of hotdogs to change things up.

Ham, Cheese and Crackers- definitely a more snack type of lunch, but as a kid, this was always one of my favorites! And no work for my mom- I’m sure it was one of her favorites too ;).

Tortilla Roll-Ups- For when you’re getting sick of sandwiches ;). Peanut butter and jelly, ham, cheese and cream cheese, pepperoni and marinara sauce- the beauty of the tortilla is that it goes with anything ;). You can hand them the whole tortilla or cut it into slices for a different variety finger food!

Hot Dogs- You may or may not like hot dogs, but most toddlers love them! I like the Hebrew National hot dogs that are 100% beef. The best part is with a toddler, you don’t even need a bun- just cook it and slice it up and you’re good to go! You have some corn muffin mix, you can even make your own mini corn dogs- just bake up the corn mix in a mini muffin tin and place a slice of hot dog in the middle of each one!

Monkey plates- There is no rhyme or reason to these- basically, finger foods on a platter! Think cheese cubes, strawberries, celery sticks, pretzels, etc. If you have the time and energy, you can put toothpicks into everything to make it very easy to grab off the plate, but you may not want to use toothpicks if your kids are really little ;). But be sure to call it a monkey platter to keep the fun factor!

Muffin tin lunches- You can keep these as simple or complex as you want. With my littles, I serve them finger foods in small muffin tins and they love it! Nuts, craisins, carrot sticks, popcorn, apple slices, sliced cheese sticks, and multi-grain chips are some of our favorite go-tos. But there are some moms that go all out and create themes (for example- an ocean theme might have goldfish, cupcakes decorated as whales, blue jello, etc). Do whatever works for your family!

Leftovers!!- Sometimes I rule this out since I have picky eaters, but if you have leftovers that need to be used up, don’t hesitate to heat it up for lunch for your littles! It’s a good way to continue to introduce them to new foods, and a great way to ensure that nothing in your fridge goes to waste ;).

Each toddler is different, so be sure to add your little one’s favorite dishes to this list! Some toddlers can’t handle the texture of pasta, but if your little one loves it, cook up a bunch at the beginning of the week and let them try different sauces and toppings throughout the week! And of course, with all these meals, you want to supplement with fruits and veggies! Let your toddlers try new things, because you might be surprised at what they actually like! (My 3 year old LOVES broccoli but struggles with carrots- go figure :) ). Really, whatever they’ll eat works ;).