Lunch Ideas for a Toddler

If you stay home and raise your child/children then you know how hard it can be to find the time to cook a lunch for everyone. I have come up with a few quick lunch ideas for when there just isn't time to cook a full meal that my toddler (3 year old) loves! I always "taste test" first before I give them to her, because odds are, if I won't eat it, neither will she.These probably are not the healthiest of ideas, but who says it has to be all health, all the time?

Mac & Cheese Wheels - you can get them in your grocery store freezer aisle for about 89 cents (There are a couple different brands). We keep a couple stocked in our freezer for rushed days. She loves them. I just pop them in the microwave for 2 minutes, then let them cool for about 1 minute and serve. I give her a spoon and let her go to town. When she's done, I toss the paper "bowl" that is came in and throw the spoon in the dishwasher! Quick meal, even quicker clean up!

Kid Cuisine Meals - Her favorite are the fish stick and chicken nugget ones. I love these because of how easy they are to prepare and she loves them because they all come with a "dessert" of brownies or gummies or pudding. Most of them come with the main food item (pizza, fish sticks, chicken, etc.) and french fries or corn or something of that nature and of course the dessert. So your child will get a very filling meal that only take a couple minutes to make. I like these because I can get a variety and ask her which she'd like to have today.

Grilled Cheese - We love grilled cheese! It's fast, so simply, and so yummy! She'd eat 10 if I let her! I love making grilled cheese because it is something that I can eat as well and then I don't have to worry about cooking myself something different from her.

Totino's Pizza - Individual size. These take 12 minutes in the oven and they are perfect for us because I can cut it up like a normal pizza and we share. She loves pizza and the "mini" slices are easier for her to hold and eat. I usually buy the supreme kind that has sausage, hamburger, green peppers and onions and she gobbles it up.

Hot Dogs - I don't care for hot dogs one bit but my toddler loves them! Instead of grilling or cooking on the stove, I cut them up into bite size pieces, stick them in the microwave for about 30 seconds, then melt cheese on them for another 10 seconds. This is a great "finger food" and if we're on our way out somewhere I will put them in a travel container and let her eat them on the way. (She almost never uses a fork to eat hot dogs, she'll just leave it on the table and use her fingers)

I like these meal ideas because they are quick, simple, cheap, and most importantly, my daughter loves them and my main goal is to make her happy.