What to feed a toddler?

[I'm a red panda]

Can anyone help me with very very simple, very very basic recipes that I can make to feed my daughter? 

I don't cook. My husband does. He makes all the food in our house.  But he doesn't make dinner until like 7:30- my daughter is asleep by then, so I usually feed her when we get home. She can't eat what I eat, because most nights for dinner I have cereal. If there are leftovers of what he made the night before, she gets that, but there often aren't because they are gone from lunch.

Does anyone have some good recipes that toddlers will love?  I could make them on Sunday and have them ready for the week, or something I can make at last second when I have nothing ready?

She LOVES black beans.
And for the most part will eat anything we give her (she devoured a teriyaki salmon- but I don't "do" fish, smells too gross).

I just can barely feed myself (see: cereal)- so I don't know what to do for her.

I've tried to ask my husband to cook bigger meals, but it hasn't always worked, and sometimes they aren't things I can easily cut into small pieces for her.  I just feel like I'm failing when last night her dinner was a banana...  (She just turned 1 so she still mostly just does milk.)

[HPstache]

Our 9mo old still has a diet of mostly milk.  But he now gets some solid food every day that might include: banana, avocado, apple sause, or a steamed/mashed vegetable like carrots or green beans.

[I'm a red panda]

Our 9mo old still has a diet of mostly milk.  But he now gets some solid food every day that might include: banana, avocado, apple sause, or a steamed/mashed vegetable like carrots or green beans.

What age is the single food for dinner no longer okay though?

She eats all these things; but daycare she has more "meals".  Especially worried about proteins vs. carbs since most of what I feed her is fruits or starchy veg.

[GreenQueen]

There's nothing wrong with buying ready-made foods.

Are you near a Trader Joe's or store with healthy ready-made food? TJs has really delicious canned Cuban black beans, turkey chili (not spicy), and other healthy canned things. You can heat a portion up quickly (no shame in microwaving) and use the rest the next night.

Whole wheat or brown rice pasta is healthier than white flour pasta, and you can boil up a big batch and throw in frozen broccoli, peas, corn, etc at the end of the cooking then serve that for a few nights.

Smoked salmon and shredded rotisserie chicken work and don't require cooking. Whole wheat pita and cheese slices with fruit is great.

Your kid can also eat oatmeal with berries and yogurt for dinner. Mix in some ground flax seed if you like. We make a big batch of regular  or steel-cut oats for the week then heat it as we go.

When I'm really tired I will heat up a microwave frozen pad thai or Indian curry (our local grocery store sells them) and share it with my daughter. Not the most nutritious but it's fine in a pinch.

[mm1970]

Okay, my youngest is 5, but let me roll back a few years.

Cheese
fruit (bananas, applesauce, berries)
soft-cooked veggies (peas, carrots, broccoli, green beans)
softer veggies (peppers)
pasta
rice
scrambled eggs
bits of chicken or ham
toast
beans
avocado
quesadillas
every soup known to man - my kids like pureed soup
yogurt
hummus with anything (crackers?)

[charis]

I'm confused - your husband does all the cooking in your house but makes dinner for just himself at 7:30?  Does he work late? Why are you eating cereal for dinner instead of the meals that he is making? 

When our kids were toddlers, we started serving our dinners to them, but we (a) tailored the meals to something most of us could eat and/or liked to eat and (b) gave the young toddlers an extra, healthy item that we know they would eat (tofu, banana, etc).  Sometimes they just ate the extra thing and some milk.  Sometimes nothing.  But we keep offering and their other weekly meals round out the diet.

[I'm a red panda]

I'm confused - your husband does all the cooking in your house but makes dinner for just himself at 7:30?  Does he work late? Why are you eating cereal for dinner instead of the meals that he is making?   

I can't wait that long to eat. I'm too hungry after work. I eat what he makes for dinner the next day for lunch. Or if it is still left, for another dinner.  I work 7-4, and he works 8-5 and then goes to the gym or grocery shopping. (On the days of the week I go out for things, to workout or bookclub, it is usually after 7 when our daughter is already asleep.) 

When our kids were toddlers, we started serving our dinners to them, but we (a) tailored the meals to something most of us could eat and/or liked to eat and (b) gave the young toddlers an extra, healthy item that we know they would eat (tofu, banana, etc).  Sometimes they just ate the extra thing and some milk.  Sometimes nothing.  But we keep offering and their other weekly meals round out the diet.

I really think I need to just tell him we need more leftovers in the fridge that I can heat up for her.
But it's good to know that just giving her a banana isn't horrible at this stage. As long as it isn't always just a banana.

[wordnerd]

I regularly feed my not-adventurous-eater toddler:
Grilled cheese (really just shredded cheese put in the toaster oven on bread; he begs for "cheese bread")
Eggs (scrambles are great for sneaking in veggies)
Strawberries
Chicken (either leftover or frozen)
Quesadillas
Apples
Noodles
Meatballs (you could get frozen or you/your DH could make a batch over the weekend)
Hamburger patties
Cheese with fruit and bread

[cats]

Our son is 2, he eats a mix of our food and things made/bought for him.

Scrambled eggs is one of his favorites and is a great vehicle for shredded or finely chopped veggies. You can make it in the microwave in <2 minutes.

Other easy options are quesadillas (add in some shredded zucchini for vegetable content), yogurt (Greek style if you want more protein), oatmeal, beans and rice with a little cheese melted in to make it sticky, peas, broccoli (just the little ends of the florets for easier chewing).

Also, my son has become a lot more skilled with both fingers and spoons in the past year, which makes feeding easier also.

[netskyblue]

My sister always fed my toddler niece just...things.  I mean, not like a tied-together meal.

She'd get a protein, like a boiled or scrambled egg, some cut-up chicken or ham (just unseasoned, plain meat), a fresh or frozen veg like peas, corn, and a fruit.  She ate kiddo cereal and those puffy things as starches.  If there was something like mashed potatoes or rice, or pasta leftover, she might get that with her meal.

It was basically just something from column A, something from column B, whatever they had on hand.

[charis]

I'm confused - your husband does all the cooking in your house but makes dinner for just himself at 7:30?  Does he work late? Why are you eating cereal for dinner instead of the meals that he is making?   

I can't wait that long to eat. I'm too hungry after work. I eat what he makes for dinner the next day for lunch. Or if it is still left, for another dinner.  I work 7-4, and he works 8-5 and then goes to the gym or grocery shopping. (On the days of the week I go out for things, to workout or bookclub, it is usually after 7 when our daughter is already asleep.) 

I know this is off the topic, but I'm just curious.  Can he adjust his (discretionary) schedule to fit with the needs of you and your daughter?  If it works for you guys, great - I know having a meal with a 1 year old is not really pleasant, but most parents do have to move up meal time to accommodate the little ones.  Plus it would resolve your problem, for the most part.  Eating dinner together most nights is a biggie in our house.

[I'm a red panda]

I'm confused - your husband does all the cooking in your house but makes dinner for just himself at 7:30?  Does he work late? Why are you eating cereal for dinner instead of the meals that he is making?   

I can't wait that long to eat. I'm too hungry after work. I eat what he makes for dinner the next day for lunch. Or if it is still left, for another dinner.  I work 7-4, and he works 8-5 and then goes to the gym or grocery shopping. (On the days of the week I go out for things, to workout or bookclub, it is usually after 7 when our daughter is already asleep.) 

I know this is off the topic, but I'm just curious.  Can he adjust his (discretionary) schedule to fit with the needs of you and your daughter?  If it works for you guys, great - I know having a meal with a 1 year old is not really pleasant, but most parents do have to move up meal time to accommodate the little ones.  Plus it would resolve your problem, for the most part.  Eating dinner together most nights is a biggie in our house.

I think when she is a bit older we will have to rebalance; but right now him going to the gym after work/before dinner works so that I don't have to go too late.  Because one of us needs to be home with her.

His 8-5 schedule at work is based on around him biking. He can't reasonably get to work by 7.

[Millennialworkerbee]

We have a 21 month old right now. We don’t often have a “pulled together” meal for the adults most weeknights, much less for our little guy. And we both like to cook. So don’t feel guilty. It is a lot to have both parents work full time.

Right now we all eat something around 6ish that takes 15 minutes for one of us to prepare. Pizza with a side of veggies and dip, pasta, tacos, etc. Then our little guy eats again around 7:30 before we start bedtime, he doesn’t have any kind of bottle anymore. He loves oatmeal so we give him oatmeal with milk, peanut butter, and hemp seeds as his bedtime snack.

Big hits for him are veggies & dip (really anything with a dip), all fruits, ham, and bread/carbs/cheese quesadillas. We offer everything we eat even when we cook fancy things on the weekends, but he mostly sticks to his basics. We try to put 3 or 4 items on his plate (apple slices, quesadilla, raw cucumber, steamed carrot) and let him choose.

[Livethedream]

3.5 yo and 8 month old boys.

I second the “dipppig sauce”. My 3yo is more willing to try something if he has a familiar sip to use. Honey mustard, ranch, ketchup are his go to.

If possible try some meal planning, sounds like he might be shopping multiple times a week?

Try and get a week plan of food, stuff can be interchangeable, some prepared, some easy cook etc with option to change.

We have put a lot of work into not having a picky eater, expect to give them foods over and over before they like them. He still claims to dislike certain foods at dinner time that he loves, we just ignore and once he takes a bite proclaims “ oh I do like this”

If they are old enough get them involved, we ask the 3yo during meal planning if there is something he would like to have.

If you have the time look into doing some meal prep with frozen dinners. One of our favorite is we will make a batch of about 50 burritos every few months.

[I'm a red panda]

3.5 yo and 8 month old boys.

I second the “dipppig sauce”. My 3yo is more willing to try something if he has a familiar sip to use. Honey mustard, ranch, ketchup are his go to.

If possible try some meal planning, sounds like he might be shopping multiple times a week?

Try and get a week plan of food, stuff can be interchangeable, some prepared, some easy cook etc with option to change.

We have put a lot of work into not having a picky eater, expect to give them foods over and over before they like them. He still claims to dislike certain foods at dinner time that he loves, we just ignore and once he takes a bite proclaims “ oh I do like this”

If they are old enough get them involved, we ask the 3yo during meal planning if there is something he would like to have.

If you have the time look into doing some meal prep with frozen dinners. One of our favorite is we will make a batch of about 50 burritos every few months.

We haven't tried dipping yet- Will have to do that. So far she eats better than I do, so I am hoping to NOT build a picky eater... I hear that babies who eat well often still turn into very persnickety toddlers though.
He refuses to meal plan; but buys based on sales at least.

I've done freezer meals a few times, but they are always crockpot meals which I have to set out in the morning. I haven't been great about that. If anyone has resources for putting together freezer meals I can cook in the evening, that would be awesome!

This thread has been helpful.

[Mariposa]

When DS was 1yo, he was still mostly subsisting on formula and baby yogurt but beginning to eat more table foods. We were doing a lot of canned Amy's organic bean foods and their version of alphabet soup / spaghettios (BPA-free can). Microwaved everything and often put butter in. Also, often maligned in these forums, but very useful in 2 working-parent households are store-bought baby food pouches. I think it was around 1yo or soon after DS could hold and eat them himself.

One thing to watch out for if your child mostly subsists on cow's milk into toddlerhood is iron deficiency. There's not much iron in cow's milk, and if she's not getting enough from red meat, leafy vegetables, and fortified foods, iron deficiency anemia can develop. Our DS is vegetarian and still sometimes spits out the greens, so we supplemented with toddler formula, which is fortified.

[MicroRN]

How about snack plates?  On the weekend, cook & dice a couple meats, hardboil some eggs, cook some beans, rice or whole wheat pasta, a few types of cooked and raw veggies.  Stick it all in the fridge and assemble a plate each night.  Keep crackers, yogurt, whole fruit, applesauce, sliced cheese, peanut butter, and other things handy.  Frozen peas and corn microwave in no time, and you can just pour the exact amount you want on a plate.   

I usually shoot for 1 protein, 1 grain, 2-3 vegetables, and 1 fruit.  We've been doing this since they were little, it's just the amount and variety that has changed over time.  Their preference is mainly for raw vegetables, and I don't fight that.  Veggies are veggies.  The nice thing is you can eat from the supply too, instead of relying on just cereal.       

For example, my 5 & 6 year olds tonight had leftover rice with peas and corn, a precooked chicken sausage, raw carrot/cucumber/bell pepper, and apple slices.  I ate chicken sausage and raw veggies diced over salad greens, with oil and vinegar.  It took less than 10 minutes to prep dinner for all of us, and I didn't actually cook anything.  I microwaved the previously made rice dish and the sausage, and tossed everything onto plates.  Cleanup was minimal too.       

Combos don't have to have a theme either - We've done apple slices with peanut butter, raw vegetables, hardboiled egg, crackers.  That's still a meal, and it takes no heating or prep work.  Just pull a little of this and that and set it on a plate.

[FLBiker]

Here are some of the simple things we give our almost 3 year old (btw, we're vegetarian)

Cheese on toast.
Fried or hardboiled egg.
Mini pizza (aka cheese on toast with tomato sauce and some veggies)
Veggies and humus
Yogurt with fruit
PB&J
PB&H&C (Peanut butter and honey and cinnamon)
trailmix (usually cheerios, raisins, peanuts)
tacos (beans, veggies, cheese)

She usually eats whatever we're eating, but if we're running late (or it's too spicy or something) then these tend to be very reliable.

+1 on dipping sauces, too.  We typically use humus or ketchup.

[Cranky]

Give up and buy a case of Amy’s Mac & cheese. ;-)

But seriously - steam some veggies in the microwave. Bake a chicken breast and cut it into little bites. Make a pb sandwich. Cook some noodles.

Tell your dh to make bigger portions so there are more leftovers.

[gaja]

With a lot of milk in her diet, you don’t really have to worry about proteins. Just keep on letting her try all the different tastes while she is willing to, and you will be fine. If you need to worry, make sure that she gets enough vitamin d and iron.

I once heard from a health professional that kids eat in batches. Don’t worry about them eating all food groups in every meals, as long as it is covered by the end of the week. My kids would happily eat only broccoli one day, refucing to touch the potatoes and fish, while the next day they devoured an entire filet of salmon, not touching the vegetables. In total, they were fine.

Fish is excellent food, and very easy to cook. We still buy frozen filets and cook them in the microwave. Just throw them in for some minutes, until they are cooked through. Toddlers don’t mind fancy spices, and they get more than enough salt in the other food they eat. Just leave it as it is. Fish can also be batch cooked in the oven, with some butter or oil. Eat cold from the fridge, or heat for 20 seconds in the micro.

Liver pate is often a bit too full of salt, but the amount of iron makes it worthwhile. My girls ate it by the spoonful. I also second the meatballs, but try to batch cook so you can reduce the salt, and maybe include some vegetables.

[moof]

My personal advice is to find a way to eat together as a family.  Either you need to get dinner started (say by doing the prep work, and/or learning some recipes), or he needs to move around his schedule.  Family meal time is very very valuable to a kid's sense of family as they grow up, especially if they currently spend much of the week barely seeing dad in the evening.

I bike to/from work, and the way we make it work is that dinner is aimed for 6:30 PM.  My wife helps with prep, while I do most of the cooking (though not all of it by any means).  I eat breakfast and dinner with my kid >90% of the time, and I would recommend finding a way to make it happen if at all possible.

Our kid mostly eats what we do, though usually deconstructed.  He prefers his "taco" as separate heaps on his plate, often decided against things like onions or meat.  We just roll with it.  He helps with meal planning, though we do veto his attempts to live exclusively on Mac&Cheese.

[Goldielocks]

It's okay to flip your eating pattern!  Have breakfast foods at dinner time, a full meal at lunch time, PB sandwich / finger foods for breakfast and snacks, etc.

Some easy thoughts:  Toddlers love one item foods.   IT is hard to feed too few nutrients to a toddler if she is drinking a lot o milk, your goal is to have her explore the taste of many foods... increase her diet variety.

Ideas:
- your husband makes a LOT of extra veggies and simple cooked meat (plain cooked chicken breast) to have on hand for snacks / next day or for the week.   He can still make dinners that you get to eat the next day, but have him prep several days of snack / toddler ready food for you.   Have him make cooked butternut squash or sweet potatoe, applesauce, that you just heat, mash for her to eat (you too!).  What about making black beans just to have on hand for snacks?
- Try frozen veggies.   The fresh carrots as leftovers are a bit nicer, but frozen veg are very easy in the microwave.  If you sprinkle the frozen cooked broccoli with salt and / or butter, most kids will eat it.
- A simple spread on bread, like PB, or have pre-sliced cheese.
- Bag of pre-cut veggies, fruit, small pieces (bought, or DH preps for the week for you).  Eat raw, or cook in microwave.
- Open a can of mushrooms.   Some kids love eating them.  Try a small portion of canned wild sockeye salmon, she may like that, and you don't need to cook it.

[I'm a red panda]

My personal advice is to find a way to eat together as a family.  Either you need to get dinner started (say by doing the prep work, and/or learning some recipes), or he needs to move around his schedule.  Family meal time is very very valuable to a kid's sense of family as they grow up, especially if they currently spend much of the week barely seeing dad in the evening.

I bike to/from work, and the way we make it work is that dinner is aimed for 6:30 PM. 

Hopefully we can do family dinner when she is older, but right now bedtime is 6-6:30 and most days she is barely making it that far (DH does bedtime). She just doesn't nap enough at daycare and is exhausted at the end of the day.

We eat together on the weekends.

[Plugging Along]

As other said, it is important to eat as a family. It’s a very important habit.  That being said, for the food, I always did ‘modular’ food.  Essentially preparing individual foods that can be combined together.  Recommendation is usually at least 2 food groups at a meal, I always tried three if milk was already one of them. 

Proteins
Grill up meat such as chicken, beef, pork, in a big batch.  You can slice it up and serve that or, makes salad or a sandwich
Boiled or fried eggs
Pasta
Cut up fruits and veggie
Cheese
Nuts
Oatmeal
Smoothies with veggies.

Almost anything will work.  I have also fed my kids cereal at night. 

[tthree]

My now nine year old is NOT a meat eater.  Slow cooker baked beans have always been a fav, but if you are looking for a bean recipe that can be produce on the fly and will last a toddler for a few days: dump a can of black beans into a pot (liquid and all DON'T rinse), add a little bit of chicken stock (or veggie stock), a few dashes of hot sauce and a sprinkle of cumin.  Cook 10ish minutes until liquid has reduced.  Add a couple of tablespoons of butter and mash with a potato masher.  My LO thinks he has won the lottery when I make this.  He has also loves green veg so serve with a side of green beans, broccoli, kale, etc.

Avocado toast is also a complete meal:)

In terms of timing can you adjust your family schedule so you can eat together?  For example my DH NEVER get home before 6:30PM but I have adjusted the kids schedule from a very young age to accommodate this.  I also call him at about 6:15PM and see if he is going to be home shortly.  If yes, we wait.  If not, we eat.  Because sometimes he isn't home before 9PM and I ain't waiting that long;)

[I'm a red panda]

In terms of timing can you adjust your family schedule so you can eat together?  For example my DH NEVER get home before 6:30PM but I have adjusted the kids schedule from a very young age to accommodate this.  I also call him at about 6:15PM and see if he is going to be home shortly.  If yes, we wait.  If not, we eat.  Because sometimes he isn't home before 9PM and I ain't waiting that long;)

I really can't. She eats around 4:30 or 5. She is usually fussy and exhausted by 5:30, with bedtime following at 6.

We just can't keep her awake later.

Like I said, hopefully when she's older we can do family dinner nightly, but her need for sleep wins here. Even if DH came straight home instead of going to the gym, w meal wouldn't be made by bedtime most nights.

[kanga1622]

My oldest would eat most anything: lasagna, spaghetti, sloppy joes, steamed veggies, homemade pizza, pancakes, waffles with peanut butter, smoothies, and yogurt were favorites. I prep veggies and make things that produce leftovers on the weekend to cut down on the prep time for those short nights. If the ground beef is already cooked and portioned in the freezer, it doesn’t take much to turn that into a casserole, spaghetti, or tacos. Precooked chicken (throw 7 pounds in a crockpot cover with water on low for 10 hours) can easily be turned into pizza toppings, chicken salad, stir-fry, or Alfredo. I would triple my waffle recipe and freeze after they cooled. That was usually a good 4-6 weeks of waffles if three were eaten most days for breakfast. A single batch would probably make about a dozen which would give the two of you supper or breakfast once a week for a good month.

[Livethedream]

Quick easy one the 3yo has liked for a long time; quesadilla with black beans and cheese. If you are willing to deal with the mess, he prefers to dip it in tomato soup. Can microwave this whole meal.

[Goldielocks]

Quick easy one the 3yo has liked for a long time; quesadilla with black beans and cheese. If you are willing to deal with the mess, he prefers to dip it in tomato soup. Can microwave this whole meal.

Terrific suggestion given the op's criteria...   somehow I picture it as an "al fresco" meal with the high chair on the lawn for all the tomato dipping goodness and random flings of food.  And that makes me smile.

[shelivesthedream]

Never fed a toddler, but have a thought.

Do you have a freezer and a microwave? I understand your husband doesn't always make enough leftovers for dinner and lunch. Hey, sometimes it's hard to figure out. Could he, IN ADDITION to your current leftovers routine, spend an hour or so once a week making a big batch of something for the freezer? Then all you have to do is take some out and microwave it. If he can make 14 days worth at a time then for the first week you'll only have one option but over time you'll build up a small assortment that you can choose from. Hopefully this will solve your toddler problem and cereal problem at once.

If you look on Pinterest for "batch cooking" and "freezer cooking" you'll have a huge number of lists and recipes already counted into portions and suitable for freezing. Freeze flat in freezer bags or in regulation-sized stackable tupperware to maximise space.

You could, if you wanted, do one or more of the following:
- Find the recipes for him
- Buy all the ingredients for him
- Take the toddler out so he can cook in peace
- Make it daddy-toddler time (no idea if age-appropriate!)
- Make it a date where you are his sous chef and do all the weighing/chopping/fetching and carrying/washing up/whatever he doesn't like while he does the cooking bits. Put some cheesy music on, chat, and enjoy the time together.

[Moonwaves]

My sister had a book by Annabel Karmel and swore by it. When a friend had a baby a couple of years later I tried to give her that book (my sister was decluttering) but she already had it. Maybe it was just in fashion then? At any rate, she now appears to have a huge website so you could check that out and see if you can find a couple of recipes that might suit, either for simple things you can throw together on the day, or stuff you/your husband can cook ahead of time.

ETA, just checked her website to find the following "It all started with The Complete Baby and Toddler Meal Planner in 1991..." - so that tracks, since my sister had her first baby in 1997. :)

[Misstachian]

The constant struggle! I'm taking ideas from others in the thread. My baby wasn't actually eating solids when he turned one (after two weeks of purees he went on total strike for many months) so I'm not sure he'd have eaten all of these at one, but by one and a half these were solid favorites. Not all of these meet your criteria but in case others are looking too I'll toss them in here.

Super fast & easy:
black bean & shredded cheese quesadilla (can add chicken or chopped veg if you're feeling fancy)
scrambled eggs (can chop veg and cheese to cook in it and served with toast and baked beans)
grilled cheese
peanut butter & jelly (you can get mixed nut butter to increase nut exposure, which we were told was a good idea)
rotisserie chicken, shredded
mac & cheese from a box
pizza
pasta with jarred sauce

We try to do a Sunday of batch cooking or at least cook and stretch leftovers for a few days (and lunches) so someone isn't cooking every night. (My husband does most of the cooking; I am not a natural chef.) Our kid is willing to take one bite of a lot of veg, but he only really eats broccoli (and gets other veg from pouches), so we steam a bunch of broccoli on Sunday and more sometime during the week. We also try to do a few sheet pans of roasted veg for us (broccoli, indian spiced cauliflower, sweet potato, carrots, Brussels, cabbage) so that we have veg for the week and don't have to worry as much about cooking sides when we're trying to pull something together. These are the things that are currently baby-approved and that we like too.

Larger meals:
-One pot chicken broccoli rice https://www.jocooks.com/recipes/one-pot-cheesy-chicken-broccoli-rice-casserole/ (A fave. We follow online directions to rinse rise to try to get arsenic out, which makes it a little more gluey but still serviceable. We double this recipe and eat two dinners and a bunch of lunches. We skip the broiler if we have to.)
-One pot chicken & rice http://imagecooking.com/2014/10/30/chicken-rice-one-pot/ (same idea; light on the pepper if feeding baby)
-Creamy Lemon Chicken and Wild Rice, serve with Roasted Brussels sprouts https://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/recipes/a47119/creamy-lemon-chicken-with-wild-rice-recipe/ (we double this and eat for two dinners + lunch)
-Pot roast
-Meatloaf https://www.cookscountry.com/recipes/4617-glazed-meatloaf?extcode=MASKT00L0&ref=new_search_experience_1
-Potato Chip Crusted Salmon (Test kitchen; we love this meal and have it once a week with roasted green beans, which cook for the same amount of time in the bottom of the oven with olive oil on them. You can also serve with rice, bu that's an extra step!)
-grilled steak (chopped teeny tiny for kid)
-pasta primavera https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/237430/creamy-penne-pasta-primavera/
-pork tenderloin
-chicken veggie meatballs https://www.superhealthykids.com/pesto-chicken-veggie-meatballs/ (These freeze nicely; I'd recommend squeezing a LOT of liquid out of them, my first batch looked terrible but kiddo loved them and they were great to pull out on days we didn't have something planned for him and feel fairly virtuous about it)
-ham steak (very salty but very easy, so we do this every so often)
-a big pan of baked chicken (I think we use Test Kitchen but you can try anything. We can eat this for two dinners with our pre-prepped veg, and have lots to send to daycare all week for lunch. You can also sprinkle different spice mixes on the chicken skin to give it a little more variety if you eat them three nights in a row and have made this too often, which we've done a few times!)
-Lemon Sole https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/easy-sole-meuniere-recipe-1945717 (very lemony but baby loves this! We buy the frozen filets from Trader Joe's and they are fairly cheap and very delicious.)
-Farro w sausage & apples http://whatdoesshedoallday.com/farro-with-sausage-and-apples/ (I'm sure you know to be sure to cut the sausage and anything else into not-round pieces that are safer for small windpipes. Skip red pepper flakes for baby.)
-slow cooker pulled pork (on sandwiches w/ cheddar cheese for us)

Snacks:
banana
cheese & crackers
cheese & peanut butter
banana or zucchini bread
waffles/toast with peanut butter

We try to get him to at least try a bite of everything. (This often involves bribery involving bread, which is not what the experts say to do but has been working well recently.) He has a sensitve gag reflex that for a while involved throwing up at almost every meal, so we err on the side of cutting things into very small pieces. We were foodies so switching to making big meals that are less exciting and much less work was an adjustment, but we swung too far the other way when he wasn't eating much, and we had a hard time getting dinner on the table. Now we try to plan for two meals that make lots of leftovers, and then do simpler meals & smorgasbord the other nights. Once he could eat chunks of things himself, he was much happier about dinner, but still dislikes being fed. I'm hoping that once he's better with a spoon he'll be on board with eating lots of soup, which we used to make for dinner all the time and is so easy to double and freeze!

[kimmarg]

My 2 year old eats pretty much anything but eggs when I'm feeding just her for whatever reason some of my go to ideas are:

Frozen ravioli
cheese quesadilla
PB sandwich
Peppers
peas
frozen broccoli
berries
bananas
apple
yogurt
cheese, pepperoni and crackers

remember your kid has no idea what a 'normal' dinner food is. I just try to get a veg, fruit, and protien every meal. Sounds like yours might be a bit younger. I like frozen vegetables because they are easy to microwave just a toddler size serving and the result is a bit softer for those still working on teeth.

[kimmarg]

Our kid mostly eats what we do, though usually deconstructed.  He prefers his "taco" as separate heaps on his plate, often decided against things like onions or meat.  We just roll with it. 

THIS. My kid loves 'desconstructed quesadilla" which is just a tortilla with cheese, side of chicken, avacado, peppers. I try to avoid making her a custom meal but I'll often portion out her part before I mix items together so she has what we're having but separate (e.g. plain pasta, side of plain sauce, and plain meatball vs meatballs in sauce on pasta)

[Miss Piggy]

Could he, IN ADDITION to your current leftovers routine, spend an hour or so once a week making a big batch of something for the freezer? Then all you have to do is take some out and microwave it. If he can make 14 days worth at a time then for the first week you'll only have one option but over time you'll build up a small assortment that you can choose from. Hopefully this will solve your toddler problem and cereal problem at once.

If you look on Pinterest for "batch cooking" and "freezer cooking" you'll have a huge number of lists and recipes already counted into portions and suitable for freezing. Freeze flat in freezer bags or in regulation-sized stackable tupperware to maximise space.

I like this idea, but might it be even better, iowajes, if YOU learned how to cook some of this stuff? I think you're selling yourself short. Maybe you're intimidated by the thought of it, but you might find it to be fun and easier than you thought!

Regardless, it sounds like your current system isn't working for all three of you, so I applaud you for entertaining more ideas.

[Jaguar Paw]

I do all of the cooking for our family and we normally eat dinner sometime between 6 and 8, depending on work/life/etc. Our daughter is 21 months and wifey is 3 months pregnant. For the most part, our daughter eats whatever we eat. If she is super fussy, she still eats the overpriced toddler packets that have a bunch of different ingredients.

Things we normally eat:

Breakfast is scrambled eggs, bacon, bagel.

Snacks include: pastrami, strawberries, ham, carrots, tomatoes, pistachios, cashews

Dinner: Halibut ( have 50 pounds in our freezer from a trip this summer), bell peppers, avocado, various salsas, orange, sausage, beef, lamb, steak, sweet potatoes.

I eat mostly Paleo but try and toss in an extra something carby for my wife and daughter. Most of the meals are super simple and involve few ingredients other than a meat, olive pole, salt/pepper/rosemary, and some cut up veggies. Weeks are buses dinner prep has to be simple.

Best of luck!

[I'm a red panda]

Thanks all for great ideas!

This weekend we did really well with black beans and sandwich meat.

She eats everything (except eggs), so it is just a matter of me having ideas. 

[MrsDinero]

Can you learn to cook a little more?

I say this without the hint of sarcasm, because cooking is something I am not good at.  My husband does the majority of the cooking, but I have a few meals I can put together easily (now).  When my toddlers were infants I also ate a lot of cereal for dinner, but now that they are older I want to make more of an effort for meals on the days my husband travels.   

My meals aren't elaborate but they are something we can all enjoy together.

[I'm a red panda]

Can you learn to cook a little more?

I know how to cook, I just have two hurdles
1) I hate doing it
2) I completely lack idea of what to cook

Oh and 3) I really really despise touching meat. (But will do grind beef if my husband can't get home in time to get that done. But that's it.)

[MrsDinero]

Got it. Some items we always have on hand for the toddlers (when they get picky),

Sliced fruits or berries
Protein balls
All natural chicken nuggets
Hummus
Hard boiled eggs
Spaghetti or other pasta (toss with olive oil salt & pepper/Tomato sauce/ butter and parm cheese)
Meatballs (I make about 4 dozen at a time and freeze them)
Canned Beans
Canned Corn (the little one LOVES canned corn)
Canned Beets
Eggs (scrambled, fried)
Baked eggs with any chopped leftover veggies
Chopped raw veggies

another thing is your husband might have to alter his day to get home earlier to cook or maybe prep some meals on the weekend that you can just pop in the oven or microwave. 

[Millennialworkerbee]

Just chiming back in to say I totally feel you in the early bedtime and not being able to do a thing about it. On one hand it is nice to give you lots of kid-free time in the evenings. On the other, it is a rush to get a good dinner in them & you have less quality time at night.

Our son went to bed before 7 until he was 18 months (he also had to be up early because we all left for the day around 7am). Then something flipped, and now at 21 months is going to bed around 8 and taking a little bit longer nap during the day. They do outgrow it, and it sounds like you have the right approach to be OK with waiting it out. Eventually you will be able to eat dinner at 6:30-7 when your husband gets home, and it probably won’t be that much longer too. That’s what we do now.

[I'm a red panda]

Just chiming back in to say I totally feel you in the early bedtime and not being able to do a thing about it. On one hand it is nice to give you lots of kid-free time in the evenings. On the other, it is a rush to get a good dinner in them & you have less quality time at night.

I do wish we had more time to play with her in the evenings. I sometimes feel like we barely see her, much less have time to go swimming or the park. But she is exhausted. Thankfully she seems to love her daycare teachers, so at least she has good days.

[Miss Piggy]

iowajes, you may do this already, but I'll mention it just in case...try to think of your ideas BEFORE the trip to the grocery store (hence giving you the opportunity to buy what you're thinking of), not while staring at the contents of your fridge/pantry at mealtime.  Similar to staring at a closet full of clothes and having nothing to wear, I can stare at the contents of our fridge or pantry and still see nothing to eat. Planning ahead and thinking of meal ideas in advance works better for me.

We've had really good luck planning the week's meals on Sunday before our weekly shopping trip so we know what to buy for the week. It helps us use up what we already have while adding new stuff to the menu.

Also, I'm not a parent, so take this with a grain of salt...have you mentioned your toddler's exhaustion to the pediatrician? It sounds a bit unusual to me, but again, I'm not a parent.

[Millennialworkerbee]

Just chiming back in to say I totally feel you in the early bedtime and not being able to do a thing about it. On one hand it is nice to give you lots of kid-free time in the evenings. On the other, it is a rush to get a good dinner in them & you have less quality time at night.

I do wish we had more time to play with her in the evenings. I sometimes feel like we barely see her, much less have time to go swimming or the park. But she is exhausted. Thankfully she seems to love her daycare teachers, so at least she has good days.

Yep, I still feel that way sometimes like we don’t see our son much during the week. It’s a great idea to think about streamlining dinner prep so you can spend every minute or that precious hour or two soaking her up!

[charis]

iowajes, you may do this already, but I'll mention it just in case...try to think of your ideas BEFORE the trip to the grocery store (hence giving you the opportunity to buy what you're thinking of), not while staring at the contents of your fridge/pantry at mealtime.  Similar to staring at a closet full of clothes and having nothing to wear, I can stare at the contents of our fridge or pantry and still see nothing to eat. Planning ahead and thinking of meal ideas in advance works better for me.

We've had really good luck planning the week's meals on Sunday before our weekly shopping trip so we know what to buy for the week. It helps us use up what we already have while adding new stuff to the menu.

Also, I'm not a parent, so take this with a grain of salt...have you mentioned your toddler's exhaustion to the pediatrician? It sounds a bit unusual to me, but again, I'm not a parent.

I think she means exhausted at bedtime, which is very common for young children, not exhausted in general. Babies and toddlers have a range of sleep needs that range from the baby who won't go down before 9pm to the one who gets sleepy at 6. They are who they are.

[I'm a red panda]

iowajes, you may do this already, but I'll mention it just in case...try to think of your ideas BEFORE the trip to the grocery store (hence giving you the opportunity to buy what you're thinking of), not while staring at the contents of your fridge/pantry at mealtime.  Similar to staring at a closet full of clothes and having nothing to wear, I can stare at the contents of our fridge or pantry and still see nothing to eat. Planning ahead and thinking of meal ideas in advance works better for me.

We've had really good luck planning the week's meals on Sunday before our weekly shopping trip so we know what to buy for the week. It helps us use up what we already have while adding new stuff to the menu.

Also, I'm not a parent, so take this with a grain of salt...have you mentioned your toddler's exhaustion to the pediatrician? It sounds a bit unusual to me, but again, I'm not a parent.

I think she means exhausted at bedtime, which is very common for young children, not exhausted in general. Babies and toddlers have a range of sleep needs that range from the baby who won't go down before 9pm to the one who gets sleepy at 6. They are who they are.

Yep! She is totally worn out by about 5:15 and starts getting very cranky.  Based on how she sleeps on the weekends, she just doesn't nap enough at daycare.
She plays exuberantly during the day. Very happy baby.

[Miss Piggy]

Yep! She is totally worn out by about 5:15 and starts getting very cranky.  Based on how she sleeps on the weekends, she just doesn't nap enough at daycare.
She plays exuberantly during the day. Very happy baby.

Good to know!

Damn, I can't imagine turning down an opportunity to nap! ;)

[claire.harris]

I find it tricky to know with our 16 month old, too! Tonight we're going to have sausage and mashed potato, so she can share that. Last night she had fishfingers and potato waffles with low-sugar ketchup, steamed peas and sweetcorn.
She is also a big fan of the dipping; the reason she had an easy dinner last night is that we were having an indian takeaway an hour later with a guest from out of town. She then sat on my lap, nicked some of my naan bread and dipped it into our (tolerant) guest's mild curry sauce, pulling delighted expressions.
Agree that they get their nutrients in totality over the week.

[meerkat]

I'm going to go against what a lot of people say by saying eating dinner as a family matters more when your child can actually participate in the conversation, so don't worry about it yet! There's enough other stuff to feel guilty about as a mom.

At almost three my son still does single item dinners sometimes. I try to look at his nutrition over a week rather than in a single meal and it works out.

Favorite low effort kid foods in our house:
Pasta - preferably with sauce if she's not picky yet. Tomato sauce, alfredo, pesto. I like to put sauce on the day before and then the next day it sticks to the pasta better. This can be a messy meal though so it depends on if I feel like dealing with the mess.
Mac n cheese - if I remember I add some frozen peas at the end of the pasta boiling, then pour it into the colander a minute later and mix up the powder sauce like normal.
String cheese
Sliced lunch meat
Raisins/craisins/etc.
Banana
Cut up apples
Apple sauce cups
Yogurt - we prefer to give him the same yogurts we eat instead of getting kid-specific yogurt
Peas, broccoli, etc. - frozen vegetables are awesome because you can heat up just a small portion
Scrambled eggs with cheese, maybe add some spinach if you're feeling ambitious

[MrThatsDifferent]

Difficult to write this without sounding judgey, but maybe, since you have a child now and your diet of cereal isn’t adequate, maybe, you could invest in cooking lessons so you can make some decent meals for yourself and your child so you’re not dependent on your husband or anyone else?