healthy toddler meal ideas

Quick And Healthy Toddler Meal Ideas (Picky Eater Approved)

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Read time: 8 minutes
healthy toddler meal ideas

Keeping little ones well-fed is a task in itself. Sometimes preparing meals can take up the entire day. But a well thought out meal plan can help you during a busy week. Here are some quick and healthy toddler meal ideas that are suited to the family using readily available ingredients.

These are staple family dinners in our weekly menu rotation and foods our preschooler looks forward to eating at mealtime.

But first, make sure to check out my new eBook, The Easy Toddler Snack Book for quick and healthy snack recipes that your toddler will love. These are tried and tested recipes in our home and my go-to’s to fill in any nutritional gaps from the day. Take a look here.

Ok, are you ready for a week’s worth of quick and easy toddler recipes that you can enjoy as a family?

Let’s get started,

Quick and Healthy Toddler Meal Ideas

Healthy Toddler Meal Ideas (Quick & Easy, Toddler Meals for Picky Eaters)

Masala Noodles

A quick recipe that can be easily paired with a hard-boiled egg, some fruit and vegetables. There are carbs, protein, vitamins, and minerals all packed in one plate.

Masala noodles can also be used as a school lunch box idea. Kids get excited seeing noodles for lunch.

toddler meal idea-masala noodles with egg
toddler meal idea-masala noodles with egg

Healthy Toddler Meals – Masala Noodles

Healthy veggie packed noodle recipe for kids
5 from 3 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Chinese
Servings 2

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup whole wheat noodles cooked
  • ¼ cup peas
  • 1 onion
  • 2-3 pods garlic
  • ¼ tsp coriander powder
  • ¼ tsp turmeric powder
  • ¼ tsp garam masala powder/curry powder
  • ½ cup water
  • Salt to taste

Instructions
 

  • In a vessel add oil and sauté the garlic and onions.
  • Once done add the peas and dry masala powder, mix, followed by water.
  • Let this cook until the peas are ready and the water reduced to nearly half.
  • Now add in cooked noodles, mix until the masala coats the noodles well.
  • Serve with a side salad (featured here cucumbers and strawberries) and a boiled egg.
Keyword family meals, healthy meals for kids, picky eater meals, toddler meals, toddler meals for picky eaters, toddler recipes

Mujadara Rice

A quick toddler meal made of lentils and rice. The whole lentils (masoor) add an earthy flavor to the meal. A hearty meal that is so quick to prepare. Lentils like masoor dal are a good source of iron and folate both of which are essential for growing children.

Quick and easy toddler recipes -mujadara rice

Mujadara Rice – Easy Toddler Recipe

Lentil Rice
5 from 3 votes
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Middle Eastern
Servings 2

Equipment

  • Pressure cooker

Ingredients
  

  • ½ cup rice
  • ½ cup whole lentils (whole masoor)
  • 1 onion
  • 2-3 pods garlic
  • ½ tsp salt free, non-GMO soup powder
  • ¼ tsp cumin powder
  • 1 bunch coriander leaves for garnish
  • 2 cups water
  • Ground pepper to taste
  • Salt to taste

Instructions
 

  • Soak the rice and lentil mix in water and keep aside for 30 mins.
  • In a pressure cooker add some oil and saute the onions and garlic until they are golden brown.
  • Add the rice and dal mix followed by 2 cups of water.
  • Now add the salt, soup powder, and spices.
  • Close the lid of the pressure cooker and take 2 whistles. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.
  • Serve hot with Israeli cut salad and some Greek yogurt as sides.
Keyword family meals, healthy meals for kids, picky eater meals, toddler meals

Dal Khichdi

A staple in our weekly menu now. Dal khichdi contains protein and iron that are much needed by toddlers. This a simple but healthy toddler meal idea for days when you don’t feel like cooking a lot. I like to pair our khichdi with some added vegetables like steamed or roasted broccoli or pan-fried French beans and a fat-rich dip like tahina.

Meal ideas for 2 year old toddler -dal khichadi
Meal ideas for 2 year old toddler -dal khichadi

Dal Khichdi – Realistic Toddler Meal Idea

Lentil rice dish
5 from 3 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Indian
Servings 2

Equipment

  • Pressure cooker

Ingredients
  

  • ½ cup rice
  • ½ cup moong dal
  • ½ tsp ginger garlic paste
  • ¼ turmeric powder
  • 1 tbsp ghee
  • 3 cups water
  • A pinch of hing powder
  • Salt to taste

Instructions
 

  • Soak the rice and dal mix in water for 30 minutes.
  • Heat ghee in a pressure pan, add the ginger-garlic paste and roast in the ghee.
  • Add the thoroughly washed dal and rice mix to this and follow this by adding turmeric powder, hing powder salt and water.
  • Take three whistles in the pressure pan and serve with a side of broccoli and some tahini dressing.
Keyword family meals, healthy meals for kids, picky eater meals, toddler meals

Pulav Rice

Whenever we are in a rush this is the quickest meal we can whip up. Pulav rice is a great recipe to incorporate veggies and meet the daily vegetable requirement for the child. Even picky eaters usually like to eat pulav rice and when paired with fresh yogurt with some black salt, the combination is irresistible!

Indian baby food recipes for 2 year olds - pulav rice and yogurt
Indian baby food recipes for 2 year olds - pulav rice and yogurt

Vegetarian Pulav Rice For Kids

Flavored vegetarian rice dish
5 from 3 votes
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Indian
Servings 2

Ingredients
  

  • ½ cup rice
  • 1½ cup water
  • 1 carrot chopped
  • 3-4 stalks of french bean chopped
  • ½ potato chopped
  • ¼ tomato chopped
  • ¼ cup peas
  • 1 onion chopped
  • 2-3 cloves garlic
  • 2-4 basil leaves
  • 6-7 whole peppercorns
  • ¼ tsp turmeric powder
  • ¼ tsp garam masala/curry powder

Instructions
 

  • Sauté onion until golden brown.
  • Add garlic, basil leaves, and peppercorn and mix well. Let the spices cook for 2 minutes.
  • Add the chopped vegetables and mix, followed by the powdered spices. Mix and cook for 5 minutes.
  • Now add the rice and water and cook until the rice absorbs all the water and fluffs up. This takes about 10 minutes to cook.
  • Serve with yogurt topped with rock salt.
Keyword family meals, healthy meals for kids, picky eater meals, toddler meals

Pasta Potato Soup

This is a super tasty meal any toddler would love. Ours gulps down the entire bowl in seconds. If you have a pasta lover you have got to try this toddler pasta recipe.

Quick and easy toddler recipes -potato pasta soup
Quick and easy toddler recipes -potato pasta soup

Potato Pasta Soup – Picky eater toddler meals

Pasta Soup for kids
5 from 3 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Course Appetizer, Main Course
Cuisine Italian
Servings 4

Ingredients
  

  • ½ cup pasta
  • 4 potatoes
  • 1 carrot chopped
  • ⅓ cup peas
  • 1 tsp non-GMO, organic soup powder
  • 2 tsp dried rosemary
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • ¼ tsp turmeric powder
  • 1 tbsp butter
  • salt to taste
  • pepper to taste
  • 2 cups water

Instructions
 

  • Boil the potatoes and mash them. 
  • Add the mashed potatoes to a vessel with water.
  • Stir well and add all the vegetables, spices, and pasta to the pot.
  • Cook until the pasta is cooked through.
  • Add some butter give a good mix and serve hot.
Keyword family meals, healthy meals for kids, picky eater meals, toddler meals

Vegetarian Stew

If you follow me on Instagram, you’ve seen me make this vegetarian stew a number of times now. We love the mild flavors and heat coming through from the whole spices. It is the perfect recipe during winter and monsoon seasons.

Vegetarian curry with rice and sauteed mushrooms
Vegetarian curry with rice and sauteed mushrooms

Vegetarian Stew – Healthy Toddler Meals

Stew with vegetables for toddlers and older kids
5 from 3 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Indian
Servings 4

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup mushrooms
  • 1 broccoli head
  • 1 onion
  • ⅓ cup peas
  • 100 gms corn kernels
  • 7-10 french beans stalks
  • 1 tsp ginger garlic paste
  • ½ tsp turmeric powder
  • ½ tsp cumin powder
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 cinnamon stalk
  • 4-5 whole cloves
  • 400 ml coconut milk
  • salt to taste

Instructions
 

  • Heat oil in a pot. Add the whole spices first, the cloves, cinnamon sticks, and bay leaf. Fry in the oil for 1 minute. Then add ginger garlic paste followed by onions and saute until the onions are translucent in color.
  • Once the spices are fried add the vegetables. (You can add any combination of vegetables from what's available in your fridge). 
  • Now add all the dry spice powders, salt, coconut milk, and stir.
  • Let this cook on a medium flame for 30 minutes until the vegetables are cooked through.
  • Serve with steamed rice.
Keyword family meals, healthy meals for kids, picky eater meals, toddler meals, toddler meals for picky eaters, toddler recipes

Lentil Coconut Curry

Another under-30-minute meal idea I use on busy nights for dinner. My toddler loves lentils cooked in coconut milk.

If your toddler doesn’t enjoy lentils as much and you are looking for ways to introduce lentils without him taking notice, try my lentil recipes for toddlers and picky eaters here. This post includes a lentil patty, lentil bolognese, and a yummy lentil soup specially designed for picky eaters.

Toddler Lentil Curry-Indian baby food recipes

Lentil Coconut Curry – Recipes For Toddlers

Lentil curry for kids
5 from 3 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Indian
Servings 4

Equipment

  • Pressure cooker

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup coconut milk
  • 1 tsp ginger garlic paste
  • ½ cup  lentils (tur dal)
  • 1 tomato chopped
  • 1 onion chopped
  • ½ tsp turmeric powder
  • ½ tsp garam masala powder
  • salt to taste
  • chilly flakes to taste
  • 1 small bunch coriander leaves finely chopped

Instructions
 

  • Heat oil in a pressure pan.
  •  Add chopped onion and ginger garlic paste
  • Sauté until onions turn golden brown.
  • Add the tomatoes and cook until they are softened.
  • Now add the lentils and coconut milk, salt, and spices. 
  • Take 2-3 whistles in the pressure pan.
  • Garnish with freshly chopped coriander leaves.
  • Serve with rice.
Keyword family meals, healthy meals for kids, lentil recipes for toddlers, picky eater meals, toddler lentil soup, toddler meal ideas, toddler meals, toddler meals for picky eaters

I hope you try some of these recipes for toddlers and that your little ones enjoy them as much as we do.

Save these ideas to refer back in the future.

Quick and Healthy Toddler Meal Ideas

Quick and Healthy Toddler Meal Ideas And Recipes

7 quick and healthy toddler meal ideas that even the pickiest eater will love.
5 from 3 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Course Main Course
Cuisine Indian

Ingredients
  

  • Masala Noodles with boiled egg, cucumbers, and strawberries
  • Mujadara rice and salad
  • Dal Khichdi, steamed broccoli, and tahini dressing
  • Pulav rice and yogurt
  • Potato Pasta Soup
  • Vegetarian Stew
  • Lentil Coconut Curry and rice

Instructions
 

  • Follow individual recipe cards for detailed recipe.
Keyword healthy meals for kids, toddler meal ideas, toddler meals, toddler meals for picky eaters, vegetarian meals for kids

Here are some toddler recipes from previous posts;

Breakfast Ideas for Toddlers 

Snack Ideas for Toddlers

Easy and Healthy Soup Recipes For Toddlers

Toddler Bento Box Ideas

Healthy Toddler Meal Ideas

What My Toddler Eats In A Week

And, if you are looking for more easy recipes check out my ebook The Easy Toddler Snack Book, which contains many yummy recipes like granola bars, frittata, pancakes, smoothie bowls, smoothies, energy balls, and more. Your toddler will love them.

Until next time,

Ciao!

A Week Of Easy And Healthy Toddler Breakfast Ideas

3 Comments
Read time: 5 minutes
healthy toddler breakfast ideass

Looking for healthy toddler breakfast ideas? You are in the right place.

Breakfast is our favorite meals of the day. Both my husband and I try out new recipes from time to time in order to add more variety to our diet. Now that our son is growing up, we are definitely eating healthier than before and along the way, we have tried new recipes that have become family staples.

In today’s post, I cover a few of our favorite and healthy toddler breakfast ideas.

Toddler Breakfast Ideas

Healthy Toddler Breakfast Ideas

1. Oats porridge

healthy toddler breakfast ideas

A bowl of oats porridge in the morning has been a family staple for a long while now. We have oats porridge 2-3 times a week. To make the perfect porridge I recommend using instant oats.

Recipe for Oats Porridge

Ingredients

  • ¼ cup oats
  • 150 ml soymilk/almond milk/coconut milk/cow milk
  • Chopped fruit of your choice (we generally use bananas, berries, chikoo, and apples)

Instructions

  1. In a pot add the oats, fruit, and milk. Let it cook on a medium flame, occasionally stirring the mixture so that the porridge doesn’t stick to the sides and burn.
  2. Serve with toasted nuts and seeds or nut butter and fruit.

Featured ingredients and products

Avanchy bamboo wood bowl

Soy milk/Almond Milk

Oats

For more oats recipes for babies and toddlers read here.

2. Overnight oats

Soaking oats overnight breaks some of the phytic acid present in the oats and makes them easier to digest.

When I am running short of ingredients, I use readymade mixes like this one by True Elements.

Even if you forget to soak it overnight, you can simply pour in some milk in a bowl of the grain mix and leave it aside for 15 minutes in the morning.

Add in some chopped fruit, berries and nut butter and a delicious breakfast is ready. Toddlers love cold breakfasts like overnight oats, and it’s a great break in the routine.

overnight oats-healthy toddler breakfast ideas

Here is another variation of overnight oats we tried in the past.

This overnight oats recipe contains oats, almond milk, almond butter, chia seeds, banana, desiccated coconut, and hemp seeds.

3. Egg Muffins

Do you have a picky eater at home? Wondering how to make eggs for toddlers who are picky? Egg Muffins is your answer. This was an instant hit in our home.

This egg preparation looks appealing to little ones because it is shaped like a muffin. For mothers of picky eaters, it’s a sneaky way to add in veggies and make them taste delicious. Here is how to make these easy toddler breakfast muffins;

Recipe of Egg Muffins for toddlers

Ingredients

  • 2 eggs
  • 2-3 broccoli florets
  • ⅓ cup peas
  • ¼ cup cheese
  • Salt to taste
  • Pepper

Instructions

  1. Whisk the eggs and add the vegetables, salt, and pepper to taste.
  2. To greased muffin tins add the egg and vegetable mix.
  3. Top with cheese and bake for 20 mins at 350°F/180°C.
  4. Makes 3-4 egg muffins.

Here is another high protein muffin recipe for kids.

egg muffins-breakfast muffins for toddler

4. Pancakes

We love pancakes in our home. I make them with a variety of whole grains and they turn out amazing each time. These are my favorite whole wheat and ragi (millet flour) pancakes. To get the recipe, check my recipe ebook with 36 easy snack recipes for toddlers. I usually pair the pancakes with fresh fruit and some nut butter either almond nut butter, peanut butter or homemade chocolate hazelnut spread.

breakfast ideas for 1 year olds

5. Barley porridge (Sheera)

Sheera is an Indian porridge usually made during auspicious occasions. Semolina is generally used to make sheera, but you can also use barley to make the dish more nutritious.

How to make barley porridge

  1. Roast the barley (½ cup) in 2 tbsp of ghee until an aromatic fragrance is released. Add a cup of milk to the barley.
  2. For sweetness add 1 tbsp jaggery powder or sugar and keep mixing into the porridge until well combined. You may add cardamom pods for fragrance too. It usually takes 5-7 minutes to cook to a thick porridge-like consistency.
toddler breakfast ideas

Here is the recipe for semolina porridge.

6. Carrot and peas paniyaram

Do give this Indian toddler breakfast recipe a try. It requires prior prep but is quick to make on busy mornings.

To make paniyarams start with regular dosa batter. You will also need a paniyaram pan.

In your regular dosa batter add some salt, peas, and carrots. Cook in paniyaram pan for about 2 minutes on each side. Serve with coconut chutney.

breakfast recipes for 1 year old indian baby

7. Gram flour pancake (Chilla)

Another easy peasy Indian toddler breakfast idea is gram flour pancakes or chilla as we call it in Hindi. Gram flour is very nutritious for babies and toddlers. It is a high iron food and easy flour to work with to make a variety of savory pancakes for toddlers.

To make a gram flour pancakes you need:

Ingredients

  • ½ cup gram flour
  • 1 tsp ginger garlic paste
  • ¼ tsp coriander powder
  • ¼ tsp cumin powder
  • ½ onion finely chopped
  • ½ tomato finely chopped
  • Salt to taste
  • 1 cup Water

Instructions

  1. Mix all the ingredients together until a smooth batter is made.
  2. Pour out 2-3 spoonful’s of batter on a hot pan and make the pancakes. It takes about 2 minutes to cook on each side.
  3. Serve with homemade pickle and green chutney.
Protein breakfast for toddlers -plant based breast fast for kids

You can make many variations of besan chilla, i.e. by adding more tomatoes you get tomato chilla.

To make an egg chilla, whisk in one egg to the above batter mix and you get egg chilla.

For more ideas on what to feed toddlers, here is an older post on What my toddler eats in a week and one on breakfast ideas for babies.

If you are looking for more easy recipes check out my ebook The Easy Toddler Snack Book, which contains many yummy recipes that can be used for breakfast like granola bars, frittata, pancakes, smoothie bowls, smoothies and more.

What are some of your favorite toddler breakfast ideas? Do leave me with your family’s favorite recipes in the comments section below.

10 Best Calcium Rich Foods For Babies And Toddlers

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Read time: 11 minutes
almond milk-vegan calcium rich foods

Children grow at a rapid pace and require a nutritionally adequate diet that supports this rapid growth. Calcium plays an important role in the growing up years and knowledge about calcium rich foods for babies and toddlers is essential for parents.

In this post, I am going to cover everything you need to know about calcium rich foods for kids and some bonus calcium rich recipes for toddlers. If you have a picky eater, you are going to thank me.

Let’s get started.

IMPORTANCE OF CALCIUM FOR GROWTH

Calcium is an important mineral that supports bone and teeth development.

Not just that, calcium is also important for;

  1. Proper nerve function, sending and receiving nervous system signals
  2. Muscle function, proper muscle contraction and relaxation
  3. Maintaining proper hormone levels in the body
  4. Needed for maintaining a normal heartbeat
  5. For clotting of blood

AGEWISE REQUIREMENTS OF CALCIUM 

How much calcium does a child need?

1-3 yr olds  700 mg/day

4-8 yr olds 1000 mg/day

9-13 yr olds 1300 mg/day

14- 18 yr olds 1300mg/day

CALCIUM REQUIREMENTS FOR BABIES UNDER 1 YEAR OF AGE

Babies get their calcium from breast milk or formula.

Babies younger than 6 months old need 200 mg of calcium a day and babies 6 to 11 months old need 260 mg of calcium a day.

Do note babies should only consume breast milk or formula. Do not give cow’s milk or any other animal milk to babies younger than 1 year of age.

To get an idea of how I pair foods and build snacks to aid maximum absorption of nutrients you must check my ebook on toddler snack recipes.

It includes 36 snack recipes for toddlers and adults alike that fill in the nutritional gaps of the day. Its your one-stop resource for all things snacks. Get the book here.

calcium rich foods for toddlers- almonds

CALCIUM RICH FOODS FOR BABIES AND TODDLERS

Once babies start solids including foods rich in calcium is important. Though cow milk or any other milk should be avoided under age 1, other milk products like yogurt and low salt cheese like paneer can be started gradually by 8-9 months of age.

Here is a list of calcium rich foods for kids for your reference:

1. Milk and Milk products

Cows milk, buffalo milk, goat milk can be started after 1 year of age.

Whole fat cows milk is recommended until age 2

Calcium content:

Cows milk (2% ) contains about 120 mg calcium/100ml

Goat Milk contains about 134 mg calcium /100 ml

Buffalo Milk  contains about 210 mg /100 ml

Other milk products to try with babies 8-9 months and older.

Fresh homemade curd 149 mg /100 gm

Paneer (Cottage cheese) 200mg /100 gm

Cheese 721 mg /100 gm

source: USDA and IAP

Though with paneer and cheese caution should be exercised. These foods are high in saturated fats and sodium, limit intake to 1-2 cubes of paneer at a time, and small portions of grated cheese as toppings on foods for toddlers.

When buying cheese avoid processed cheese and look for natural hard cheeses containing minimal salt. Goats cheese, swiss cheese, cheddar cheese are great cheese options for toddlers. Check my recommendations for natural cheese here.

Many children however, don’t particularly like the taste of milk or dairy products, if you are worried about your child not getting enough calcium, don’t, read on to find more sources of calcium for toddlers that don’t drink milk.

2. Soy

Soy in the form of fortified soymilk, tofu set in calcium sulfate, edamame, tempeh can be included in the toddler’s diet in various ways to increase calcium intake.

Tofu can contain about 200 mg/100 gms of calcium depending on how it’s prepared.

Food ideas: Sauteed tofu, tofu chilly, tofu scramble, curries with tofu/soy nuggets added as a meat replacement.

3. Broccoli & certain dark green vegetables

Cruciferous veggies like broccoli and dark green leaves like kale, collard greens, spinach leaves, turnip leaves, amaranth leaves, and watercress are all great sources of calcium. When it comes to green vegetables it is important to mix it up and try different combinations.

Food ideas: Broccoli soup for babies, broccoli paratha, broccoli patty, watercress salad, add kale to pesto, amaranth leaves to paratha, Broccoli dosa wraps.

4. Ragi (Finger Millet)

Millets like ragi are traditional first foods for babies in India. Ragi is a rich source of calcium at about 344 mg/100 gms. It’s easy to digest for babies, gluten-free, and a super nutritious grain for children. Consider adding ragi to your baby’s diet as a calcium-rich food for baby teeth and bone development.

Here is a post I wrote recently on why millets are good for babies.

Food ideas: Ragi porridge for babies, ragi pancakes for toddlers, ragi dosas, ragi idlis, ragi- whole wheat chappati.

5. Beans and Lentils

Beans like white beans, baked beans, kidney beans (rajma), chickpeas, and lentils like black gram dal (urad dal), pigeon peas (tuvar dal), bengal gram (chana dal ) are calcium rich foods for babies.

The Indian diet uses these beans and lentils in very effective combinations to make some lip-smacking foods. It’s hard not to enjoy beans and lentils in our part of the world, and it’s just an added bonus that these superfoods are some of the best sources of vegetarian protein, iron, and calcium rich food for babies.

Food ideas: In vegetarian side dishes, dals, lentil and bean soups, hummus, chickpea patties, bean parathas, curries, khichdi (rice and lentil dish), bean chilly, baked beans on toast. Here are some lentil recipes for toddlers. Read here for more recipes using lentils for kids.

6. Sesame seeds

100 gms of sesame seeds contain up to 975 mg of calcium! While one cannot consume sesame seeds in such a large amount, it makes sense to include some sesame seeds in homemade hummus, tahini and use sesame seeds in ladoos or energy balls.

Including such calcium-rich recipes for toddlers daily should get more preference over cookies or chips.

Food ideas: As part of energy bars and energy balls, tahini, hummus.

Add a tablespoon of tahini to your toddlers morning oats porridge, or use tahini as a dipping sauce for cut veggies.

Date And Sesame Bliss Balls

7. Almonds

Nuts are a good source of calcium, but among nuts, the highest calcium content is in almonds at 248 mg/100 gms.

Food ideas: Almond nut powder on porridge, almond butter with whole wheat crackers or chapati, or almonds in pesto sauce.

Here is a quick recipe to make your own homemade nut butter.

8. Green peas

Green peas contain about 25 mg of calcium/100 gms. They can easily be added to a number of dishes or used as a side making them a versatile vegetable to work with.

Food ideas: Green peas patty, Pea soup, added to rice dishes, added to upma, poha.

9. Amaranth

Amaranth (rajgira) is used in many traditional Indian recipes. Both the leaf and the grains are considered nutritious. Of particular importance is the amount of calcium in Amaranth at 159 mg/100gms.

The grains need to be sprouted for 2-3 days in order to reduce the antinutrients present in them. Once sprouted you can cook amaranth similar to a rice or couscous dish.

Traditionally amaranth flour is used to make ladoos in Indian homes.

Food ideas: As porridge, in soups and stews, amaranth flour pancakes, amaranth flour ladoos, in salads, or as amaranth patty.

Amaranth Ladoo Recipe

This recipe includes amaranth flour and crushed almonds building up the calcium content and making it a calcium-rich food for kids

10. Okra

You may be surprised to find this vegetable on the list but Okra contains about 82 mg/100 gm of vegetable. That’s a good amount of calcium per serving. Okra is a commonly used vegetable in Indian homes with most kids loving Indian okra dishes.

IS MILK THE ONLY SOURCE OF CALCIUM FOR CHILDREN?

glass of milk for toddlers-cows milk calcium

Traditionally cows milk is looked at as the main source of calcium, but it is important to include a variety of calcium rich solid foods in the child’s diet. Some children may not like the taste of milk, while some may have milk allergies.

When parents only look to milk as an option for calcium it can lead to other problems like force-feeding, adding sugary syrups/powders to make milk taste good which in turn promotes a liking for more engineered foods with artificial colors and flavorings over natural flavors of whole foods.

Milk and milk products are also high in saturated fats and consuming these in large amounts increases the risk of childhood obesity.

Toddlers by nature eat very little which makes it vitally important to include calcium rich solid foods instead of filling them up on liquids like milk.

One of the side effects of drinking too much milk is an increased risk of developing childhood anemia. Calcium rich foods are known to hinder the absorption of iron-rich foods. Limiting milk intake to 2 cups a day for toddlers is recommended.

To summarize for you, milk provides good amounts of calcium, but should not be looked at as the only source of calcium for kids.

Try and incorporate a variety of calcium-rich solid foods alongside milk in the child’s daily diet.

In the case of lactose intolerance or dairy allergies look for fortified foods like fortified plant milk, calcium-fortified cereals, and the other non-dairy calcium-rich foods that I mentioned above in order to meet the daily recommendations of calcium in the child’s diet.

IS CALCIUM FORTIFIED ORANGE JUICE OKAY?

a glass of orange juice- calcium in orange juice

It is not necessary to offer fruit juices to children for nutrition. Once in awhile consumption is okay.

Fruit juices do not contain fiber, are high in sugars, and cause damage to teeth when consumed regularly.

Besides, filling up on liquids is never a good thing for little kids. Liquid foods take up stomach space and create a feeling of fullness.

The toddler fills up on liquid food with minimal nutrition and ends up not eating lunch/dinner or other solid foods that provide a wider variety of nutrients.

The occasional orange juice is definitely an option to get some calcium in. Some brands add Vit D to the orange juice too which helps in better absorption of calcium. But these types of juices are not something that needs to be incorporated into the daily diet.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) announced in recent guidelines on juice, that children under one year of age should not drink juice at all and for older kids limit juice consumption to very small quantities. (source)

Thus, when incorporated judiciously to the child’s diet, calcium-fortified foods like orange juice have some benefits, but should not be looked at as a daily source of the calcium nutrient.

calcium rich foods for kids- a glass of milk and almonds

How to ensure the child gets enough calcium?

Other than including the list of calcium rich foods for babies and toddlers mentioned above, try and include some of these alternative sources of calcium to the child’s diet.

Sweet potato

At 30 mg calcium/100 gms, sweet potato is a great way to add more calcium to the diet of babies and toddlers.

Food ideas: sweet potato as stuffing in parathas, baked sweet potato fries, sweet potato fritters, sweet potato mash.

Coconut milk

Coconut milk offers about 16 mg of calcium /100 ml

Food ideas: Add to curries, cook porridge in coconut milk, and smoothies with coconut milk.

Dried figs

Dried figs are one of the best dried fruits for calcium.  2 medium-sized dried figs contain about 27 mg of calcium.

While it is not advisable to offer large amounts of dried frigs to kids because of its high sugar content, it still makes for a significant amount of calcium that can be easily added as a topping to any food to boost the nutrient content of the food.

Food ideas: Most children love dried figs, you can easily chop them up in appropriate sizes and add to porridge, smoothies, or in energy bars.

Related reading: Oats recipes for babies and toddlers include my favorite fig oats porridge.

Sprouted legumes, seeds, and grains.

Sprouting of legumes, seeds, and grains increases the nutritive value of the food, by increasing the bioavailability of nutrients.

Sprouting not only increases calcium content in the beans but also reduces some of the antinutrients like phytic acid that block absorption.

The most common sprouts are alfalfa sprouts, mung bean sprouts, and other varieties of bean sprouts.

Vit D + Exercise

Other important points to consider when thinking of increasing calcium content in your child’s diet is to include Vit D rich foods  (egg yolks, mushrooms, and oily fish) and time in the sun (early morning and evenings) engaged in play both of which are essential for calcium absorption.

Vit D + Exercise along with calcium rich foods makes strong bones.

There you go,

I hope this information helps you as you plan those calcium rich meals for your kids. Which calcium rich foods does your toddler enjoy? Do you have a special recipe to share? Leave me a comment below.

References:

Calcium. (2017). [Blog] kidshealth.org. Available at: https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/calcium.html [Accessed 26 Mar. 2019].

New Recommended Daily Amounts of Calcium and Vitamin D. (2011). MedlinePlus, [online] (Winter11 Volume 5), p.12. Available at: https://medlineplus.gov/magazine/issues/winter11/articles/winter11pg12.html [Accessed 26 Mar. 2019].

The Relationship Between Cow’s Milk and Stores of Vitamin D and Iron in Early Childhood. (2012). PEDIATRICS, 131(1), pp.X29-X29.

10 Power Packed Immune Boosting Foods For Kids

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Read time: 10 minutes
immunity boosting foods for kids

The child’s diet is the number one concern for most parents. I get asked about, how to boost immunity in toddlers, and immune boosting foods for kids, quite often as a mommy blogger. And since I write about healthy meals for kids, this is known territory for me.

Food plays an important role in maintaining good health. We all know good food equals good health. But how can we help our little children with varying appetites, fussy eating problems and get them to eat a good quality diet in the right quantities that helps maintain strong immunity?

In my blog post tackling common toddler eating problems, you will find tips on how to overcome fussy eating with a consistent routine and modification to your approach to food and eating.

In this post, I will talk about 10 immune boosting foods for kids.

If you follow me on Instagram where I post regularly about healthy toddler food ideas, you will see that I include each of these foods in our daily diet at home.

Regardless of how well our son eats, these foods are always on the plate.  A diet centered around these foods is known to maintain a strong immunity and keep most illnesses at bay. That’s why I call them my mommy arsenal against diseases.

But wait, before we start,

Immune Boosting Foods for Kids-bowl of healthy toddler food

WHAT ARE IMMUNITY BOOSTING FOODS?

To understand why we include the following foods in our arsenal against illness and disease we need to first understand what happens inside the body when infectious disease-causing bacteria or viruses gain entry.

Our body has a natural defense mechanism that includes fighter cells like the WBC’s and antibodies which are the bodies first line of defense against disease-causing bacteria and viruses. These cells neutralize any threat to the body.

Certain foods in conjunction with factors like good rest, Vit D and low-stress help keep the body in a balanced and healthy state ready to take on any invasion by infectious bacteria or viruses.

These foods contain immune system supporting compounds like antioxidants, certain key minerals and vitamins like zinc, selenium, iron, copper, Vit A and Vit C for example that keep the body nourished and ready to take on any pathogens.

It is well known that malnourished persons are most vulnerable to disease-causing pathogens.

Poor nutrition in childhood causes frequent illnesses. Including the below-listed foods is the first step towards building your child’s immune system and ward off infectious illnesses.

10 Power-Packed Immune Boosting Foods For Kids

  1. Vegetables

assorted-broccoli-cabbage

Vegetables have a high antioxidant level that prevents inflammation in the body. The darker the vegetable the more antioxidant-rich it is. Vegetables like green leafy’s are packed full of vitamins, minerals, and fiber, containing important vitamins such as vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin K, and folate.

Cruciferous vegetables like cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, and bok choy are rich sources of vitamins C, E, and K. They contain compounds that are anti-cancer and cardioprotective in nature.

These nutrient-dense foods when consumed regularly not only keep the body’s immunity strong, they also protect against various diseases like diabetes, cardiovascular problems, and cancer. Encouraging the love for vegetables when children are young is like gifting them with life insurance.

For an average toddler, you should aim for 2-3 servings of vegetables a day.

How to offer: Vegetarian sides, vegetable soups, stews, roasted vegetables, vegetable curries, vegetable stuffed parathas.

  1. Fruits

fruits-immune boosting foods

Next up is fruits of course. If your kids don’t like vegetables but eat fruit, don’t worry too much, offer fruit instead. Most of the nutritional benefits are the same between fruits and vegetables. Offer fruits in all the colors of the rainbow, making sure to include seasonal fruit varieties. These come with the right amount of nutrients that are suited to the weather at that time of the year and provide natural immunity against illnesses.

The Vit C in fruits helps guard against the common cold and other illnesses. The phytonutrients, antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals paired with fiber is what makes fruits and vegetables health foods with immune protective properties.

How to offer: Cut up into appropriately sized pieces in a fruit platter, fruit smoothies, nice creams, popsicles, fruit skewers.

  1. Turmeric

turmeric powder-immune boosting

The health benefits of turmeric are world-renowned. Turmeric is now recognized as the superfood with cancer-fighting properties.

Luckily for us, Indian food has incorporated this immune boosting food for eons. In fact, I am sure most of us grew up drinking turmeric milk every morning as a part of the Indian breakfast meal.

Turmeric or Haldi contains a compound called curcumin, that is known for its anti-inflammatory properties that help boost immunity.

Curcumin’s reported beneficial effects in arthritis, allergy, asthma, atherosclerosis, heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes, and cancer might be due in part to its ability to modulate the immune system. Some researchers now believe in using this compound as immune therapy for certain immune disorders. (source)

If you are wondering how to eat turmeric, then the answer is to eat it in the whole form, as root or in ground powder form where its own natural oils help the body to absorb the curcumin best.

Pepper, when combined with turmeric, is also found to be the best combination to boost the absorption of the curcumin.

How to offer: Added in stews, curries, rice dishes, added to a glass of cows milk with saffron and dry fruits powder.

  1. Mushrooms

brown-mushrooms

Mushrooms are very good at immune modulation and various studies have elucidated how adept mushrooms are as antitumor agents. (source)

In fact, mushrooms have been used in Eastern medicine for a long time, it is only now that the world is becoming more aware of the benefits of consuming mushrooms.

Mushrooms contain Vit D which makes it an important immunity boosting food. Increasing mushroom intake definitely helps maintain a healthy body. To know more about the superfood benefits of mushrooms, read my blog post on vegan superfoods for kids.

How to offer: Stir fry, sauteed mushrooms, in vegetarian stews, curries, and rice dishes.

  1. Lentils

Lentils are powerhouse foods containing B vitamins, folate, zinc, and magnesium. They provide protein and a good amount of fiber needed by the growing body. Lentils are also a good source of iron which is an important mineral during childhood.

The beautiful thing about lentils is that they contain certain polyphenolic compounds and phytochemicals that are known to be immune boosting, neuroprotective, and anti-inflammation.

The polyphenols in lentils do not lose their health benefits on cooking, which is great because you need to cook lentils thoroughly in order to be able to digest them properly. (source) Here are some lentil recipes for toddlers.

How to offer: Lentil curry, Dal, Lentil patty, Sambhar, lentil bolognese.

  1. Ginger

ginger

Ginger has anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, anti-nausea and immune boosting power. The protective effects of ginger are well known in traditional medicine.

Raw ginger can be a little spicy for kids to handle so hiding it in small quantities in vegetarian dishes or making a drink sweetened with honey can help.

Ginger is a great food to increase immunity against cold and cough. In winters, I make basil and ginger tea – Add 1/2 inch stalk of ginger, 3-4 basil leaves in 2 cups of water. Bring water to boil. Now remove the basil leaves and ginger. Add a little honey to this tea and offer toddlers as a drink in their sippy cup. Be careful to offer this tea lukewarm.

How to offer: Ginger can be added in curries, stews, and green juices.

  1. Root vegetables

vegetables-immune boosting foods for kids

Root vegetables like sweet potatoes, potatoes, carrots, beets, radishes, turnips, yams, taro, kohlrabi, celeriac, offer a variety of nutrient-rich ingredients that support good health.

Even turmeric, garlic, and ginger are root vegetables, but I don’t include them here as we use them more like spices and flavoring ingredients.

Since root vegetables grow in the soil, they absorb a lot of nutrients from the soil. Root vegetables provide much-needed fiber, vitamin C and a variety of antioxidants that provide with protective action against diseases and illness.

Winters are known to be cold and flu season. And if you look at what is naturally available in season at this time of the year you will find many of these root vegetables in the markets. Nature has perfectly designed the foods we need to eat each season to maintain good health and disease resistance.

How to offer: In stews, boiled with a little salt and pepper, or roasted root vegetables.

Get this yummy sweet potato mash recipe for babies and toddlers.

  1. Millets

millets for babies

Millets are tiny seeded grass that is packed with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. They are classified as superfoods by some for their ability to protect against cardiovascular ailments, cancers, and nutrient deficit problems.

Millets are easy to digest and some like ragi, bajra, jowar are a great addition to a growing child’s diet. To know more about the benefits of millets read my post on Millets for babies.  I also included two baby-friendly recipes in that post.

How to offer: Millet based soups, pancakes, porridge, dosas, and idlis.

  1. Nuts

almond-almonds-brazil-nut

If there is one advice by my grandfather that I remember to this day, it was his, “Eat a handful of nuts everyday” advice. He strictly followed his own advice and ate a handful of mixed nuts including almonds, pistachios, cashews, and walnuts daily.

Nuts are a powerhouse of vitamins, and minerals beneficial to health. Not just vitamins and minerals, they provide protein, omega 3’s, and healthy fats. What’s not to like?

Nuts contain Vit E which with its high antioxidant properties helps keep cells healthy and protects against disease.

Adding nuts to a child’s diet is a great way to reduce overall saturated fat content in daily diet and substitute it with healthy monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fat. Not only are you providing immune protective foods but also helping maintain a healthy weight on the baby.

Here is a detailed post on healthy fats for kids.

How to offer: Add nuts to smoothies, nut powder to parathas or porridge, include nut butter in the child’s diet, nut butter on toast, or with pancakes, make energy balls with nuts and dates.

  1. Eggs

bowl of eggs-immune boosting food for kids

Eggs contain many healthy vitamins and minerals like Vit A, Vit B 12, Vit D, Vit E, zinc, selenium, iron, choline, iodine, lutein and zeaxanthin and omega 3 fatty acids.

The lutein and zeaxanthin especially are eye protective in nature.

All these vitamins and minerals are important to support good health and boost the immune system.

How to offer: Scrambled eggs, omelets, egg muffins, egg sandwiches, and boiled eggs.

immune boosting foods for kids-healthy toddler foods- image of a pineapple

OTHER FACTORS THAT CONTRIBUTE TO GOOD HEALTH AND STRONG IMMUNITY IN KIDS

  1. Vit D: Vit D has an important role to play in immune modulation. A deficiency in Vit D is known to increase susceptibility to infections and increases the risk of autoimmune diseases. Which means a good amount of time should be spent playing outside. At the same time choose timings of the day when the sun does not burn the skin, for example, early mornings and early evenings.
  2. Good sleep: Low-stress levels and good sleep both contribute to better immune function.
  3. Avoid sugar: Excessive sugar intake suppresses the immune system. Sugar is found in so many foods besides chocolates and sweets. Foods like sauces, ketchup, fruit juice, packaged snacks for kids all contain sugar. A diet high in sugar puts stress on the immune system and causes regular illness. The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends limiting sugar for kids above 2 years of age at 25 gms or 6 teaspoons a day. To understand how sugar is leading to a rise in children’s obesity in India read my post detailing the harmful side-effects of sugars and hidden sugars in foods.

I hope this post helps you design a healthy meal plan for your toddler. One that supports growth, development and also protects your little one from unnecessary illnesses.

Which foods do you rely on to boost immunity in your kids? Leave me a comment below.

Healthy Toddler Meal Ideas: A Week Of Toddler Eats

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Read time: 4 minutes
healthy toddler meal ideas-what my toddler eats in a week.

I promised you all more healthy toddler meal ideas and here is a peak at what my toddler eats in a week. Hope this inspires you to make some creative and healthy meals for your littles. The last post got an overwhelming response from so many mothers. I was pinged on Instagram and Facebook asking me to do more of these. I am sincerely touched by the response to my toddler meal ideas. And I hope that these types of blog posts help you plan your family meals better.

If you have followed me for a while now, you know I love simple cooking and one pot type of recipes. I don’t have time in the day to cook elaborate meals for my family as I also work from home on my blog.

There are three areas I focus on when cooking; incorporating more greens, healthy fats and proteins. All of these are important for growing children. This also ensures that every meal my son eats is satiating and nourishing.

Toddlers are constantly moving and eat tiny meals at a time. That is why I focus on adding healthy fats like nut powders, nut butter, seeds, avocados, and coconuts wherever I can. I have already written an in-depth blog post on how I add healthy fats to my child’s diet. You can read that blog post to know more.

Disclaimer: Once again I would like to remind you I am not a nutritionist and neither am I promoting any specific diet plan for kids. This post is all about a mother sharing healthy toddler meal ideas with another.

Besides meals our toddler is also breastfeeding at the moment.

Okay now that all the disclaimers are out of the way, let’s look at the yummy meals.

Healthy toddler meal ideas-what my toddler eats in a week What my toddler eats in a week – Healthy toddler meal ideas

Healthy Toddler Meal Ideas

Monday

Breakfast – Oats porridge (made in soymilk, added flax powder, hemp seeds, chia seeds and almond butter) with strawberries

Snack 1 – Muskmelon and papaya

Lunch – Rice, mixed veggie (Cauliflower, peas, and potatoes) and coconut curry

Snack 2 – Strawberries, banana and besan Chilla (Gramflour pancake)

Dinner – Mixed veggie pasta (Homemade tomato base with broccoli, mushroom and peas.)

Tuesday

Breakfast – Masala dosa with chutney

Snack 1 – Sweet potato

Lunch – Rice, chana dal curry, and potato sabzi

Snack 2 – Strawberry, blueberries, coconut water, and coconut meat.

Dinner – Rice, chana dal curry, spinach sabzi and potato sabzi

Wednesday

Breakfast – Upma

Snack 1 – Muskmelon and walnuts powder (powder of 2-3 walnuts)

Lunch – Rice, dal and methi sabzi (Fenugreek leaves)

Snack 2 – 2 Quail eggs and muskmelon

Dinner – Rice, dal and peas sabzi

Thursday

Breakfast – Chappati and almond butter roll

Snack 1 – Strawberry and walnuts powder

Lunch – Broccoli and potato soup, mushroom and carrots quinoa

Snack 2 – Strawberries and blueberries

Snack 3 – Chappati and almond butter roll with half cup soy milk

Dinner – Same as lunch with homemade potato fries

Friday

Breakfast – Chappati and almond butter roll

Snack 1 – Sprouts bowl with a date and tamarind sauce

Lunch – Rice, dal, mushroom sabzi and capsicum sabzi

Snack 2 – 2 Quail eggs

Snack 3 – Smoothie bowl contains banana, strawberries, topped with chia seeds, desiccated coconut, hemp seeds and blueberries.

Dinner – Rice, dal and capsicum sabzi

Saturday

Breakfast – Upma

Snack 1 – Upma and walnuts powder

Lunch – Quinoa, matki (Moth beans) sabzi and bindi (Okra) sabzi. Little one requested for quinoa instead of rice.

Snack 2 – Sprouts with date and tamarind sauce

Dinner – Rice, dal, matki, bhindi sabzi and dosa

Sunday

Breakfast – Dosa and coconut chutney

Snack 1 – Malida topped with raisins and pomegranate.

Lunch – Rice, dal, methi sabzi and besan chilla

Snack 2 – Banana and oats pancake with honey and almond butter.

Dinner – Rice, dal and methi sabzi

Featured Pantry products

Almond butter

Chia seeds

Sesame oil

Coconut oil

Quinoa

That was all the toddler meals for a week. If you have a toddler who is picky about foods you can read about my strategies to get children excited about healthy eating. These are the same steps I used to get my son interested in eating green leafy vegetables, vegetables like broccoli and a whole other rainbow colors of foods. Patience and consistency work well during the toddler years to set healthy eating habits for life. Happy eating to you all!