Sometimes you don’t have time to make it to the grocery store; sometimes the weather is terrible and you don’t want to leave the house. Sometimes you just want to throw something together with what you have on hand, and have it be even more delicious than ordering delivery. There are always a few ingredients that should be hanging out in your pantry: dried pasta, tomato paste, a can of beans, a few stray cloves of garlic, bullion cubes and salt and pepper. That’s all you need to make the heartiest bowl of pasta in the world. Pasta e Fagiole is just pasta and beans – so simple but so delicious. Growing up my Nonna would make this for me on the coldest days of winter when we didn’t want to leave the house to get groceries, and when I needed something in a pinch to warm me from the inside out.

Pasta e Fagiole is the easiest thing to pull together – you don’t even need a second pot to boil the pasta in before adding it to the sauce – everything is cooked in the same pot making for an easy prep and easy clean up. It starts just like any other base would, a few minced cloves of garlic cooked in olive oil, a tablespoon of tomato paste, salt & pepper –  but the real fun comes when you add in a can of beans, some small pasta like ditalini and cover it all in broth then let simmer until the pasta is cooked through. That’s it, that’s all! The pasta and the beans cook together, and the starch released from the pasta mixes with the beans to create this creamy sauce. A handful of ingredients you probably already have on hand come together in about 20 minutes from start to finish to make a healthy, hearty bowl perfect for any occasion.

Pasta e Fagiole (Pasta and Beans)

*Serves 2 – 3

• 1 can beans (chickpeas, white beans, romano – whatever you have on hand works)
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 vegetable bouillon cube
• ¾ cup dried ditalini pasta
• 2-3 cups water
• salt & pepper

Heat a few tablespoons of olive oil in a shallow pot over medium heat and add the minced garlic. Cook for a few minutes until fragrant, add salt and pepper and the tomato paste. Cook until tomato paste is dark red and caramelized. Add the bouillon cube and break up into mixture. 

Take ¼ of the can of beans and add to a bowl. Mash with a fork until smooth, then add to the pot. Add 2 cups of water and mix until smooth. Add pasta and remaining beans and bring to a boil. Reduce to low and simmer until pasta is cooked through, about 15 minutes. Add more water if it’s cooked down too much. 

Serve with fresh ground pepper & grated pecorino cheese.

The post Pantry Staples – Pasta e Fagiole appeared first on Super Simple.

Growing up with Greek friends I learned to make Spanakopita from their Yia Yia’s and this is an easy take on the beautiful triangles I was taught to make.  Same ingredients, just a different presentation.

Ingredients:

• 1 package of frozen phyllo dough (defrosted overnight)
• 500g frozen spinach (thawed and drained well)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3-5 green onions, chopped
• ¼ cup of fresh dill, chopped
• ¼ cup of fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped
• 400g good quality feta cheese, crumbled
• 2-3 eggs, beaten
• ¼ cup butter, melted
• Cracked black pepper to taste
• Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F

Squeeze out all excess moisture from the defrosted spinach and reserve. Heat oil in a saucepan and add onion, spinach, parsley and dill. Cook on high for 2 minutes until onions soften. Remove and cool. Combine the cooled spinach mixture with feta, eggs and salt and pepper. Set aside.

Butter and layer 3 sheets of phyllo on top of each other (do not worry if the sheet is torn; use it as the middle layer. Cut into 8 equal squares/rectangles (this all depends on how the phyllo is packaged). Work with 1 pile of phyllo at a time.  Wrap remaining phyllo up in tea towel.

Make an “X” with 2 piles of the squares/rectangles and place them in each cavity of a muffin (standard size) tin.

Spoon the filling into each phyllo lined cavity.  If the dough is starting to dry out a little brush with more butter.

Bake at 375 F in middle rack of oven for about 20 minutes or until golden.

Serve warm as an appetizer or along with your main course.

Makes about 20 cups.

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Contributor
Jean Hon is the Chief Baking Officer (in her home) at Jeannie’s Om Nom Nom in Parkdale  but her day job is a Corporate Insurance Underwriter in Toronto, Canada.  As a passionate baker and chocolatier, she loves to offer people good, delicious, made from scratch pastries and confections.  It is all about the ingredients and love, the love for baking. Since 2013, she has focused on baking and giving back to her community. You can follow her on Facebook and Instagram.

Original content © 2018 Super Simple. Not to be reprinted without express written permission. Terms of Service.

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Do you have a picky eater on your hands? Is it tough to get your child to eat their vegetables? As parents, we can sometimes feel like we’re failing if our children aren’t eating things that we know are good for them. They may throw the food they don’t like on the floor or refuse to eat it all together. As parents we pick our battles, so we may just throw in the towel and say “well at least they’re eating something”. The truth is, however, that if our children aren’t getting the nutrients that they need through their diet, other areas of their lives may suffer as a result. Their behaviour, sleep and school performance may all be affected as a result. The good news is that we can make mealtime more stimulating for our children and they may be more likely to cooperate with us. Although it requires a bit more effort, it will all be worth it when you see the smile it brings to your little one’s face.

Try These!

Bright Colours
Foods that are not nutritious are usually lacking in colour (think bread, cookies, crackers), unless they contain food colouring or dye, and that’s a whole other recipe for disaster for our littles! Try creating a plate of fruits and vegetables in a variety of colours. This will not only stimulate your child’s brain but also, hopefully, their appetite!

Shapes
Shapes are a fun way to make mealtime more exciting. Maybe your child has been learning about different shapes at school, so you turn his sandwich into little triangles or stars. Maybe your daughter is having a down day, so you arrange her meal in a smiley face on her plate. You can turn their food into the shape of their favourite animal, or maybe you place their veggies into a heart shape. You can even use a cookie cutter to make a shape if you’re short on time. If your child is old enough you can engage them by asking what shapes they want to see that day!

Numbers & Letters
Turn your child’s blueberries into a mini math equation, personalize their meal by spelling their name with carrot sticks. Write an “I love you” message in their favourite condiment. Help your child learn to tell time by using a tortilla shell as the face of a clock and veggies for numbers.

How else can I engage my child in mealtime?

• Focus on their interests
• Give them choices
• Turn it into a game (example: tic tac toe)
• Talk about feelings ( think happy, sad, angry, shocked faces)
• Give the meal a funny, crazy, fancy name! Instead of pasta think, “noodle badoodles!”
• Use a different dish, anything other than a plate (think muffin tin or an ice cube tray!)
• Get them involved, they may be more likely to eat the food if they help in some way
• Try a theme. If you know your child has been learning about something at day care of school, incorporate it into your meal times as well.
• Or of course you can always create your own!

Making eating fun and appealing is not only a great way to stimulate your child’s mind and appetite, but it will show your little ones that you care and put a smile on their face. Happy meal time!

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Contributor
Jenna Standish is a Registered Holistic Nutritionist, Reiki level one practitioner and RMT student. She gets excited about all things nutrition, fitness and personal development but her biggest passion of all is being a Mom to her sweet baby girl, Lennon. Since becoming a mother in 2017, Jenna’s dream has changed to guide and empower women to become the healthiest and happiest versions of themselves. She loves to motivate women to take control of their body, mind and spirit health so that they can show up as their best selves every day, especially for their families. Follow her on Instagram to receive tips, tricks, free recipes, health and wellness advice.

Original content © 2018 Super Simple. Not to be reprinted without express written permission. Terms of Service.

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The leaves have almost all fallen and there’s a chill in the air – one that can only be lessened with a big bowl of hearty soup. Whether you feel a cold coming on, or just want to eat something that feels like a warm hug, classic chicken noodle soup is the cure.

Packed full of veggies, pieces of juicy chicken and soba noodles, this chicken soup is perfect for lunch but hearty enough for dinner. It comes together quickly using organic bouillon paste (which is preferred over bouillon cubes as the flavour is more intense and it usually contains less salt), but if you had a little more time on the weekend to make homemade stock, I would suggest you go for it. Either way, this is a filling and healthy bowl that will leave you feeling warm from the inside out!

Chicken Noodle Soup

• 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 celery rib, chopped + some of the celery leaves
• 1 leek white and light green parts, chopped
• 2 carrots, peeled and diced into ½ inch cubes
• 2 parsnips, peeled and diced into ½ inch cubes
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley
• 1 tablespoon organic bouillon paste
• 1 bunch of dried soba noodles (or classic egg noodle)
• fresh ground black pepper

Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Brown the chicken breasts on both sides, then
remove and set aside. Add leeks and celery to the pot and cook for a few minutes until fragrant. Add celery, parsnip, dried parsley and bouillon paste and stir.

Chop the browned chicken into small chunks and toss into the pot. Season with black pepper, then add 2.5 cups of water. Bring the pot to a boil, stirring so the bouillon is fully dissolved. Once boiling, reduce to low and let simmer until vegetables are just cooked through.

While vegetables are cooking, bring a separate pot of water to a boil and cook noodles of choice until just al-dente (until just before they’re ready). Remove from water and add to the soup.
Serve with freshly ground black pepper and some crusty bread. Enjoy!

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Contributor
Aleshia Pinto is a food blogger and carb enthusiast, who creates recipes aimed at bringing people together. Her blog, less with bread, is a collection of traditional and non traditional Italian recipes inspired by the seasons and current cravings. On any given day, she can be found planning her next dinner series or daydreaming about pasta!

Original content © 2018 Super Simple. Not to be reprinted without express written permission. Terms of Service.

The post Chicken NOODLE Soup appeared first on Super Simple.

Breakfast. Some people love it, some loathe it, but either way it is said to be the most important meal of the day. It is amazing how quickly a child’s personality comes out in regard to breakfast. Their likes and dislikes can surface quickly, especially when it comes to food. I’m not talking about the fussy eater toddler stage, every child of a certain preschool age is fussy and likes to try and assert some kind of control about what they eat. It’s frustrating for the adult but totally normal. No, I’m talking about whether your child wakes up in the morning and immediately demands food or whether trying to get them to eat anything before you rush out the door is one of the day’s hardest challenges.

In our household, we have one of each. As soon as the youngest’s eyes open, her first thoughts are of breakfast. And I mean if you don’t feed the child, screaming ensues. The eldest, however, has always been reluctant to eat anything in the morning. Her latest response to breakfast is to sigh and ask for a plain slice of bread. Not toasted, not cut, no butter or spread. Baffling and distinctly disappointing but at least she eats something. I have noticed that she needs to have been awake for a good hour or so for her to even consider food. A little tricky on a school day!

So why are we talking about breakfast? Weeeell, because it’s easy to make fun! I know, I know, who has time to make breakfast fun in the mornings!? A couple of ideas; pre-make it the night before, or if it really won’t work keep it as a weekend treat which is actually what we did. It went down like a house on fire. She loved it, in fact, her words were, ‘I want to have this breakfast every weekend.’ Success!

So welcome to the ‘how to’ on how to have breakfast with the farm animals!

What you will need to create all the animals:

• Pancakes (pre-bought or freshly made) two sizes, or a smaller round cookie cutter in addition to your pancakes.
• Bananas
• Strawberries
• Blueberries
• Grapes
• Chocolate chips and or raisins
• Maple Syrup/honey

Instructions:

It is entirely up to you what farm animals you would like to create, but to give you some help we have created three to inspire you.

Pig – Oink oinks!

Ingredients:

• Big and small pancakes
• Banana
• Blueberries
• Strawberries
• Chocolate chips/ raisins

Using the image as a guide, assemble your Pig Pancake. Add the maple syrup tail at the end.

Duck – Quack Quacks!

Ingredients:

• 1 small pancake
• 1 big pancake cut in half (you only need one half)
• Blueberries
• Chocolate chips/ raisins
• Strawberries
• Grapes
• Maple Syrup

Using the image as a guide, assemble your Duck Pancake.

Sheep – Baa Baas!

Ingredients:

• 1 big pancake
• 1 1/2 small pancakes
• Blueberries, cut in half
• Banana
• Chocolate chips/ raisins

Using the image as a guide, assemble your Sheep Pancake.

Ready for a Breakfast Party?

Gather the kids around – we even have invites you can download! Serve some delicious pancakes and turn on the television. Here is the Super Simple Show featuring Farm Animals!

The post Breakfasting with the Farm Animals appeared first on Super Simple.

Summer might be winding down but the fun doesn’t have to stop here. Even though it’s about that time to start thinking about school lunches again (how did summer go by in such a hurry?!), these Tic Tac Toe Sandwiches are an entertaining way to get creative with lunch. Create any sandwich you want, really, I just happened to make a cream cheese and cucumber sandwich. You can use peanut butter and jelly, ham and cheese, or whatever your child’s favorite sandwich filling is.

What you’ll need to make 1 sandwich:

• 2 slices bread
• spread of cream cheese
• 9 thinly sliced cucumbers
• 5 X’s cut out from a red bell pepper
• 5 O’s cut out from a yellow bell pepper

1. Lather cream cheese onto each piece of bread.
2. Layer one side of bread with the sliced cucumbers.  
3. Cut the sandwich into 9 equal squares.
4. Cut out x’s and o’s from veggies and/or cheese with mini cookie cutters. I found great results using different colored bell peppers for my x’s and o’s.
5. Pack your child’s sandwich with the extra x’s and o’s on the side so when they are ready to eat, they can play a game of Tic Tac Toe first OR serve immediately assembled with a fun game already started (if you are not packing a lunch).  

Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook, and hashtag your creations with #SuperSimpleOfficial.

Contributor
Cara Ansis is the creator behind the site Fork & Beans, a site decided to making fun and kid-inspired recipes. She encourages moms and dads to let their kids play with their food! She is also a cookbook author. Cara resides in Chicago, IL with her husband and 11 month old son. Follow Cara on Instagram or via her blog: http://www.forkandbeans.com/

Original content © 2018 Super Simple. Not to be reprinted without express written permission. Terms of Service.

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Summer is always the season for easy, hassle-free foods – and hot dogs are a staple in most houses. There are a million ways to dress them up or down, but they always taste just a delish.

Sometimes you need to switch things up, and create a fun treat with an old classic – in comes these two drastically different but equally delicious versions for the tried and true. First up we have waffle-dogs, which are in the same fashion as corn dogs but better. Salty hot dogs are covered in fluffy, cheesy waffle batter and cooked in a waffle iron until golden and crispy then dipped in pure maple syrup for that perfect sweet n salty combo. Bonus points – if you put them on sticks, kiddos have the perfect grab and go snack to head back outside with!

For the contrast, we also have the traditional chilli cheese dog in all its glory, but to spice things up we’ve added crushed cool ranch Doritos on top for a little added crunch, flavor and wow-factor for kids!

Waffle Dogs

*special equipment: waffle iron

• Preferred Waffle Mix
• 1/3 cup grated cheddar cheese
• ½ pack regular sized hot dogs

Heat waffle iron to medium heat. Cut hot dogs almost all the way through down the center lengthwise, and open so they lay flat. Add to heated waffle iron and cook for about 5 minutes until heated through.

Meanwhile, mix the waffle mix according to package directions, then stir in cheddar. Remove hot dogs from the waffle iron and pour in half the batter. Lay hot dogs on top and pour the other half of the mix over top. Close waffle machine and cook until batter is cooked through and golden.

Cut into strips and dip into maple syrup to serve!

Chili Cheese Dogs with Doritos

• 4 hot dogs + 4 hot dog buns
• 1 can organic chili, heated through
• 1/3 cup grated cheddar cheese
• handful crushed cool ranch doritos

Grill hot dogs for about 7-8 minutes, until heated through. Assemble by adding hot dog, a tablespoon of chili, cheese then crushed doritos on top. Enjoy hot!

Watch Carl visit Harvey’s Hot Dog Truck!

Are you ready for Carl to go on a Big Adventure?

Follow Carl as he goes on a brand new big adventure to find the parts he needs to expand his car wash!
Available now on YouTube!

Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook!

Contributor
Aleshia Pinto is a food blogger and carb enthusiast, who creates recipes aimed at bringing people together. Her blog, less with bread, is a collection of traditional and non traditional Italian recipes inspired by the seasons and current cravings. On any given day, she can be found planning her next dinner series or daydreaming about pasta!

Original content © 2018 Super Simple. Not to be reprinted without express written permission. Terms of Service.

The post Harvey’s Hot Dogs – Two Ways! appeared first on Super Simple.

It is no secret that preschoolers can be fussy eaters. It is their way of instilling some control in their lives in a world they are still trying to figure out. How many times have parents heard a doctor or grandmother tell us, ‘don’t worry, they aren’t going to starve themselves’. It’s true, they won’t, but this doesn’t stop the stress many of us feel at meal times. This is why I have started to try and be a bit more inventive with how I feed my preschoolers. We are slowly trying to make meal times a source of fun. So join us in making meal times another outlet for creativity!

Those rolling cheese wheels have a need, a need for speed! But 6 speedy cheese wheels are no match for the Bumble Nums!

Join us in making Bumble Nums inspired ‘mouthwatering’ Mac and Cheese Wheels! We guarantee them to be ‘ooee gooey YUM YUM!’

Bumble Nums Mac and Cheese Wheels

Ingredients:

• 250g Macaroni
• 6 slices of bacon/3 thick slices of cooked ham
  optional: to make a vegetarian version, use chopped steamed brocolli
• 2 cups of full fat milk
• 1.5 cups of cheese (we used cheddar and mozzarella)
• 2 tbsp flour

Appliances:

• Stove top
• x2 pots
• x1 frying pan
• Whisk
• Baking tray
• Silicone mould (we used doughnut moulds for wheels!)

Method:

1. Turn your oven on to 180 C / 160 fan / gas mark 4 / 350 F
2. Follow the instructions on your macaroni packet and cook them accordingly.
3. While the macaroni is cooking, chop up your bacon or cooked ham and fry in your frying pan.
4. Once the macaroni is cook, drain and set to one side.
5. Once bacon/ham is cooked, turn off the heat. If using streaky bacon, drain the fat. Pour the macaroni into the frying pan and mix the pasta and bacon so they are combined.
6. In a pot pour in 1 cup of milk and 1tbsp of flour. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer, all the while whisking to encourage the flour to combine with the milk. Once it has combined, add the rest of the milk and the rest of the flour. Whisk until the sauce thickens.
7. When the sauce has thickened and the flour is not visible anymore add your chosen cup of cheese. Stir until melted. Add the last 1/2 cup into it and stir until melted.
8. Pour your cheese sauce into your frying pan and mix with the macaroni and bacon/ham. Mix until all over it is combined.
9. Place your silicone mould on a baking tray and fill it up with the mac and cheese mixture. Pack them in tightly so they will hold shape when they cool down afterwards.
10. Place in your preheated oven and cook for 25 minutes.
11. Take them out of the oven and leave on the side to cool down. We left ours to cool right down so when we turned them out their shapes stayed.
12. Eat!

YUM YUM!

Season Two of the Bumble Nums has premiered!
Check out all the episodes here.

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With summer here, we should celebrate all things sun, fun and sea! And what better way to bring the ocean to life than by making these Octopus Pizzas with your kids at home. Not only are they a creative lunch option, but they also come with a lesson. You can talk about the sea: what creatures live in it, and how we can be good care takers while we make them. Now that is what we call eating with purpose!

The best part of these Octopus Pizzas is how easy the tentacles snap off, especially for a toddler. Kids will love ripping each one of them off and nibbling on them individually.  

Octopus Pizza

Ingredients

• 1 store bought pizza dough
• 1/2 c. pizza sauce
• 1 c. mozzarella cheese (for the head)
• sliced black olives (for the tentacles and eyes)
  (may be substituted with green peppers slices, mushroom slices, etc)
• 4 slices pepperoni (for the eyes)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Divide the dough in half. Each half will make 1 octopus.
3. Divide the dough again. Shape half of that dough with your hands into an oval shaped for the octopus head. Using the other half, cut into 8 strips for the tentacles.
4. Place the dough head on one of the baking sheets. Place the tentacle pieces along the bottom half of the head, gently firming the dough down.
5. Bake for 6 minutes.
6. Remove and cover the head and tentacles with pizza sauce.
7. Spread out the cheese evenly on the head and place the sliced olives on the tentacles. Add the pepperoni and olive eyes.
8. Bake another 6 minutes and then broil for 3 minutes or until nice and brown.
9. Repeat for the second octopus.

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Toddlerhood is such an exciting time of development, especially when it comes to feeding and what foods our children are increasingly able to eat. With this season of transition however, some parents struggle to come up with easy meal ideas that are appropriate for toddlers. 

For parents transitioning off of purees and solely to table foods, certain snack-like finger foods may become staples. Developing a mental database for how to handle meals however can be a bit more challenging however, especially if your child isn’t yet used to eating the same things as everyone else at the table (even if modified for safety and feeding skills).

For parents who started solids using a more Baby Led approach, it may be a bit more obvious of a transition to finger foods and what toddler’s can manage with their developing oral- and fine-motor feeding skills. Nonetheless, parents may still be searching for new and easy staples that they can serve their toddlers at meals and snacks, especially when short on time or looking to add variety to a family’s typical menu.

This post will share some balanced meal ideas that are both age-appropriate and nutritionally-adequate for young eaters.

Before discussing actual finger food ideas, there are a few key things to keep in mind:

1. Know it’s not just WHAT you feed, but HOW you offer it. No matter what you offer your child at this age and feeding stage, you as the parent need to approach how you feed from a position of clarity and confidence. Otherwise, parents can unintentionally derail even the healthiest of menu options with a negative approach in how they offer such otherwise healthy foods. For more insight on feeding best practices, visit here.
2. Use portion sizes as a guide. Do not base the “success” of a meal on whether or not your child ate all that was offered. Instead, use toddler portion sizes as a rough guide for what amount to offer of a given food. Then, based on your child’s appetite and self-led intake of what is offered, offer more upon request or consider reducing waste by offering smaller portions of foods they are still learning to like in the future. For more on portion sizes for toddlers, visit here.
3. Consider what nutrients your child needs. Toddlers have small tummies and yet critical nutritional needs for growth and development. Such nutritional considerations as toddler’s need for nutrients (like iron, vitamin D, zinc, and fats – especially in the form of omega-3s) should drive what foods you offer over the course of the day. One of the best ways to ensure that your child is eating “enough” to both feel satisfied and to meet their nutritional needs is to offer foods from each of the food groups at a given meal. For more on the amounts of each food group toddlers need, visit here.
4. Include variety, even if your child doesn’t eat it. Toddlerhood is a common time for picky eating to present in children. To best handle picky eating before it starts, establish a norm for meals that are offered that include both preferred and non-preferred foods. Not only does research show that this approach may help children accept new foods, but also offering such variety at meals helps mitigate meal time issues in the future over what is offered. For more on pairing preferred and non-preferred foods in kids diet, visit here.
5. Consider safety. While the goal is for toddlers to learn to like a wide breadth of foods (similar to what you as their parent enjoys), expanding a child’s diet takes mindfulness regarding food safety. Always modify or avoid choking hazards as needed to ensure your child’s safety. For more on common choking hazards, visit here.

Breakfast

• Scrambled eggs blended up with spinach and cooked in a bit of avocado oil. Serve with whole grain toast strips with avocado smear and a side of soft, peeled pears.
• Whole grain bread lightly toasted with a thin smear of almond or other nut butter. Serve with a banana “lollipop” (partially peeled banana) and side of whole, plain yogurt. Here is our recipe for Super Simple Moose and Goose Banana Pops!
• Oatmeal cooked with whole milk or milk alternative and added fruit (like berries or smashed banana), finely shredded zucchini or carrots, nut butter drizzled in, and hemp hearts.
• French toast strips made me whole grain bread, eggs, and milk (or milk alternative). Drizzle with nut butter and top with smashed raspberries.
• Omelet with finely diced veggies (like mushrooms, onions, tomatoes, and spinach) sautéed in olive or avocado oil. Serve with shredded cheese and side of cantaloupe.

Lunch

• Refried bean burritos with avocado, shredded cheese, and quinoa in a whole grain wrap with a side of diced watermelon.
• Egg and avocado salad sandwiches on whole grain bread or open-faced. Serve with a side of frozen peas (heated and thawed) and halved blueberries.
• Snack platter with hummus, roasted carrots, roasted zucchini spears, and roasted cauliflower florets to dip, quartered grapes, grated cheese, and avocado cubes.
• Veggie or lentil-based soup with whole grain toast strips or grilled cheese for dipping.
• Mini frittatas made with cooked veggies, crumbled goat cheese and/or sausage. Cook in mini muffin tins and serve with a finely chopped fruit salad.

Dinner

• Lentil-based noodles tossed in a meat and veggie spaghetti sauce. Cut noodles so they’re bite size and easier for small hands to self-feed with or without a utensil.
• Roasted salmon with soft-roasted broccoli florets and quinoa. Add hummus or smashed avocado to quinoa to make it easier to self-feed.
• Soft strips of steak with soft-cooked bell peppers fajita style. Serve with guacamole for dipping and a side of corn.
• Burgers made from veggies, beans, salmon, low-mercury tuna, natural ground poultry, or grass-fed beef. Cut burger patty into strips and serve with slices of avocado, tomatoes, cheese, and greens to self-stack or eat separately. Serve with homemade sweet potato fries.
• Tender cooked chicken legs (which are easy to hold) with a side of zoodles lightly sautéed in olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper and sprinkled with parmesan.

Snacks

• Smoothies like this tropical green smoothie or this all-in-one strawberry avocado smoothie
• Yogurt (whole, plain variety) sprinkled with chia seeds, banana slices or diced strawberries, and granola (omitting any nut pieces)
• Healthy muffins like these carrot muffins and these blueberry oat ones
• Homemade trail-mix with iron-fortified cereal (like unsweetened O’s), raisins, diced dried apricots, freeze-dried berries or bananas, and coconut chips
• Homemade fruit-and-nut bars like these blueberry lemon energy bites

Remember, variety is key with developing appetites for a wide variety of foods with toddlers. Hopefully this resource list helps give you some fresh new ideas for age-appropriate foods to offer!

The post Finger Foods for Toddlers: Go-To Staple Meal Ideas appeared first on Super Simple.