Recipes Toddlers Will Love
By: Lilly Harris
Garden Chicken Wrap
Prep time: 5-10 minutes
What you need:
- 4 whole-wheat wraps (8 inches)
- 2 cups store-bought rotisserie chicken, shredded
- ½ cup shredded carrots
- 1 avocado, thinly sliced
- 1 cup baby spinach leaves
- ¼ cup of your favorite fat-free/low-fat dressing (about 1 tablespoon per wrap)
Equipment and supplies:
- Cutting board
- Sharp knife
- Measuring cups
What to do:
- Place wraps side by side on a flat surface. Divide chicken into four portions (about ½ cup each). Place a portion of chicken on each wrap.
- Top each wrap with carrots, avocado, and spinach. (Have an adult help with the chopping.)
- Drizzle dressing evenly over each wrap.
- Roll each wrap up tightly and cut on the diagonal.
- Serve immediately or wrap tightly in aluminum foil and refrigerate for lunch the next day.
How much does this recipe make?
- 4 wraps
Blueberry Pancakes
Prep time: about 20 minutes
Ingredients:
- ¾ c. flour
- 1 tbsp. sugar
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- ½ tsp. salt
- 1 tbsp. margarine
- 1 egg
- ¾ c. milk
- ½ c. blueberries, washed and drained
- extra margarine for the pan
Utensils:
- stove (you'll need help from your adult assistant)
- large bowl
- mixing spoon
- saucepan
- medium-size bowl
- whisk
- measuring cups and spoons
- spatula
Directions:
- In a large bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Set the bowl aside.
- Melt the margarine in a small saucepan.
- Crack the egg into a medium-size bowl, then add the milk and melted margarine.
- Whisk egg mixture until it is well mixed.
- Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture. Whisk again until both mixtures are blended together.
- Put extra margarine in the saucepan and heat it on the stovetop on medium heat. It is hot enough when the margarine starts to bubble.
- Use a measuring cup or a small ladle to spoon the batter into the pan. Put some blueberries on top of each pancake.
- Cook your pancakes on medium heat until small bubbles appear on the top.
- Use a spatula to see when your pancakes are light brown on the bottom. When they are, flip them over with the spatula.
- Cook for another few minutes until the pancakes are light brown on the other side.
- Remove your pancakes and put them on plates to enjoy!
Serves: 2
Mediterranean Pasta Soup
Prep and cook time: 25 minutes
What you need:
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- ½ cup diced onion
- 1½ cups water
- 16 ounces chicken broth
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 can garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained
- 1 can diced tomatoes
- ½ cup uncooked ditalini pasta (short tube-shaped macaroni)
- 2 teaspoons chopped parsley
Equipment and supplies:
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Knife for chopping
- Large stock pot
What to do:
- Heat olive oil in pot over medium heat. (Be sure to get an adult's help when using the stove.)
- Add onion and sauté until lightly browned.
- Add water and next 6 ingredients.
- Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat. Simmer for 5 minutes.
- Add pasta and cook additional 10 minutes, or until pasta is tender but not overcooked.
- Stir in parsley.
How much does this recipe make?
8 1-cup servings
Trail Mix
Prep time: 5 minutes
What you need:
- 1 cup whole grain cereal (squares or Os work best)
- ¼ cup dried fruit of your choice
- ¼ cup nuts, such as walnut pieces, slivered almonds, or pistachios
- ¼ cup small, whole-grain snack crackers or pretzels
Equipment and supplies:
- Large bowl
- Measuring cups
- Large spoon
What to do:
- Measure out ingredients.
- Combine in large bowl.
How much does this recipe make?
Three to four ½-cup servings
Crock-Pot Apple-Cinnamon Oatmeal
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 7 hours
What you need:
- 1 cup steel-cut oats
- 1 cup skim milk (or milk substitute, such as almond or soy milk)
- 3 cups water
- 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ cup chopped nuts
Equipment and supplies:
- Slow cooker
- Measuring cups and spoons
What to do:
- Place oats, milk, water, applesauce, and cinnamon into the slow cooker. Stir, cover, and set to low.
- Cook for 7 hours.
- Top each serving with 1 tablespoon of the nuts and enjoy! You can also top your oatmeal with 1 tablespoon of raisins, but note that adding raisins will increase the amount of sugar you're eating
How much does this recipe make? 4 servings
Chex Chicken
Prep time: 50 minutes
What you need:
- 1 cup gluten-free corn cereal, such as Chex
- ¼ cup gluten-free baked veggie chips (chili limon flavor works well)
- ¼ cup pecans
- 1 teaspoon ground lemon pepper
- 3 large egg whites
- 8 ounces boneless, skinless chicken breast, halved
- 1 medium yellow squash, cut into half moons
- 1 medium zucchini, cut into half moons
- ½ cup sliced carrots
Equipment and supplies:
- Oven
- Large bowl
- Small bowl
- Baking dish
- Small saucepan
- Knife
What to do:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (176°C).
- In a large bowl, stir together the cereal, veggie chips, pecans, and lemon pepper. Smash and combine the cereal mixture.
- Place the egg whites in a small bowl.
- Working with 1 piece at a time, dip the chicken into the cereal mixture then dip it into the egg whites, then back into the cereal mixture, making sure all of the chicken is covered. Transfer the "breaded" chicken to a baking dish and repeat with the remaining chicken, cereal mixture, and egg whites.
- Bake the chicken until golden brown, about 30 minutes.
- While the chicken is baking, bring a small saucepan of water to a boil. Add the squash, zucchini, and carrots and simmer, lowering the heat if necessary, until tender, about 7 minutes. Serve the veggies with the chicken.
How much does this recipe make? 2 servings
Berry Chocolate Parfait
Prep time: 5 minutes
What you need:
- ½ teaspoon cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 1½ cups low-fat or fat free Greek yogurt
- 2 cups fresh or frozen raspberries
- ¼ cup shaved dark chocolate or chocolate chips
Equipment and supplies:
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Medium mixing bowl
- Whisk or fork
- Tall glasses, preferably clear
What to do:
- In medium bowl, whisk together cocoa powder and vanilla.
- Add honey and yogurt and stir until they're well combined with cocoa mixture. It will turn light brown.
- Spoon 2 tablespoons of yogurt mixture into the bottom of four clear glasses.
- Top with some raspberries and repeat until all of the yogurt and raspberries are used up.
- Sprinkle each parfait with chocolate shavings.
- Serve or refrigerate until ready to serve.
How much does this recipe make?
4 parfaits
Banana Bread
What you need:
- 2 eggs
- 1¾ c. sifted flour
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- ¼ tsp. baking soda
- ½ tsp. salt
- 1/3 c. vegetable oil
- 2/3 c. sugar
- 1 c. mashed bananas (about 3 bananas)
Equipment and supplies:
- oven (you'll need help from your adult assistant)
- measuring cups and spoons
- mixer
- sifter
- spatula
- small bowl
- medium-size bowl
- large bowl
- bread pan coated with nonstick cooking spray
What to do:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
- Beat eggs well in a small bowl.
- In a medium-size bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- In a large bowl, add the vegetable oil. Add the sugar a little bit at a time, and continue beating until the mixture is fluffy.
- Add the eggs to the mixture in the large bowl and beat well.
- Add some of the flour mixture to the large bowl and beat well. Then add some of the mashed bananas and beat some more. Continue adding flour, then bananas, then flour, then bananas, until everything is mixed in.
- Pour mixture into the baking pan. Bake for 70 minutes.
- Flip your banana bread out of the pan, let it cool for a bit, and cut it into slices to eat and share!
How much does this recipe make?
16 slices
Confetti Quinoa
Prep Time: 20 minutes
What you need:
- 1½ cups low-sodium vegetable stock or water
- 1 cup quinoa, thoroughly rinsed and drained
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup frozen chopped, mixed vegetables such as peas, carrots, green beans, corn
Equipment and supplies:
- Medium saucepan with a tight-fitting lid
- Measuring cups
- Measuring spoons
- Fork
What to do:
- Add vegetable stock or water to medium saucepan.
- With an adult's help, bring stock or water to a boil over medium-high heat.
- Stir in quinoa, salt, and pepper.
- Switch heat to low and cover pot with lid.
- Cook until liquid is evaporated and quinoa is tender, about 15 minutes.
- Remove lid and stir in veggies with a fork.
- Place lid back on quinoa so that the heat from the quinoa cooks the vegetables.
- Serve immediately or place into an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 5 days.
How much does this recipe make?
- 4 servings (consider making a double batch to serve for dinner and lunches)
Fun Fruit Kabobs
Ingredients:
- 1 apple
- 1 banana
- 1/3 c. red seedless grapes
- 1/3 c. green seedless grapes
- 2/3 cup pineapple chunks
- 1 cup nonfat yogurt
- ¼ c. dried coconut, shredded
Utensils:
- knife (you'll need help from your adult assistant)
- 2 wooden skewer sticks
- large plate
Directions:
- Prepare the fruit by washing the grapes, washing the apples and cutting them into small squares, peeling the bananas and cutting them into chunks, and cutting the pineapple into chunks, if it's fresh. Put the fruit onto a large plate.
- Spread coconut onto another large plate.
- Slide pieces of fruit onto the skewer and design your own kabob by putting as much or as little of whatever fruit you want! Do this until the stick is almost covered from end to end.
- Hold your kabob at the ends and roll it in the yogurt, so the fruit gets covered. Then roll it in the coconut.
- Repeat these steps with another skewer.
Serves: 4