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Foods for Toddlers This toddler food list includes fresh fruit and vegetables, whole grains, healthy dairy, lean protein, and more to ensure that you have easy ideas to feed your toddler well.These are whole foods that are easy to self-feed, because we know that toddlers love their independence! And these foods for toddlers have a range of the nutrients that our kids need to grow up strong and healthy. How to Choose Healthy Food for Kids It’s so much fun to start solids with babies because they are eager to eat most things (and because they haven’t yet learned how to talk!...

Juicy, tender, succulent, fall of the bone meat with crispy golden brown skin, covered in a sweet and savory honey mustard glaze. This one pan wonder of chicken is an absolute you-need-in-your-life kind of thing. Just save it for those lazy, tired, don’t want to cook yet need to eat days. This Quick, Sticky, Saucy, Sweet, Savory and Soy-Honey-Mustard with garlic infused Chicken… it’s a game changer! Honestly, do you think such things exist?...

Baked Sheet Pan Nachos The first time I made potato nachos, it was simply a way to use up the abundance of potatoes that we’d grown in our garden. (We tend to be a little overeager with our planting!) But I soon realized that this was a meal that everyone in my house loved— and that it was a safer way to serve nachos to my then young toddlers who couldn’t safely yet chew a tortilla chip....

Melt in your mouth tender meat, along with carrots, potatoes and onions, braise low and slow in a perfectly seasoned wine infused broth. My chuck roast is a super easy one pot meal, with minimal hands on time and simple ingredients. But the end result is just too good! Chuck roast that cooks low and slow is hard to beat. I’ve sampled it in many flavors from around the world....

Snack Cups Having a few reliable snack cups on hand can make food prep, lunch packing, and snack time simpler, and these are my absolute favorite options. Over the past 10 years of parenting and in my job running this website, I have tested out dozens of snack containers. These are the ones that have lasted and that I have relied on again and again. In this post I’ll cover the best toddler snack cups in a few different sizes and materials, ones with handles and without, ones that nest for easy storage and ones that stack, so you can choose the one that works best for your specific needs....

I love how it all comes together! The noodles get coated in this deliciously spicy sauce, and then you’ve got the ground pork and those preserved mustard greens adding extra flavor in every bite. It’s the kind of dish that makes me want to dig in and keep eating until the bowl’s empty. Dan Dan Noodles comes with a story too. Originally, these noodles were sold by street vendors carrying their pots around, which is why they’re named after the pole, or “dan dan,” used to carry them....

Very similar to German pancakes, this skillet pancake puffs tall with crispy rims, and has small mounds and valleys and a soft, custardy center. All sound good? Sprinkle some powder sugar and top it with your favorite berries… Voila.. One gorgeous, fancy looking breakfast or brunch ready for your friends and family. This baby can be whipped up with just 5 minutes of hands-on prep time with a few pantry staple ingredients, and then popped in oven for the rest of the magic....

Stewed Peaches We used to have a peach tree in our yard and we’ve had some years when it delivers a bumper crop. This year was one of those years and while I was almost overwhelmed by the volume of peaches, I am so glad I figured out this super quick method to prep the peaches for the kids. This is a great way to handle a lot of peaches, to make slightly less ripe fruit soft and flavorful, and to intensify the natural peach flavor....

This post is sponsored by Lalo. Toddler Dishes We’ve long used and loved the Lalo First Bites Starter Kit and their Little Cup since both are perfect for babies. And now they have a brand new tableware collection for bigger kids. Hooray! I love the brand for their modern design, yes, but also because their products genuinely seem so thoughtfully designed. Which means they are easy for us parents to use, clean, and care for through many years and multiple kiddos (as needed!...

Donut Muffins I make so many mini muffins, but when I heard about something called a “donut muffin,” I couldn’t resist. This one-bowl recipe is so darn easy to make, and the result is tender muffins that have a flavor and texture similar to cake donut holes. We love them best with the cinnamon-sugar topping, but they are delicious without the topping, too. The beauty of this recipe is that the batter stirs up so easily in one bowl and they work well for toddler snacks (or as an easy toddler breakfast) for days to come....

Healthy Drinks for Kids Between the drinks the kids prefer, all of the marketing and special “kids drinks” at the store, and what we hear about the drinks kids are “supposed” to drink, knowing what to serve can be confusing! This post is here to help. A report called Healthy Drinks, Healthy Kids was released about a year ago in a combined effort by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, American Academy of Pediatric Dentists, American Academy of Pediatrics, and American Heart Association....

Are frozen veggies as nutritious as fresh? Let’s tackle this common question right off the top! Yes, they are. They are frozen at the peak of ripeness, so frozen veggies are actually often more nutritious than fresh. Plus, there usually isn’t anything added to them so you don’t need to worry about salt or other additives. How to Cook Frozen Vegetables Serving frozen vegetables doesn’t need to mean soggy, mushy veggies—and there are some techniques you can rely on to make cooking them quick and easy....

Kids Salad The key to serving kids salad is to keep things simple and easy to eat. Many kids, especially toddlers, can’t fully chew a lot of raw veggies, so it’s good to keep it in mind when you’re thinking about what to include. And consider which salads you like the best—I’d bet they have more than just greens in them! So be sure to include lots of yummy other ingredients too....

So, I tossed the smoky kielbasa with hearty pasta and whatever fresh veggies I had—bell peppers, onions, and a handful of spinach. The whole thing comes together in about 30 minutes, which is perfect when you’re short on time but still want a meal that feels complete and satisfying. Pasta is one of our go-to ingredients when we want a quick and easy, yet totally satisfying dinner. From the light and fresh Pasta and Peas, to the rich and decadent Gigi Hadid Pasta, there’s so much you can do with a box of pasta....

Beach Snacks When we head out to hit the beach, we always go armed with toddler snacks to help us enjoy a full day there—without the need to leave to find food. And the kids are always running, swimming, and playing, which means they build up a big appetite…and I do, too. So, we need a lot of kids snacks! (And easy summer meals.) This post includes a range of beach snacks, from ones that hold up well in a bag and in the heat to ones that will help everyone stay cool and work as hydrating foods, too....

What’s in this stir fry? Tender thin strips of chicken, colorful shredded veggies like cabbage and carrot, some shiitake mushrooms and delicious omelette strips, all getting drenched in hoisin laden stir fry sauce. If stir fry is what you’re craving tonight, my Moo Shu Chicken will hit the spot. Trust me, once you try it, you’ll be coming back to it again and again! Stir fries are easy meals, yet they are colorful and nutritious, loaded with veggies and protein....

No Knead Whole Wheat Bread Making this No-Knead Whole Wheat Bread is easy and fun—especially since it’s virtually fool-proof. The kids can help you mix up the batter, you can let it sit all day long, and when you bake it up, the house will smell so darn amazing! This is a great bread to make if you want to try homemade bread, but don’t want to worry about a complicated recipe or method....

This peach salsa is great as a summer appetizer with tortillas, but also acts as a great topping for your tacos and burritos, or on top of your roasted or grilled chicken, pork and fish mains. Who doesn’t like some salsa every now and then? We absolutely love digging into our various salsas here on GypsyPlate, be it authentic Salsa Verde or extra zesty Salsa Taqueria. Our go to salsa is Mango Salsa....

During the fall, I love using pumpkin and the vitamins it contains in lots of ways—outside of just pie! These muffins for kids have a pleasant amount of pumpkin flavor plus nutritious ingredients to make them a balanced breakfast or snack. And the small size makes them a perfect size for toddlers to pick up and self feed. I love baking a batch of these muffins ahead of time and having them on hand for easy toddler breakfasts throughout the week....

Pizza Toast I love having a stable of fast, reliable recipes to make for easy lunches and dinners and we love all of the easy pizza options. And while I was recently in the habit of making my Greek Yogurt Pizza Dough each week, I like to swap in this easy Pizza Toast idea since I get to skip the dough-making step on really busy days. (My Pizza Pinwheels also work for that!...