Simple Meal Ideas for a 3 year old...

I need some ideas for Breakfast and Lunch for DD. She will be 3 years old in a couple of weeks, and getting her to do anything other than snack on things throughout the day lately has been a nightmare!

She will NOT eat bread very often and when she does it is only peanut butter or peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. But eating the same thing over and over gets old, even for her and then she just won't eat.

I want her to still have her variety of food groups as well.

what about dinner leftovers (assuming there are leftovers) for her lunches?

What does she snack on during the day? There's nothing wrong with her grazing. That's actually better than eating 3 meals a day when it comes to sugar levels.

Mac n cheese
Spaghetti
cut up lunch meats and cheese

Scrambled eggs
fruit filled Pancakes
cereal with fruit.

My<blockquote><b>Quoting Sierra-n-Brantley:</b>" I need some ideas for Breakfast and Lunch for DD. She will be 3 years old in a couple of weeks, and getting ... [snip!] ... over and over gets old, even for her and then she just won't eat. I want her to still have her variety of food groups as well."</blockquote>




My kids,for breakfast,usualy eat..

Oatmeal and fruit or yogurt
Eggs and sausage and toast with fruit
Pancakes and sausage and fruit or yogurt

For lunch they like

Sandwiches
Mac and cheese
Hot dogs
Spaghetti
Tacos
Fruits,veggies,yogurt

Quoting Jen K.:" what about dinner leftovers (assuming there are leftovers) for her lunches?"

Unfortunately there are none. And whatever is leftover, my brother picks up when he gets home from school (8pm) so he and his wife can eat when she gets off work (11pm) at that point neither one wants to cook, and eating out is too expensive.

http://www.realliferealityblog.com/2012/04/ultimate-list-of-meal-ideas-for.html

http://forloveofcupcakes.com/2012/01/what-how-to-feed-toddler/

Quoting Jas ♥:" What does she snack on during the day? There's nothing wrong with her grazing. That's actually better than eating 3 meals a day when it comes to sugar levels."

Lately her snacking habits have been chips, cookies and marshmallows! But normally it is apples, bananas, and clementines.

Quoting Sierra-n-Brantley:" Lately her snacking habits have been chips, cookies and marshmallows! But normally it is apples, bananas, and clementines. "

Oh okay lol. If she chooses to graze on healthy items during the day, I wouldn't fight with her to sit down and eat meals.

Snacking isn't all that bad. DD snacks a lot. Usually I just make sure she's getting a variety of fruits, whole wheat crackers w/ cheese and cut up chicken, yogurt tubes, pretzels w/ cream cheese or hummus, raw veggies (when she will eat them, which inst often), nurtigrain bars, etc.

I have resorted to bribing. I buy healthier options I know he really likes - like string cheese and fruit cups - and he can have those after he eats lunch. Now, I never force him to eat things he hates, but I KNOW he likes things like grilled chicken slices dipped in things like ketchup or dressing, so I know him refusing to eat those is just him being stubborn, so I always say "you can have string cheese or pears when you are done as long as you eat most of it" and in general, he does.

Breakfast is generally cereal, oatmeal, eggs, whole wheat pancakes (the nutrigrain microwave ones and he likes those with yogurt on them) and sometimes potato hash if I'm feeling like eating it myself.

Lunch consists of: sandwiches, grilled chicken slices, leftovers, soup, grilled naan bread with soup, oatmeal, sometimes hot dogs, a pot pie or baked chicken nuggets if we are in a hurry.

See this is the hardest part! She refuses to eat bread 90% of the time so any type of sandwich is out of the question. She still eats pasta out the ass though!!

She isn't too big on cheese, but loves lunch meat. The only problem there is she could eat the whole pack on her own  

Will she eat pancakes?

Quoting Sierra-n-Brantley:" See this is the hardest part! She refuses to eat bread 90% of the time so any type of sandwich is out ... [snip!] ... She isn't too big on cheese, but loves lunch meat. The only problem there is she could eat the whole pack on her own  "

What about things like fruit cups, yogurt, they even have veggie cups that are the same thing as the fruit cups, except their like corn or pickles and such -

Honestly, though, if she's happy grazing, then I would let it be. My son did the same thing at her age, it didn't last a really long time, I think that's just how they prefer to eat - just give her little bits of food to eat that are more "meal" -like if that makes you feel better.