Easy Lunch Ideas for Kids (Nut-Free)

For reference, Luca will be 4 years old on September 25th! These are the easiest kids lunches we’ve found to make so far. To get started, here are the products we use when packing his bento box lunch:

• Bentgo Lunchbox – 5-Compartment Lunch Box – Ideal Portion Sizes for Ages 3 to 7.
• Pack It! freezable lunch bag – you freeze this whole lunch bag – it comes with liners that are built-in freezer packs! I place the Bentgo lunch box in this bag.
• Silicone muffin liners – to keep some of the foods easier to take out of the lunch box compartments – like raisins or nuts, for example!

I like to pack a school lunch in 5-10 minutes, never longer than that. I usually divide this into compartments – Main and Sides – because I find that helps me mentally compartmentalize as well. Here are some ideas on how to pack the lunch box:

“Main” –  I always try to choose a protein first and then I build the whole lunch around it

• Ham and cheese (in a tortilla or on bread)
• Turkey and cheese roll-up (in a tortilla or on bread)
• Quesadilla (cheese, black bean, chicken, or ground meat)
• Cream cheese & jelly sandwich
• Sunbutter & jelly (Wowbutter doesn’t have the best ingredients, but it’s the closest in flavor to regular nut butter)
• English muffin pizza
• Tortellini or other pasta salad
• Hot dog cut up or in a bun, sliced into manageable sections
• Blender muffins or muffins of any kind
• Veggie tots (from Inspiralized & Beyond)
• Leftover pizza!

“Sides” – I try to add some vitamins and some more nutrients so the lunch box has more colors:

• Roasted veggies – broccoli, string beans, sweet potatoes, peas/carrots
• Raw veggies – carrots, celery, cucumbers, sliced tomatoes
• Fruits – apple slices, berries, grapes, stone fruits, banana
• Cheese sticks
• Yogurt tubes
• Crackers and cheese slices
• Annie’s chocolate graham bunnies
• Meat sticks/jerky
• Hard boiled eggs
• Granola bars or other nut-free bars
• Pretzels
• Sweet potato fries or potato fries/wedges
• Cereal/O’s

These school lunches are quick, easy to make, and full of nutrients. They would work great for school, kindergarten, or camp. Remember, the key to a successful school lunch is variety and keeping it fun. Get your kids involved in the lunch-making process by letting them choose their favorite ingredients. It’s a great way to encourage them to try new foods and make lunchtime an exciting part of their school day!

I’d love to hear some of your easy kids lunch ideas! Drop a note below. Thank you in advance!

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Pumpkin Spice Carrot Blender Muffins

If you know me, you know I love my blender muffins! But seriously, these muffins have been such a blessing with my picky toddler Luca. Some weeks, it feels like he won’t touch a single vegetable, but I know that he’ll crush a full batch of my blender muffins and that’s multiple servings of vegetables!

If you have a picky toddler or if you’re just looking for something new to make and serve to your little ones (or yourself – they’re one of my favorite snacks!), you’ll love these seasonal blender muffins, made with pumpkin spice, because…. well, fall = pumpkin spice, right?

The key here is really finding ripe bananas, so they’re sweet and add that needed sweetness to the muffins. These are meal prep friendly, packable, and honestly, there’s always about a dozen in my freezer!

I love these muffins slathered with nut butter or sun butter and served with a side of fruit for breakfast. Flaxseed, oats, eggs, and a veggie, these are the kind of muffins that make you feel like a supermama!

For an extra spin, pour the batter into a sheetpan, bake them, and use cookie cutters to make fun shapes! Or, add some chocolate chips and serve these as a healthy dessert! Heck, stick a birthday candle in them!

For more blender muffin recipes, try these varieties:

• Spinach Blender Muffins
• Beet Blender Muffins
• Carrot Cake Blender Muffins
• Chocolate Chip Blender Muffins
• Blueberry Muffins
• Lemon Poppyseed Muffins

and more here.

INGREDIENTS

• 2/3 cup shredded carrot
• 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin spice
• 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 eggs
• 1 ripe banana
• 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed
• 3 tablespoons rolled oats

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat the oven to 350. Blend all the ingredients together in a high speed blender. Pour the batter into muffin liners or muffin tins. Bake for 22-24 minutes or until edges begin to brown. Let cool before serving.

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Pumpkin Spice Carrot Blender Muffins

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup shredded carrot
• 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin spice
• 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 eggs
• 1 ripe banana
• 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed
• 3 tablespoons rolled oats

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350. Blend all the ingredients together in a high speed blender. Pour the batter into muffin liners or muffin tins. Bake for 22-24 minutes or until edges begin to brown. Let cool before serving.

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Luca’s Zucchini Oatmeal Bowls

Luca wasn’t always into oatmeal, but once he got into it, he’s been an oatmeal fanatic ever since. When he was going through a little vegetable strike, I started adding vegetables to all of his favorite foods (I literally stirred mashed carrot into his almond butter – I’m that mom!) When I tried it in his oatmeal and gobbled up the entire adult portion oatmeal bowl, I knew I had a winner – and now I’m sharing it with you all!

The key to this oatmeal bowl is to get the consistency right. Toddlers especially have issues with different consistencies, so I try to keep it the same every time. I’ve noted this in the recipe instructions, but if your oatmeal comes out too wet, be patient, it may thicken up a bit and if it doesn’t, once you add in almond butter, it’ll thicken up quickly. So, just remember you are still adding in almond butter. Thus, if you have the opposite problem and the oatmeal is too sticky and chunky, add some splashes of milk (whatever milk you serve your little one) until you get your desired consistency (keeping in mind, you will be adding almond butter, so it needs to be a little moist.)

If you want to serve this a bit deconstructed, serve the berries on the side, instead of mixed together. This is also for babies who might not have taken to oatmeal yet and need some familiar foods (fruits, in this case) to get them going!

You’ll be so surprised at how quickly this comes together and how simple it is! You’ll be kicking yourself thinking, “why haven’t I tried this already?” And for those mamas with super picky little ones, this may put your heart at ease knowing that at least they’re eating some zucchini first thing in the morning!

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Luca’s Zucchini Oatmeal Bowls

Prep Time 2 minutes minutes

Cook Time 2 minutes minutes

Total Time 4 minutes minutes

Ingredients

• 1 packet Nature's Path Organic Original Oatmeal
• 1/4 shredded zucchini don't pack the cup, just about 1/4 cup
• 1.5 tablespoons nut butter we use almond butter
• 1 tablespoon hemp seeds
• berries we use whatever we have on hand, but Luca loves either strawberries or blueberries in his oatmeal
• 1/2 banana small diced

Instructions

• Cook the oatmeal packet in the microwave, according to the instructions on the box. We mix together the oatmeal with 1 cup of water, microwaving for 90 seconds.
• While the oatmeal cooks, place the shredded zucchini in a paper towel or cheesecloth over a small bowl and squeeze out all of the moisture. Set aside.
• Once the oatmeal is done, if it's too thick, I add splashes of almond milk until it's smoother. If it's a big watery, keep stirring and let sit for another 30 seconds or don't worry, because you're adding nut butter and that will thicken it.
• Add the zucchini, almond butter and hemp seeds first. Stir very well to combine. Then, add the berries and banana and stir well again. Transfer to whatever bowl you're using for your little one and let cool a bit before serving.

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Blender Chocolate Chip Beet Muffins

Welcome to muffin week! In partnership with Bob’s Red Mill, we’re bringing you FIVE new muffin recipes, based off of my smash hit blender muffins (you can find the original recipe here.)

As a parent, you’re constantly making decisions that affect the whole family. Choosing real, whole, and premium ingredients to use in my meals for my family is one decision that’s easy. If you have been following me through my main Inspiralized channel, then you know I’m a huge Bob’s Red Mill fan and now, as a mother of two, I feel even better about the ingredients I use in my cooking, thanks to Bob’s.

These blender muffins have a super easy base recipe: 1oz (or about 1/3 cup) of cooked vegetable, 2 eggs, 1 banana, 3 tablespoons of Bob’s Red Mill Organic Rolled Oats and 1 tablespoon of Bob’s Red Mill Organic Golden Flaxseed Meal. And to note, make sure the banana is very ripe. Not browned and bruised, but ripe, so that the muffins are sweet enough, since there is no other sweetness added.

My favorite version of blender muffins in general is ones made with beets. There’s something extra delicious about adding beets, and I don’t eat enough of them outside of these muffins (they’re messy and kind of a hard vegetable to fit into your diet unless you’re making big salads.) And, to save myself so much time, I use pre-cooked organic beets (I love the Love Beets brand.)

I’ve added vegan chocolate chips here to add extra sweetness and look like a sweet treat, when really they’re a nutritious, protein and veggie packed muffin!

Note: Although this post is sponsored by Bob’s Red Mill, all opinions are my own, always.

Watch our video for this recipe and subscribe to our YouTube channel to watch more videos:

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Chocolate Chip Beet Muffins

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 22 minutes minutes

Total Time 27 minutes minutes

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup cooked red beets
• 1 ripe banana
• 2 large eggs
• 3 tablespoons rolled oats I use Bob's Red Mill
• 1 tablespoon flaxseed meal I use Bob's Red Mill
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1.5 tablespoons vegan chocolate chips + more for sprinkling

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• Blend all of the ingredients together except for the chocolate chips in a blender until smooth. Add the chocolate chips and stir with a spoon or spatula. Pour into silicone muffin liners or a well greased muffin tin. Bake for 22 minutes. Let cool for 5-10 minutes and then pop out of the muffin liners/tin. Refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for 3 months.

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Blender Lemon Poppyseed Muffins

Welcome to muffin week! In partnership with Bob’s Red Mill, we’re bringing you FIVE new muffin recipes, based off of my smash hit blender muffins (you can find the original recipe here.)

As a parent, you’re constantly making decisions that affect the whole family. Choosing real, whole, and premium ingredients to use in my meals for my family is one decision that’s easy. If you have been following me through my main Inspiralized channel, then you know I’m a huge Bob’s Red Mill fan and now, as a mother of two, I feel even better about the ingredients I use in my cooking, thanks to Bob’s.

These blender muffins have a super easy base recipe: 1oz (or about 1/3 cup) of cooked vegetable, 2 eggs, 1 banana, 3 tablespoons of Bob’s Red Mill Organic Rolled Oats and 1 tablespoon of Bob’s Red Mill Organic Golden Flaxseed Meal. And to note, make sure the banana is very ripe. Not browned and bruised, but ripe, so that the muffins are sweet enough, since there is no other sweetness added.

My favorite vegetables to use for these muffins include butternut squash, carrot, and spinach. For this week, I’m doing five straight days of brand new blender muffin flavors and we’re on day #2!

These Lemon Poppyseed Muffins are zesty and sweet. You won’t believe the vegetable we snuck in here… acorn squash! Now, if you don’t have access to acorn squash (it’s out of season, not accessible where you live), you can use butternut squash here instead – the flavors will be very similar, as well as the color. But, I encourage you to try acorn squash, it’s a very versatile veggie with it’s own unique profile of nutrients.

You could even do a little lemon glaze on top here, if you’re feeling extra. Tomorrow, we’re sharing our Blueberry Muffins!

Note: Although this post is sponsored by Bob’s Red Mill, all opinions are my own, always.

Watch our video for this recipe and subscribe to our YouTube channel to watch more videos:

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Blender Lemon Poppyseed Muffins

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 23 minutes minutes

Total Time 33 minutes minutes

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup roasted acorn squash or use butternut squash
• 1 ripe banana
• 2 large eggs
• 3 tablespoons rolled oats I use Bob's Red Mill
• 1 tablespoon flaxseed meal I use Bob's Red Mill
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 lemon zested + 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/2 tablespoon poppyseeds

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• Blend all of the ingredients together except for the poppyseeds in a blender until smooth. Add the poppyseeds and stir with a spoon or spatula. Pour into silicone muffin liners or a well greased muffin tin. Bake for 22 minutes. Let cool for 5-10 minutes and then pop out of the muffin liners/tin. Refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for 3 months.

The post Blender Lemon Poppyseed Muffins appeared first on Inspiralized.

Blender Pumpkin Spice Muffins

Welcome to muffin week! In partnership with Bob’s Red Mill, we’re bringing you FIVE new muffin recipes, based off of my smash hit blender muffins (you can find the original recipe here.)

As a parent, you’re constantly making decisions that affect the whole family. Choosing real, whole, and premium ingredients to use in my meals for my family is one decision that’s easy. If you have been following me through my main Inspiralized channel, then you know I’m a huge Bob’s Red Mill fan and now, as a mother of two, I feel even better about the ingredients I use in my cooking, thanks to Bob’s.

These blender muffins have a super easy base recipe: 1oz (or about 1/3 cup) of cooked vegetable, 2 eggs, 1 banana, 3 tablespoons of Bob’s Red Mill Organic Rolled Oats and 1 tablespoon of Bob’s Red Mill Organic Golden Flaxseed Meal. And to note, make sure the banana is very ripe. Not browned and bruised, but ripe, so that the muffins are sweet enough, since there is no other sweetness added.

My favorite vegetables to use for these muffins include butternut squash, carrot, and spinach. For this week, I’m doing five straight days of brand new blender muffin flavors!

To start, since it’s back-to-school and the fall season, we’re sharing Pumpkin Spice Muffins. The secret ingredient? Pumpkin puree and pumpkin spice! These muffins are cozy and the perfect way to celebrate the crisp fall season. Luca loves these with almond butter and I love them as is, with an almond chai latte!

No matter how you enjoy these muffins, you’ll be amazed by how easy and simple yet flavorful these muffins are! Tomorrow, we’re sharing our Lemon Poppyseed Muffins!

Note: Although this post is sponsored by Bob’s Red Mill, all opinions are my own, always.

Watch our video for this recipe and subscribe to our YouTube channel to watch more videos:

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Blender Pumpkin Spice Muffins

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 22 minutes minutes

Total Time 27 minutes minutes

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup pumpkin puree
• 1 ripe banana
• 2 large eggs
• 3 tablespoons rolled oats I use Bob's Red Mill
• 1 tablespoon flaxseed meal I use Bob's Red Mill
• 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• Blend all of the ingredients together in a blender until smooth. Pour into silicone muffin liners or a well greased muffin tin. Bake for 22 minutes. Let cool for 5-10 minutes and then pop out of the muffin liners/tin. Refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for 3 months.

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Veggie Packed Turkey Burgers

Burger night is an easy and quick family meal night – serve your burgers with a healthy bun (or I love switching it up using English muffins!), a vegetable side, and some avocado or a sweet fruit!

Top these burgers with cheese for extra flavor, calcium, fat, and protein. You’ll be amazed at how juicy these turkey burgers are and it’s because of the water packed vegetables that are stirred into the meat mixture, but also, a secret ingredient: barbecue sauce!

The barbecue sauce not only makes the burgers juicy, but it adds an amazing flavor that appeases all taste buds! Prep these for your next summer BBQ or picnic, they’re great for little ones and adults! I use an indoor grill pan, but of course, they’re best on a grill (flavor wise!)

My favorite sides to served with this are blueberries, roasted sweet potato wedges, avocado, and thin carrot sticks. Happy burger night!

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Veggie Packed Turkey Burgers

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 25 minutes minutes

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• ½ cup finely diced onion this is important, especially when serving to little ones
• 1 large garlic clove minced
• 1/4 cup finely diced green bell pepper
• ¼ cup finely diced red bell pepper
• ½ cup finely grated carrot
• 1 pound ground turkey or other ground meat
• salt and pepper
• 1 tablespoon barbecue sauce

Instructions

• Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Once oil is shimmering, add the onion and garlic and cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the bell peppers and cook until fork tender, about 5 minutes. Add the carrot and let cook another minute or two to warm through and then remove pan from heat and set aside.
• Place the turkey in a bowl, mash lightly with a fork, season with salt and pepper, and add the barbecue sauce. Add the cooked vegetables and mix thoroughly to combine. Shape into 6 patties.
• Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot (flick water and if it sizzles, it’s ready), add the patties and cook for 4-5 minutes per side or until no longer pink on the inside.
• Serve per your preference.

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Frozen Vegetable Fried Rice

Frozen vegetables are every busy parent’s secret weapon – and if it’s not already, it should be! When I literally have 10-15 minutes to prepare dinner, I turn to my freezer stash of vegetables. I always have microwavable organic rice in the pantry, eggs in the fridge, and soy sauce on hand, making this Frozen Veggie Fried Rice a no brainer!

The first time I fed this to Luca, he didn’t eat it, and then I served it to him with a spoon (instead of a fork, like the first time) and he gobbled it up! Sometimes all it takes is the right utensils with these toddlers!

You can add any other protein you’d like to this fried rice, such as some shredded chicken, tofu, shrimp, or even some extra eggs, if your little ones like eggs (mine does not, so I have to be careful!)

If your little one is under the age of 1, I recommend omitting the soy sauce, unless you haven’t served much high sodium foods that day. Sodium should be monitored under 1, because baby’s kidneys aren’t fully developed yet to process high amounts of sodium.

You can use whatever frozen veggies you have on hand (broccoli and snap peas would be great here too!) – I love Cascadian Farm Organic’s carrot, corn and pea mix. I also added in green beans!

Next time you’re in a pinch at mealtime, whip this up!

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Frozen Vegetable Fried Rice

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 20 minutes minutes

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 ” knob of peeled ginger minced
• 1 garlic clove minced
• 1 cup frozen veggies of choice I use a combination of string beans, carrots, corn, mostly defrosted
• 1.5 cups cooked brown rice
• ¼ cup frozen peas mostly defrosted
• 1 tablespoon low sodium sauce or omit if serving to under 1
• pepper to taste
• 2 medium eggs beaten

Instructions

• Heat the sesame oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once oil is shimmering, add the ginger, garlic, and all of the frozen vegetables except for the peas, and cook for 5-7 minutes or until heated through and fork tender.
• Add the rice, peas, soy sauce, season with pepper, and stir well. Create a hole in the center of the mixture and add in the eggs. Stir until scrambled and then break up well with a spatula, and stir together with the rice mixture to combine. Stir for another minute or two until everything is combined and all vegetables are warmed.
• Serve.

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Mini Potato and Carrot Quiche Cups

We’re always looking for ways to save time but not sacrifice on flavor or health, when it comes to cooking and feeding our families. With these Mini Potato and Carrot Quiche Cups, you can batch cook breakfast for the week or make a healthy breakfast for a big family.

Instead of a traditional quiche crust, we’re using slices of potatoes, a great source of potassium, antioxidants, fiber, and Vitamin C. I feel like potatoes don’t get enough credit – they’re a vegetable, too! The crust is made with the potato slices, baked in the oven, and then baked again with an egg mixture with more veggies (carrots!)

I love these because they squeeze in extra veggies into your diet and they save and reheat well. Plus, I feel like anything grab-able is usually kid friendly, or at least that’s how it is for Luca (he’ll eat almost anything in muffin form!)

You can also use sweet potatoes as the quiche “crust” here to switch it up. Also, try adding some crumbled sausage or ground meat for extra protein and iron, if you’re trying to incorporate more of that into your child’s diet.

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Mini Potato and Carrot Quiche Cups

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 50 minutes minutes

Servings 12 quiche cups

Ingredients

• 2 medium red potatoes
• cooking spray
• salt and pepper
• 6 large eggs
• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/3 cup unsweetened plain almond milk
• ¼ cup shredded cheddar cheese optional
• 1/3 cup grated carrot

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a large muffin tray.
• Slice the potatoes halfway through lengthwise. Spiralize on Blade A to yield chip slices.
• Place the potatoes into the muffin cavities so they overlap and cover the bottom and sides of the muffin cavity. You may need to trim the potato pieces to fit. Spray the potatoes with more cooking spray and season lightly with salt and pepper.
• Bake the potatoes for 20 minutes, until tender. Let cool for 5 minutes. Keep the oven on.
• Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, garlic powder, almond milk, cheese, and carrot.
• Once the potatoes are done cooking, pour the egg mixture into the muffin cavities, about ¾ of the way full. Bake for 25 minutes or until eggs puff up and are set in the center.
• Remove the muffins from the oven and let cool 5 minutes before popping out of the muffin cavities.

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Pressure Cooker BBQ Chicken Bowls

For those busy weeknights, most of my meals look similar to this – some pressure cooker meat, beans, rice, and avocado. I’m big on the burrito bowls, because they just come together so quickly, are hearty, and jam packed with essential nutrients. They’re also easy to serve to the baby, because you can segment everything onto a plate and make the meal look a bit more exciting!

This pressure cooker BBQ chicken is simple: dump everything into a pressure cooker, let cook, and then shred with forks or with a mixer. You’ll be amazed at how juicy and flavorful the chicken is, I always am.

To save even more time, I use canned black beans and frozen sweet corn. It really doesn’t get any easier than that! For the brown rice, I always batch cook rice in the beginning of the week, so I have some in the refrigerator, but there are plenty of great microwavable brands you can use to save even more time. And you can save leftovers easily – except for the avocado, because that will most likely brown.

If you’re vegetarian, just omit the chicken, increase the amount beans, and perhaps swapping in quinoa for extra protein – or add some chopped bell peppers for extra crunch and heartiness. It’s a total versatile bowl, and I hope your family loves it!

And as a bonus: save that leftover chicken and make quesadillas the next day! What kid (or adult) doesn’t love a chicken quesadilla?

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Pressure Cooker BBQ Chicken Bowls

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 4 people

Ingredients

• 1.5 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• ½ cup water
• 1 cup barbecue sauce*
• 2 cups cooked brown rice or rice of choice
• 1 15oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
• ½ cup defrosted or canned corn or if you can use fresh corn, even better!
• 2 cups chopped romaine lettuce
• 1 large avocado peeled, pitted, cubed or thinly sliced
• *I like naturally sweetened barbecue sauce with minimally processed ingredients. Use whatever works for your family here. I love True Made Foods Vegetable BBQ Sauce.

Instructions

• For the chicken (can be prepped ahead!): Place the chicken, water, and barbecue sauce to the inner pot of a 6 quart pressure cooker. Place the lid on the pot, turn the vent to Sealing position and hit Pressure Cooker for 12 minutes. After the 12 minutes, let naturally release for 10 minutes, then quick release to release any remaining pressure. Note: if using frozen chicken, pressure cook for 20 minutes, let naturally release for 10 minutes, and then quick releas to release any remaining pressure.
• Remove the lid and shred the chicken. To do this, you can transfer the chicken to a stand mixer and shred. Or, you can remove the chicken with tongs and set onto a cutting board and shred with two forks. Or, you can also just use a hand mixer in the pressure cooker and mix until shredded. Once chicken is shredded, add back to the pot and stir well to combine with sauce.
• Divide the rice, beans, corn, and romaine lettuce into bowls. Top with chicken and avocado slices.

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Carrot Cake Blender Muffins

If you’ve tried any of my blender muffins (Spinach or Beet), you probably make them on repeat and you’re looking for other veggies and flavors to incorporate in your littles ones’ diets. Of all the recipes I’ve ever published (including the ones on Inspiralized), I think that these blender muffins are my most popular.

Why? They’re so easy! Literally, these blender muffins are made in a blender – all of the ingredients are combined in a blender, poured into muffin tins, baked for under 25 minutes, and enjoyed by all.

The key to these muffins is the banana. The banana has to be nice and ripe (even overripe works), because it gives these muffins that sweetness that our little ones naturally yearn for. This makes it easier to introduce new veggies like spinach, beet, or here, carrot.

With these blender muffins, I’ve included the delicious flavors of carrot cake that’s guaranteed to make your little ones experiment with carrots, if they haven’t yet.

You can make these into a dessert by topping with some chocolate chips before baking in the oven. Or, for a snack, I love smothering them in some almond butter. Otherwise, Luca enjoys them mostly at breakfast time. They’re so quick – I start them at 7:15am and by 7:45am, he’s eating them!

I added a sprinkle of pecans on top (finely chopped to avoid any choking hazards) to give the muffins a new texture and add some healthy fats. It’s also a tasty way to test allergens!

Tell me – does your little one love these blender muffins as much as Luca does?

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Carrot Cake Blender Muffins

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 22 minutes minutes

Servings 8 muffins

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup shredded carrot
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 2 eggs
• 1 ripe banana
• 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed
• 3 tablespoons rolled oats
• to top: finely chopped pecans

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350. Blend all the ingredients together in a high speed blender. Pour the batter into muffin liners or muffin tins. Top with pecans and push into the batter. Bake for 22-24 minutes or until edges begin to brown. Let cool before serving.

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Chicken Sausage and Broccoli Pasta

This pasta recipe is in weekly rotation at our house. It’s one of those meals that is universally enjoyed by both adults and kids. And since Luca rarely ever eats meat, I love that he’ll gobble up a big bowl of this (and it has broccoli in it!) I love that you can see the broccoli, because it’s important that kids see the vegetables they’re being offered and eating, not just hidden into their foods (but there is a time and place for that, too!)

While you could totally use regular wheat pasta here, I love using chickpea pasta, as another way to squeeze in nutrients, because, why not? Luca gets plenty of wheat in his diet, so when we make pasta at home, I like to have a ‘bigger bang for the buck.’ We love Banza Rotini, but use whatever brands work for your family – or just sub in ‘regular’ pasta.

The secret here is using a flavorful chicken sausage – I love Premio brand chicken sausage, or you could buy some ground chicken sausage meat if you can find it at your local grocery store. Whole Foods’ butcher section has some great sweet Italian chicken sausage links that I often buy for this recipe, too.

Chickpea pasta tends to not save very well in the fridge, so this isn’t exactly a meal prep friendly recipe, BUT you can definitely prep all of the ingredients beforehand (the chicken sausage and broccoli) so that when you go to make it for a meal, all you need to do is cook the pasta and toss everything together!

If you’re dairy free, you totally don’t have to use Parmesan cheese – sometimes we go without it, too. It’s still a crowd pleaser! And I love serving this to Luca in our Happy Bowl.

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Chicken Sausage and Broccoli Pasta

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 4 people

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 4 chicken sausage links decased
• 3 cups broccoli florets
• 1 box chickpea or legume rotini pasta I like Banza
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
• salt and pepper to taste (go lightly on salt or omit for kids under 1)
• for adults: red pepper flakes

Instructions

• Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once oil is shimmering, add the chicken sausage and crumble with a wooden spoon and let cook until browned and no longer pink on the inside, about 10 minutes, breaking up as you go along. Transfer to a large mixing bowl.
• Meanwhile, place the broccoli in a steamer basket and steam until fork tender. Transfer to a cutting board and chop very well. Add to the bowl with the chicken sausage.
• Fill a large saucepot 2/3 the way full with water and bring to a boil. Once boiling, add the pasta and cook according to the package directions (if you’re using Banza, I like to cook for 8-9 minutes.)
• While the pasta cooks, set a colander over a large bowl, so that when you drain the pasta, the bowl underneath catches the pasta water.
• Drain the pasta and add to the bowl with the sausage and broccoli, along with about 3/4 cups of the pasta water, garlic powder, oregano, Parmesan (if using), salt (go lightly), and pepper. Toss well to combine. If dry, add more pasta water by the tablespoon.
• Serve. I recommend adding red pepper flakes and extra salt onto the adults’ pasta bowls for optimal flavor!

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What a week of meals looks like for our family

Each Friday, I make a meal plan for Saturday through the following Friday. With this meal plan, I plan out Luca’s meals: two snacks and three main meals. We try to stick to this, in an effort to minimize food waste, ensure a balanced offering of nutrition and food variety, and to keep some sanity!

When you don’t know what your next meal is and don’t have a plan, it can get overwhelming and you end up reaching for convenience foods over and over again and thus, not offering a lot of variety and ultimately spending more money.

Now, we don’t stick to this meal plan 100%. Sometimes, I don’t have time to cook something, so I’ll pull something out of my freezer and reheat it, OR we may go out for a meal that we didn’t intend on going out for and thus, have to switch things around.

Where I build my meal plans

I keep it simple. And since, like I said, I switch things up all the time, I love to have a virtual meal plan that I can swap around, copy and paste, etc. Thus, I use Evernote. I also use Evernote, because this is where my daily to-do list lives, so it’s all in the same place, so while I’m working off of my to-dos, I have our meal plan to reference easily.

Basically, each Friday, I build a new “Note” in my Daily To-Do “Notebook.” In this Note, there is an outline of the meal plan, which looks like this:

I build this for the week. Then, usually on Monday, I’ll drag the old meal plan Note into an archive of Meal Plans (so I can reference back if I’m ever stuck for ideas!) and just have our Monday through Friday to work off of. Then, again, on Friday, I build for the next Saturday through Friday.

A few things to keep in mind

While dinners are always enjoyed together (my husband is not home yet, but I always sit down and have a mini portion of our dinner with Luca), all of the rest of our meals are not the same. On the weekends, we all eat breakfast together, and about 50% of the time, during the week, Luca and I have lunch together.

Sometimes, we have the same lunch, but to be honest, my work days are unpredictable and I can’t always sit down with Luca and I’m often grabbing something outside of the house or defaulting to the same type of sandwich or meal, later on in the day (and Luca eats at 12:15pm everyday.) This is something I want to get better at – being present at his lunch times, so we can eat the same things, together. When we are able to be together, I make sure at least one of the things on his plate is the same as on mine. For example, if I know I’m eating something later, I’ll just have some steamed carrots, if that’s what’s also on his plate. I’ll basically have a snack.

As for breakfasts, since I work out in the mornings, I usually just have a PerfectBar or something snack-ish before my workout, and of course, Luca has his own breakfast. I usually sit with him (unless the morning is hectic) and sometimes I’ll take a bite off his plate or give him some of my bar, but breakfast is such a slam dunk meal for him (he eats SO much), that I don’t worry too much about us eating the same thing or me eating with him.

So to clarify: this meal plan is what Luca is offered each day, and we (Mom and Dad) also eat the same dinner as him. On the weekends, we eat more similarly, but on the weekdays, because of work, we eat separately from Luca for breakfast and lunch.

On the weekends, our schedules are a bit unpredictable, and I find us eating out a lot or using up what’s in the freezer (convenience foods like Spinach Littles and leftovers.) I tend to plan those days more loosely, because I’ve found that when I plan to cook and buy groceries accordingly, there’s a lot more waste.

Reoccuring dinners on my meal plan

There are a few dinners that I like to make each week for our family, because I know they’re hits with Luca and we love them. These include:

• Chicken Sausage and Broccoli Pasta (recipe coming soon!)
• Turkey Bolognese with Zoodles (I also do this with spiralized sweet potatoes or broccoli and couscous to switch it up)
• Chicken Sausage and Broccoli Pizza on Simple Mills crust (usually a Friday night tradition!)
• Cauliflower Curry (no butternut squash noodles)
• Roasted Salmon with Green Beans and Sweet Potatoes (Luca usually only eats the sweet potatoes, but it’s a meal we love and can eat together with him, because he’ll at least eat those.)
• Pressure Cooker Salsa Chicken
• Turkey meatballs in Rao’s Tomato Basil sauce with a veggie (broccoli, brussels sprouts, string beans, etc.)
• Burrito bowls (I’ll usually also make a family style serving of cheese quesadillas, because I know Luca loves them and it’s a fun treat for us, since we rarely eat quesadillas!)
• Veggie Raviolis with Rao’s Tomato Basil sauce and a veggie (broccoli, brussels sprouts, string beans, etc.)
• Margherita Broccoli Slabs with roasted potatoes and white beans
• Pork and Green Bean Stirfry with Sweet Potato Fried Rice (we switch up the protein – sometimes it’s chicken or shrimp, for example.)
• Lentil Meatloaf from Inspiralized & Beyond

Sample Weekly Meal Plan

Now, of course, Luca doesn’t eat all of this food at each meal time, but this is what’s offered. And we don’t stick to it 100%. Sometimes, for example, if I have a lot more blog leftovers, I’ll swap one of his lunches for that. Or, if I can’t get my stuff together for a dinner, I’ll pull together something easy from the fridge – or just some Mac and Cheese, with veggies stirred in.

But having this meal plan “set” for the week takes off a LOT of pressure and allows me to grocery shop quickly and not stress out about that aspect of our busy lives. Most importantly, it lets me look at the week ahead and make sure I’m offering him a balanced variety of fruits, veggies, proteins, whole grains, and dairy products. And we can plan leftovers better!

The post What a week of meals looks like for our family appeared first on Inspiralized.

Chicken and Carrot Cups

Luca is hit or miss with meat. Sometimes, he’ll devour a plate of Applegate’s chicken nuggets. Sometimes, he’ll eat a full cup of turkey bolognese. And sometimes, he’ll even eat crumbled chicken sausage! These occurrences happen once or twice a month. Otherwise, he’s more of a vegetable, sandwich, muffin, and carbs guy. Meat is a tough one!

There are such important nutrients in meat (and yes, of course, these can also be found in a vegetarian diet!) and so, I try to incorporate meat as much as I can and inventively. For whatever reason, my son does well with two things: muffin shaped foods and ground meat. With these Chicken and Carrot Cups, I’ve combined those two to make a guaranteed hit with Luca!

He gobbled one of these up after I took photos of them (he stole one right off the table!) and it made for the cutest little chunky hand photos, of course.

And because I know I’ll get the question, yes, these can be made without the cheese! I haven’t tried any egg substitutes here, so give it a shot and leave a comment below and let us know if it worked!

You could even switch up the vegetable here – try shredded sweet potato, broccoli, or even beet!

Print

Chicken and Carrot Cups

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 6 cups

Ingredients

• 1 cup grated carrot
• 1 large garlic clove minced
• 1/3 cup almond flour
• 1/3 cup grated parmesan or shredded cheddar cheese?
• 1 heaping tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• 1 large egg lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup cooked ground chicken
• salt and pepper

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a muffin tin with 6-7 liners.
• In a medium bowl, combine the grated carrot, garlic, almond flour, cheese, parsley, egg, chicken, and season with salt and pepper.
• Pack the mixture into the muffin liners (the mixture should make at least 6 muffins.) Bake for 20 minutes, until golden brown and crisp around the edges.
• Serve.

Notes

If you want to use a whole pound of ground turkey, quadruple everything else in the recipe! It should make about 24-28 cups.

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Broccoli and Cheddar Brown Rice Muffins

Whenever I make brown rice for a recipe, I always end up with loads extra. The problem with rice is that it get pretty sticky and stale quickly in the refrigerator, unless it’s in a thick sauce. How to solve that problem? Repurpose the cooked rice into something healthy and fun, like these rice muffins!

These muffins are easy, quick, and meal prep friendly – you basically mix together chopped broccoli, shredded cheddar cheese, garlic powder, and cooked brown rice. Stir it altogether, pack it into a muffin pan, bake, and pop them out!

They’re grabable, portable, packable, and can be served with your toddler’s favorite dipping sauce, like ketchup! It’s a neat way to get in some broccoli and there’s protein from the cheese and egg, as well as whole grains from the rice.

To reheat these, pop them back into the oven and let warm up before serving, perhaps with a little sprinkling of extra cheddar cheese on top.

What are your go-to meals for broccoli with your toddlers?

Print

Broccoli and Cheddar Brown Rice Muffins

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes minutes

Servings 6 muffins

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup finely chopped broccoli florets
• 1 ¼ cup cooked brown rice
• 1 large egg
• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
• ¼ - 1/3 cup shredded cheddar cheese depends on how cheesy you want it
• pepper to taste
• salt to taste, if desired

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Take out 6 muffin liners (or grease 6 cavities in a muffin tin.)
• In a medium bowl, stir all of the ingredients together. Pack into the muffin tins and bake for 20-25 minutes or until firm and bound together. Let cool for 5 minutes before removing from the muffin liners.

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English Muffin Broccoli Pizza

I always swore I wouldn’t be one of those parents who would melt cheese on their kids’ vegetables so they’d eat them. And then, I did. But what I’ve realized, is that cheese is a great nutritional source – calcium, protein, and fat, all essential nutrients for your growing baby/toddler. Since Luca doesn’t drink milk and hasn’t been very into yogurt lately, I’ve been adding more cheese to his diet.

Broccoli is one of the tougher vegetables for my son. I’ve served it to him a million different ways in its whole form, but despite my efforts, he won’t try it. Even melted with cheese, trust me! There are two ways I squeeze broccoli into his diet. First, it’s with my Turkey Quinoa Bakes (this one shows with peas, I’ll just swap in broccoli.) Second, it’s in a grilled cheese or similar sandwich, like these English Muffin Broccoli Pizzas.

Luca goes crazy for these sandwiches and since they’re my secret weapon for getting him to eat broccoli, I whip them out once a week and that’s it. He’ll gobble up a full half of an English muffin (which is 1/2 English muffin, almost 2 tablespoons of broccoli, 2 tablespoons of cheese, and 1 tablespoon of my veggie-packed marinara.) I save the other half for snack time the next day or dinner. I sigh relief when he eats this pizza muffin, because I know he’s getting those essential nutrients.

Now, it’s important to always introduce the whole vegetable (the broccoli floret itself) so your baby can get familiarized with it and see it. I still do that! But, what I especially love about these is that the baby can still see the broccoli florets – they’re just mini! They’re chopped up. I try my hardest not to puree and hide veggies in his foods. I like him to see the broccoli – and he does, here.

These muffins can be premade and frozen and reheated in a toaster oven for best results. They’re meal prep friendly! Bonus points: they’re adult friendly, too. I love enjoying them at meal times with Luca!

What are your go-to meals for broccoli with your toddlers?

Print

English Muffin Broccoli Pizza

Servings 2 servings

Ingredients

• 1 whole grain English muffin I like Vermont Bread Company
• 1/3 cup frozen or fresh broccoli florets
• broth or water
• 2 tablespoons marinara sauce I used my Veggie Marinara – see Notes for details
• 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese or 2 mozzarella cheese slices you can also use cheddar cheese, if that’s all you have on hand

Instructions

• Place your English muffin in a toaster oven and toast lightly, for about 5 minutes.
• Cook your broccoli. Place the broccoli in a small pot with broth or water (I used vegetable broth) and let cook until softened. For frozen broccoli, it takes about 5 minutes. For fresh broccoli, it takes about 3-5 minutes. Once done, set on a cutting board and finely chop so there are no large florets (kind of like a mince.) Set aside.
• On each muffin half, spread 1 tablespoon of marinara sauce. Top with half of the broccoli or as much that will fit. Top with cheese. Set the muffins in the toaster oven and toast for 3 minutes or until cheese melts. If using the oven, you can broil for 1-2 minutes or bake at 350 for 5-10 minute until melted.
• Remove, let cool for a few minutes and then slice into pieces per your preference.

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