Budget recipes for toddlers

It’s best to try to avoid letting your toddler get used to commercially prepared foods, because not only are they often nutritionally suspect, they also work out as an expensive way to feed your growing child.

Home-made meals are best when it comes to feeding your toddler – you’ll know what they contain, and buying all the component parts of a meal separately often is cheaper than buying it all ready made. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, children age one to three years need to consume around 40 calories per inch of height a day. So if your toddler is 32 inches tall, she should ideally be taking in around 1,300 calories. But don’t get hung up on this: toddlers are busy little people with little time or inclination to sit down to three square meals per day.

If you suspect your toddler isn’t eating as much as she should, offer healthy snacks in between meals, as these will provide calorie-rich carbohydrates as well as fiber and vital nutrients. And think ahead to how you can make up for things at her next meal – for example, if she leave some of her milk at breakfast time, give her some cheese cubes or a yogurt at lunch time; or if she doesn’t like the texture of meat, boost her protein intake for that day with scrambled eggs.

On a daily basis, your toddler needs:

Fruit and vegetables Four servings.
Protein Two servings (you can include meat, poultry, fish, beans, tofu).
Dairy 16-24 ounces (if your child won’t drink this much milk, make up the difference with cheese and yogurt, or use milk in pasta sauce and to make mashed potatoes).
Grains Four servings (bread, cereal, rice).

As far as serving size goes, think one tablespoon per year of her age for fruits and vegetables, one quarter to one third the size of an adult portion for grains, and half an ounce for protein.

It’s possible to achieve this on a tight budget, especially if you stock up on pantry staples such as lentils, whole grain rice and pasta, dried or canned beans, canned tomatoes, and canned tuna and salmon. For your freezer, think frozen berries and cherries and frozen mixed vegetables – these often are less expensive than fresh produce and have the advantage that you don’t need to mess about peeling and dicing them. Also, the fact that they’re frozen immediately after they’re harvested means they’re nutritionally better than so-called fresh produce that might actually have spent several months in storage. Frozen white fish, such as Pollock or cod, and frozen lean beef, also should be in your freezer.

Try these great budget recipes (they can double up to be your meal too, but don’t add salt to your toddler’s portion) – even fussy eaters are sure to love them. And cook up a batch so you can freeze some to use later…

Fishcakes
You’ll need:

1Ib Pollock or cod
1 cup canned white beans, drained and rinsed
½ cup breadcrumbs
1 egg, beaten

Bake or broil fish as per packet instructions or until flesh is opaque and flakes easily. Purée beans and breadcrumbs together in a food processor. Place in large bowl, and flake cooked fish into the mixture. Add beaten egg and mix together. Use your hands to form fishcakes, then broil or cook in oiled skillet for 5-6 minutes each side until browned. Serve with baked potato skins and chopped cherry tomatoes, or with pasta and vegetables.

Baked potato skins
You’ll need:

1Ib red or white potatoes, scrubbed
2 tbsp olive oil
Salt-free seasoning

Add salt-free seasoning to olive oil. Cut potatoes into crescent shapes and toss with the seasoned olive oil mixture. Bake in stove at 375°F until soft.

Mini Italian meatballs
You’ll need:

1Ib lean ground lamb, pork or beef
2 cloves garlic, chopped
3 tbsp parmesan cheese, grated
1 tbsp breadcrumbs
1 egg, beaten
1 cup diced or chopped tomatoes
½ cup red beans or black-eye peas, drained and rinsed
½ cup mushrooms, chopped
Salt-free seasoning

Mix ground meat together in a large bowl with garlic, cheese, breadcrumbs, egg and seasoning. Roll mixture between your palms to from meatballs. Brown in a skillet, turning to cook through evenly, 6-8 minutes depending on size. In separate skillet, fry mushrooms in a little oil until soft. Add canned tomatoes and beans, heat through. Add mixture to meatballs and serve with wholegrain pasta.

Lentil curry
You’ll need:

1 cup lentils
3 cups chicken stock or broth, salt-free
1 tbsp ground ginger
½ tsp turmeric
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tsp ground cumin
1 cup canned diced tomatoes
1 tbsp lemon juice

Place lentils, chicken stock/broth, ginger and turmeric in saucepan, bring to boil and simmer 20 minutes on medium heat until lentils are soft. Purée 1 cup lentil mixture in food processor, fold back in, and simmer 15 minutes. Fry onion in skillet until golden. Add garlic and cumin, fry 1 minute. Add canned tomatoes, cook 2-3 minutes. Pour tomato mixture into lentils, add lemon juice and simmer 5 minutes. Serve with wholegrain pasta or rice.

Banana and blueberry bread
You’ll need:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
½ cup butter or margarine
¾ cup light brown sugar
2 eggs, beaten
3 overripe bananas, mashed
1 cup frozen blueberries

Mix together flour, baking soda, and salt in large bowl. In a separate bowl cream together butter/margarine and sugar. Stir in eggs and mashed bananas, Add frozen blueberries and mix in. Fold into dry ingredients until batter is just moist. Bake 60 minutes in oiled loaf tin at 350°F.

The information in this feature is intended for educational purposes only. If you have any concerns about your health, the health of your child or the health of someone you know, please consult with a doctor or other healthcare professional.

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Last Modified: 07/04/2009

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