Enhance your toddler’s meals with these easy tips from nutritionist Charlotte Stirling-Reed
I love to upgrade my kids’ meals with nutritious little extras, especially when they’re off their food. By adding these easy nutrient boosts, the most basic dinner can pack a nutritional punch!
Here are my top mealtime hacks for toddlers.
Fancier fish fingers
Swap standard fish fingers for the ones with added omega 3. Serve them with guacamole or red pepper houmous along with your tot’s usual ketchup. Nutrient boost: Omega 3, plus vitamin E from the guacamole.
Nutritious nuggets
Sprinkle a few teaspoons of ground almonds onto chicken nuggets as soon as they’re out of the oven (while they’re still hot and oily, so the nutty coating sticks). Nutrient boost: A little protein, fibre, folate, biotin, vitamin E and thiamine.
Posher pizzas
Pop some extra toppings onto a ready-made pizza. My kids’ favourites are chopped cherry tomatoes, cooked lentils, sweetcorn, peppers, and well-chopped olives (avoid the ones in brine as they are high in salt). Nutrient boost: Fibre, healthy fats in the olives, vitamins and minerals including vitamin C from the tomatoes, thiamine and folate from the sweetcorn, folate and vitamin C from the peppers.
Chips with a twist
When you’re cooking oven chips, try roasting up some parsnips and carrots at the same time and offer them cut into fingers, alongside the chips. Nutrient boost: Vitamins, minerals and fibre, including vitamin A from the carrots and folate and vitamin C from the parsnips.
Ready meal revamp
Serve kids’ ready meals with a side of veggies – in my house it’s usually mixed frozen veg (with carrots, peas, sweetcorn, green beans). Nutrient boost: Vitamin A and fibre.
You’re oil I need
At times when my children have a reduced appetite, I add more extra virgin olive oil when cooking – it’s nutrient- and calorie-dense. Nutrient boost: Essential fats and vitamin E.
Egg them on
When you’re making a stir-fry or frying potatoes, crack an egg into the pan. It elevates the taste and the nutritional content of your tot’s food. Nutrient boost: Protein, vitamins and minerals. Eggs are a source of vitamin D (which is needed for children’s bone growth and development), vitamin B12 and vitamin E.
Beany babies
Add pre-cooked lentils or beans (from a tin or ready-cooked sachet) when you’re heating jarred pasta sauces. Nutrient boost: Fibre, iron (which contributes to children’s normal cognitive development and can reduce tiredness) and folate.
Nut-urally healthy
Stir a spoonful of peanut or almond butter into porridge or stir-fries: this always goes down well with my little ones! Nutrient boost: Fibre, protein, essential fats, vitamins and minerals including iron and folate.
Be flax-ible
Sprinkle a few teaspoons of ground flaxseed onto puddings, cereals, or mashed potato. (Seeds can be a choking risk, so only use ground.) Nutrient boost: Fibre, protein, essential fats, vitamins and minerals including omega-3 and magnesium.
Get fruity!
Mix chopped fresh or dried fruit into porridge, yogurts or puddings. My kids love fresh blueberries and raisins. Nutrient boost: Fibre, vitamins and minerals, including manganese from the blueberries and raisins and iron from the raisins.
Sneak in more veg
I usually chuck some torn spinach into a lasagne sauce, chopped broccoli florets into pasta sauce and some frozen mixed veggies into a noodle stir fry. Nutrient boost: Vitamins and minerals: spinach and broccoli are sources of vitamins A, K and C.
Serve up a starter
Offer veggie sticks and dips before their meal. My kids love the novelty value of a “starter” so tend to eat up more than they normally would! Nutrient boost: Fibre, vitamins and minerals including vitamin C from tomatoes, folate and vitamin C from peppers, and vitamin A from carrots.
Be a fridge raider!
Stuck for ideas? Try a “fridge raider” meal featuring leftovers and other bits and pieces. Think mini portions of veggies, cheese and houmous. Display them on a divided plate for extra toddler appeal. Nutrient boost: Protein, fibre, vitamins and minerals including calcium from the cheese (which helps the development and maintenance of children’s bones and teeth), vitamin A from carrots.
Scrambled special
Add finely chopped veggies like tomatoes or peppers, or even peas and sweetcorn, when you’re making scrambled eggs. You could also add chopped fresh herbs like basil or parsley, or dried herbs like turmeric or paprika for extra flavour. Nutrient boost: Fibre, vitamins and minerals including vitamin C from tomatoes, thiamine and folate from sweetcorn, folate and vitamin C from peppers.
Dollop it on
I often add Greek yogurt for extra calories and extra creamy flavour. A dollop of yogurt (or fortified alternatives) enhances my children’s porridge, pudding or soup. Nutrient boost: Protein and calcium (needed for developing bones and teeth in children).
NUTS & SEEDS WARNING: Some of these meal suggestions include nuts and seeds, either ground or as nut butters. Whole nuts and seeds should not be given to children under five due to the choking risk. If your child has a nut or seed allergy, avoid all foods containing them.
Charlotte’s daughter Adaline tucking into her dinner
My supermarket must-haves
Frozen veggies My freezer is never without a bag of mixed vegetables. I use them in stir-fries, egg fried rice and omelettes, and on the side of my kids’ meals. They take minutes to prepare, and, in my experience, little ones prefer them to “normal” veg!
Microwavable rice and grains So essential for a quick mealtime win! I add these to a pan with frozen veg, egg and flavourings to make one of my quickest and most nutrient-rich meals. Ring the changes by swapping the egg for chicken or tofu, and vary the herbs, spices or sauces you add.
Frozen berries These are a staple in my house. Once defrosted, I scatter them on puddings or yogurt and pile them on top of pancakes, porridge and cereals. Cheaper than fresh, they’re a great way to add vitamin-packed berries to your kids’ diet!
Eggs Such a quick and nutritious choice for an evening. Omelette is one of my go-to meals for the kids.
Tinned pulses and lentils I sometimes mix half a tin into sauces to supply extra fibre, iron and other nutrients. Toddlers may pick them out at first, but that’s okay. Often, they’ll need multiple exposures before they’ll accept them. Alternatively, you can blend until smooth and serve them in soups or sauces too.
Tinned fish and frozen fish I keep tins of mackerel and salmon in the cupboard, plus fish fillets and fish fingers in the freezer. That way I always have the ingredients for a salmon sandwich or for a quick fish dish with potatoes and peas on the side.
About Charlotte
Charlotte Stirling-Reed is "The Baby & Child Nutritionist" and is a Registered Nutritionist. Charlotte is also an author and mum to little foodies Raffy and Adaline. It’s her mission to give parents confidence in feeding their children. Find her on Instagram @sr_nutrition
For more advice on feeding your toddler, and lots of easy-to-follow recipes, her bestselling book How to Feed Your Toddler is available to buy now.
