Harper LOVES food! She tries & likes most things we introduce. I am very glad that we started her off with a variety of foods so she was not expecting mac and cheese every night, I'm sure our day will come so I am holding out as long as I can! I always recommend making extras of your dinner and freezing them or spending an afternoon prepping these foods and freezing for the upcoming weeks, that way you have plenty of variety.
Breakfast- Aim for a Protein, Fruit, and Carb
- Smoothie- We make a mason jar full of strawberry, banana, spinach, and oat smoothie that Harper LOVES! She has a small serving every morning. It gives her an extra serving of fruits & veggies, keeps her hydrated, and regular!
- Eggs- The simplest breakfast is scrambling an egg each morning with a little mozzarella cheese. This takes 2 minutes and is a good source of protein. We usually offer an egg every other day at breakfast.
- Muffins- We make yummy muffins and Harper loves her carbs! We do a banana oat muffin and sweet potato muffin and freeze a batch.
- Oatmeal- Another quick option is oatmeal. On mornings that we do not offer an egg, we substitute with oatmeal. You can add a dash of cinnamon for extra flavor.
- Avocado- Harper loves a plain avocado! We offer her bite size pieces that she can pick up. You can also offer this mashed or in finger size pieces to pick up.
- Pancakes- We will often serve a pancake with fruit or avocado and a smoothie.
Lunch/Dinner- Protein, Grain, and Veggie/Fruit
- Smoothie- Harper will often have another small serving of her smoothie for lunch, she loves them and I'm not going to stop her from having some extra fruit and vegetables!
- Turkey Burger/Meatballs/Meatloaf- These are all either leftovers from our dinner or premade portions in the freezer.
- Salmon Burger/Bean Burger- I love that Harper gets fish & some meatless protein in her diet since those are not go-to's on our dinner menu.
- Quesadilla/Grilled Cheese- A quick favorite of Harper's is a quesadilla or grilled cheese. I'll use cheese and whatever leftover protein we may have in the fridge. This is often a go-to on the weekends for us.
- Fresh Cod/Fish- Harper loves fresh fish!
- Avocado- If she didn't have it for breakfast, avocado is a go-to for lunch as well!
- Cheesy Quinoa Bites- It is a mix of cheese and quinoa, and a great complement to lunch or dinner.
- Vegetables- Vegetable options are endless, our go-tos are sweet potato, green beans, broccoli, corn, peas, butternut squash, and cauliflower. Baby bites pre-cooks these and I usually make 3-4 varieties and offer them as a side for lunch and dinner.
- Fruit- You can cut up any fruit into small pieces for your baby. I precut blueberries, strawberries, and grapes to use for snacks, lunch, and dinner.
Snacks
- Yogurt- I buy these yogurt pouches for on the go snacks and these yogurts for a healthy snack and dairy option.
- Fruit- You can cut up any fruit into small pieces for your baby. I precut blueberries, strawberries, and grapes ahead of time.
- Toasts- I'll sometimes offer Harper avocado toast or peanut butter toast as a snack. She enjoyed these when she was around 6-8 months because she could hold them herself and chew on them.
I hope this helps plan your baby's meals! I was always overwhelmed by the recipes and ingredients needed to make healthy baby food.
XOXO,
Nichole @ Little Peach Sleep