In a perfect world, I would have tons of time to make fabulous gourmet meals from scratch, and then my darling toddler would gobble them up without hesitation and say, “Thanks mommy! More, please?”

Sadly, I don’t live there.  Not even close.

My child is picky and unpredictable, and on top of that, while I do my best, I am not always on my “A game” when it comes to cooking. Even on the weeks where I spend lots of time making delicious dinners, sometimes Colin just won’t budge.  Meal after meal would go untouched.  And since I tend to cook 2 or 3 meals in double batch to last the week, a rejected meal means a couple days of food challenges.

Enter convenience foods.

I’m not thrilled about feeding my child prepared easy “short-cut” kind of foods, but Hive, let’s get real.  We can’t be super moms all the time, and it’s nice to have a back-up plan.  Here is mine:


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1) Frozen Tortellini:  We buy our local store brand tortellini from the frozen section.  Usually, I stick with cheese, but sometimes we will get meat or, if they have it in stock, the spinach kind.  I can make a large batch early in the week, put them in a tupperware with some olive oil and grated cheese, and they make a great fall back meal.

2, 3, 4) Cheese and Bean Quesadillas: I am not proud to say that sometimes, I am short enough on time that I don’t even make these in a pan.  A quick minute of melting in the microwave, and you can have a fabulous quesadilla, perfect for dipping in mild salsa (and oh, my toddler loves dipping!).

5, 6) Mini Bagels and Cream Cheese:  Colin loves anything and everything related to cheese, so he gets very excited to have a bagel with cream cheese for lunch.  If I don’t rip it into small bites, though, he will just lick off all the cream cheese and ask for more.  Still, these are a hit in our house.

7) Chiobani 2% Greek Yogurt: I find that buying Greek yogurt when it is on sale is the best way for us to go, rather than splurging on the fancy baby yogurt in smaller containers.  Colin can crush a 6 oz. container of protein packed Greek yogurt, and often times, I will mix in fruit or granola as well.

8) Turkey Hot Dogs and Sausages:  Colin loves anything that I call a “hot dog.”  We love the nitrate-free Oscar Meyer Selects Turkey Franks. I also frequently try different brands and flavors of turkey and chicken sausages, from our local store and Trader Joe’s, and many of them incorporate veggies into the sausage for an extra bonus.

9) Trader Joe’s Lightly Breaded Fish Sticks, Reduced Fat:  These are quick and easy to pop into the oven, and not only will C gobble them up, but mom and dad enjoy them too!

What are your go-to healthy (or healthy-ish) options for your kids (or even just for you) when you don’t have time to cook a full meal?