10 Toddler Meal Prep Ideas (Freezer-Friendly)

Grab my list of easy meal prep ideas for toddlers that you can make on a Sunday to feel more prepared for the week! 

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This week we’re continuing our Weekly Meal Prep series, with a roundup of recipes and ideas you can prep on a Sunday so you can easily feed your toddler throughout the week!

You can find more weekly meal prep ideas for families here:

• Everything I Meal Prepped for My Family of 5
• Family-Friendly Sunday Meal Prep
• Muffin Pan Meal Prep Challenge 

What are some toddler-friendly meal prep recipes?

When it comes to feeding kids, we so often hear the advice to “make everyone the same meal” or “everyone eats the same thing” and to be honest, this is typically not realistic (at least in my house!).

Especially with breakfast and lunch, I find it super helpful to have a few basic things I know my toddler will eat, prepped and ready to eat or heat up quickly in the air fryer. 

Of course at dinnertime, it is easier to make one meal for the family, rather than catering to what everyone wants, but it’s also okay to make foods that everyone likes!

In our house we call this the Family Favorites List (not trying to win any awards here).

If your toddler loves spaghetti and meatballs, it would be helpful to prep a batch of meatballs on Sunday and include that in your family meal plan for the week!

Here’s a quick list of toddler-friendly meal prep ideas:

• Mini muffins
• Mini meatballs
• Hard-boiled eggs
• Quesadillas or taquitos
• Mini Banana bread loaves
• Washed & stored strawberries and blueberries
• Washed & chopped cucumber sticks

Meal Prep Organization

There’s an entire section devoted to Meal Planning & Prep inside my Ultimate Stay at Home Mom Course because I truly believe these little systems are what help your home run so much smoother!

My Meal Planner Grocery List Pad

This is the meal planner I am currently using and I’m obsessed with it!

Can’t beat the price ($7!) and I love that I can write the grocery list on one side, and my meal plan on the other (plus it’s magnetic!)

My Go-To Meal Prep Tools

1. I love this mini waffle maker and I’ve had it for years!
2. And these produce-saver containers that help fruits & veggies last longer!

The rest of my meal prep tools (like my favorite slow cooker) are linked here. 

Easy meal prep ideas for toddler moms

1. No need to prep whole meals in advance
2. Having meal components prepped ahead makes putting meals together easier
3. If your toddler eats something on repeat (PB&J) make a bunch & freeze them!

Using your planner or a piece of paper, quickly write down a few things you could prep that would make your life easier this week:

• Make smoothie packs
• Wash & prep fruit
• Prep a batch of quesadillas
• Make ranch dip for veggies
• Bake mini muffins

Freezer-Friendly Toddler Meal Prep Recipes You’ll Love:

• SO Easy 3 Ingredient Taquitos 
• Mini Waffle Maker Omelets (so fun!!)
• Healthy Kid-Friendly Chicken & Broccoli Meatballs

Freezer Meals for Toddlers

Here’s how to properly freeze the foods you meal prep so that they’ll last, and they won’t get freezer burned!

Here’s what I do:

• Store food in glass containers, separated by parchment paper if needed
• Use blue tape (painter’s tape) to label freezer meals & write the date + contents or quick instructions
• Flash freeze items like pancakes, waffles or muffins so they don’t stick together (instructions below)

Find all of my meal prep essentials here

How to flash freeze food so it doesn’t stick together:

• Line a small baking sheet or plate with parchment paper
• Add food in a single layer (shown on left)
• Freeze until set (frozen to the touch)
• Store in a glass container or freezer-safe bag (shown on right)

Toddler Meal Prep Ideas

Toddler-approved meals that are freezer-friendly!

Meal Prep Recipes for Toddlers (what can I batch cook for my toddler?)

• The recipes and ideas shared here are great for toddlers 12-18 months, 2 year olds, and up! 
• Cut and serve foods appropriately, based on their age. 
• And of course the idea is not to make all of these things in one day, I’m just sharing my top 10 favorite ideas to make in advance!
• Mix and match, and pick the ideas you like!

1. Cheese Quesadillas
2. Bean & Cheese “taquitos”
3. PB&J or “Uncrustables”
4. Cheesy Broccoli Bites
5. Healthy Thumbprint Cookies
6. Homemade Bagels
7. Cheesy Egg Waffles
8. Mini Banana Oat Muffins
9. On-the-Go Snack Boxes
10. Mini Chicken Meatballs

Notes:

• You can bake for a few more minutes if you want the tortillas crispy
• If making these for meal prep, allow the quesadillas and the pan to cool completely and then place the pan directly into the freezer to flash-freeze them!
• If the pan doesn’t fit inside your freezer just line a smaller pan or plate with parchment paper.
• Once the quesadillas are frozen, store in a freezer-safe bag or glass container lined with parchment paper.

Refried Bean & Cheese Taquitos

My kids love these and you can customize them with chicken or beef or whatever kinds of beans your kids might like.

Prep a bunch and warm them up one at a time as needed.

Full instructions here for these bean & cheese taquitos (including air fryer, freezing & reheating instructions).

To Freeze:

• Place the pan directly into the freezer to flash-freeze them
• Once the sandwiches are frozen, store in a freezer-safe bag or glass container lined with parchment paper
• You can put the sandwiches in the lunchbox from the freezer and they’ll defrost by lunch

Cheesy Broccoli Bites

A favorite toddler recipe for years, and one of the most popular ideas on our site!

• You only need 4 simple ingredients to make these
• They freeze & reheat easily
• Great for babies & toddlers (and moms!)
• You can also put the mixture into the food processor before baking so the texture is more like a broccoli tot 

Grab my full step-by-step recipe with freezing instructions, here: 4 Ingredient Cheesy Broccoli Bites

Healthy Thumbprint Cookies

These are SO good and bonus – they’re gluten-free!

I use this recipe from Erin Lives Whole and instead of the Hershey’s Kisses I use strawberry jam in the center!

• Once the cookies are cooled, I freeze half of them using the same instructions shared above.
• So easy to take out for a quick toddler snack, and my kids like them straight from the freezer, too!

2 Ingredient Homemade Bagels

Sounds crazy, right?

When we found out one of our kids had to go gluten-free, I started playing around with making a lot of foods myself, because I found that:

1. Gluten-free foods are *expensive*
2. And they don’t always have the best ingredients and tend to be ultra-processed

For these bagels, you only need Greek yogurt and flour (I’ve used Bob’s Red Mill GF blend and I’ve used Einkorn flour).

I used this recipe from Yummy Toddler Food

Cheesy Egg Waffles

Waffle makers aren’t just for waffles!

I use my mini waffle maker to make “waffle eggs” – similar to an omelette – and they’re very customizable! 

My kids’ favorite version is with broccoli & cheese.

Get my full step-by-step recipe with freezing instructions here: 4 Ingredient Cheesy Waffle Eggs

Mini Banana Oat Muffins

Your kids will love this go-to mini muffin recipe that makes a ton!

It’s kind of like a cross between baked oatmeal and a muffin.

I like to freeze half the batch so I have some on hand for quick snack boxes, breakfasts, or afternoon snacks.

Get my full step-by-step recipe here: Mini Banana Oat Muffins

Instead of trying to assemble something when you’re already busy and running out the door, you’ll be so glad you included snack boxes in your weekly meal prep. 

Chicken & Broccoli Meatballs

An easy way to add more veggies, and the recipe makes a bunch of mini meatballs, making it the perfect thing to prep in advance.

And if your toddler doesn’t like broccoli, just leave it out!

Full recipe & instructions: Healthy Chicken Mini Meatballs

I hope these toddler-friendly meal prep ideas were helpful to you! 

1. Remember that it’s not about trying to make a million things while being in the kitchen all day.
2. Start by picking one or two ideas that would be really helpful for the week ahead and see how it goes!
3. Don’t forget I’ve saved all of my Meal Prep tools here (like my slow cooker, muffin pans, cookie scoops, and favorite glass storage containers). 

What to Read Next:

• What I Fed My Family This Week
• Favorite Store-Bought Gluten-Free Snacks
• Make-Ahead Weekday Breakfasts
• Quick 2 Year Old Breakfast Ideas
• 1 Year Old Meal Ideas & Feeding Schedule

Follow Marla on Instagram for more practical ideas for everyday #momlife