Nourishing Meal Ideas for a Picky Threenager

I can’t believe that August is almost over and that next week is Labor Day! I know many of you have kids that are already back in school! But, our school year starts after Labor Day. In just over a week, our beloved Threenager will be transitioning to full-time preschool! I can’t hardly believe it!

One thing that I worry about most is making sure that he’s eating a nourishing meal for breakfast and lunch. He’s typically a good eater, but like other three year olds, he has very strong feelings (that change every other day, ha!) about what he wants or needs to eat.

I’m always looking for nourishing meal ideas that I know he’ll love and enjoying eating, especially at school. I stopped by our local Meijer to pick up some go-to items for breakfast and lunch during the school week. They’re household favorites for all of us and we all enjoy our meals!

Breakfast Sandwich & Green Smoothie

Our mornings are busy with getting ready for work and school, so one of our go-to breakfast choices is Jimmy Dean® Croissant Sausage Egg Cheese. The sandwiches make for a satisfying and nourishing breakfast for everyone in our family. It only takes a few minutes to warm up and it is great to eat with a green smoothie. It’s my way of making sure that the Threenager is getting all of his proteins, grains, dairy, and veggie servings in one meal!

Green smoothies are delicious and packed full of nutrients. It’s an easy and quick way to add a delicious compliment to your breakfast. We use different fruit and always add spinach to our smoothies. Here’s what you need for your green smoothie:

Green Smoothie Recipe

(Makes 3 – 8 oz servings)

• (White) peach
• Ripe banana
• Orange
• Pear
• Handful of spinach
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup frozen pineapple

Directions: Fill your mixer with the cup of water. Peel and slice up all of the fruit. Layer in the spinach and frozen pineapple. Keep layering in each of fruits: peach, banana, orange, and pear. Mix / Blend everything on medium-high setting for 3 minutes. Keep blending as needed until all of the ingredients are fully mixed in.

Bento Lunch Box

My favorite way to make lunches for school is a bento box. It’s quick and easy to prep and most importantly, Threenager-approved! Today’s school lunch is packed full of berries, crackers, greek yogurt, steamed broccoli, and tooth pick roll-ups with slow roasted turkey, colby jack cheese, and cherry tomatoes.

I try to mix in a variety of different food items and offer options to make lunch enjoyable. Dinner time is almost always a battle, but his school lunches are almost always a hit! He loves the toothpick roll-ups! It’s a great way to pack in protein for his meal and a fun way to enjoy eating lunch at school, too!

With these breakfast and lunch meals, it’s one less thing I have to worry about as we get back into the busy-ness of the back to school season. I can’t believe that summer is over, but I’m definitely looking forward to getting back into our daily routine, too. At least, I know I won’t have to battle the Threenager for many meals during these school months.

Nourishing Meal Ideas For A Picky Threenager