Toddler teas - inspiration please!!!

[ElusiveMoose]

I'm feeling really stuck in a rut with DS's diet at the moment (he's 2.6). The things he likes are:

Carbs - pasta, couscous, rice, bread (sort of).
Protein - most meats (although he's not keen on big chunks of meat), tuna, prawns and smoked fish, other fish to a degree, pulses, eggs (soft or hard boiled).
Veg - tomato, cucumber, peas, most mediterranean-type veg if it's chopped up in a sauce/stir fry.
Tomato-based sauces
Dairy - cheese, yoghurt, ice cream
Fruit - most

Things he hates are:

Potatoes - in any and every form (even chips )
Gloopy sauces - anything in a cream or cheese sauce
Veg in a 'meat and two veg' kind of form, except peas.

I know that probably doesn't sound too bad, but I seem to have got into a really small repertoire of very similar meals. Lunch is usually either sandwiches or a 'salad' of bits-and-pieces-on-a-plate. Tea always seems to be pasta (or rice) with bolognese/ chilli/ tomatoey casserole, or stir fry, or sometimes baked beans on toast or boiled eggs.

I've noticed that he seems to be getting worse at trying new things, and I really want to broaden my repertoire before he gets really fussy (plus I'd like him to eat the same meals as us more). I'm quite a good/adventurous cook myself, but for some reason I seem to have a blind spot when it comes to his meals.

Can anyone suggest some meals that broadly fit in with the things he likes, but aren't just a variation on pasta with sauce???

Thank you!

I have no useful suggestions but wonder if you would like to swap him for ds? (eats cheese sandwiches and pasta )

hmm i can not help either all mine 10 3 and 18 month eat what we do if there not keen on it then it gets left thoughthey will always eat some of everything. if they are eating earlier to us i just cook asusual and plate mine a nd dh's up to re heat later

I sympathise. Often feel the same way about a slightly different selection of foods.

Have you tried humous and tzatziki? Good for getting them to dip crudites into, eg slightly cooked carrots, raw red pepper strips, baby sweetcorn, cucumber, strips of pita bread or breadsticks. My DD likes that because she can get it in her hair, which is fun. It is also good for me as it involves no cooking. I sometimes put falafel in there too but she doesn't always go for that.

Also, omelettes? DD likes garlic mushrooms or spinach with cheese, or leftover veg like broccoli or courgettes (though she won't choose to eat courgette if you offer it to her as part of a 'meat and two veg' meal, which is what she often gets).

And if he eats peas as a separate veg, would he go for sweetcorn mixed in or on the side? Then you can have, eg, fish fingers and veg.

Does he like pesto? I find I can incorporate green things such as frozen spinach or peas into pesto, or sometimes courgettes. That might be a good way of introducing them.

Lastly, I try to remember that if it comes to it, peanut butter on wholemeal toast with a banana and a glass of milk is more or less a perfect meal

PS - the dipping thing might extend to chips with ketchup, or strips of roast chicken with mayo, or mild tortilla chips with guacamole.