1 Week of Baby Led Weaning Meals - Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
If you made it here, you’re probably familiar with the concept of baby led weaning, but if you’re not, baby led weaning (or BLW) is a concept of skipping purees in favor of giving your baby real foods to help stimulate their oral growth, curiosity about different types of food, and joining in during the family meals. Baby led weaning involved feeding your little one the same foods you might be eating, served in an age and developmentally appropriate manner.
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When we started baby led weaning with both of our boys, Solid Starts was our bible and it will be with our next children as well. Giving your child real food can be an anxious experience as they (and you) become comfortable and more experienced with it. Solid Starts helps you to determine the best way to serve foods to minimize any choking risk which definitely helps to add in comfort.
It’s recommended to have your child experience new foods one at a time, that way you can monitor for any allergies or potentially less than positive reactions. But once you get past that point and are serving multiple foods at once or actual meals, the possibilities are overwhelming. It’s easy to get stuck in a rut or brain overload when it comes to serving meals to your baby.
We’re sharing a weeks worth of baby led weaning meal ideas below to help provide you some inspiration. These are REAL meals that we fed our boys. At the time, we served them in the manner best for their development which usually involved varying sized pieces or specific consistencies. Again, we always recommend checking Solid Starts website or consulting a professional to see what way is best for your child at that moment.
In this list of baby led weaning meals, you’ll find:
7 BLW breakfasts, 7 BLW lunches and 7 BLW dinners
Homemade ideas with recipe links (if applicable)
Ideas with healthier pre-made products you can pick up at the store
7 BABY LED WEANING BREAKFASTS
Breakfast Idea #1: Avocado Toast + Scrambled Egg + Steamed Broccoli
For the toast, I like to use the Ezekiel Low Sodium Bread, particularly for their first year. The broccoli is a steamable bag from the freezer section. Just double check the ingredients to ensure it's broccoli only.
Breakfast #2: Breakfast Bake + Banana + Fage 5% Plain Yogurt
I make this breakfast bake once every couple weeks. It's so nice to have on hand for breakfast and can easily be frozen.
Ingredients:
1 lb breakfast sausage (ground or can cut up links)
1 bag frozen hashbrowns or diced potatoes
8-10 eggs scrambled
1/4 cup milk
1/4-1/2 cup cheese
Salt + Pepper
Instructions:
Heat oven to 375
Cook sausage until no longer pink
Lightly grease baking pan (I use a casserole dish or 9x12 pan usually)
Pour in potatoes, then sausage on top.
Whisk eggs, milk & cheese together.
Add salt & pepper to your liking
Pour over the potato/sausage mixture
Sprinkle with some more cheese
Bake at 375 until egg is cooked through (usually ~30 mins depending on style/depth of pan)
Breakfast #3: Scrambled Eggs + Blueberries + Sauteed Sweet Potatoes
Sometimes, a simple breakfast is best. This takes less than 10 minutes to make up - the longest chunk of time spent on the sweet potatoes. You can steam these for a quicker result rather than cooking in a pan to save some time if needed.
Breakfast#4: Frozen Waffle + Papaya + Blueberries
One of our go-to waffle options for BLW is the Kashi 7 Grain Waffle. It has a decent ingredient list and is readily available in the freezer section of most grocery stores.
Breakfast #5: Banana Pancake + Strawberries + Avocado
Whenever I have browning bananas, I make them up into a batch of banana pancakes to keep in the freezer. I typically do 2 bananas + 1 egg + a couple tablespoons of gluten free flour + cinnamon. There are tons of recipes online if you are looking for more flavor options or need more detailed instructions, but basically whisk it all up and cook it on low until cooked through. Just like you would any other pancake!
Breakfast #6: Overnight Oats + Scrambled Egg w/Cheese
These overnight oats are beyond easy to make and super customizable. I use Bob's Red Mill GF Old Fashioned Oats and follow the recipe below!
INGREDIENTS:
1 Cup of Oats
1 cup of Milk (Dairy Free or Reg)
1/2 Tbsp Maple Syrup
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
Cinnamon to taste
INSTRUCTIONS:
Pour all ingredients into mason jar. Twist the lid on tight and shake, shake, shake to mix it up. Set in your fridge for 6+ hours and it's good to go!
Breakfast #7: Frozen Waffle + Veggie Cake + Banana
This is an awesome option for a low-on-time morning breakfast, This is a Birch Benders Paleo Freezer Waffle which has insanely clean ingredients, but is a bit harder to find. The Veggie Cake is from Veggies Made Great and a staple we keep in our house. And of course, all you have to do is peel a banana. Hello, 3 minute meal!
7 BABY LED WEANING LUNCHES
Lunch #1: Tomato Soup + Grilled Cheese
Made with Canyon Bakehouse gluten free bread.
Lunch #2: Rice Cracker Pizza + Red Pepper Slices + Plain 5% Fage Yogurt
For the rice cracker pizzas, I like to use Suzie's Organic Thin Rice Cakes for baby led weaning. Since they are thinner, they aren't as dry and they were easier for my son to manage. I top the rice cake with no sodium tomato sauce and cheese. Pop in the microwave just until the cheese is melted and then let them cool.
Lunch #3: Turkey Pinwheels + Cherry Tomatoes + Raspberries
Pinwheels like this are an easy lunch option. HOW TO: Choose a shell like the ones from Mission Foods. Add in your meat and a thin slice of cheese (we like swiss!) Roll them and slice them thin to get the pinwheel look. You can also add in mayo or mustard if you like!
Lunch #4: Homemade Tuna Salad + Roasted Red Pepper Hummus + Cucumber
INGREDIENTS:
Can of tuna
Red Pepper, diced small
Onion, diced small
Celery, diced small
Mayonnaise
INSTRUCTIONS:
Drain the can of tuna. Then combine tuna, red pepper, onion and celery in a bowl. Mix in mayo to taste. Add salt and pepper to your preference.
Lunch #5: Mac n' Cheese + Halved Grape Tomatoes + Leftover Sautéed Green Pepper and Onion
This is the GF Rice Pasta & Cheddar Mac from Annie's. It's one of our go-to brands and R loves it. I paired it with some leftover veggies from pizza night at our house. These veggies were simply diced and then sautéed in a little coconut oil until they were soft. Super easy and quick to make at any time.
Lunch #6: Quesadilla + Banana
One of the easiest lunch options to make because we always have tortillas and cheese on hand! This one was made with leftover taco meat, but frequently it is just cheese.
Lunch #7: Canned sardines + Sliced cucumber + Red bell pepper slices w/hummus
Since sardines can be salty, I made sure to purchase the no salt added variety. I also rinsed them for good measure. Then I mixed a bit of mayo into it and put it on a rice cake. I like to use the Suzie's Organic Thin Rice Cakes for baby led weaning. Since they are thinner, they aren't as dry and they were easier for my son to manage.
7 BABY LED WEANING DINNERS
Dinner #1: Cilantro Rice + Roasted Brussels Sprouts + Sauteed Mushrooms & Onions
Sauteeing vegetables is an easy and quick option for dinner. Serving a food roasted v. sauteed v. steamed gives your child exposure to different textures of the same food. One of which they might prefer over the others!
Dinner #2: Deconstructed Tacos - Taco Meat + White Rice + Shredded Cheese + Almond Flour Tortilla
We use Siete Foods taco seasoning and almond flour tortillas. Their products have no weird fillers or sugars, but they are pricier so please use what you prefer and your budget allows!
Dinner #3: Beef & Pork Meatloaf + Mashed Potatos + Matchstick Mozzarella & Grape Tomato
Dinner #4: Baked Chicken w/Primal Kitchen Ketchup + Plain 5% Fage Yogurt + Tomato Slices
Baking chicken in the oven is an easy way to make protein for your baby. I like to bake up 2 breasts at a time so I can separate it into 4+ servings and use each a different way. This time I served with Primal Kitchen ketchup which is an unsweetened ketchup option.
Dinner #5: Chickpea Rotini w/ Pesto Sauce + Chicken Patty + Quartered Grapes
We like to use Banza Chickpea Rotini for the extra protein and clean ingredients. Just cook it to the boxes instructions and top with some pesto sauce (store bought or homemade.) The Chicken Patty is from Mighty Spark Foods and is made with all natural chicken. We like this brand because they offer different flavors of patties, such as brushetta or spinach and feta.
Dinner #6: Pork Chop + Pan Roasted Zucchini + Roasted Potatoes
Dinner #7: Hamburger strips + Sweet Potato Fries + Steamed Broccoli
We love using freezer veggies where the vegetable is the only ingredient. They are inexpensive, easy to keep on hand and cook up quickly for meal time.
