One of the many things I had not considered about having a toddler was the transition of teaching her how to eat independently and to try many foods. D, my daughter, is super cute and never spits out her food. Instead, she simply hands it back to us and says in her sweet little voice, “No.” How polite, right?
D has always loved vegetables – peas and green beans were, and still are, among her favorite foods. Ever since we started introducing purees and other soft foods, she has been partial to veggies… especially green ones! She never really got into fruits until she could pick up pieces and feed them to herself. The interesting thing is, though, that D seems to enjoy most foods. The trick is trying to get her to eat them!
I did all kinds of research on meal ideas for toddlers. I tried several different recipes I found that just looked super cute and fun and guess what? They were super time-consuming and they literally all flopped. D didn’t eat any of them! And, to top it all off, the food was so tailored to a toddler that my husband and I didn’t want them either! Now, I am sure there are a lot of great toddler-inspired recipes out there. What I am saying is that I really do not have time, nor the desire, to make two different meals for every meal. I love cooking and everything, but I am also not really into making things harder for myself. Making two meals wasn’t working anyway.
Then, I had an epiphany. D just wanted to eat whatever she saw her daddy and mommy eating. If it was on our plate, she wanted it on hers too. D tries almost anything that she sees us eating. This is great, right? It definitely is, but I do have to make sure I have meal items that are easy to eat. D is still learning how to eat solid foods well, and she is still getting some of her teeth. So, this is one of my easy recipes for a quick lunch or dinner.
Biscuit pizzas came about when I had a bunch of those ingredients in my fridge and I needed a quick and yummy lunch for D and me. It has become something I make fairly often, and it is enjoyable for D and for me to eat. Not only that, it is something older kids could help make! D just isn’t quite old enough yet.
For lunchtime, I tend to use the small cans of biscuit dough, but you can use whatever kind/amount you’d like. I usually make three small pizzas with toppings for myself (green chile, please!), and two pizzas for D (cheese, please!). Since it is something I am also eating, D is much more willing to eat it too. In my book, that is a major win!
This is a great way to involve your kids in the kitchen, while still providing a meal everyone will enjoy!
Biscuit Pizza
Ingredients
- 1 can refrigerated biscuit dough
- pizza sauce or tomato sauce
- shredded cheese (mozzarella and/or Italian cheese blends recommended)
- other pizza toppings, as desired
- pizza seasoning or Italian seasoning
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°. (If your can of biscuit dough has a different temperature listed in the directions, use that temperature instead.)
- Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil (optional for easier clean-up), and then spray the lined pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- Open the can of biscuits. Then, one at a time, flatten each biscuit out into until it is ¼ inch or so thick and place it on the cookie sheet. (Place the biscuits at least an inch apart, as they will expand a little when cooking.)
- Top each biscuit with a tablespoon (or more if desired) of pizza sauce. Spread it evenly.
- Sprinkle about two tablespoons of cheese on the pizzas.
- Add any additional toppings to the pizzas.
- Sprinkle a pinch of seasoning on top of each pizza.
- Bake the pizzas for about 10 minutes, or until the biscuit dough is lightly browning and the cheese is bubbly.
