Braces-Friendly Meal Prep: Easy Foods for the First Week

Getting braces? These easy braces-friendly meal prep ideas include soft egg bites, overnight oats, chia pudding, blueberry muffins, chicken noodle soup, and acai bowls.

Two of my kids just got braces, and I quickly realized that the first few days were going to require a little extra meal planning!

Their teeth and mouths were sore, and suddenly a lot of our normal go-to foods weren’t exactly easy to eat. Instead of figuring out every meal as we went, I decided to spend a little time meal prepping foods that were soft, easy to chew, filling, and actually something my kids would want to eat.

I wanted to have plenty of options in the fridge so when someone said, “I’m hungry,” I already had something ready.

Here’s everything I made for our first week of braces!

Cottage Cheese Egg Bites

These were one of the first things I made because they’re soft, fluffy, and packed with protein.

I blended 12 eggs with cottage cheese until smooth and then poured the mixture into my egg bite molds. I baked them at 350°F for about 30 minutes in a water bath.

The water bath helps keep the egg bites nice and soft, which is exactly what I was looking for during the first few days of braces.

You can also add cheese, cooked bacon, sausage, spinach, or other soft ingredients if your kids like them.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Overnight Oats

I also made my Chocolate Peanut Butter Overnight Oats.

These are perfect for braces because they’re soft and don’t require much chewing. Plus, chocolate and peanut butter make them feel more like a treat than a healthy breakfast!

I portioned them into individual containers so the kids could grab one whenever they were hungry.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Overnight Oats

These chocolate peanut butter overnight oats are one of my favorite things to prep ahead because they taste like a treat but make such an easy breakfast. They were especially perfect for my kids during the first few days of braces because they’re soft, creamy, and require almost no chewing.

Ingredients — 1 serving

• ½ cup old-fashioned oats

• ½ cup regular milk

• ¼ cup yogurt

• 1 tablespoon chia seeds

• 1 tablespoon peanut butter

• 1 tablespoon cocoa powder

• 1–2 teaspoons honey or maple syrup, depending on how sweet you like it

• ¼ teaspoon vanilla

• Pinch of salt

toppings: optional 

Instructions

1. Add all of the ingredients to a jar or container with a lid.

2. Stir really well until everything is combined.

3. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight.

4. In the morning, give it a good stir and add a splash of milk if you want a thinner consistency.

5. Top with chocolate chips, a little extra peanut butter or sliced banana if desired

Braces-friendly tip: For the first few days, I kept the toppings soft and skipped anything crunchy. A little mashed or sliced banana is an easy addition!

You can also make several jars at once, which makes these perfect for a braces-friendly meal prep week.

Chia Seed Pudding

I made the chia seed pudding recipe I’ve been loving, too.

Cottage Cheese Chia Pudding

4 meal-prep servings

• 1 cup cottage cheese

• 1 cup regular yogurt

• 1½ cups milk

• ½ cup chia seeds

• 2–3 tbsp honey or maple syrup

• 1 tsp vanilla

• Pinch of salt

Directions

1. Blend the cottage cheese, yogurt, milk, honey, vanilla and salt until smooth.

2. Stir in the chia seeds.

3. Let it sit for 5 minutes, then stir again.

4. Divide into 4 containers.

5. Refrigerate overnight.

Top with berries + granola + honey or banana + peanut butter.

If your regular yogurt is sweetened or vanilla, use just 1–2 tbsp honey to start so it doesn’t get too sweet.

This is another great make-ahead option because it’s soft and easy to eat. I like making individual servings so they’re ready to grab straight from the refrigerator.

You can add fruit, honey, granola, or other toppings, but during the first few days of braces I kept the toppings soft and easy to chew.

Blueberry Muffins

I made a batch of blueberry muffins because I knew the kids would want something a little more substantial than yogurt and pudding. I just used a pre-made package for this one! 

The key with braces is making sure the muffins are soft and easy to bite into. I broke them into smaller pieces for the kids rather than having them bite directly into a large muffin.

They also make an easy breakfast or snack.

Chicken Noodle Soup

I knew I wanted to have soup ready to go, so I made my Chicken Noodle Soup recipe from Made It. Ate It. Loved It.

Soup was one of the easiest meals for them to eat while their teeth were sore. It’s warm, comforting, and you can make the chicken and vegetables nice and tender.

It also makes great leftovers, which makes it perfect for meal prep.

Get my Chicken Noodle Soup recipe here:

Easy Acai Bowls

I also picked up acai bowl mix from Smart & Final but if you don’t have one of those near you, you can also order on amazon! 

Acai bowls are another easy option because you can customize them depending on what your kids can comfortably eat.

For the first few days, I kept the toppings soft—things like bananas, berries, and a little honey. I skipped anything hard or crunchy that could be uncomfortable with new braces.

Other Braces-Friendly Foods

After doing this meal prep, I realized there are actually so many easy foods you can have ready for kids with braces.

Some of our other favorites and ideas include:

• Scrambled eggs

• Soft omelets

• Mac and cheese

• Mashed potatoes

• Smoothies

• Yogurt

• Applesauce

• Cottage cheese

• Soft pasta

• Oatmeal

• Creamy soups

• Rice and beans

• Soft meatballs

• Shredded chicken

• Pancakes

• French toast

• Soft muffins

• Avocado

• Banana

• Soft cooked vegetables

• Smooth peanut butter on soft bread

• Pudding

• Ice cream or frozen yogurt

A Few Things I Would Avoid at First

The first few days are when I found it especially helpful to avoid foods that are hard, crunchy, sticky, or require a lot of biting.

Some examples include:

• Popcorn

• Hard pretzels

• Hard tortilla chips

• Nuts

• Hard candies

• Sticky candy

• Very crunchy vegetables

• Hard crusts

• Chewy candy

Of course, every orthodontic treatment plan is different, so we’re following the specific food instructions our orthodontist gave us.

My Braces Meal Prep

After seeing how much easier this made the first few days, I’m definitely going to keep some of these foods in our regular rotation.

Having food already prepared meant my kids didn’t have to look through the kitchen trying to find something they could eat when their mouths were sore.

My goal wasn’t to meal prep every single meal. I just wanted to have enough soft, easy options ready to grab that I wasn’t hearing, “Mom, I’m hungry, but I can’t eat anything!”

And honestly, it made things so much easier for me, too!

If you have a child getting braces soon, I highly recommend doing a little meal prep beforehand. Having a fridge full of soft breakfasts, snacks, and easy dinners can make those first few days so much easier.I’d also add a “Braces Grocery List” at the bottom of the post with everything you bought/used. That would make this much more searchable on Google and really useful for moms preparing for braces.