quick meals for selective toddlers and mum to eat at the same time.

[huby]

Hi

I need some advice please ladies. I am, during the week, on my own as DH is working abroad and we have little childcare and I have a lot of deadlines (I write) and it's really tricky. Bearing in mind we don't have tonnes of money (just starting working again after three redundancies in three years) our food budget isn't huge, but it's OKayish.
We have a tiny fridge and freezer too - so can't make batches and store things really well at all.

I need to find some quick meals and with flavour (as I want to eat too with her) that my LO will eat for lunch and tea / dinner time.

The more I'm doing quick fixes like easy pasta with pesto (She doesn't like the pesto, tsk tsk or any sauce but I ask her to have some) and veggie sausages etc (we're not vegetarians but don't eat any pork) the more she's turning from a child that eats everything into a pickier eater and I can see it happening.

So please help. I am very time poor and want to make food fun, but it's boring now and dull and tasteless.

Here's what she will happily eat:

chicken, salmon and lamb (loves all of these)
wraps and chapattis
rice and rice based dishes (loves these)
Plain yogurt
Most veg - carrots, broccoli, cabbage
potatoes (mash and chipped)
cucumber and crispy lettuce
most fruits
cheerios
raisons
eggs (scrambled and fried - but not the yolk bit)
Scampi
Sausages (veggie or otherwise)

Here's what she doesn't like much:

Any and every cheese
Bread
humous
peppers etc
Mince (hates this)

Its a chore at mealtimes as I'm fed up of bland food and it's really hard to get her to eat as she's distracted all of the time, and doesn't seem that interested unless she's really hungry or loves her food.

I need some easy rice, curry, risotto, casseroles, finger foods, etc type dishes please with flavour that are QUICK to prepare.

Thanks ladies.

[creations]

I know you said she won't have pasta and pesto but it sounds like she likes the pasta?
A quick one (and easy to adapt) is to throw in to one pot the pasta, cubed chicken, fresh or frozen veg (say peas or sweetcorn, green beans cut into 3 etc), it all cooks in one go (obviously if you sue something quick cooking like asparagus add it to the pot later in the cook time).  Drain then mix in a home made dressing such as olive oil with tom puree and white wine vinegar mixed together, or garlic (I cheat and use powdered garlic for speed as it saves on the prep and washing up time!).  Once you have served hers up you could stir in some chilli or thai sweet chilli dipping sauce to yours which adds flavour in a second.

Does she eat curry?  I make a mild korma for DS but add more curry paste after serving his portion out, I also add a dollop of madras paste to DPs to heat it up and serve with chapati or naan and popadom.  DS and I will have some mint sauce and mango chutney but DP will have a really hot pickle, again it adds extra flavour for him.  So in effect three different curry strengths but only one meal so it isn't a chore to cook.
You can make a super fast dahl with a can of pre-cooked lentils in water, drained, rinsed and cooked with some curry paste and milk.  OK it doesn't have 5 different veg but it IS fast, tasty and healthy.  If you have more time cook some veg or lamb etc first before adding the lentils.

[nwmm]

I'd like to listen in.

[huby]

Creations - you are a star. I need to nip to the supermarket and get some bits tomorrow and will get some bits for a curry (she loves these and can buy boil in the bag rice for being super quick and lazy or if need to take to childminders with me - she doesn't supply meals, I have to, and it saves a lot on cost)

I will try both of those recipes. Thank you creations!

Please ladies, keep them coming as she's getting really picky as all I'm offering her and myself now is bland boring food!

[j.and.e]

Can u do things that are not quick but dont need much prep? E.g i like 2do goulash, which goes in the oven for 2.5hrs. Fry onion, stewing beef, flour and paprika (lots). Add stock and tomato puree, put in oven. Add peppers at the end (i use frozen). I stir creme freshe in 4the children and serve with either bread rolls or pasta. Its yum and 3/4 of us love it! I also do thai stirfry with strips of omlette insted of meat, veg, soy sauce, lime and noodles. I chop raw chilli up 4 me and dh to sprinkle on. Xx

[huby]

Ok Thank you! Goulash is going down on the list too. I know she likes that. I actually have a slow cooker but no idea how to use it - sounds stupid, I know or how long to put it on for or when to put things in.
But I will buy stuff for goulash tomorrow - again thank you.

I tried her on noodles and she keeps gagging on them, but I love them. May try again and chop them smaller for her. So in the stir fry - what do you put in? I can imagine she'll be picky a wee bit but I want to eat it so will try her with a bit when she's hungry. I'm not sure if I'm giving her too many snacks but she does also seem to be losing weight too and looking a lot thinner than she does usually :-( and I kind of think it's the lack of proper meals I'm preparing.

[j.and.e]

Think this is the original recipe for the thai noodles http://www3.sainsburys.co.uk/littleones/newborn/recipes/item/family-pad-thai-noodles

Fraid I don't know anything about slow-cooking as I've never tried it, I usually put the goulash in the oven while I'm at home with the kids (I only work part time)

Have had a quick google for goulash and there are LOADS of recipes! The way I do it is really simple though, and I don't measure stuff out or anything, it always seems to work! The flour and paprika are of the order of a tablespoon (although I have let my 3year old pour both into the <cold> pan whilst "helping" and it has still worked!)
The stock is probably about 1 pint (1 stock cube's worth).

I would have thought if you have a recipe for beefstew in the slow cooker it would only need a slight modification to make the goulash, but you might need to experiment.

Stirring in the creme fresh after it's cooked takes the heat out for the little ones, but I think you could use sour cream or greek yoghurt instead.

I liked the lentil curry idea. I only did curry once for mine, and DS1 hated it. But then he's incredibly picky....

hth!

[huby]

Yes, have done goulash before just didn't think of it...thanks. Will do tomorrow while LO at nursery and will have as evening meal before doing some work, thanks.
Will check out noodles too - look yummy. And love the norma idea too so there's three meals already. Oh yes, and the pasta too...Great, thank you ladies! All really helpful that it's around the house stuff too.
I had a look at the toddler recipes that had on sainsburys website and must say - I didn't rate them. Boiled egg and solders!? come on, even I could do better than that and that's saying something.

[Buntybear]

I need to nip to the supermarket and get some bits tomorrow and will get some bits for a curry (she loves these and can buy boil in the bag rice for being super quick and lazy or if need to take to childminders with me - she doesn't supply meals, I have to, and it saves a lot on cost)

Even quicker is frozen white rice - 3 mins in the microwave - or even easier are those pouches - maybe 2 mins and even more transportable!

On the rice thing - a chicken stir fried rice. I make one with chicken and mushrooms stir fried in soy sauce, fry some bacon, scramble some egg, bung in cooked rice and frozen peas. Delish!

[Buntybear]

Olly has just got into jacket potatos - does she like them?

A sausage and bean casserole?

[creations]

I actually have a slow cooker but no idea how to use it

I think there is a thread on recipes for slow cooker on the recipes board?
I've been thinking of buying a slow cooker but haven't got around to it yet.  I remember reading some people prep lots of meals in advance (poss not ideal for you with limited freezer space, but you may still be able to do 2 or 3 in one go) and chuck all the veg for each meal in separate bags and stash in the freezer so when it comes time to cook you just empty a bag out into the slow cooker.  Sounds like time saving.

[huby]

Yes stir fry sounds nice - we don't eat bacon, but the chicken will be enough and sweetcorn, scrambled eggs and ready made rice - perfect thanks. I have currently a goulash cooking in the slow cooker right now and microwave rice
Can try sausage and bean casserole too - how do you make the sauce, please? She's not a huge pulses fan, but I'm going to serve it anyway, as she needs to get used to things and is actually loosing weight :-(

[creations]

I know we all worry about our LOs weight but unless it is long term or a doctor has said her weight is of concern I would really try not to worry about her weight.  LOs tend not to starve themselves.

For casseroles I usually chop some veg really small so it mushes down into 'nothing' and becomes the sauce and other veg I keep in big chunks.  I also add either some low salt stock powder or a half teaspoon of marmite and some herbs or spices.

[Buntybear]

http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/3949/toulouse-sausage-and-butter-bean-casserole

I have made before and it was gorgeous! you could swap wine for stock.

Or something like this...

http://www.goodtoknow.co.uk/recipes/284431/Quorn-sausage-casserole

[skatty]

Does she like soups? We eat a lot of soup now, I love how most of it is put in one pan and then blitzed at the end if you wnat it smooth. I make a tomato and red lentil one nice and thick and sometimes I will put in little cubes of cheese and tortilla chips, other times I serve with garlic bread and then another day I use it as a pasta sauce! I also make a basic veg soup with whatever frozen veg I have and then add chicken or spicey beef sausages or mix in garlic cream cheese for a creamy soup. If the soup has a lot of green veg in it I call it Shrek soup  Mealtimes have become so much easier since my dd started to like soup!!