Recommended recipes from moms working outside of home with picky eaters?

[Missy Lou]

My DD has suddenly become super picky.  no veggies and no pasta.  so she pretty much has fruit and yogurt and cheese all day.  Plus i work outside of the home so I need something i can fix the night before and pack.  any suggestions? 
TIA

[Freya'sMum]

Well, she's getting her fruit/veg portions, dairy and protein portions, so you really only need to work on grains and carbs! What about mini-sandwiches made with yummy wholegrain bread and a tantilising filling? For the carbs, if she won't eat plain pasta, could you cover it in pesto, or homemade tomato sauce for added interest?

Also, how many packed meals does she have? If only lunch, could she just have something like cheesey beans on a jacket spud at teatime? Or a chicken and veg stirfry with rice or noodles? Both would be quick to make after you got home from work!

Ax

[Missy Lou]

i'm open to trying all of your suggestions.  do you have recipes for any of them?

[Freya'sMum]

Well, the only one that needs a recipe is the stirfry really - so I guess I'd cut a chicken breast into strips, and also a selection of veggies (spring onions, carrots, babycorn, courgettes, mushrooms, yellow and red peppers) into sticks.

Heat a little oil in a wok/deep frying pan, add a little bit (half tsp) of finely chopped fresh garlic, and the same of grated ginger so it cooks but doesn't burn, then add the chicken for a few minutes until cooked thru, then add the veggies a few at a time (hardest first thru to softest eg carrots, then a few minutes later babycorn and peppers, then a few minutes later courgettes and mushrooms, then lastly spring onions), add some boiling water (just enough to cover the base of the pan by about half cm) and cover with a lid or dinner plate so it all steams for about 5 minutes.

Whilst is steaming, cook egg noodles as per packet instructions (normally only takes 3-5 minutes), and once cooked, drain and add to wok/frying pan and toss all together - serve immediately!

Yummy!

Ax

[Missy Lou]

thanks. 

i don't know what a cheesy beans on a jacket spud is - beans and cheese on a potato?

[Two mummies]

I've said it before and I'll say it again....VEGETARIAN SAUSAGES!!!!

Riley is a right royal fussy pain when it comes to eating at home, she'll eat what daycare gives her (for the most part) but at home it's a struggle. Vegetarian sausages are virtually an everyday food in our house. They just need to be warmed up and served with tomato sauce. They freeze and defrost really well too.

As for carbs we are lucky that Riley will eat all kinds of bread, even frozen bread which is great for teething.

Like your little one Riley also refuses pasta in all its different shapes and sizes!

We also found that smothering things in cream cheese (not the fake stuff from a jar) usually helps things go down well.

Then there's eggs! If there's no allergy an egg a day is fine and you can soft boil them and try making toast strips (we call em soldiers) for your lo to dip in the yoke herself. You can hard boil them and serve them whole or halved, warm or cold. Then there's the scrambled version with cheese. Riley even likes to dip these in tomato sauce!

Soph

[Missy Lou]

thanks soph.  those are cool suggestions.  I have never thought of frozen bread for teething.  very neat idea. 

you buy veggie sausages frozen at the grocery store?