Inspiration needed for toddler meals!

[damzel]

I'm so bored cooking the same things on a work-day I need some inspiration! I don't have very long in the evenings to prepare so it's really the quick and easy dishes that I'm struggling with. Weekends are fine (although I'm not one to prepare meals for the week at the weekend).

I remember a thread last year (I think) that loads of you had posted toddler meal ideas but I've searched and just can't find it. If anyone submitted something, perhaps you can find it in your history?

[Fuschia]

Bumped the thread i think...

[edanna]

If you cook some salmon in advance and chill or freeze in small quantities, then you can just get a little bit out each time. Boil some pasta - sainsbury's fusillini take 5 mins - then when cooked stir in some cream cheese (those mini pots of Philadelphia are handy) and some flakes of salmon. Maybe a bit if black pepper, et voil?. You can actually buy cooked salmon but then you have to use a whole pack in a short space of time.

[damzel]

So you did, thanks Fuschia. Edanna - if there's one thing my little one won't eat, it's salmon! Smoked is fine but fresh or tinned just doesn't cut it.

[edanna]

That's a shame. In the same vein, if you stir Philadelphia and some grated mature cheddar into hot pasta it's surprisingly tasty. Throw in some cooked broccoli if your little one likes it.

[hanstands]

Mine LOVES rice and puy lentils/flat green lentils, soaked in coconut milk for a few hours or from before you go to work, then just boil up and simmer until tender, throw in some chopped onion and a bay leaf -- doesn't take long if you soak it through the day in the fridge -- and yum -- toddlers love the sweetness of the coconut milk and its oh so healthy. Nice for the parents too!

[Fuschia]

Pasta with a mixture of pesto and grated cheese or pureed peas and pesto stirred in...

Pizzas

Hummous, pitta and stuff to dip

Frittata precooked can be reheated

[charlottep]

Fuschia - how do you prepare the pizza bases?

[snowboarder]

For pizza we use bread rolls cut in half, toasted then grilled - or could use pitta or tortilla wraps?

[ladywotlunches]

Pasta pesto and peas is an all time hit in our house too.

don't do it often, but you can make your own pesto in the processor and it will freeze in ice cube trays.

[njc97]

Alternative to snowboarder's pizza recipe - use the blinis in sainsburys chiller cabinet for mini pizzas. Add a bit of tomato puree and/or slice of cheese and pop under the grill. Small so good for mini hands.

[Fuschia]

round moistened pittas

[cate]

Cheese quesadillas made with two tortillas and cut into quarters or one tortilla folded in half. Takes about 2 minutes to make. Can add guacomole if liked.

[busymum]

Mine love chicken drum sticks. buy them already cooked if you can't be bothered.

[chantelle]

-cheesy beans (reduced salt and sugar!) on toast

-mackerel pate with pitta (takes moments to mash up smoked mackerel with cream cheese and lemon juice)

-crumpets with peanut butter

-pasta with cream cheese as above but with a bit of tomato puree for that tiny bit of veg - can also throw in a bit of chorizo or whatever else

-couscous with whatever veg and cheese or meat you've got

[Fidgetsmum]

Loving the blini pizza idea from njc97!

I make a massive batch of the RiverCafe basic tomato sauce with basil and garlic and freeze it in mini tupperware. I put it with anything - any veg or meat leftover like chicken, beef, lamb... anything! And great with rice as well as pasta. Also good to cover fish with. Basically, I haven't found anything the tomato sauce doesn't go with.

Another good one I found recently is oven bake a load of veg (sweet potato, peppers, red onions etc) (the only work is in the chopping which can be done the day before - just cover in olive oil in a bowl and leave in the fridge) and then add some spices to your stock and cover some couscous with some raisins in it. A nice veggie option.

Oh and easy peasy spinach and mushroom curry from a Nigel Slater book. Just use frozen spinach instead of fresh - tastes the same (looks a little different) but delicious defrosted and cooked with rice. Again, the only work is chopping mushrooms and measuring out spices.

They all sound like lots of cooking but they're definitely not (or I wouldn't do them!) - really I just cook a huge batch once (literally a massive saucepan as if I was cooking for 8 adults) and freeze it.

[charlottep]

i used muffins sliced down the middle today for mini pizzas, and they work really well too. I added a bit of pesto to the tomato sauce to make it really tasty. For some reason my little boy hums when he eats something he really likes and he was humming at full force. Just a bit disappointed that there weren't any leftovers for me to finish.

[damzel]

Great ideas - thanks! Chicken drumsticks went down a treat. Did the pasta, peas, pesto thingie tonight and she nearly threw it off the table! Whizzed it up in the chopper thingie and added a couple of chopped tomatoes, "yummy yummy" she said. kids huh

[chantelle]

my son takes one look at peas and won't touch whatever it is. thank god for blenders to hide things in sauces!