Meals that can be prepared in advance

[crystal7]

Cooking threads always get such a great response so thought I'd try here before googling. Baby and toddler bath and bedtime take up quite a big chunk of the evening so I'm keen to try out some recipes that can be prepared earlier in the day when toddler is at nursery and heated up at dinner time. We don't eat meat, just fish. I already make fish pie, veggie lasagne and veggie shepherds pie. Anyone got any other great recipes to share? Thanks!

[Beagle]

We have been living on the below link all winter and my 17 month old LOVES it. It goes really well with brown rice. I only use 2 red onions, tinned chickpeas and about half the spinach (or usually kale, in fact whatever green vege I have). I use a tub of creme fraiche not sure how that equates to 300gr.

Nigel Slater, I love you for this recipe.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2008/feb/24/foodanddrink.shopping21

There is also a great tuna and tagliatelle recipe in Anabel Karmel.

http://www.annabelkarmel.com/recipes/breastfeeding/tuna-tagliatelle

[Belle]

Beagle, I'm v impressed with yr 17mth old! there's no way I'd get my 3 yr old eating that! Not that it doesn't look nice, just he is super picky and I think that's pretty good going for a 17mth old.

Crystal - great idea for a thread. Will have a think. Do you mean for E's tea or your own dinner? For the former I quite often give J reheated pasta puttanesca (leftovers). Often is stuff you have in - you could prepare a big batch for you all and even freeze some. Am pretty sure J leaves the olives/anchovies but he eats some of the tuna, tomato and pasta. If you like the idea I'll get hold of the recipe (I do v little cooking in our house!)

[Knomester]

Are you looking for ideas / recipes for your toddler (and maybe baby - not sure how old s/he is) or the whole family?

I don't eat meat either so many of our meals are vegan, vegetarian or fish based. We don't eat at the same times as Baby Knomester most of the time (although more so at the weekends) so most of the food I prepare for him is freezer friendly and usually mini versions of what I cook for us too. For example: vegetable & bean chilli with wedges, vegetable curries (tomato or coconut milk based with added chickpeas or lentils for protein) with rice, daal (to which I often add spinach) with roti or rice, ratatouille which we have either as a pasta sauce or with couscous, homemade fish cakes / fish fingers, spicy (or not!) tomato chickpeas with baked potatoes or rice, risotto (OK it's not the best thing in the world to freeze and the texture changes a little but so long as you reheat thoroughly until piping hot I find it fine for Baby Knomester), non-meat meatballs (polpette) freeze well and can be served with pasta and sauce (I make huge batches of basic tomato sauce that can then be used for other meals like veggie lasagne or just as a quick pasta sauce at the last minute), etc. For half prepared food, pastry freezes well so you could roll out to line muffin tins or a quiche tin, open freeze and then take out as you need them and fill with an egg and milk mixture and things like tuna and sweetcorn or pea and feta.

For more snack food / lunch time things that freeze well I make fritters (sweetcorn is always a favourite and can be topped with or served with avodado, cream cheese or salads), mini cheese / cheese and root vegetable scones, aubgergine balls, polenta chips (with cream cheese or parmesan), savoury muffins.

Here's a recent thread which has some veggie ideas posted on it (although not all are strictly freezer-friendly): http://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/forum/read.php?29,810678

If you'd like any recipes let me know. In the meantime I'll have a think of other things we cook and freeze!

[Fuschia]

This is for after child's in bed?

I make a nice chilli with asking beans, sweet potato And quorn mince

[Beagle]

I'm amazed myself Belle as she eats this but won't eat much else hence why we are all living on it. That child can detect the most miniscule fragment of pea in anything.

[crystal7]

Ha well as you know belle E is very picky so was thinking more for OH and I but if I could find something she would eat either first or as leftovers the next day it would be a bonus! That puttanesca recipe would be great when you get a min. Beagle I'm very impressed with yr toddler too! Both of those look fab, thanks.

[oimissus]

Beagle - that looks a great recipe. You wouldn't know how that quantity of dried chickpeas translates to canned? - I absolutely cannot be arsed with soaking chickpeas overnight blah blah

[Beagle]

oimissus, I use 1 tin and seems to work well and feed 3/4. In fact I am sitting here replete from yet another helping.

I'm stress rich and time poor and have no time to be soaking beans!

[oimissus]

yay, thanks v much, will give it a whirl!

[Thomas Micklewright]

hey crystal7, why not join the dulwich veggie society?

we are on facebook and twitter @DulwichVeganSoc and also website is www.dvvs.vegangroup.co.uk

Thanks

Tom