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Care to share your emergency baby/toddler meal?

64 replies

blushingmare · 29/08/2013 23:29

As I was once again faced with a hungry toddler and a virtually empty fridge this evening and used my fail safe, tried and tested emergency Philadelphia pasta dinner, I thought "wouldn't it be great if lots of people shared their emergency meals, then I wouldn't always had to fall back on this old chestnut!"

So, would you care to share the meal you make when you've got in late, have a starving child and discover to your horror that there's very little food in the house?

This is mine....

Blushingmare's Philly Pasta

  1. Cook pasta
  2. Chuck in some frozen peas and spinach with the pasta
  3. Drain when cooked
  4. Mix in Philadelphia


It's actually delicious Grin
OP posts:
aturtlenamedmack · 29/08/2013 23:36

Mines hidden veg pasta.
Aunt Bessie do big bags of finely diced mixed veg (carrots, onion, peppers etc).
So:
Mixed veg
Garlic
Smoked Paprika
Stock cube/marmite/sugar/hendersons relish (whatever you usually chuck in)
Pepper
All cooked in a bit of oil for 5 mins
Tin if toms
Simmer a bit
Cook the pasta while you're doing this.
Into a bowl, cheese on top.
Ds loves it and I feel like I've got some goodness down him, which is rare.
In even more of and emergency it's pasta and green pesto with olives and parmasan (sometimes sausage or salmon too).

JiltedJohnsJulie · 30/08/2013 22:18

Erm we meal plan and the DC eat the same as us...Smile

mummy1973 · 30/08/2013 22:29

Beans on toast Smile

backwardpossom · 31/08/2013 09:39

Good old pasta and pesto. Never without a jar in the fridge. I also make big batches of cheese sauce/bolognese etc to put in the freezer that I can defrost and mix with cooked pasta.

Good for you Jilted, unfortunately for some of us it doesn't always work out like that. My husband doesn't get home from work until after the kids are in bed. I don't fancy eating reheated meals every night. And neither does he.

Nancy54 · 01/09/2013 06:50

That sounds really nice, blushing! Think ill do that.

Mashed potato mixed with tuna and sweet corn always goes down pretty well here if in feeling uninspired.

Good idea to do an easy meals thread, gives us new ideas. Even for those who do meal plan and eat as a family, you might still want easy ideas, but if you don't, well don't bother posting!

Gooseysgirl · 01/09/2013 06:57

My failsafe is similar...
20g small pasta shells boiled for 5 mins, add a handful of frozen peas for another 3 mins, drain, add Sacla squeezy red pesto sauce... done! DD is mostly a v good eater and will happily pick off our plates but at times when she's teething/ill and is off most food she'll still eat the pesto pasta Smile

Gooseysgirl · 01/09/2013 06:59

BTW great thread Blushing!

gintastic · 01/09/2013 07:01

Egg fried rice. Boil rice with peas and sweet corn in the water. Drain, return to pan, add and egg and stir until egg cooked.

I meal plan as well, but the best laid plans...

Lurkymclurker · 01/09/2013 07:04

We meal plan dinners but lunches are more difficult, our lunch fail safe is scrambled egg on toast

Jaynebxl · 01/09/2013 07:05

When mine were tiny I always kept a packet of gnocchi in the fridge. Takes 1 min to cook and just needs grated cheese on top. Super speedy.
Nowadays our fave store cupboard super speedy meal is pasta egg and cheese. I cook the pasta then mix eggs and grated cheese. Drain the pasta, pour the egg and cheese over the hot pasta and cook for a other minute or two.

I always keep a bag of frozen peas and a bag of frozen peppers in to add to any meal. I also keep those frozen bags of mixed rice and peppers in as they are a life saver at times.

PicnicPie · 01/09/2013 07:12

Some great ideas. Loving the special fried rice!

My fall back is always cous cous as its so quick to cook and then I add whatever veg I have - usually frozen peas and sweetcorn.

If I've got some Philly then will stir in a spoon of that, otherwise a bit of garlic pepper for flavour.

mrscog · 01/09/2013 07:13

Baked beans with sweet potato mash. Sweet potato is way more nutritious than normal potato so it relieves some of the guilt.

JiltedJohnsJulie did you mean to sound like a smug arse?

Dobbiesmum · 01/09/2013 07:14

Rice, the microwave Uncle Ben type with some chopped veg. I always get a couple of packets in as they go down a treat here. DD2 is 19 months and will inhale a bowl of it Grin

nextphase · 01/09/2013 07:55

Loaf of bread (presliced) lives in the freezer, so beans / spagetti hoops / eggs on toast.

Mine also love pasta and prawns - fry onion oir garlic if you have it. Tip in a tin of tomatoes, mash about if whole, and bring to the boil. Simmer while cook pasta. Throw in a handful of frozen prawns and serve.

We often have the stuff for maccaroni cheese even if the fridge looks empty!

Most of the above are short on fruit and veg! Emergency puddings - tinned peaches with icecream / pot of custard.

MousyMouse · 01/09/2013 07:56

tin of beans. toast.

Northernexile · 01/09/2013 08:01

Great thread! Mine will normally eat cheese on toast with beans on the side. If the beans are on top of the toast she just eats the beans and leaves the toast!

Pinebarrens · 01/09/2013 08:03

mine is the same as yours op! good idea for a thread Smile

WantedGSOH · 01/09/2013 08:06

Omelette with random things...

Ham, pepper, tomato, paprika
Or
Cheese, frozen spinach, herbs
Or
Grated apple, cinnamon, yogurt
Etc etc

I use this when BLW my 8 month old of I feeling he's had a lot of wheat based carbs during the day

Or I microwave a baked potato & put Phili or Unsalted butter with it.

EnglishGirlApproximately · 01/09/2013 08:16

Similar to yours op but I buy soft cheeses from Asda with things like pesto and sun dried tomato for a btw of variety. Add some spring onion, peas,swerve, cherry tomatoes and chicken/ham and toss with pasta.

Spinach and cheese omelettes.

I did a kind of kedgeree the other day with rice, peas, scrambled egg and mackeral.

Shop bought Sushi Blush

Thurlow · 01/09/2013 08:18

Pasta and pesto too here, with frozen veg thrown in to make it a little healthier. Failing that there's always eggs and beans.

SpottyTeacakes · 01/09/2013 08:25

Marmite pasta (a la nigella)

Boil pasta and drain.
Melt butter and tsp marmite
Mix in pasta and grated cheese

(Marmite is full of vitamins isn't it?!)

CoolaSchmoola · 01/09/2013 08:41

Fridge omelette is my most regular standby meal.

I chop up whatever veg is in the fridge and fry it in a little olive oil. If we've got ham I sling some of that in too, add a handful of frozen peas.

Once cooked down I add beaten eggs, and either chopped herbs from the hanging baskets by the kitchen door or paprika.

Once the bottom is cooked in chuck over

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CoolaSchmoola · 01/09/2013 08:46

Phone! Aaaargh!

Chuck over some grated cheese and shove it under the grill.

It always goes down a storm and takes minutes.

DontmindifIdo · 01/09/2013 09:19

JiltedJohnsJulie - we normally all eat the same too, but sometimes DH can't be home intime to eat with DS, or we fancy eating late in the evening, or if we've had a big lunch, DH and I often don't want more htan a snack in the evening, yet DS will still want a proper dinner (he'll eat the same quantity at lunchtime regardless of what we put in front of him). Or just we fancy eating food that's very spicy which makes DS poorly.

Anyway, our fall backs are:
Whenever I do spag bol I make double the amount, it doesn't take much more time, then I pack up 'toddler portion' sized amounts of sauce and put it in the freezer, that on pasta.

Or good old pesto pasta, although I'll often stick some extra veg in the blender with the pesto to add hidden veg in it.

Another is fishcakes with beans.

Or pitta bread pizza - whole meal pitta bread, a little bit of garlic puree, spread over one side, do the same with a bigger amount of tomato puree, sprinkle of oregano and grate some cheese on top, stick under the grill. (any veggies you have to hand, stick under the cheese). - although this is normally a lunch time "don't fancy sandwiches again" meal.

And if all else fails, we have a 'kitchen picnic' - basically the contents of the fridge put on the kitchen table and help yourself.

noblegiraffe · 01/09/2013 16:48

Omelette. Or frozen fish fingers and chips. We always have those in Blush

OP I'm impressed that you have emergency spinach!

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