Help me feed my 9month old!

[sleepmcsleepysleepsleep]

Hello

9 month old is in nursery and I have to bring her lunch and tea! I am doing baby led and struggling to find good variety of recipes that are quick, diverse and I don’t have to cook in large batches. According to books she should be eating all these wonderful full on meals so feel guilty just cooking up some veg and sandwiches. Also I am worried that’s not varied enough.

It’s becoming so stressful not to mention she is not eating it anyway!

I go back to work in two weeks and need a better solution to this feeding lark.

All the recipe books do large batches.. I only have so much room in my bloody freezer and it’s not sensible when making something different every day so she is getting variety.

Please help me please before I go insane with all this cooking and wasting food.

Thanks!

[sleepmcsleepysleepsleep]

Oh as it’s almost impossible with these recipes to halve the ingredients down most of the time.. halve an egg anyone?

[Newmumma83]

Hey could you do small
Batches of food in little pots in the freezer and just grab one out ? I dedicate one freezer drawer to
My 9 month old his dinner could be chicken casserole ( just cook it for family at weekend put some aside add boiled sweet potato and use blender to purée a bit unless your happy with chunks and pop in little pots )

Chicken Pesto ( I half the recipe and will do
3 to 4 little pots )

[Newmumma83]

Savoury flap jacks :-

[Newmumma83]

Extra healthy sweet muffins ( half recipe does 6 muffins will
Last a few days ... I like eating them too 😂)

[Newmumma83]

www.amazon.co.uk/Plastic-Storage-Weaning-Feeding-Containers/dp/B01I5G50AA/ref=mp_s_a_1_7?s=gateway&keywords=toddler%20food%20pots&qid=1568706633&sr=8-7&tag=mumsnet&ascsubtag=mnforum-21

[Newmumma83]

There are loads of
Recipes that you can freeze download Ella foods app and baby led weaning book are good.

Use organic low salt stock cubes if making your own casseroles beef bog shepherds pies etc ... presumably the nursery has a microwave? I do one dish a week now I have a stock .. the flap jacks are so quick to make the muffins a bit longer but more yummy 😋 and they last a few days so
You could do a batch on the Sunday ... and then do quick flap jacks on the Wednesday? To jazz it up?

[sleepmcsleepysleepsleep]

Thanks, I have loads of pots but wanted to really avoid freezer food. I am concerned if I defrost meat over night in fridge and then the nursery don’t reheat it properly then she will get ill. My husband has made me super paranoid about this annoyingly! I am being irrational aren’t I ha ha

[Newmumma83]

What about soup perhaps a small tin of it if salt is low enough with bread and butter ?

Will they do that for them? X

[Newmumma83]

The muffins and flap
Jacks are good still what about no
Cook tuna and avocado smash

[Newmumma83]

I get the concerns, I would
Ask them what they have in place to ensure food is properly heated as imagine a place
Like that should have a food thermometer.. I would hope anyhow x x

[sleepmcsleepysleepsleep]

@newmumma83 are you feeding the baby different things everyday or doing one recipe for the week?

[sleepmcsleepysleepsleep]

Yes they do have a food thermometer but I am not sure I have the trust in them yet to actually be using it. I know just need to get over this and do the freezer thing.
Unfortunately tuna and avo are her two worse foods ha ha! Typical! But thanks for other recipes. Maybe I do not need to be doing something different everyday? It’s so hard when the books keep shouting variety at you!

[dalmatianmad]

I think you're going to struggle unless you batch cook and freeze

[Newmumma83]

His main meals are different freezer options and that is different every day.

Breakfast is usually musli or peanut butter on toast, scrambled egg ( I eat the left over or do a couple of eggs and we eat of the same plate ) , avocado and perhaps some other fruit.

Other snacks are the muffins ( tends to have those a few days in a row but don’t make them every week ) or savoury flap jacks ... but then I will also do Philadelphia Sandwhich / cheese and onion Sandwhich / with chopped tomato / sliced cucumber and perhaps some kiwi or watermelon fingers on the side ...he seems happy

At home can also make him pizza bread ( basically bread toasted with little tomato purée cheese and chopped tomato )

I tried him on mini tortilla muffins once but wasn’t his thing but yours may like it...

[Newmumma83]

But again if had liked them he would have had them 2-3 days on the bounce and then I would have put something different on the menu ... or perhaps he would have them for lunch one day and then with veg at dinner the next and do a different lunch .. it’s hard to give variety everyday ... especially when working

[Newmumma83]

What about Buttery crumpets and fruit on the side for vitamins for a lunch ... slight variation on toast / bread

[Newmumma83]

My little one will eat tuna pasta salad... would yours ... I make it up and we both eat for lunch

Just wholewheat pasta twists ( well cooked ) tin tuna , 1 table spoon mayo , some sweetcorn and spring onion ... last 3 days in the fridge do a big batch and you have work lunch for you too x x

[Newmumma83]

I believe you can make flap jacks with fruit too for a sweeter option ... but he is prob going to have similar a couple for days in a row x x

[sleepmcsleepysleepsleep]

Thanks! I think overall I need to simplify my menu ideas and as you say batch cook and do the freezer thing and give her the same thing on a couple of the days. Watermelon fingers great idea!

[Nameusernameuser]

Pasta is quick, breadsticks and softcheese, veg sticks and hummus, wraps are easy, egg muffins; just whisk up some egg, add chopped ham and cheese and bake for 10 mins. Freeze easily and you can make a couple at a time.
Leftover dinners, cottage pie, lasagne, stir fry. My son loves noodles. All super quick and you can make in advance or do in the morning.
Pastry pizza, ready rolled pastry, add tinned tomatoes as a base, cheese and sweetcorn; bake and freeze.