None spicy quick meal ideas?

[NoSpicyorGarlickyFood]

DD is 7, has dyslexia, dyspraxia/DCD and hypermobility. These cause sensory issues usually involving lots of heavy blankets and darkness but she can also be a bit funny about food.

She cannot handle any spice at all, even a really mild one. She also can’t handle even a tiny bit of garlic. She says they hurt her nose and mouth. She will not eat any kind of curry because she can always taste garlic in it.

I cook a lot from scratch because she will reject any meal with even a tiny hint of spice or garlic in (she seems to smell it) but I’m a single parent and she’s at wraparound or holiday club a few times a week.

So I want quick easy none spicy or garlicky meals to cook. She can smell even the smallest amount of spice or garlic, so I have to check packets carefully as she will refuse to eat if she smells or tastes it, so it’s not just a case of trying then offering something else.

I used to make fajitas or enchiladas with those seasoning sachets and use the smoky bbq ones but even they’re out now as I can’t find one that’s not slightly spicy.

I do make my own sauces for meatballs and Bolognese or make my own lasagne, but I don’t really have time to do this and I have limited freezer space.

I prefer her to have fresh home cooked meals rather than things like nuggets or fish fingers. She goes to her dads EOW and he serves those kinds of meals. We do have the occasional mcdonalds or takeaway though, so I’d rather leave those kinds of meals for dads house and treats.

She will eat pretty much everything else apart from gravy, prawns, tuna or sweetcorn.

So any ideas of things I can make quickly on a night she’s been at wraparound/holiday club?

Would she eat salmon cooked with honey and soy? You could serve with new potatoes and veg or noodles.

Home made breaded chicken with egg fried rice.

My autistic dc has a few food issues, pasta has always been safe,

Plain boiled pasta with a knob of butter and grated cheese, can also mix in chopped up sausage, bacon, ham, cooked chicken, chopped peppers or tomato........depends on what you have in!

Will she eat eggs? Scrambled egg on toast or an omelet?

Pitta bread pizza.........spread some chopped tomato/passata on a pitta bread and top with grated cheese. I cook in the air fryer for 5 mins.

@YetAnotherWalk

Would she eat salmon cooked with honey and soy? You could serve with new potatoes and veg or noodles.

Home made breaded chicken with egg fried rice.

@YetAnotherWalk Ohh I love Salmon, forget how quick it is to cook thank you!

We also make chicken pie after a roast dinner so the chicken & left over gravy in ready roll pastry with mash and veg. Usually leaves some for the freezer too if you make some with a large cookie cutter or if making one for a family, just fold the pastry in half over the top of the pie

@Tricked2003

My autistic dc has a few food issues, pasta has always been safe,

Plain boiled pasta with a knob of butter and grated cheese, can also mix in chopped up sausage, bacon, ham, cooked chicken, chopped peppers or tomato........depends on what you have in!

Will she eat eggs? Scrambled egg on toast or an omelet?

Pitta bread pizza.........spread some chopped tomato/passata on a pitta bread and top with grated cheese. I cook in the air fryer for 5 mins.

@Tricked2003 Brilliant suggestions thank you, pasta is always a good option.

She can be funny with eggs, sometimes she likes them sometimes not.

Pitta bread pizzas! Brilliant

Glad to help. Have a very fussy eater here, but will have mild korma and chilli but won't for example mix pasta with the bolognese

Egg fried rice is really quick if you buy the microwaveable packets of rice.

Fresh filled pasta with roast tomatoes is quick.

Use ready rolled puff pastry and make tarts of various kinds. Top with spinach and ricotta, or tomato purée and cheese (pizza style), or caramelised onion and cheese. Or a million other things.

I have a similar child - keep it really simple, plain salmon/chicken/beef/sausage/chop plus plain noodles/rice/pasta/mash plus edamame beans/peas/any other veg. Add sauces to your portion. Mine will eat garlic but not black pepper but definitely nothing with chilli. I found an air fryer really good at cooking the protein part really quickly. DS would never eat a ready meal other than nuggets or pizza annoying but after many years I’ve learnt. Boring but I get nutrition into him. I’ve expanded his repertoire slowly - make my own taco mix. No way would be eat a filled pasta or any sort of pie or pastry we have tried. He says a lot of foods have too much flavour.

Frittata? If you precook some vegetables and pop them in the fridge, is very quick.

Put pasta on to cook, then a few minutes before full cooked add chopped broccoli
Drain reserving a little bit of pasta water, stir in chopped ham and cream cheese, loosen with a bit of pasta water and serve.
Season with salt and pepper to taste

Tuna pasta bake

1 can chopped tomatoes
1 small can sweetcorn
1 can tuna
Handful or two frozen chopped peppers
Onion
Pasta
Veg stock cube
Herbs- about 2tsp mixed herbs

Boil and drain the pasta. Ideally slightly undercook the pasta. Fry the onion, add everything else to the onion pan and cook till peppers defrosted and everything's hot. Add mix to cooked pasta, top with cheese, put in oven proof dish and put in oven till cheese is melted and brown.

Takes me about 15 mins to get this on the table and my kids love it.

Sorry just saw she won't eat tuna or sweetcorn. Turn it into a veg pasta bake then and leave tuna/sweetcorn out of it

https://www.thecookierookie.com/ranch-baked-chicken-with-bacon-ranch-chicken/

[quote justaweeone][[https://www.thecookierookie.com/ranch-baked-chicken-with-bacon-ranch-chicken/]][/quote]
@justaweeone That looks amazing thank you!

Any kind of baked fish shouldn't take more than about 20 mins tops, you can either do something like a parsley style topping you could all have if she can eat that, or do hers in one little dish and do everyone else's with spice or whatever in a separate one. You can do various accompaniments in the time it's cooking, depending on preference.

Jacket spuds and whatever, only if you don't mind them in the microwave though. No tuna for her but cheese, beans, anything really.

Would she tolerate the sort of stew type meal that can either be done in a slow cooker or batch cooked? Tbh I always have loads of garlic in those but it isn't compulsory. I know you have limited freezer space but if you use bacofoil freezer bags and have either mince or quite finely chopped meat/veggie you can freeze them fairly flat.

There are worse things in the world than something on toast, and it can be healthy enough too, particularly if you use good wholemeal bread. Eggs if she's having an eggy day. Tomatoes on toast is the food of the gods. Mushrooms not bad either.

Would she have steak?

@LyricalBlowToTheJaw

Any kind of baked fish shouldn't take more than about 20 mins tops, you can either do something like a parsley style topping you could all have if she can eat that, or do hers in one little dish and do everyone else's with spice or whatever in a separate one. You can do various accompaniments in the time it's cooking, depending on preference.

Jacket spuds and whatever, only if you don't mind them in the microwave though. No tuna for her but cheese, beans, anything really.

Would she tolerate the sort of stew type meal that can either be done in a slow cooker or batch cooked? Tbh I always have loads of garlic in those but it isn't compulsory. I know you have limited freezer space but if you use bacofoil freezer bags and have either mince or quite finely chopped meat/veggie you can freeze them fairly flat.

There are worse things in the world than something on toast, and it can be healthy enough too, particularly if you use good wholemeal bread. Eggs if she's having an eggy day. Tomatoes on toast is the food of the gods. Mushrooms not bad either.

Would she have steak?

@LyricalBlowToTheJaw Just me and her at home so it's easier we eat the same things.

She's ok with things like sausage casserole done in the slow cooker but will only have the sausages from the posh butcher in town. She will eat chicken casserole ok though.

She will eat steak as long as it's not too tough.

Can't blame her for liking the posh sausages! I have a fondness for them myself.

Ok so another option could be sausage, mash and veg, if she will have them on their own rather than in a casserole? That's about a half hour job, depending on how quick you peel spuds.

I want a sausage casserole now though...

Frozen mash speeds things up brilliantly.

You can use it to make a quick fish pie too.

Bear in mind that ranch dressing will have garlic powder in it, so you might want a different creamy sauce for the recipe downthread.

This was a popular one when my Dc were younger i and I was in a hurry

https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.deliciousmagazine.co.uk/recipes/mince-and-tatties-casserole/amp/
Or Jackets pots with toppings
Also flour tortilla pizzas, use tortilla as a base
Or homemade quesadillas
Savoury rice, mixed beans, cheese in between 2 tortilla then dry fry
Cut into wedges and serve with salad

Oh and tray bakes
There a good recipe book called the roasting tin
Or some ideas here

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/collection/traybake-dinner-recipes

Basic meat and two veg? Pork chop, veggies and mash for example