Kids dinners - I need inspiration!

[Thurlow]

It's the summer holidays and for the first time in a long time there's no nursery or childminder giving the 5yo tea

Some days we have family meals but other days I need to feed her her own dinner much earlier. My standard pasta/pesto and fish fingers is going to get quite repetitive very soon...

Things I can feed the 9mo too would be great. However between the 5yo not eating cheese and the baby being allergic to fish, eggs and possibly tree nuts (so no pesto) it's proving interesting to find something they can both eat!

Any suggestions for meals that are quite quick and easy and either just feed one or freeze well for another day?

Maybe not helpful but what does your 5 year old eat at nursery / childminder? Might give you a starting point.

Spaghetti Bolognese, Chilli, Beans on toast, Sausage and mash, cottage/shepherds pie

With 16 month old DD, I usually just save some of whatever we have had for dinner the previous day. Or make extra and freeze in portions.

Posted too soon.

Some of those aren't quick to make but more make for your own dinner and save type meals.

Pitta pizzas ? Be a bit weird without cheese bit doable. It's quick to. Just sprinkle wholemeal pitta with water and put your toppings on passata pepperoni etc serve with salad and garlic bread. Kids can put their own toppings on to which they love.

Rice Krispy chicken! Xx

I was about to suggest dippy boiled eggs but clearly that's hopeless. Lentil curry is a hit here, although leaves the baby a bit turmeric-stained - this is good and has veg in too.

Have similar aged kids and zero inspiration at the moment so watching closely.

Eggy bread, serve with red sauce and some salad type stuff, filled croissants, makes you sound posh when people ask what they have eaten lol

Beans on toast, beans & jacket potato, chicken with veg & mash, chicken nuggets with home made sides (or frozen ones, give yourself a break) pasta with veg sauce, stir fry, pasta with salmon and peas, Bolognese, pasta bake, meatballs.

Sausages, cottage pie, lasagne, roast chicken, stew, homemade tomato pasta sauce, omelette, pies are favourites here. We also sometimes have lots of picky bits - bit like a children's ploughmans - hard Boise egg, some cold meat, bread/pasta, veg sticks

DS is 11 months old and one of his favourite dishes is little pasta shells with a homemade sauce consisting of a tin of ratatouille and a tin of tomatoes or passata. Add some herbs like oregano amd basil, quick blitz of the blender and you are good to go!

Falafel and pitta with salad (either batch cook falafels in advance or just buy them ready made!)
My speedy go to is chicken skewers, chicken breast cut into chunks, squeeze on a bit of lemon juice/bit of honey and mustard/paprika etc, thread on skewers alternating with a cherry tomato, bit of pepper/courgette etc, put in oven for 15 mins serve with salad and crusty bread.

Some of my go to meals if I'm just feeding the dc and need something quick are - beans on toast
Spaghetti hoops on toast
Fish finger sandwiches
Pasta with marmite
Chicken stir fry with noodles
Pork stir fry with noodles
Fried diced potato bacon and peas

Fritters are good for any age and very easy. The recipes usually require eggs, but it's just to hold them together and I've used a bit of oil instead on occasion.

My DD loves them in sweetcorn, pea and courgette varieties.

Pine nuts aren't tree nuts, so pesto should be fine. But if you don't want to risk it, it's very easy to make with basil ( or other herbs) and you can use pumpkin seeds or brown bread crumbs instead of nuts.

Thanks for all the suggestions, I'm going to start planning and do a bit of decent batch cooking as well!

That's interesting about the bread crumbs, I might try that - we've sadly already had a reaction to pesto so I'm wary of any form of nut until we've had full allergy testing

Factory made pesto in a jar is made with cashew nuts (as they are cheaper and taste similar to pine nuts). And pine nuts are actually a seed and very rarely do people have allergies to seeds. I found this out as my DS is allergic to cashews and pistacios (actually a relative of cashews) and only recently did someone warn me, luckily I have never given it too him previously as he requires an epipen and he doesn't even need to swallow a cashew before his mouth swells up! It might be that your DD is allergic to tree nuts. Home made pesto should be ok though but maybe wait until skin test - ask for pine nuts test too, as well as cashews and check the jar if it was ready made pesto.

Sorry, I haven't got anything useful to add about the original question!

Just use whatever herb, or mix of herbs, you fancy ( woody ones like rosemary don't work too well as they are very strong tasting), any kind of cheese and some brown bread crumbs. I quite often use wild garlic,but that's over for this year. You could even use spinach, peas or courgette as part of the "herb" element. A slug of olive oil, some garlic and blitz it all together.

Just realised 5 year old doesn't like cheese, but as will eat pesto, presumably not allergic and doesn't notice hidden cheese!

Home made tomato soup with hidden vegetables