Do I really have to cook DD a separate meal 3 times a day?!

[SarahCaroline]

Up till now, I've been happily cooking big batches of individual purees in the evenings, filling ice cube trays and freezing them. But DD has now reached 6 months and I've started reading all these recipes (e.g. Annabel Karmel) for fish dishes, chicken casseroles and the like. Karmel's planner for 6-9 months involves 3 different meals a day!!! How am I supposed to manage that AND cook for me and DH in the evening? I would just carry on pureeing and bagging up individual foods, but am also determined not to let food get boring for DD -- the recipes do look nice ...

Any tips to help me avoid spending all day and night in the kitchen, without compromising DD's little tastebuds?

Also agree with Twiglett (as usual!)My DS's favourite expression is "No like" and I spent so long making all those bloody AK recipes when he was a baby!

I just mashed with a fork whatever I was cooking - dds have tried all flavours. I mixed cereals (oats, mixtures) with bio yogurt and this was a favourite. If anything was a bit thick I'd add yogurt or cottage cheese to make it easier to eat. My favourite AK recipe is Tea-Time Apple Treat cake-my dds really like this one (luckily as it's one of the few recipes I've made from the book)

i batch cook for me and dp anyway so what i do while batch cooking our i put some seperate for ds and he en months and havent killed him yet some of the foods i give him i would probably get told of for but he likes them he eats them so i dont worry about it
spag bol
chilli con carne (add baby rice when ready to searve) only the mildest stuff
mixed veg purree or mashed to gether
homemade tomatoe soup
stuff like that another good freezer is chicken dinner
you can get small plastic containers with blue lids on them from pound streatcher there four for a pound quite large at first but there appitite increases at first you can half fill them and get two meals out of them now im filling them and getting two meals out of them wont be long before im filling them for one meal for him
keep stocked with yoghurt good quick breckfast and handy when teething and refuses everything else
baked potatoe with cheese five minuites in the microw wave scoop out the potatoe mix t with cheese and hand the skin over to preocupy them while you feeding them
and if your worried about food being boring try making up anough to last a week say the four bowls so there haveing the same thing two days running but thats it then start fresh with something new on the next week trust me i have seen some off the recipes they want us to make for our kids three times a day and all i can say havent they got nothing better to do with there time
hth

annabel karmel uses every pot and pan in the cupboard!!!! i do little casseroles/stews with minced meat of some kind, lamb, beef, chicken, pork. its easier to cook and blend up.

Quick question (sorry) where can i get tiny pasta from? farleys used to do it but can't find it anymore.....or what very small normal pasta can i use??

busybee - Sainsbury's do something in their own-brand range called conchigliette (sp?)- tiny shells that usually go in soup - these are excellent. Think Tesco's may do something similar.

busybee - Nigella (How to Eat) talks about Pastina - I'm sure someone here would be able to tell you where to get it

casseroles fro you and dh

I found it easier to keep a stockpile of ice cube purees in the freezer - carrot, sweet potato, broccoli leek, fish in cheese sauce, lentils that sort of thing and then just throw a random selection in a bowl with some left over rice or pasta and cheese. At least then you always have a back up if your leftovers aren't childfriendly (chilli is such a staple ingredient in our house that I always forget to put it in later). And all the other suggestions about good healthy food that doesn't require cooking will save you time. Good luck

some great info here for you , I just do a big cook out every 6-8 wks over a coupla days. Things like ; plain chicken casserole, bolognese sauce, fish poached in milk and then make a roux and add mix together with with herbs. I also split the casserole and in one added camn of tomatoes and raisins and a bit of cinammon. I then purreeed and put into cubes rubber ice trays. Then put into bags and voila meals all ready. I also buy frozen rice & add a coupla tbls, but thats for older babies. Do spuds in microwave and use ricer to mash and cube up to. As they get older just puree less and add a coupla cubes to rice or baby pasta , Sainsburys do a soup pasta which is tiny little shells. Then nuke a few cubes in microwave and sprinkle grated cheese on top. You can defrost ready in little bowls in the morning ready for the day if you feel happier.

Baby Organix used to do the Baby Pasta but I don't think they do now. I used to mix my frozen cubes of veg and add a frozen cube of meat and gravy or fish and white sauce to it. I used to freeze meals into little pots. One tip here that saves having to buy loads of these pots - once the food is frozen, remove from the pots and store in freezer bags. The frozen food can be returned to its pot for taking to nursery or going out but you don't have to buy loads of pots just to have them in the freezer.

I lived by Annabel with DS1 and now at 2 3/4 he's the fussiest eater around - a real nightmare. DS2 has just started solids and I'm determined not to go the same route but for now, cos he's on purees etc, I'm cooking one meal for DH and I, one for DS1 and something for DS2 ... and you can rest assured I'm not keeping this up for much longer! Oh - and am still having to batch cook for the freezer for DS1. The only one I'm enjoying cooking is DS2's!!

Anyway, he's getting fruit porridges from the Baby Organix cookbook for breakfast - they take about 5 mins to make and I double the recipe and freeze them in ice-cubes. As soon as he's old enough, he'll get weetabix like DS1. Lunch is a veggie puree - for now and dinner a fruit puree or mashed banana. Meat will soon work it's way into the equation and that's when I'm going to start giving him exactly what we're having as far as possible.

Lots of good ideas on here - I've enjoyed reading it!!