Healthy 'emergency' meal ideas

[babyworry2018]

I have a non-sleeping Velcro baby and a husband with a brutal commute which means cooking is impossible. I'd love some ideas for healthy 'emergency' meals - either v quick or things that can be shoved in the oven.

We're vegetarian and have mostly been living off oven pizza and garlic bread, baked potatoes and beans and faux burgers and chips with hummus. I'm craving vegetables, and because I'm breastfeeding worried about getting enough protein and vitamins into baby.

My pre-baby healthy 'emergency' meal was roasted veg and tofu with a microwave lentil and grain pouch, but now I don't seem to have time to chop all the veg.

Any idea/inspiration would be great.

Stir fry!! By the bags of stir fry veg so no prep but all nutrition. Boil noodles for 3 minutes, fry veg in tiny bit of oil at the same time the use tongs to take noodles into the frying pan, throw sauce over and one minute later BAM. And eat with crackers, obviously. It's my go to late home from work dinner

Definitely look st slings!!! Facebook groups are often a good place to find local support eg Sling libraries.

Once you've mastered it (it does take practice so don't write it off after 1 go) it's an absolute game changer.

Frozen veg is your friend. Either the pouches or just bags of various frozen veg. Couple of minutes in the microwave and they’re done.

My first two were born less than a year apart and I relied on the slow cooker. I don't use it now! I used to buy the pre chopped bags of veg and even diced meat (not an option for you I know) but it honestly took me two mins in the morning to chuck together and forget about. I was bf too so I was relying in the nutrition. What about slow cooker (or casserole) curries and stews, just throw all the veg in maybe quorn mince or sausages and some seasoning, even a packet mixture? I used to put a spoonful of the mixed lentils/beans /pulses I can't think for the life of me what it's called but it thickened it up lovely.

My option does take a little time but can be done ahead and then put in the fridge to later chuck in the oven, or even frozen.

Dice up mixed Mediterranean veggies to the same size dice (I tend to use about 1 cm for oven, but 3 or 4 cm for BBQ, all that matters is they will cook in the same sort of time).
I like whole cloves of garlic, whole or halved cherry tomatoes, and diced stiff like red onions, peppers, courgette, maybe mange tout or French beans, aubergine is nice except my family won't eat it....etc
Throw them in a bowl or preferably a large ziploc freezer bag.

Add olive oil, splash balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper, and some dried herbs (things like mixed herbs, thyme, rosemary, oregano, or basil).

Shake, and allow to marinate at least 20 minutes but up to 48 hours.

Roast in a hot oven until cooked (1cm dice takes about 20-25 minutes at 180 degrees).

The mix can be frozen before cooking, to roast straight from the freezer. And leftover, once cooked, can also be frozen to eat another night with pasta and a tomato sauce.

So, because of that, I'll often make a batch with like 2 courgette so, 3/4 peppers, a Punnet or more of mujshrooms, 3/4 red onions, a punnet of cherry toms etc. Freeze some for later, and cook a large tray for dinner and leftovers to freeze. The chopping of a large batch only takes an extra few minutes compared to a small batch - and could be done either while a nap is happening or dog minds the baby for a while at the weekend.

Or indeed, put the baby in high chair and give a pastiche knife and a couple of mushrooms so they can "help" at the edge of the worktop

Plastic knife

Baked eggs are great for no time, one handed eating. The spinach and tomato means you've some veg, add some crusty bread for carbs (wholemeal if you want the fibre) and the eggs are good protein.
www.google.com/amp/s/www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/1649636/baked-eggs-with-spinach-and-tomato%3famp

Beans on toast with grated cheese is an easy meal but perfect for one handed eating. (Dip the toast instead of having underneath the beans)

The slow cooker is good because you can keep at the right temp till you get a minute. I've made quite a few veg curries (just reduce the liquid the recipe calls for).

If things are so tricky at the moment you don’t have time to chop veg then I would go down the super convenience route. It will cost you more money and some slight up front planning time but will make dinner much easier.

Plan a couple of evenings of nice ready meals. Any nice veggies ones you can bing in the oven? Everdine meals are amazing, not all veggie but enough are. Super tasty fresh food frozen and you just bring the whole thing in the microwave or oven.

Pre prepared veg is your friend - either fresh or frozen.

Meal planning and kind of treating this like a DIY Hello Fresh so having the ingredients grouped together in the fridge would be helpful.

Fresh pasta or gnocchi takes 3 mins to cook. Serve with a bag of rocket and either a bough sauce or just a drizzle of lemon and olive oil, a squirt of balsamic reduction if you have a bottle, and some veggie cheese shavings.

Dried pasta with pesto and frozen green veg like peas and baby broad beans cooked in with the pasta cooking water. So easy.

Pre chopped and bagged stir fry as everyone else has said. Add taifun smoked tofu for easy additional protein with zero prep except slice and fry.

Fresh pre-chopped veg for roasting. Add tin of chickpeas and Halloumi.

Shop bought vegetable soups with toast and cheese. Chop up carrot and pepper sticks as well or munch on sugar snap peas for added fresh veg.

Panear and (frozen) pea curry using a jar of sauce and microwave rice.

Thai green curry using a paste+coconut milk or jar sauce. Pack of sugar snap peas, pack of baby corn, frozen or fresh pre-chopped onions and a green pepper or aubergine would be nice if you could chop one thing. Fresh or frozen green beans are nice, frozen are dead easy as you just grab a handful out of the bag and snap them rather than chop them. Serve with microwave quinoa and a pack of Thai fish crackers. Can add tofu if you like but I don’t bother if serving with quinoa.

Anything you can do with the baby in a sling at a good time of the day that freezes well and can be reheated and served with microwave rice (also frozen microwave cauliflower rice from Tesco is good).