Cold tea ideas for DC to feed themselves while newborn cluster feeds....

[Dancingandthedreaming]

Hoping for some inspiration please. DD a week old and is cluster feeding like a trooper between about 4 and 11. This obviously makes the whole tea, bath, story, bed routine with the older DC (10, 8, 4) a bit, um, impossible... DH back to work next week, works v long hours and I need a plan.

I was thinking, if I could assemble and set out a help themselves cold tea during the day, then they could safely help themselves while I wrestle their baby sister. So, cold chicken, cold sausages, pasta salad, wraps. Wouldn't want to risk hot things if I can't serve. The DC aren't fussy.

Anyone got any inspiration for cold teas for a very sleep deprived completely brain dead me? thank you!

Can you have soup made up in a thermos and the 10 year old can dish up for the younger two?

Soup and sandwiches would be fine. Plus some veg sticks and hummus.

Quiche.

I would google picnic ideas.

I'm afraid in my house it would probably be a lot of beans on toast, sarnies, pizzas or microwave meals - but I'm not very adventurous!

Hard boiled eggs
Pitta
Pork pies
Sausage rolls
Cold pizza

Cooked salmon fillets (if they will eat it, expensive though)
Smoked salmon bagels (same)
Potato salad

Spanish omelette ?

If the budget stretches to it, a few pizzas or ready meals won’t go amiss.

Congratulations OP

fab ideas, thank you

Can you put the newborn down long enough to microwave things? That would open up a whole world of ready meals or batch cooked meals.

Freezing stuff in foil takeout style containers and cooking in the oven straight from frozen also works well. Your DH could batch cook whilst he's still off work?

Cous cous or microwave rice are brilliant as a quick accompaniment.

Otherwise salads, Buddha bowls, stuffed peppers, falafel, sausage rolls, chicken drum sticks?

Loads of frittatas in my house, I can prep during the day including some sticks of veg and maybe a bit of hummus for dipping, then they can serve up wedges for themselves. Pasta bakes are also good for prepping during the day, then popping in the oven and easy to take out quickly and serve. I make extra large ones and they serve well cold the next day.

Oven pizzas - making your own with pide if you have time, or just get the most virtuous sounding frozen one (spinach makes it health food, at least in the post partum period)

Thanks both. I had an incredibly well stocked freezer full of batch cooked meals, and when my dad was staying before baby arrived he left the door open and we had to throw the lot. I cried. A lot.

Could you afford to pay for the kids to have dinners at school so you don't have to worry too much about doing them a decent evening meal?

With the warmer weather mine are having a lot of lighter, cold dinners. Pizza (cooked but easy to serve between feeds), french stick with real butter and salad, little sausages and scotch eggs with cucumber/ tomato. Pitta/ breadsticks and dips my kids are wild for. Chicken breast breaded strips and sweetcorn with crusty bread and salad. Carrot, red pepper sticks with dips. Fruit and whipped cream and then yoghurt fills them up a bit too. For cooking I'd just do something foolproof that you just put in and take out and immediately serve without needing to check on it or turn it, shop bought quiche, chicken burgers, nuggets, pizza. Bags of iceberg lettuce, ready chopped carrot sticks and the like are easy to whack on a plate. I grate cheese with one of those mini hand graters and bung a load of it into a massive croissant with a slice of ham and microwave for 10-15 seconds and that goes down amazingly also.

Cold paprika chicken skewers
Falafel and pittas
Potato salad with chopped bacon stirred through
Puff pastry tarts.
All served with salad crudités etc
If you think you would have time to take them out the oven jacket potatoes or sweet potatoes would be good, could then we’ve with cold toppings like tuna sweetcorn, cheese or coleslaw