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Quick easy healthy meal ideas with toddlers

15 replies

Em2122 · 17/09/2021 21:24

I have two toddlers and have to cook on
My own around them. It’s really stressful so I think we just need to eat simple food for this period of life even though I enjoy cooking. I feel guilty when I shove frozen food in the oven so wanted to see if we could share some easy quick meals which also contain some veg. I also don’t like to eat too much red meat as I’m worried about it’s links to cancer, which also restricts me!
I have many recipes I like, but so far my own very easy one is pasta with mashed broccoli and soft cheese.
Despite cooking many recipes I can’t think of anything else which is quick and easy like that so wondering if anyone else had simple dishes to share?

OP posts:
lannistunut · 17/09/2021 21:28

Anything with eggs e.g. omelette or poached eggs with green beans/peas/spinach/other veg on the side
Pilaf with any veg
Mild veg curry
Roast veg and couscous

We often have lots of salads and serve with pittas and either grated cheese or houmous.

Creakycroaky · 17/09/2021 21:48

Pasta with peas and sweet corn is super easy - start the pasta off and throw the veg in too five minutes before the pasta is done, then drain and stir cream cheese through; especially yum with garlic bread.

Frozen steam veg packs are great for adding to easy dinners, and make me feel OK about chicken nuggets when I can get some veg on the side in two minutes!

Supermarket soup/casserole mixed veg packs are great. It saves chopping time and you can do them in the slow cooker too. Add chorizo for a bit more flavour if you like, and serve with lots of bread.

CovidinPrimary · 17/09/2021 21:55

quesadillas, basically any veg, meat or cheese pan fried in between two tortilla wraps.

A can of beans and sausage with cheese is a hit here!

CovidinPrimary · 17/09/2021 21:57

Also a cheese sauce is really easy to make, goes with pasta, my fav is shoving some veg into the oven, add fish then pour on the cheese sauce and add cous cous

MrsLeclerc · 17/09/2021 21:58

My DS is 3 and trying to think up dinners gets exhausting! DH works shifts so we often eat at different times which complicates things. Prepping meals alone is a nightmare, he always needs help when I’m holding raw chicken or at a fiddly bit!

The NHS food 4 life site has some simple recipes for healthy snacks and dinners. There’s an egg one you bake in muffin trays that DS used to like for his lunch. You can add and substitute veg to your DC preference.

Could you try some old faithfuls but substitute red meat? Like spaghetti bolognese, tacos or chilli with turkey mince. I add thinly sliced celery, red pepper cut into really small cubes, grated carrot etc to lots of meals to up the veg. Asda and Morrison’s do a lovely frozen Mediterranean vegetable bag which works great to pad out pasta dishes.

Tacos are great because you can buy ready made guacamole and sour cream and just brown the turkey mince, season and warm the shells. I make a kid friendly salsa from cherry tomatoes chopped, spring onion, a bit of lime juice and some parsley.

I make a vegetarian bean stew from the Ella’s kitchen cookbook which is super easy just in one big pot and it freezes well so you can keep small portions back for lunches.

Slow cooker meals are great too as you can prepare them when you get 5 mins (ha!) or in stages through the morning when they’re distracted and just turn it on. A blog called Taming Twins has some great slow cooker recipes. I’ve done the chicken casserole and honey garlic chicken and both were lovely. She also has batch cooking recipes which I’m going to try next.

JuneOsborne · 17/09/2021 22:02

Anything on toast.
Eggs. Omlette and salad had to be the fastest meal there is.
Soup, something filling like leek and potato or lentil.
There is nothing nutritiously wrong with frozen veg.
Stir fry/egg fried rice.

Rugsofhonour · 18/09/2021 07:10

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cookwithbee · 21/09/2021 21:08

This a recipe I use for my nieces and nephews (a couple of them are doing baby led weaning atm). lots of veggies and you can adjust the salt level depending on baby :) cookwith.co.uk/recipes/easy-chicken-fried-rice

languagelover96 · 22/09/2021 09:01

This is a list of ideas

Jacket potato
Pumpkin pie
Bean casserole
Risotto
Leek and potato curry
Smoked salmon
Pasta
Pizza
Burgers
Stew
Omelette
Potato and chicken salad
Fruit curry
Soups
Fish and chips
Cannelloni
Mashed potato and tuna

LVJ1989 · 22/09/2021 09:12

My son loves pasta,if I feel he needs some vitamins I will buy one of those med veg trays that are normally about £1, I roast it and then blend it into a sauce for the pasta, he's none the wiser and scoffs the lot! Adding a touch of cheese on top.

He loves interactive good like fajitas too where he can make his own so we make sure we put lots of salad out and cook peppers,onions and tomatoes in with the chicken

Namu82 · 22/09/2021 09:46

My favourite quick dinner is tuna fish cakes. Literally just mashed potato, tuna, onion and herbs then roll in bread crumbs and fry. I sometimes add peas or grated carrot for some extra hidden veggies.

Temple29 · 22/09/2021 09:54

If I’m stuck for time I usually pop frozen baked potatoes in the microwave and serve with tuna/chicken and a frozen veg. Dinner on the table in 10 minutes or so.

I also use my slow cooker at least twice a week and look on Pinterest for recipe ideas before I food shop. Make enough curry/chilli/stew to have leftovers for lunch the next day. Soup in the slow cooker is great too, serve with cheese toasties and fruit.

excitednerves · 23/09/2021 18:43

Following with interest. I try to batch cook a huge family meal once a week - spag Bol, shepherds pie, some kind of casserole so I can feed all 4 of us plus put 3-4 portions away in the freezer for the kids. Over time the freezer stash builds up so I have lots of variety to pick from. Putting in effort occasionally has meant there are lots of nights I just pull something out to reheat.

Omelette, pesto pasta with veg, or something like salmon on the pan with microwave veggies are my quick go-tos but frozen nuggets and fish fingers feature too.

Oldnews · 06/10/2021 19:25

Sweetcorn fritters and pea and feta fritters are super easy and can be frozen. I also make a quick batch of "Australian quiches" in muffin tins so I can freeze up a load.

Veggie sausage casserole is another where you can make up a few portions and freeze.

Nachos with black beans, rice and guacamole on the side takes 10 minutes and is popular with my toddler. That's our go-to on a Friday night.

I also do a jar curry, he has plain paneer, veg and new potatoes with rice and bread and a dollop of the sauce from my curry on the side.

halloumi, salad, hummus, falafel pittas - take 10 minutes and he has it deconstructed so he can make his own.

Lastly he loves a "picnic" in a muffin tray or sectioned tray- I just pop different things in each section, like a bit of cheese, plain buttered pasta, broccoli, chickpeas, fruit etc and he grazes.

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