Help me food plan!

[Twinkletwinklelil]

I need some inspiration
I have a toddler 15mo who is going through a phase where textures are not appealing - won’t eat meat or fish!

im also trying to save money..and create less food waste.

time is an occasional issue too

we currently eat curry, Turkey Bol, pasta and rice bowls regularly.

want to expand our dishes and get some good nutritious food down my toddler while we’re at it.. so where better to ask than here.

welcoming any suggestions and questions!
we don’t eat beef, only dietary restriction.

Home made bean burgers...
Tinned beans of whatever variety (so precooked), fried onion, garlic, herbs, a big dob of tomato ketchup and peanut butter (especially Marmite peanut butter).
Mix it all up, mash it quite well (so there's a bit of texture remaining- so some whole beans etc. still) and shape into small burgers. Coat in flour and fry.

I like cutting up peppers, butternut squash, onions, dressing with some black pepper and mustard mixed into a little oil and honey, bake for a while, then add some chickpeas and cubed feta, Really nice!

Tray bakes with seasonal vegetables and different seasonings are so easy, healthy and variable.

How about risotto? So many options for flavouring but we really enjoy butternut squash and sage.
Stir fried veg with rice noodles, a simple sauce and cashews or tofu.
Roasted gnocchi with Mediterranean veg, topped with melted mozzarella.
Grilled haloumi in wraps with salad and sweet potato wedges
Sweet potato, red pepper and chickpea curry.

Homemade soup was my salvation when my eldest went through the texture-ick phase... A bowl or mug of soup is easy to eat, healthy and filling. You can use multitudes of vegetables and start to serve interesting bits to eat alongside or sprinkle on top to challenge the texture issue occasionally.

'Soup and something' night is still a favourite now both my boys are in their late teens 😁

Thank you! What are your “somethings”? And what soup is your fave?

Love risotto! Will definitely try, which stock do you use for the butternut squash one?

we love gnocchi. Have you tried that with a toddler? Might have to try it and see how the texture works out 😅

This sounds so interesting! Thank you so much.

Omelette or egg muffins always went down well with DD, quick, cheap and easy to add extra veg to.

Quesadillas - we do just cheese or cheese and refried beans, with creme fraiche/sour cream and any veg on the side - tomatoes, peppers, carrot sticks, etc.

Breakfast for dinner - often do sausages/bacon, hash brown, egg, toast with fruit salad

I think the main thing is for a 15 month old, make things that you love, because they'll likely eat very little, so if you have plenty of leftovers, there will be less waste if it's something you're happy to take for lunches for the next few days or save for the next night's meal.