Help !!! I’m totally clueless

[eiy2028]

Hi!

I’d love some ideas for healthy balanced breakfasts and lunches that are really quick. I’m good with dinner, those other two I really struggle with

my in laws are very traditional italian and they believe that she should be having fresh cooked meals for every meal time, and I felt guilted into doing that (one time I gave DD veg soup, cheese on toast and some kiwi for lunch and my MIL later called my partner horrified about what she saw me give her)

but now I’m just so unbelievably sick of cooking all the time and I have no idea what I can make that is healthy and easy. A lot of recipes online for easy recipes for toddlers are not as easy as what I’m after 😂

please help!

Don’t be guilted by anyone - your daughter’s lunch sounds lovely.

Breakfasts - yoghurt and fruit, eggs and toast, cold meat and tomato/cucumber, pancakes and berries

Lunches- soups, salads, toasties, simple pasta dishes (pesto, tomato sauce, just mushrooms or spinach, butter and a sprinkling of cheese)

Dont be bullied.

Thank you! I’ve just had the realisation that I can’t continue doing it so I’m just going to do things my way.

That’s really helpful thank you, I think for the lunches I just needed some confirmation that soup and toasties are ok and I’m not terrible for wanting to give them 😅

Soup, cheese on toast and fruit are a perfect lunch, adult or child. Homemade soups are infinitely variable so she'll get loads of nutrients over the course of a month. Even if you don't make it yourself, there are lots of brilliant ready made soups, including some of the tins with lots of beans and veg in them. If it's just cream of tomato every day then that's a slightly different story, but it's not harmful!!

If you want to vary it, change the sandwich fillings and the type of bread you use.
Hardboiled eggs on their own, or turned into egg mayo.
Tuna or other fish, depending on taste
Shredded chicken with bbq sauce in a sandwich
Cook a pack of bacon and chop ready to use with other ingredients.

Breads - use wraps, english muffins, sourdough, mini naans, cheese scones. There's loads of things you can freeze in individual portions so you can mix it up each day.

What works depends on how old your dd is and what she likes, but truthfully, what you're giving her sounds perfect to me.

Yup agree with other posters. Soup and a sandwich is a perfectly normal and healthy meal, with lots of nutritional options and your in laws need to butt out.

For breakfasts, ditto yoghurt, cereal, toast etc. Having said that, we tend to make a bit of effort for breakfast because DS's meds mean he often skips lunch. A few options here include:

Eggs in various forms - boiled, scrambled usually. On toast.
Overnight oats - I do half a cup of oats, half a cup or milk, a few dollops of yoghurt then flavour as per preference - usually just frozen berries, a few flaked nuts and some linseeds.

Banana pancakes - these are surprisingly easy. I use a regular dessert spoon and about 6 very heaped and generous spoonfuls of self raising flour and a bit extra baking powder. 2 eggs and enough milk to mix it to a smooth, very very thick batter. Add a teaspoon of vanilla and a pinch of salt. Then one large banana mashed up. Drop a large spoonful at a time into a nonstick pan with a bit of oil (you need the oil to help them get fluffy). Do this as quickly after the batter is made as possible - as the banana releases moisture and the batter gets thinner, the pancakes also don't rise or get their lovely fluffiness.

We also regularly make waffles.

Some of my DD's favourite quick lunches
Very quick noodles https://www.myfussyeater.com/satay-vegetable-noodles-recipe-easy-5-minute-meal/ - this keeps a couple of days in the fridge. It makes 2 or 3 portions.

Cheesy broccoli gnocchi https://realfood.tesco.com/recipes/cheesy-broccoli-gnocchi.html

Quesadillas https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/chickenanddcheese65643