Quick or make ahead or instant lunches!

[Maloneyb]

Im in need of some inspiration!
have a toddler and 1 month old and will soon be needing to look after them myself as dh returns to work..

looking for some quick or make ahead lunch ideas - so far I’ve got a make ahead shakshuka idea where I batch make the base and then just add the eggs and cheese on the day I want to eat it.
Make ahead bolognese which I can add to a jacket potato.

I don’t particularly want to freeze anything but happy to batch make on a Monday / Tuesday (will have support on a Monday and Tuesday! So time to cook anything I need to ) and refrigerate for a couple days

high protein, filling ideas - I am breastfeeding so very hungry lol.

baby and toddler and both clingy so likely have both on me (sling carrier / hanging from my legs)

thank you!

The slow cooker is your friend here. Especially this time of year and especially if you eat meat. Great for stews, casseroles, bolognese etc.. chuck it all in and get on with your day.
I also love soups.
Omelette/fritter type egg based things that will keep for a few days in the fridge.

Plan to have left overs to use for another meal. Eg if I'm doing a baked potato I will make double what is needed.

Then the day after take the left over potato out of the skin, mix with flour and you have gnocchi.

Toast is a good base for quick meals, cheese, beans, avocado, cheese beans and bacon. My mum used to make something she called 'milk cheese'.

Pour some milk into a pan, as it warms up add a crumbly cheese like wensleydale, crumble it into the milk.

Pour over a slice of toast.

Rather than thinking about veg to go with meals I'd probably opt for finger food veg, carrot batons, cherry tomatoes, slices of cucumber that can be picked up by small hands.

I agree about a slow cooker.

As well as stews you can cook a whole chicken or a joint of meat.

If you put a chicken in first thing on high you can take the legs off and use that meat for lunch, maybe a sandwich with some salad. Then you turn it to warm and still have chicken you or your DH can make into an evening meal.

It might be worth getting a rice cooker. I got mine because I needed a kettle and a toaster and Argos had a three for one offer.

You put the rice and liquid in, it cooks it and then keeps it warm for, I think 1 hour. I make smoked haddock cooked with rice in a 50/50 mix of orange juice and water.

You can also throw in nuts, veg etc.

Postpartum I used to eat a lot of quiche! Instant, or heat for ten min. Add a bag of salad and microwave rice for a bigger meal.

I also liked fish finger sandwiches on sourdough.

Peanut butter on toast with fruit on the side as a very quick lunch.

You/DH can prep & cook chicken breast/salmon and keep in fridge then eat cold/add to a bag of salad and/or microwave rice.

Beans on toast can be really satisfying!

Chili and microwave rice.

Airfryer chickpeas and rice/salad.

Bag of frozen prawns take minutes to fry. Microwave rice (or microwaved bag of grain, Lidl and Aldi do great ones) with a salad bag.

Mozzarella and tomato salad with ciabatta.

Frittata is quick, have some pre chopped onion/tomatoes/mushroom in fridge to throw in.

Bagel, cream cheese and salmon with cucumber and other chopped veg on side.

That's around a fortnight of quick lunches if you prep some to last two days and your toddler can share many of them.

Snacks: babybel, chopped veg and hummus, nuts, dark chocolate, treats (I liked cake when I was breastfeeding- I developed a very sweet tooth!). I make mini banana and dark chocolate chip muffins (banana, oats, egg, yoghurt, oil, baking powder, chocolate chips). Make a huge batch and freeze!

Take care of yourself and congratulations!

In addition to the suggestions above, I use the microwave steam bags of veg a lot. Already portioned, few mins in the microwave and you have a decent portion of vegetables to chuck with a meal and because they're frozen, there's no waste.

This quiche keeps for a few days and is very quick to make https://realfood.tesco.com/recipes/ham-and-spinach-tortilla-quiche.html

Chicken feta couscous https://www.deliciousmagazine.co.uk/recipes/chicken-and-feta-couscous/

Ramen noodles https://www.thegoodbite.co.uk/recipes/10-minute-ramen-noodles/

Buy a Crimpit! They have them for bread thins and wraps.

To add to my list, Aldi fish cakes are delicious and so easy. Especially the melt in the middle ones. Bung a couple in the oven, serve with salad.

I make quiches. They are so versatile flavour wise so often swap depending on what needs using up in fridge.
Frittatas I do as an alternative and makes great baby weaning finger food.

I find pasta salads great and let's me get creative. I did what I called deconstructed salads when weaning (quarter boiled egg finger food with sliced tomatoes etc and dips like mixing avocado with soft cheese or hummus) i would obviously have it piled on a bed of leaves or cous cous.

Avocado mashed on toast. Beans on toast ect.

Veg muffins they are great to tailor to everyone and I add a couple crackers topped with cream cheese and dice up tomatoes or cucumber really tiny on top.

Slow cooker for chicken and meat dishes i do a lot this time of year. My favourite at the moment is pulled bbq chicken.

I make granola ahead which adds a nice healthy dessert when you pop it on yoghurt and fruit, it's a bit like a crumble.