"Little Dish" meals....? yay or nay?

[Natzer]

DD will be one next week and now that she is eating "proper" food I am starting to run out of ideas as she doesnt really eat with us, (she is normally in bed by 6.30, so thats when we start preparing our dinner).

I have just bought a little cookbook with recipes for toddlers and hopefully that will give me some new ideas.

I am still at that stage that I won't give her anykind of junk/bad/processed food (I'm sure it wont last). However, I saw these "little dish" meals today in the supermarket and can't find a reason why not to give them to her maybe a couple of times a week, they have no additves, no artificial preservatives and are apparently 100% natural with no added salt and sugar. They seem ideal, whats the con?

They taste vile. My DD won't touch them and she'll eat almost anything.

Why not save a portion of your dinner from the night before to serve up. I also batch cook things like lasagne, shepherds / cottage pie, fish pie and pasta bakes so we have something in the freezer to throw in the microwave. Add scrambled eggs / omlette and the odd beans on toast and you're sorted.

My DS (13 months) loves them, as well as the M&S versions.

Not sure what the con is, but they are v.useful when you are in rush or CBA!

They're ok for emergencies - better than the truly vile Annabel Karmel equivalents

Mine like M&S and Cook (if you have one) gets a big thumbs up. But 95% of the time they have our leftovers

I usually have a couple in the freezer for emergencies. My DD only likes the Korma and the fish pie, and i serve them with heaps of fresh veg. Don't see the problem once in a while.

The only toddler ready meals DS likes are the M&S ones - the fish pie is fab.

Beans on toast is another quick tea.

they're ok for emergencies, but very expensive! no reason why you couldn't make your own and freeze them.

or you could eat earlier?
or, you make a little extra of what you are having, portion it up and pop in fridge, and she has it the next day... that way you always have something pretty much fresh for her.

Ds2 hates them and I don't blame him, they taste vile!

Yay! My Dd is 2 and a quarter and we still have them as emergency freezer dinners - she loves all of them.

My DS (15 months) has had the m&s cottage pie and devoured it. I might put some in the freezer for emergencies.

Thank you, maybe I will get some and put them in the freezer. I will have a look out for the M&S ones too.

I do batch cook and freeze but its normally spag bol and fish pie, but sometimes she gets a little bored with them.

These looked quite interesting but I couldn't get my head past the whole ALERT-READYMEAL-ALERT!

Yes I get the M&S ones, dd1 is 2.7 and she eats all of them, dd2 is 10 months and with finish off a fish pie or a cottage pie.

Both mine dd's have their main meal at lunchtime and then beans/egg on toast, sandwich etc for tea. I have more time in the day to prepare something. Although often that is a jacket potato and something if we are out in the morning, or fish fingers and peas, or pasta.

Weekends are when we try them on more adventuous stuff as we all eat together.

my DS has had them a couple of times and likes them but i think they are really expensive for what they are.

I keep a couple of Ella's kitchens, especially the Thai curry one, for emergencies. But normally I cook extra dinner for me and DH and DS has it for lunch the next day. Then he just has cheese / sardines / avocado on toast or an omelette or something for dinner. Cooking two meals in the evening is too much!

DS has had the fish pie one and salmon/macaroni cheese one and eaten them fine. In fact the salmon/macaroni cheese one is the only time he will voluntarily eat broccoli!
I only buy them when I see they are on special offer.

They are SO not vile - I have to restrain myself from eating them! Dd used to love them but she is less keen now, but she's a fickle four year old now so probably way too old for them! Still use them though for meal emergencies!

I think they're great - in contrast the AK meals are simply disgusting, god knows why they feel the need to add salt and sugar to meals intended for toddlers/babies. I say buy the Little Dish! But try to only do so when they are on offer, they are a bit expensive.

Totally overdid the !'s. Apols.

The Annabel Karmel onoes are much nice. I would eat them :)

'ones'

I like the salmon broccoli one best myself. M&S add salt.

Thanks, also I worry about the fact that they have a 3 week shelf (fridge) life.

But I have tried them, dd likes them, I thought the chicken risotto was yummy and they are on offer in tesco .

They can be frozen though OP, the packet also gives instructions on cooking from frozen.

I tried them once but I think they're expensive for what they are and DD wasn't overly keen. For a quick dinner I'd much rather give them beans/scrambled egg on toast/ a ham sandwich.

But generally speaking, since having DD2 we all eat the same meal every evening. As a result DD2 eats anything!

I think the danger is once they get too used to 'toddler' food it's harder to get them on to 'normal' food.

my child rejected them -- he's no fool

I buy them occasionally for DS (2.2) and he eats them happily enough (korma and pasta bolognese).

I have only ever tried him on one AK meal (butternut squash pasta I think) and he wouldn't touch it.

DS is a big fan of fresh filled pasta with sauce - have you tried that? I just find the variety with the lowest salt content.

Stir fries with noodles/rice are also a winner, as is a random meal of chicken or ham and veg served with cous cous!