What to feed my one year old

[MrsRedWhite214]

I'm trying to put together a list of meals that my one year old can have whilst I'm at work but I'm really struggling with dinner ideas. He'll be eating his main meal at lunchtime so needs to be easy to heat up and serve, but he prefers to feed himself. I make cottage pie all the time as it's easy to freeze and reheat. He likes fish fingers, pasta and chicken nuggets, but he can't live off those. Have you got any suggestions? Other meal ideas would be great, but it's the main meal I'm particularly struggling with.

Sandwiches?
Mini roasts
Casserole

Who will be giving him his dinner? Can he not have the same as them?

I've made up a list of meals for DS that are quick am simple to make so I don't run out of ideas mid week...here's a copy of my list:

Chicken
Roast chicken
Lemon and honey chicken
Lemon & tarragon chicken
Thai green curry (chicken)

Vegetarian
Cauliflower, broccoli, tomato & cheese bake
Cauliflower cheese
Pesto pasta
Cous cous with feta cheese & pesto

Fish
Tuna & tomato pasta
Smoked fish, mash & veg
Salmon and cous cous parcels
Cod with lemon and parsley
Thai green curry with fish

Beef
Chilli con carne
Cottage pie
Spaghetti bolognese
Goulash

Sausages
Toad in the hole
Sausage and tomato pasta
Sausages and mash

Hope it helps a bit!

That's a great help, thanks. My MIL will be looking after him but she doesn't eat much herself and I need to make sure his diet is well balanced whilst I'm not there. I've tried saving some from my dinner to reheat the next day but it doesn't work too well, as we eat things that are hard to reheat. He prefers to feed himself but he can't use a spoon so it gets v messy.

Is mess an issue for your mil?

Dd likes pasta with philli, tuna and peas or broad beans, or pasta with tinned toms and mixed herbs.

I don't know if mess is a issue for her but I want it to be as easy as possible. I can't help bit worry that she can't cope with him.

Pasta with philli, tuna and peas sounds perfect. Will add that to the list!

I cook the peas in the same pan as the pasta, then mix tuna and philli and stir together- means that everything is cool enough.

My one year old lives off mac n cheese, fish fingers, spaghetti bolognese, and lasagne. She is a fussy eater.

Roast veg (beetroot, parsnip, peppers, sweet potato etc) with a piece of meat or chicken wouldn't be so messy.

An egg yolk stirred into hot pasta adds protein (we add peas/other veg too) and isn't as stunningly messy as tomato based sauces.

Dryish pasta bakes/lasagnes.

Variations on the shepherd's pie (beef, lentils).

Give her a plastic tablecloth for the floor.

Fish pie, chicken curry with mango chutney, apple and korma paste (both recipes from Annabel K). Dhal - lentils, coconut milk, chopped tomatoes, spices etc. All perhaps a little messy though.

I'm sure it won't be messy for long; just while he learns to use a spoon. He's teething at the moment do that's why he's being fussy - 3 coming through at one can't be nice. I feel like he has the same meals all the time and I struggle to vary them.

There's a really nice lentil bake thing on the baby-led weaning website (their recipe list) which also works well if you substitute mashed broccoli for the lentils. www.babyledweaning.com/recipes/lunchdinner/alisons-lentil-and-cheese-wedges-2/

Lots of good, freezable and simple recipes on the bbcgoodfood website. Some of the things I make for dd2:

Cauliflower curry
Lentil bake
Sausage and bean casserole (sausages not too often)
Italian beef stew
Ragu
Mild fruity chicken curry, with dried apricots
Butternut squash and lentil dhal, with mini naan
Bolognese
Mildly spiced shepherd's pie
Pasta with a variety of sauces and green beans or peas

I make green 'alien' sauce to go with pasta which is basically peas, onion and other veggies boiled with some milk and whizzed in the food processor. Or hidden veg tomato pasta sauce. Served with grated cheese.

I batch cook meals for DTs so mum and mil just have to heat up when I'm at work, they have enough on their plate without cooking too! I do:

Meatballs in tomato sauce with pasta or rice
Baked potato with tuna or prawn mayo
Mac cheese
Sausage and mash
Spag Bol
Mild chicken curry
Thai chicken curry
Tuna sauce for pasta
Mini burgers
Fish pie
Shepherds pie
Stews
Tomato sauce that can be added to pasta
Little quiche
Egg muffin type things with chorizo

I wish they ate all of it but that's another story...
Chicken fingers in breadcrumbs