Lunch and dinner ideas.

[NinkyNonk1]

I will soon have a 1 year old. Due to the fact I'm a single parent and usually eat when my DD is in bed, plus being on a healthy diet, I'm after some food ideas that are good for her and that she will like.

She's not a fussy eater and loves her food. We have done spag Bol already and she loved it.

If I could have some ideas I'd be very grateful 😊

My DS more or less ate the same as we did - no need to cook special 'childrens' meals' - you may have to make slight alterations if you are having a really spicy curry or a T bone steak but generally we all ate the same. In fact he was much more adventurous as a toddler than he is as a teenager .

You could just make extra of what youre having then feed it to him the next day , i dont do anything too fancy at lunch , soup , egg on toast , sandwiches that kind of thing

I’ve just fed all mine what we were eating beyond maybe the first month of weaning
Certainly by 1 they were just eating normal food, nothing special

Agree with her eating what you do so anything and everything - anything mince based (shephards pie/ spag Bol/ lasagne), fish pie and your normal meat and veg were all (and still are!) firm favourites here. Mince based meals freeze really well too so you could batch cook and freeze tubs big enough for the 2 of you for when you need a quick dinner. Maybe some in just toddler sized portions too for the times you’re eating something she can’t (takeaway etc).

At that age my kids have loved:
Meatballs with pasta or mash
Sausages and mash
Toad in the hole
Homemade pizza
Stir fries and curries with rice/noodles
Bolognese
Fish pie
Kedgeree
Homemade fish and chips
Any baked fish with mash
Stews with mash
Beans on toast
Jacket potatoes with tuna mayonnaise or cheese
Grilled vegetables and halloumi with couscous
Any homemade soup with crusty bread

I think one year olds can often be a lot less fussy than older kids. It's a good age to get them used to as many different flavours as possible

Yep, just stop adding salt to your cooking/go easy on stock, cheese, soy sauce and other salty things and then share.

My little boy is 10 months and usually has a try of whatever we’re having. Haven’t tried giving him anything with chilli in yet (though lots of herbs and spices). The only meal we have separate stuff for is breakfast as I have granola made with honey and lots of chokey whole nuts. He has oats mixed with yoghurt and chopped berries/mushed banana.

Thank you for all of your suggestions. I think batch cooking will be the best option for us because my eating patterns and what I eat is pretty much the same everyday which will be no good for her.

She already has porridge oats mixed with yoghurt for breakfast as that's what I have but good idea about adding mashed banana!

Oh just thought, boiled eggs are fab portable convenience food for baby (and grown up, actually) lunches on the go!

My son loves sweet corn and peas as well (but it’s a ‘look at my pincer grip on these tiny things’ thing rather than the flavour, I think)