Porridge for dinner

[Nowtwrongwithporridge]

Friend of a friend was unimpressed that 3 days a week my 3 year old son eats porridge for dinner. She's very into her home cooking. I cook from scratch too but I'm really not passionate about it. I cook basic meals like chilli, risotto, bolognese, homemade soup, lasagne. Roast dinners I buy a cooked roast chicken and roast my own veg, do my own potatoes. I'm just not passionate about it, and I'm happy as long as the food is healthy, whereas she's really goes to town with the cooking.

My son does 3 days a week in nursery and when he gets home at 4 he's tired and a bowl of porridge hits the spot nicely. He bloody loves porridge and often has it for breakfast too. I cook it with an egg yolk and chia seeds in and he usually has it either with sliced banana on top or applesauce and a sprinkle of cinnamon.

I think that's a lovely hot meal after a day of playing outside in the cold at nursery. It's healthy so I don't see the problem, especially as he has a hot meal at nursery every day. Today was fish pie. They have a different hot meal and pudding every day as well as two healthy snacks provided. Friend of friend reckons it's not good enough and he should have a "proper" dinner. Honestly, I often have porridge for dinner myself too!

Porridge for dinner is our go to if 2 year old is a bit under the weather and not got his usual appetite, but I would see no issue having it a couple of times a week.

We use ready-brek (or the supermarket knock-off) as it's fortified to cram those extra vits and minerals in.

@Birdied

This. It's not great OP

But that poster is completely wrong. It's not ten meals out of 21. It's 7 or 8 meals out of 21.

Can you explain why it's "not great"

Perfectly fine, my kids often have porridge after nursery for their dinner, they love it

Personally I think on the nights you cook you should do extra to freeze some for him, and maybe do beans on toast or something like an M&S child's meal, to me porridge is for breakfast

It’s not ideal for the same reason why the advice to eat 30 different plant based foods per week has superseded the advice to eat 5 portions of fruit and veg per day.

We need to eat a wide variety of foods to get the nutrients we need and not all nutrients can be stored in the body (amino acids/protein, some vitamins and minerals) for when we need them. If 40% (8/21 meals) of his diet is the same ie porridge with egg yolk and chia seeds and only 2 varieties of fruit, he is missing out on a variety of amino acids/protein, vitamins and minerals. He probably isn’t eating enough vegetables if he only eats vegetables once a day on the days he has porridge twice.

It’s not terrible but it’s not ideal. If you could avoid regularly having porridge twice in a day, try to add different nuts, seeds, fruit and vegetables to the porridge so every day of the week is different, it would be a lot healthier.

It’s not very healthy to eat the same healthy meal day in day out.

Edited to add, it’s not awful so don’t feel bad! It would just be better to have more variety.

@Nowtwrongwithporridge some inspiration? https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/food_and_recipes/5081481-livening-up-porridge?utm_campaign=thread&utm_medium=share

Have you tried grated apple, spot of honey and cinnamon? It would be more nutritious than apple sauce.

Is your son not hugely constipated having porridge with a (binding) egg so many times a week? I would only shit once every 6 months if I ate it that regularly!

Great job, OP. Don't worry about your friend - shrug off the judgement and carry on doing what keeps DC fed and cared for and yourself sane. She has to live with her judgey part all the time, you only some of the time if you choose to.

No, quite the opposite. He's regular like clockwork. I've never heard of this problem. Porridge seems to keep my guts happy too.

@Mipil

Edited to add, it’s not awful so don’t feel bad! It would just be better to have more variety.

I definitely don't feel bad and I think his diet is great.

This is just arbitrary though. The time of day makes no difference to the nutritional value.

I definitely won't be feeding him ready meals instead.

Yesterday he had porridge after nursery but we had slow cooker chilli once he was in bed. There are leftovers so he'll have that today after nursery with rice. Of course we do this as well, we just also often do porridge on nursery days because he's tired after nursery, it's easy, filling, nutritional, and he likes it.

Why does a friend of a friend even know what your kid is having to eat? Why do you care what they think?
When it comes to parenting, everyone is a critic!
The only thing I'll say is the thought of egg in porridge is making me heave!

I don't care. As I said in OP, I don't think it's a problem. I'm just discussing it on Mumsnet.

She knows because we got chatting as we all have similar aged children, as you do. I was saying what a godsend the nursery is with their hot meals as it means I don't have to stress so much in the evening. It was just chit chat.

I think it's a great idea. Porridge is our go too as well, it's so filling.

Nobody would blink an eye if you said you gave toast, eggs and fruit for tea but what you are giving is much healthier esp with the chia seeds - they are powerhouses of nutrition.

Never thought of it that way. I think it's absolutely fine too. Definitely going to try some recommendations on the thread too for more variety

My mum who is in her 70s has porridge most days at the moment as it is cheap and filling. She has cooked apple pie filling with cinnamon or peanut butter some days. On her 'savoury' days she adds grated cheese and to really make it to her taste a teaspoon of marmite or her chutney that she makes each year. She sometimes buys the flavoured instant pots if they are on offer and adds some of the fruit from her garden.

Between the two of you you could make a porridge cookbook!

I think its totally fine. He enjoys it and if he's asleep by 6 there really isnt much time to get everything sorted. Was the mum aware you add fruit, chia seeds and egg yolk in it?

DC1 loved porridge and it was a go to easy meal (especially if he was too tired to eat his dinner). DC2 never took to it which is annoying! At 12 DC1 will have a bowl of porridge as a snack sonetimes.

We regularly do this, at least once a week and my kids are a lot older. It's quick, hot, nutritious and can be pimped to their individual tastes.

It sounds vile but is surprisingly nice!

I used to stir shop bought custard into my porridge when I was a student. So delicious (and fattening). I'm wondering if just an egg yolk will give that same creaminess? Do you cook your porridge with water on the stovetop OP? Or do you use milk (like my husband)?

I cook with oat milk and top my son's up with whole milk to cool it down. The yolk goes in at the very end when the porridge is completely finished cooking but is just on a very low heat. Stir it in for like 10 seconds and it's fine. Just disappears.

I've never heard of stirring custard in but I definitely like a bit of double cream and sugar!

She was but is still of the opinion he should be having something like a main meal. There are many nights where I don't want a great big casserole or pasta dish or whatever and just have porridge too. I steered the conversation elsewhere.

I'm so up for that!

I cannot imagine savoury porridge through. Like the poster who can't fathom porridge any time other than breakfast

It's oats and milk. Very good for him. I wouldn't have an issue. I might be slightly concerned there were no vegetables but not enough to do anything about it.

Mine has a big bowl of cereal and warm milk after nursery, topped with fruit and sometimes followed by a yoghurt. I don't offer the same cereal after nursery as they'd had in the morning at breakfast though because it made me feel better that I was offering something different 😂

Now they're in the older bracket at nursery though it doesn't seem to be enough at the end of the day, even after a full day of 'ate all' there. So back to cooking daily 😫

I adore savoury porridge, you should give it a try. Just think of it as an oats-based risotto if that helps with the mental barrier. Occasionally make them in spring with loads of wild garlic.

And speaking of similar textures but a change of nutrients, have you ever tried with a buckwheat kasha?