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!

@GrumpyPanda

We eat a lot of risotto but I suppose porridge has the benefit of cooking in a fraction of the time.

Never heard of buckwheat kasha. Away to google...

How would porridge constipate someone, its full of fibre?

An egg a day shouldnt result in constipation

Surely the entire nation of Scotland was built on eating lots of oats? They were able to beat the crap out of the Romans on them.

I would just reframe this for the haters. He has a cooked lunch and lighter evening meal at nursery. If your nursery is like the one mine went to, they offer things like bread, cheese, soup and veggies. He then has porridge as a snack before bed. Anyone judging the egg yolk has clearly never enjoyed a proper carbonara. All seems good to me.

Yes people are getting very upset about an egg yolk, what is that about?

Porridge is great for little ones, especially in the evening (something to do with slow release energy from the protein helping them sleep)

As long as he's eating enough fruit and veg, ignore her.

No. When we are home we swap meals around, so have the main heavy cooked meal at lunch and lighter lunch meal at dinner.
If a child has eaten well at nursery and tired, they aren't going to eat it anyway..so at least he is going to bed with a full tummy and easy stomach food.

I have to admit that I made our porridge with a egg added at the end this morning in a successful attempt to get my fussy eater to eat some egg!

Thank you for the suggestion

There is no need to be sarcastic. You asked someone to explain why his diet is “not great” so I explained and tried to be nice about it. It’s possible to have too much of a good thing. Around 30% of your diet should come from a variety of grains/starchy foods. From your description, it sounds like much more than 30% of your DS’s diet overall is coming from just 1 grain (oats and oat milk), and a lot more than that on some days when he has porridge twice. Ditto on the days when he has risotto or cereal and porridge, although at least that is a different grain.

@Mipil

Sarcastic? I'm being quite straightforward. I don't feel bad about his diet at all. I think it's great.

Hooray! I find just the yolk is enough for the size of bowl I make him, especially as that's where all the goodness is. It's a lot less faff than dippy soldiers as well where I have to get them just the right amount of runny, and then he dunks a few bits of toast and says he's done.

We used to always have a bowl of cereal when we got in from school - having it with extra fruit seems a good idea , what's the idea behind adding an egg as well?

DD used to be like your son only with rice. She'd have had rice for every single meal all week and still not had enough of it! They're all carbs of one sort or another and can be added to to make more nutritious and give variety. The important thing imo is that the children are eating and the healthier you can make it the better (and you do) so it's fine.

I like the sound of the carrot porridge - never come across that. I'll be giving that a go next time I make porridge (not often, my big carb thing is pasta, dh's is spuds and dd's, as I said, is rice).

OP. Good for you. Your fancy porridge sounds better than the ubiquitous pasta and butter and grated cheese (or pesto and cheese) that I used to serve after nursery.
Interesting the comments about needing variety. We definitely don’t eat 30 different things a week as a family and tbh I can’t remember meals eaten going back to yesterday let alone a week past. Is this maybe something that only easily follows from meal planning?

Millions of people across the world eat way more than 30% of their diet in the form of starchy grains, often being only one or limited amount of different grains (rice or wheat for example) and do very well, it really isnt a problem what OP is feeding her child.

He's just not very fussed for eggs but my husband and I eat a lot of them. I think they're so good for you so it was a way of getting the yolk into him. I feel like no matter how much of a fussy phase he's ever in, I can always get a bowl of porridge in him so the yolk and chia seeds are a good way to sneak in some added benefits. He's a good eater these days but sometimes his appetite is up and down with illness or whatever. Porridge is such a good staple in his diet.

PP mentioned carbonara which I hadn't considered. Not something I ever make as I don't really like ham but might try a creamy pasta sauce with egg yolk through it as well.

I wouldn't have a problem with the pesto pasta either!

I don't believe that people on Mumsnet have children that are actually eating that kind of variety. My child is not what I'd class as fussy in general. We have our ups and downs of course but he's pretty good I reckon. I don't even eat the variety some people are suggesting. How will I get that into a 3 year old?

His nursery menu is things like bolognese, curries, casseroles, lasagna, sausage and mash, steak pie, soups and so on, all with a healthy pudding and plenty of veg on the side. Fruit and veg snacks twice a day too. Add to that I'm making home cooked meals at least 4 nights a week of similar dinners with lots of veg in them... seems like a lot of variety to me.