How can I save dd from my rubbish, lazy cooking?

[MillionPramMiles]

Dd is 14 months old and is at nursery 4 days a week and eats very healthy, freshly cooked food there (two proper meals a day plus snacks) so she isn?t starving (she?s huge) but I feel I?m not living up to the nursery food.
On non-nursery days the problems I find are we?ve often been out all morning so get home just as dd is hungry and impatient so am rushing round to feed her and don?t have time to cook something proper (if I give her toast or something to tide her over she fills up on that and is bored of the high chair by the time I?ve cooked lunch). I usually just have a quick sandwich myself but is that good enough for a baby?

I do cook batches of some basic stuff (veggie or pulses curries, ratatouille) and freeze it but then I feel like she?s getting bored of the same thing so I end up mixing in Ellas pouches or ready made fresh soups just for variation, which feels like such a cop out and worry about salt content etc.
At tea time dd eats much earlier than us so a lot of the time dp and I haven?t got round to cooking our own food yet. Also sometimes we have take aways or food that just isn?t suitable for dd (eg v crunchy or salads etc).
Also, dp and I don?t eat meat but don?t want to bring dd up a veggie (but we don?t cook meat).
I work 4 days a week and dp and I just don?t want to spend our weekends doing lots of cooking. By the time we?ve done the chores we want to spend what time we have left with dd and friends.

How do other people manage and can you please give me a kick up the ar*e?

Things like sandwiches, eggy bread and omelette are fine for lunch and probably won't take much longer than just toast. How about things like scrambled egg, beans or cheese on toast too. If you and DP eat later, could you save some leftovers for her the next day?

As for dinner, we just got into the habit of eating earlier. I eat with the DC at 5 and DH eats when he gets home. Bh is hours are pretty irregular though. Perhaps you could have takeaway on a Sat and eat with her the rest of the week. She'd be happy with something like a pitta pizza for her meal.
You have my sympathy though. DH and I always used to eat later and have lots of meals out. It does take time getting used to cooking for a family doesn't it

We usually have dinner a bit later than the DC so what I sometimes do is put a little bit aside for them to have the next day. Even if its just some potatoes and veg that I can reheat then I just need to do something to go with them rather than cook a full meal from scratch.

There's nothing wrong with things like shop bought soup, tins of beans etc every now and then- for the small quantities that she'll be eating the salt content should usually be ok. Also ready made baby food is great if you're in a hurry.

How can you bring up your dd not a veggie without cooking meat

I cook in the morning before going out then reheat when home.

Also have batches of tomato sauce and (separate) uncooked meatballs in the freezer. Also sausages and small portions of salmon fillets - all things which can be defrosted in the micro wave then cooked. I can use the tomato sauce as a base for pasta dishes or even rice. Plus frozen veg - again which can be cooked in the microwave.
Do you have playdates, that's another way to have decent meals - have people over and cook while they're there.
But don't sweat it if you don't always have cooked-from-scratch food!

OP I share your pain. Food for him on non nursery days here are very hit and miss. I'm always running late (my own lunches have never been great) and I feel like I'm always making him the same old things. Oh god and I keep forgetting to give him fruit. I should probably be batch cooking now, but sod it, I'm knackered and going to bed

Thanks all for posting.

4 days a week dd has her tea at nursery so just has yoghurt/banana around 6pm (which is the time she gets home). She's shattered by then so just wants bath and bed. Its the other days I worry about.

I think part of the problem is our own evening meals are a bit hit and miss because we're going to bed so much earlier (dd's sleep is sporadic and she's up by 5.30am). Also dp is often working in the evenings. Quite often, by the time I've done the chores I just end up eating a piece of toast and collapsing into bed. I used to eat healthily and properly pre-dd, honest!
The mornings are either a rush to get out the door (on nursery days, I get into work early) or its the weekend and we're either doing other chores or playing with dd.

Am keen to get dd to eat eggs as agree they're quick and versatile, I've tried a few times (without success) but will persevere.

Creature: I meant that we're happy for dd to eat meat etc at nursery or when we're out, even though we don't eat meat.

Swivel: I'm sooo on the same page....

Have decided to make at least one (pref two) new dishes a week for dd. This week will be cheese and pea omelette and dp is going to attempt fish pie. It'll probably end up splattered on the walls but hey ho.

Sounds like you've got a good plan. Also sounds like dd is eating fine fr most of the week at nursery too. Its you I'm more worried about. If you are tired and living off toast and takeaways you probably won't have much energy.

I've tried to find a selection of quick meals that I can cook if I'm in a hurry. Know you don't want to spend too much time cooking at the weekends but it might help to double up in your oven. I did this the other dy while I was off work. I did a casserole on tues and put a sweet and sour in at the same time. We put the sweet and sour in the oven and ate it with microwave rice tonight when I knew we would be busy. It does take a bit of planning though and I find that doing a mealplan really helps