Recommend convenience foods for 10 month old

amr1218 · July 2012

Still trying to find the balance between healthy foods with convenience and cost.

DD will be returning to my Mom's next month for child care. She is not super health food conscious (and believes in spoiling grand-kids with treats). I plan to either pack lunch and snack(s) each day - or send food for the week. I don't want to fall into the 'spaghettios and chicken tenders' rut - but I also don't expect that my mom will be a short order cook either.

What prepackaged or convenience foods do you give LO?

TIA

Chunstad · July 2012

What about making things ahead and freezing them? For instance, I made these chicken meatballs that I froze. When it's lunchtime, I just grab one or two out. Also, you could make a big batch of pasta w/ sauce and freeze them in cupcake pans. You could just make a bit extra from every dinner and freeze it individually to cut cost.

dragon_chica · July 2012

Cubed tofu and shredded cheese are always easy to prepare. You can buy the tofu pre-cubed or cut them all at once for it to last the whole week. I can quickly shred some cheese into a container to send off to my parent's. Trader Joe's has a really good whole-grain round crackers. It's pretty taste and not too thick so DS can easily munch on them with his cheese.

awesnap · July 2012

I love giving DD avocado (you can freeze them!) because it's just cut it open and I feed her right out of the skin. I do sprinkle a tiny, itty bit of salt on it, but usually only on the part I end up eating.

Yogurt is also easy. I will buy the flavored ones for treats or get plain and add your favorite fruit. Or sometimes I use left over baby food for flavor (prunes mostly) Oatmeal is also easy- cover it with water and throw it in the microwave.

Santinosmom82 · July 2012

I'm glad you asked this question, i was wondering about the same thing. I'm the mom who still gives my LO tiny bits of food. I'm making those chicken meatballs tonight!!!

melissa0726 · July 2012

Trader Joe's meatballs and whole grain waffles.

String cheese if your LO eats cheese/dairy

I make and freeze banana pancakes, then pull out individual servings, microwave for a minute, and spread applesauce on them.

If your LO eats eggs, these are easy to make and freeze and you can pull them out individually:

https://www.kalynskitchen.com/2006/10/egg-muffins-revisited-again.html

2-Step · July 2012

My favorite easy ones are: diced avocado, toast slices with cream cheese, applesauce or babyfood on top, tofu, gardenburger broken up into pieces, mini frozen pancakes, black beans from a can with shredded cheese, frozen blueberries, scrambled eggs (can be made in a small ceramic dish in the microwave if she doesn't want to cook).

I agree with ppers that you could make a big pot of noodles with tomato sauce and some diced,steamed zucchini and just portion it out and freeze too. I also will steam a small bag of frozen peas and keep them in the fridge and give a handful everyday with lunch.

Chunstad · July 2012

MRoss1982:

I make a big batch of pancakes on the weekend and freeze them. She eats them through out the week. We also buy those already cooked rotiessiere chickens and she eats that few a few days.

Here is a link to homemade chicken and broccoli nuggets that you could freeze as well.

Thanks for linking that recipe, I'm going to try it-it looks great!

amr1218 · July 2012

That is why I love this board. The cook ahead & freeze idea is probably the most cost effective solution. Chicken meatballs are a perfect idea. I've never tried tofu - but keep reading about how good it is. DD hasn't been picky so far. The only things she has refused is Chef Boyardi. Better to try new things now!

JenWhite123 · July 2012

Cheese quesadillas-- take. Whole grain quesadilla, add cheese and cook until lighly toasted, cut into small pieces.

I get rotisserie chickens and shred the meat.

Pasta dishes -- lasagna, spaghetti, etc. cut into small pieces.

I have been taking portions of leftovers and freezing in individual size portions for DD. that way, when I don't have time to cook her a meal, I can just pop one of those in the microwave.

preggersin2011 · July 2012

LO has cheerios and rice cakes as snacks at school. I'll send her with yogurt/veg/fruit/cereal mix for breakfast and finger food for lunch. It varies but it is often pasta like ziti, veggie sticks, turkey meatballs, fruit, scrambled eggs, toast with cream cheese, left overs from dinner. LO loves whole green beans!

Annabelle81 · July 2012

I usually cook on Sunday for the week and make a lot of things that I can give my 11 month old and three year old for daycare. I pack portions in small gladware containers or ziploc bags. I do some kind of meat, ground turkey or beef, poached chicken (its just boiled) diced into small cubes and steamed, frozen or canned veggies. Sometimes I mix the meat and veggies with pasta or wrap in a tortilla with cheese. Breakfast is usually yogurt, fruit and cheerios. Snacks are cheese sticks, goldfish crackers, fresh fruit, fruit cups, cereal bars or applesauce.

blu-eyedwife · July 2012

Our go-to lunches for daycare are:

sandwiches (he LOVES them. Everytime I send one in the daycare writes a note in his daily update about how he loves sandwiches. Most of the time I spread the bread with mashed avocado, and put a slice of cheese between.)
ravioli
pasta
If I'm making chicken breast for dinner, I'll throw a couple extra on the stove/in the oven. Then I have ready made chicken I can just cut up and put in his lunch.
And I usually tuck in some cut up fruit/vegetables in addition to round it out.

For snacks, he has Trader Joe's freeze dried fruit in his cubby. Right now he has strawberries and bananas.

jupiterthecat · July 2012

amr1218:
That is why I love this board. The cook ahead & freeze idea is probably the most cost effective solution. Chicken meatballs are a perfect idea. I've never tried tofu - but keep reading about how good it is. DD hasn't been picky so far. The only things she has refused is Chef Boyardi. Better to try new things now!

If you have a Trader Joe's near you, try their Organic Baked Tofu. If you're not used to tofu, you might find regular tofu a little annoying to prepare (although FYI it is great for stirring raw into purees to add some protein-- it does not actually need to be cooked). But the TJ's baked tofu is pre-cooked, so you can just cut it up into some baby-friendly cubes. One of my go-to easy meals for sending into day care is microwaved frozen peas with tofu cubes-- easy!! And if I'm feeling fancy, I'll chop up whatever other veggies I have around (carrots, green bean, summer squash), microwave, and add to the mix.

I'll also do a more fruit centric meal with either yogurt or cottage cheese with some kind of fruit (EASY TIP-- frozen organic wild blueberries from Trader Joe's-- you have to get the "wild" ones because they're smaller and don't need to be cut in half-- just mix in frozen with yogurt or cottage cheese in the AM and they'll be thawed by snack time) and some cut-up fruit of whatever I have around for finger food. This + cheerios makes a nice healthy meal.

tiff012982 · July 2012

Chunstad:
MRoss1982:

I make a big batch of pancakes on the weekend and freeze them. She eats them through out the week. We also buy those already cooked rotiessiere chickens and she eats that few a few days.

Here is a link to homemade chicken and broccoli nuggets that you could freeze as well.

Thanks for linking that recipe, I'm going to try it-it looks great!

me too...thanks

Fianschneid · July 2012

Aaaaand I'm bookmarking this page to try all of these suggestions. DD's diet has been getting pretty boring lately.

Thanks for the tips.

amr1218 · July 2012

Fianschneid:
Aaaaand I'm bookmarking this page to try all of these suggestions. DD's diet has been getting pretty boring lately.

Thanks for the tips.

I would be nice if the bump had a wiki-space for these sorts of topics. It may be better for future reference, rather than trying to find a thread that has moved past the first page.

landosmommy · July 2012

amr1218:
Fianschneid:
Aaaaand I'm bookmarking this page to try all of these suggestions. DD's diet has been getting pretty boring lately.

Thanks for the tips.
I would be nice if the bump had a wiki-space for these sorts of topics. It may be better for future reference, rather than trying to find a thread that has moved past the first page.

Click on the link at the very top of the thread that says "Watch this thread" & you can go to your profile & look at all of the threads that you are "watching".

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Recommend convenience foods for 10 month old

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