I know how to cook. But I don’t really enjoy cooking. My spouse does not cook at all, so we have takeout 80% of the time. Now we have an eight-month-old infant who has to be fed real meals. How are they feeding their kids?Do you have any tips? Any quick and easy ideas?
They don’t require gourmet—keep it basic.
Baked sweet potatoes at 400 degrees for about an hour - done.
Steamed carrots and broccoli
Healthy fats: avocado, eggs with butter, peanut butter, etc.
At that age, basic dishes are the norm.
Or feed whatever you’re eating, but don’t take out–it’s too salty.
Download Solid Starts.
Think ingredients, not meals. Babies are cool with just one food instead of something all put together. I bought a cheap food mill and mashed up fruits and veggies all the time. My little one loved it. Potatoes, bananas, berries, peas, carrots, green beans—you name it. Grind it up. Scrambled eggs if they can tolerate them. A handful of those Gerber puffs or crackers.
Feeling fancy?
- A piece of toast or a tortilla sliced into spears with avocado mashed on it
- Pasta with a bit of marinara sauce
- A hamburger patty cut up and a piece of bread
- Baby cereal/oatmeal with applesauce mixed in
- Rice with ground turkey/beef
You may try cooking the baby’s food and, if it goes well, sneak some for yourself.
Our go-to dish is pasta with pesto sauce (we buy readymade jars that contain pine nuts). Double win for delicious pasta and allergy exposure!, a fruit (preferably pureed or served in a silicone feeder to reduce choking hazards), and cooked broccoli. To add variety, we occasionally blend the fruit with Greek yogurt.
Add a quick-baked chicken breast or something, and it’s a great grownup lunch!
Seconding the solid starts, Recco.
I enjoy cooking but am bad at picking what to cook. Solid Starts includes fantastic recommendations starting from simple things only for baby all the way up to meals for the whole family to share.
Add a quick-baked chicken breast or something, and it’s a great grownup lunch!
I don’t have any advice; I just came here to express my heartfelt feelings. Godspeed, fellow foodie.
I hate meal planning and find cooking exhausting. Things you can make or buy in bulk or microwave are lifesavers. Once kids are over a year and getting more of their nutrition from food, aim for a carb, a protein, and some kind of plant (fruit/veg) at every meal.
Pasta, potatoes, frozen veggies, cottage cheese, berries, bagels, and oatmeal, are all great options. Find a couple of recipes you can stand to make and cook enough to have leftovers.
Kids don’t need special kid food, feed them what you eat (unless your diet is really unhealthy!). They also don’t need a huge variety of meals. They’re usually happy to eat the same thing day in and day out.
Cook in batches, double the recipe, and freeze individual pieces. Do it once or twice a week, and gradually increase the variety.
Get a little muffin pan and create muffins with oats, bananas, eggs, and other ingredients. Make another batch of egg bites using eggs, vegetables, and cheese. Freeze both. Microwave breakfast in the morning. There are 24 breakfast options.
I just made a chicken pot pie soup and stored portions of the potatoes, chicken, peas, and carrots for later. Casseroles also work nicely for this; I have a tamale pie in the freezer that contains cornbread top, ground beef, black beans, diced tomato, and corn.
When my husband travels for work, I occasionally order Little Spoon biteables to keep on hand in the freezer.
I would love the full tamale pie recipe!
In an oven-safe skillet, brown 1lb of beef, small diced onion, diced green bell pepper, and season (or use taco seasoning packet). Add 1 can fire-roasted diced tomato, corn, black beans, and jalapeño if desired. Make cornbread batter (or use a box mix), spread it on top, and bake according to the directions. Top with avocado, cheese, sour cream, or anything you choose!
Easy essentials that I mixed and matched for dinners.
-Boiled tiny carrots with some butter.
-Boiled apple slices with some butter and cinnamon.
-Avocado
-Mango
More complex batches to freeze:
- ABC Mini Muffins
-egg frittatas in small muffin pans
-spinach pancakes
I get you. Here are some favorites for me and my baby:
Oat Balls: Make really thick instant oatmeal, beef it up with some nut butter, let it cool, and roll into balls. Refrigerate and freeze leftovers. My baby’s favorite mix-ins are coconut and hemp hearts. Bonus: self-feeding with very little mess.
Kiribath: Found this recipe on Solid Starts. Cook rice in coconut milk, then spread it out in a sheet pan and cut it into bars. Also refrigerates and freezes well, allowing for self-feeding.
Any soft fruit or veg: Raw berries, bananas, kiwi, tomato, avocado, and steamed frozen veggies with butter or olive oil for fat.
Canned beans: Rinse and smash for protein.
Eggs: Scrambled plain or with cheese, green onion, or other minced veggies.
Pouches and Cheerios: For when you just don’t know what else to do.