TTMA Packing meals for LO

[beersandweirs]

We have had a few food threads in the past, but I thought it was time for another.

LO goes to the nanny's 5 days a week and eats breakfast and lunch there, which we send with her. I like to send it all on Monday so I am not having to remember to grab her food and mine every morning. I am running out of good things to send for 5 days in a row (she eats the same thing all week). I prefer things she can feed herself, because she doesn't seem to like to take much from a spoon anymore. Anyone care to help or offer suggestions?

Things I have brought
Breakfast (plus some sort of fruit):
-Egg & banana pancakes or muffins
-peanut butter toast
-greek yogurt
-Egg muffins

Lunch (plus a veggie):
-Veggie meatloaf
-Turkey burger
-Tortellini
-Chicken
-Tilapia

[Widget123]

Pizza and ravioli are current favorites of LO. Boring but still.

[beersandweirs]

What sort of cheese spread? I bet LO would love that, she loves anything crispy and crunchy.

[veggiemo]

Tofu (I toss mine in a little sesame oil and a dash of liquid aminos or soy sauce)
Beans (black, white, kidney, etc.)
Edamame
Lentils
Fresh Mozarella
Canned diced tomatoes
Mac & Cheese
Pesto Pasta

[beersandweirs]

I've never made tofu, I assume you have to cook it, right?

[veggiemo]

May 20, 2016 14:56:14 GMT -5 beersandweirs said:

I've never made tofu, I assume you have to cook it, right?

Nope, no need! Both my kids eat it right out of the package. Get extra firm and toss in any sauce you like.

edited: no sauce needed either, they eat it plain too.

[billyhorrible]

I don't send in with either kid right now, but I used to send lunches in with LBB before we moved.

Sandwiches (peanut butter and jelly, coldcuts, egg salad or tuna fish)
wraps (like a sandwich, but on lavash instead, or a cold version of a burrito with rice, beans, sour cream, and veggies)
quinoa cooked with your favorite veggies
fried rice
pizza slices
cheese and crackers
pasta or pasta salad
macaroni and cheese
salads with chicken or black beans
yogurt
grilled chicken slices
quesadillas
stir fry
Asian noodles (pad thai, soba, peanut noodles)
falafel, hummus, and pita
Chicken tenders
Sausage and peppers
stromboli
breakfast for lunch (bagel, eggs, or pancakes)








And here are some breakfast ideas that we use:
Toast:
Toast with butter, toast with avocado, french toast. For each of these I cut the toast into 4 sticks to make it easier for him to grasp.

Eggs:
These easiest/best thing I do with eggs is make them over the weekend. So I can just reheat and serve during the week. And the easiest way to do this is by making "egg cups." I mix together some egg, cheese, and vegetables, then pour the mixture into muffin cups and bake until set.

Pancakes:
On the weekend I make pancakes on request, and enough where I have leftover to use for breakfast during the week. Or, if I have a couple of extra minutes, I'll make a 2 ingredient pancake - mashed banana and egg. I also keep frozen waffles on hand, which are great for teething, and really quick breakfasts.

Fruit:
Sliced apples, pears, pineapple, strawberries, blueberries, grapes, mandarin oranges. Lately with the teething I've also been making use of frozen fruit - mango and pineapple are big hits here. Blueberries dipped in coconut yogurt and then frozen are also a fun and easy breakfast treat.

Cereal:
Oatmeal is super messy, so I like to keep that one for the weekends, but when I make it, I make it thick, so it's easy for him to eat with his hands. Cold cereal, without milk, is a really easy quick breakfast idea. Cheerios and Puffins cereal are the two we keep on hand.

[veggiemo]

Just because I think tofu is an underrated food, especially as one that is super healthy and easy for kids/babies, I'm going to elaborate a bit here. You buy tofu in a package (usually in the produce section near where the bagged lettuce is). There is firm tofu and also silken tofu. The silken is more used in smoothies and places you want it blended. Firm/extra firm tofu looks like this:


You can cut it into whatever size you want (sometimes it comes pre-cubed, just get what you like) and then you can add oil, salt and pepper, soy sauce, anything you want. Of course you can cook it as well. You can bake it, pan fry it, grill it, whatever. But it's good to go right out of the package.

It's a great food for kids because it's very mild, it doesn't have a lot of flavor on its own, plus it's super soft and easy for babies to swallow (especially my LO who chokes and gags on everything). It is such a good staple to have in your fridge and it so easy to send for lunches. Any extra you have store in a container with fresh water, changing the water daily or every other day to keep it fresh.

[veggiemo]

May 20, 2016 15:15:40 GMT -5 carrots said:

veggiemo thank you! I've always been too scared to try tofu but will give it a shot now that I've got some more info. Not to totally side track the thread, but what is your favorite way to prepare it for yourself?

Personally, I prefer it baked. I like mine a little on the drier side and baking it helps get rid of some of that natural moisture. For that process, it is recommended that you drain the tofu between paper towels. Cut the tofu into slabs and then place them between layers of dry paper towel, weighing it down with something heavy. Let it sit there for up to half an hour, changing the paper towels once.

Then you literally just bake it. Cut it into cubes and bake at 400 degrees until you get the texture to your liking (around 30 minutes or so). You can toss it in any kind of marinade you like, or just do olive oil and S&P. You can do terikyaki or BBQ sauce or lemon pepper, etc. If you do something like teriyaki or BBQ, I wouldn't add it until you are about halfway through the baking process. Otherwise those sauces can tend to burn (since they have sugar in them) if you cook them too long. So in that case, just spray your pan with baking spray, cook the tofu for 15-20, take it out and and toss it in your sauce, then return to the pan to finish off another 10-15 minutes.

I usually serve it over rice or noodles.

[dmoney]

Thank you for posting this!! We always send DD with Yogurt for breakfast and a puree for lunch. But i know we are going to have to start sending other things. Need to figure out what to send her!

[Deleted]

Little cucumber slices
Soft crackers
Cut up pieces of cheddar or Jack cheese
Thinly sliced apples
Orange slices
Grapes cut in 1/2
watermelon slices

During the day she eats pretty basic food so I keep it simple
For dinner she has more complicated food because she eats what we are eating.