Shocking confession (about food)

Parentberries
1

Confession: I do not cook.

Many people say that hyperbolically, but I am not exaggerating. Besides the occasional frozen pizza or bowl of cereal, I buy my meals from someone else three times a day, seven days a week, each and every day of the year. [name]Even[/name] [name]Christmas[/name] and Thanskgiving. We live in a full-service condo building surrounded by restaurants who deliver room-service style into our unit via the building concierge, and I use it daily. I have lived here for nine months now and have not yet turned on the oven.

Obviously, this lifestyle has hit a snag in the form of a small toddler boy, who isn’t yet keen on hand-delivered Peruvian ceviche. So I have resigned myself to the fact that I need to start cooking for him.

To that end I’d like some recommendations for a cookbook for babies/toddlers that involves a bare minimum of skill and prep time. [name]Remember[/name] this is for someone who literally has never cooked and really despises the whole enterprise, but is willing to suck it up (temporarily). As someone who had a wedding, though, and was given gifts whose names I would never know were they not printed on the boxes, I do have all the tools.

I think.

2

I don’t either and i don’t want to… but i find it hard to find healthy food that tastes good too. I’m also a bit bulimic.

3

Well, I’m an adult, but I do enjoy simple meals that seem like they’re baby-friendly. A favorite of mine is a big bowl of various steamed or roasted veggies with chunks of meat.

Cooking is much easier than it looks. If you stick to simple, you’ll get the hang of it quickly.

I usually do carrots, potatoes, broccoli and/or and peas, but anything will go really. Peas cook really fast–about 10 minutes from dumping a bag of frozen peas into boiling water to them being cooked to my liking. To steam, cut larger veggies into chunks about the size of your thumb joint. In the beginning, it’s easier to steam each type of veggie separately until you know how long they take.

Fill a pot with 1-2" of water. Place steamer basket in pot. Put on stove, and wait for the water to boil. Dump in veggies. Cover with lid and stab veggies with a toothpick until soft. Certain veggies can be less cooked, like carrots. I usually eat mine with a touch of salt and butter, but a toddler doesn’t need that.

An easy meat to cook is boneless, skinless chicken breast. Fill a large pot with water. You want to completely submerse the chicken. [name]Add[/name] a small handful of kosher salt, and any flavorings you desire. I’m partial to fresh dill and celery. Bring pot to boiling, and gently submerse the chicken. Simmer for 15 minutes. Turn off heat, cover, and let sit for 30 minutes. Remove with tongs, and cool until it is handleable. Chop into large chunks and store.

Give him veggies and chicken. I know it sounds a little complicated, but there’s actually very little work involved, and you can make multiple servings at a time.

Pasta of any sort is really easy. [name]Just[/name] boil the pasta until tender and drain. You can add tomato (fresh or canned) and cheese if you want.

Hard boiled eggs–place in a single layer in a pan. Cover with 2" of water. Bring to a boil, and let boil for 1 minute. Cover and remove from heat. Let sit 15 minutes. Removes eggs and put in a bowl of ice water. Doing so makes them easier to peel.

Other, easy ideas/snacks:
Plain or lightly sweetened yogurt
Whole canned beans. [name]Just[/name] heat.
Whole wheat cereal
Bite-sized fruit pieces
String cheese

4

Personally, if I had the means to eat out or have a meal delivery service all the time, I totally would. I just enjoy food someone else prepared more. But that is not happening any time soon, so I have to cook. When I met my husband, I didn’t know how to cook at all. I barely knew how to make a grilled cheese sandwich. Now, I can make just about anything I try (I’m still bad at meat temperatures, I always overcook fish and chicken)

In our house, we don’t have family dinners or eat at the table at every meal. I sit at the table with [name]Rowan[/name] 3 times a day plus snacks, and my husband and I barely eat all day. We snag a bowl of cereal at her nap time, a handful of grapes when she’s eating lunch, etc. We eat dinner and relax after she goes to bed (around 7:30-8) Anyway, my advice to you is to go grocery shopping and get food items that don’t take much to prepare. Have tons of fresh fruit lying around, it’s easy for you and [name]Antoine[/name] to eat. Crackers and cheese, hummus, jarred salsa, bagels and cream cheese, frozen waffles, cottage cheese, yogurt, hot cereal, frozen meals. Prepackaged items are usually worse for you, but if you shop somewhere like Trader [name]Joe[/name]'s or Whole Foods, the prepackaged and frozen items are still really good. For [name]Antoine[/name], you don’t have to make an adult meal for him. You don’t have to even cook anything (maybe microwave) if you don’t want to. I’ll give you a sample menu for [name]Rowan[/name] on a typical day…

Breakfast: Milk, plain yogurt, strawberries, Cheerios, a [name]Plum[/name] Organic or similar brand baby food pouch (she still loves these and they are just pureed fruits and veggies)

Lunch: Kidney beans with a little chili powder, cheese cut into small cubes, a few grapes or mandarin oranges, water.

Dinner: [name]Annie[/name]'s organic [name]Mac[/name] and Cheese (sold in boxes of 5 individual servings,) or brown rice with a little butter, blueberries, peas.

Snacks: cereal bar, a few Ritz crackers, Goldfish, Gerber Graduates [name]Lil[/name]’ Crunchies or Yogurt Bites, dry Cheerios or Kix, more fruit.

I very rarely cook anything especially for [name]Rowan[/name], we have the “[name]Rowan[/name] cabinet” in our kitchen with all her food and snacks. I’ll give you a run down of what’s typically in her cabinet (any food that’s mostly just for her) for ideas: individual servings of mac and cheese, precooked brown rice, mandarin orange cups, diced peaches/pears/apples in juice cups, individual boxes of raisins, Goldfish crackers, a bunch of those [name]Plum[/name] organics pouches, rice crackers, cereal bars, string cheese, full fat plain yogurt, cottage cheese, [name]Amy[/name]'s soups (just heat and serve!) organic frozen waffles, avocadoes, frozen peas, canned beans, canned diced carrots, canned refried beans, and her beloved blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, grapes.

A few more meal/snack ideas: [name]Amy[/name]'s tomato soup with Goldfish crackers, frozen sweet potato fries, tuna or chicken salad (you can usually buy it by the pound at the deli section of a grocery store same with cold pasta salads) freeze dried fruits, hard boiled eggs.

Maybe one of the restaurants/delivery services could deliver more “kid friendly” options? If you had the majority of your meals delivered, but you had plenty of appropriate snacks and quick meals in your kitchen, you’d be set.

5

I find this all very shocking!!! I can’t imagine being this spoiled… Wow… I am a cook and it’s my full time job I cook for 35 people all day long kids are super easy to cook for. My mom has done daycare for 23 years… [name]Mac[/name] and cheese… Scrambled eggs… Chicken nuggets and then maderin oranges banana apples… Canned green beans… Peas you don’t even have to cook them kids love them just thawed… As someone from the real world that doesn’t live in a palace this is totally shocking and unacceptable… Seriously… You don’t need a cookbook to cook… I learned on my own when I was 8…If you have to use one get one that shows you the absolute basics FIRST IN PICTURES… yo can’t even make scrambled eggs!!! I think with very little instructions my 7 year old could do that… Holy crap…

6

Oh no! [name]Antoine[/name] won’t eat tapas? What’s a city girl to do?
[name]Don[/name]'t worry, the domestic arts are fun! Next you’ll be quilting and putting up pickles…

[name]Mark[/name] Bittman has a cookbook called [name]How[/name] to Cook Everything. Pretty useful and foolproof. I think he also has an app.

There’s always The [name]Joy[/name] of Cooking.

[name]Alice[/name] Waters has a great philosophy of cooking for/with children… Her food is simple and focused on fresh ingredients. Any of her cookbooks are good. The [name]Art[/name] of Simple Food. She has a new one that’s just techniques, called In the [name]Green[/name] Kitchen.

Sometimes I try to eat kind of a modified “paleo” diet. Paleomom.com has some very odd recipes, but one brilliant recipe for plantain pancakes that are really easy and don’t give you the usual pancake stomachache.

But you’re probably looking more for toddler-mush type recipes. With that, I can’t help. Good luck!

7

[name]May[/name] I ask, B, what is it that you hate so much about cooking? I mean, you obviously have some dexterity and ability to understand complex recipes/protocols etc because you’re a SURGEON. You have said that you have a finely-tuned nose. That is half the battle, really. Being able to smell and taste for balanced flavors is the most important thing… and timing. You can do it.
Also, Bluesparrow, don’t be a jerk. [name]Blade[/name] was asking for help, and being deliberately self-deprecating, so don’t just pounce on it and make her feel badly. [name]How[/name] rude.

8

a crockpot can be your best friend. several crockpot recipes take no cooking. [name]Just[/name] toss everything in the pot and leave it alone for six hours. this is a good site to find crockpot recipes. (I find most recipes you can adapt to your own liking)

oh and Bluesparrow, you are just plain rude. Not everyone in this world is the same, so get over yourself.

9

[name]Blade[/name], things will get easier as he gets older. [name]Rowan[/name] is almost 18 months and she can now officially eat just about anything we do. If I’m eating strawberries, I just cut them in half and hand them to her. If you peel an orange and make sure there are no seeds, you can just hand her segments. If you have to rely on precooked, prepackaged, canned foods or the packages of “toddler stuff” in the baby aisle. They make organic, microwavable meals for toddlers and pre-diced fruits and veggies. As he gets older, he will be able to eat what you eat. And he will develop a taste for the type of food you eat. [name]Do[/name] you think kids that live on chicken nuggets and french fries were born that way? No, that’s what their parents eat. My mom always made me try vegetables and new things, so I developed a love for healthy and good food. I love cake, don’t get me wrong, but I also love almost every veggie and fruit imaginable (except zucchini and okra, blech)

10

Oh and a crockpot! I can’t believe I forgot to mention that. Crockpot/slow cooker recipes are so easy and they always taste amazing. [name]Just[/name] throw some meat, potatoes, carrots, some herbs in a wait for 4 hours. So easy. They even make seasoning packets for crockpot recipes so it takes all the guesswork out.

11

I too can’t imagine not cooking. For us, a meal out is a luxury and a rare treat and I can’t imagine being in a position to be able to do it three times a day, seven days a week! Between the cost of the food, delivery and a tip…Wow, I can’t even begin to imagine how much you must be spending on food. Does not knowing the nutritional content of your meals not bother you?

I think food is a very important part of family life. I love providing my daughter with nourishing, home made meals made with love and I get great satisfaction in seeing her eat my meals.

Some of my fondest childhood memories involved baking with mom, or waking up on a [name]Sunday[/name] morning to the smell of a chicken roasting in the oven for dinner.

Anyway, I definitely think you should cook for [name]Antoine[/name].

If you plan on cooking solely for [name]Antoine[/name] and continuing eating out for yourself and your DH, it should be pretty easy.

Breakfast is simple. Porridge/Oatmeal is easy to prepare and highly nutritious. A muesli cereal is another option, or maybe some wholegrain bread with a low fat spread. Some fruit or maybe a slice of ham/cheese to accompany and your done.

Lunch could be scrambled egg on wholegrain toast, baked beans in tomato sauce, or a homemade vegetable soup, if you were feeling brave. Again, these are all pretty much convenience foods that require little/no skill to prepare.

Pasta is a good option for dinner. [name]Amelie[/name] used to love it accompanied with a homemade tomato sauce, packed with an assortment of veggies and some shredded chicken. Pasta is so quick and easy to prepare and if making a sauce isn’t your thing, there are plenty of ready made jars on the market that would be great.

Snacks would be cheese slices/cubes, cucumber, peppers, yoghurt, or maybe a slice of bread.

Good luck with the cooking!

12

Wow, I can’t believe you don’t cook at all! Seriously, I can’t believe you order in for breakfast, lunch and dinner! I mean, I know you’re obviously a very busy person, but still, that’s pretty amazing! Well, anyway, others have given you some great suggestions. I’ll reiterate the joys of a crockpot (slow cooker). [name]Chuck[/name] in some meat and veggies and it’s done. There’s plenty of websites you should be able to find some meal ideas on. I use www.taste.com.au a lot and also a few vegetarian sites like www.veggienumnum.com (but you’re probably not into vego). Good luck with your future cooking adventures!

13

Haha, [name]Blade[/name], you don’t cook! I am not very shocked… but with a kid I see the need. I’m an excellent cook so I appreciate the difference between your logical surgeon brain and the completely sense and intuition driven art of cooking. I have about a hundred cook books, so I’m happy to give you some titles… what kind of cuisines do you enjoy? I think [name]Jamie[/name] [name]Oliver[/name]'s books are wonderful, and he has one with 30 minutes meals, and one with 15 minute ones, as well as other great ones (my favourite is his Dinner cookbook). I also enjoy [name]Nigella[/name] [name]Lawson[/name] (she has a book called Express and one called Kitchen, both great), [name]Nigel[/name] [name]Slater[/name] (he’s got express books as well, he’s very intelligent and writes really well. The food is delicious and the pictures are heaven). And [name]River[/name] Cottage (great organic farm/restaurant in [name]England[/name]), hey, they’ve got a kiddy book (Link)! It has to be great, and his food is always very simple. I love Tessa Kiros, she has a book called Apples for Jam that focuses on kid friendly recipes. And I think Sophie Dahl’s two cook bookss are brilliant and simple (seasonal British). Annabel Carmel has a great baby & toddler book, but that one’s mainly focused on weaning.

Good luck, and if you want more titles (or simply recipes) I’m happy to help!

14

I hear ya sista, I hate cooking. When I’m hungry I don’t want to have to wait all the time it takes to cook something, plus it’s not fun. If I’m hungry I want to be able to eat something healthy without having to wait to cook it plus all the time and energy put into it. It’s such a long process to find a recipe, get the ingredients, then meticulously follow instructions to put it all together. I have better things to do. Hence, warming stuff up is the closest to “cooking” I get most days. Unless DH has a recipe he wants to try and I will cook it, I’m actually a pretty good cook, I just don’t enjoy it at all. I’m jealous, sounds like you probably get some delicious food delivered with those restaurants all around you. If i could, I probably would too. DH cooks for us most of the time if we need to, but I usually just make salads since no cooking is involved, or I throw a potato (regular or sweet potato) in the oven for an hour at 350 which is so easy. I’ll wait an hour if it means I don’t have to do anything else but throw a potato in the oven, lol!
I also love getting cottage cheese and covering it with cinnamon, its also amazing if you add some red grapes! Peaches and pears are really good with cottage cheese too.
Oatmeal is really good for you and pretty easy, just bring a cup of water to a boil then throw in half a cup of oatmeal an let simmer for a couple mins while you stir so it doesn’t stick. Then throw in some honey and cinnamon with raisins and either almond shavings or walnut pieces if you like and that’s pretty tasty. No recipe needed.
Carrot Sticks, grape tomatoes, or broccoli with Paul Newman Ranch is good.
I get frozen veggies, throw some in a bowl and microwave them for a minute or two, while stopping and stirring once or twice to evenly cook it. Real simple and still healthy. I don’t actually have a set time I put the microwave on, I just put in a number under a min and keep testing it til its ready. Very easy.
Something else I love that is healthy and doesn’t require cooking is guacamole! Cut the avocado in half vertically while rotating around the pit, it’ll pop open if you pull apart (make sure the avocado is not hard, might have to let it sit out for a day or two before using). Then use a spoon to scrape the avocado apart from the rind and smash it with a fork over and over in a bowl. Then cut up(dice) a tomato into small pieces and put in the guac and add salt to the amount you like it and voila! You probably wouldn’t want to give Antoine the tortilla chips to eat it with, but it’s just as tasty without them.
Try to buy as much organic as possible. I also avoid canned food as much as possible since there is BPA in the lining of the can. Hope some of these ideas helped.

15

Wow… I wasn’t I find it hard that a person who is an adult has not ever had to cook for anyone… And yet has time to become a surgeon…
[name]Betty[/name] Crocker is good… Start small

16

For a toddler I would recommend an omelette pan. Omelettes are easy to make and healthy. Plus you can add what ever toppings he likes. Some toppings you can keep frozen- eg corn kernals, grated cheese or buy in tins so they don’t lose freshness- eg small tin mushrooms or even toddler food in a jar as a filling- eg beef pasta. You could vary the need for ingredients to be on hand as you might be able to add milder bought food as the filling (eg stir fry Chinese veg or shredded chicken- things suited to a toddler.) Just beware the fillings are hot- so make sure you let it cool enough. Other filling ideas: tomato diced, ham/deli meat cut up, grated carrot.

Boiled small pasta can also have the same things stirred into it- a super quick option is to add some frozen small pre mixed veg (eg carrot cubes, peas and corn) in the last 5 minutes- drain the lot then add some grated cheese. Instant veggie pasta! Alternatively, a tin of baby/toddler veggie based food could make a sauce to mix onto pasta- eg a pumpkin puree or a turkey and veg meal.

Even easier than pasta- 2 minute noodles (don’t use the flavour sachet as they’re too salty) with toppings of choice added and some cheese. eg Microwave some frozen veg to add- the packet will tell you how long to cook it for. Or dice some ham and cube some tomatoes.

A small tin of baked beans poured into a bowl and reheated in the microwave are nutritious and easy served with toast.

While you are learning buy some jars of pasta sauce for pasta- add a little and freeze the rest in icecube trays ready for next time. Choose low sodium options- tomato based and sometimes a creamy style for variety.

Cooking can be fun if you involve your little man.
Remember raw food is OK too- think finger foods- carrot sticks, cherry tomatoes, cucumber cubes, cheese, sultanas, dried apricots, a few crackers, sliced fruit- eg strawberry, apple or melon- follow up with yoghurt for the protien.

A bought roast chicken pulled apart and diced- freeze leftovers for another meal in portions. Add as a filling or serve with a finger food meal.

A bowl of instant oats is very filling and healthy.

Hope these ideas help- I tried to think of things that were healthy, quick and easy for a new cook.

17

Are you interested in making your own baby food? Not a ton of actual cooking required and I always really enjoyed doing it and being able to give my son a greater variety than what was offered in the jars at the grocery store. If you can manage to steam some veggies and either cut them up really small (a la [name]Baby[/name] Led Weaning) or use a food processor, you are good to go! My son loved everything from pureed avocado with plain yogurt to your basic mashed banana. It might be a good introduction to cooking for him!

18

Yeah, the current arrangement is pretty fantastic. Our building is close to the studios so it’s a pied-a-terre for many entertainment people who have primary residences elsewhere. It has agreements with multiple local restaurants such that the concierge actually phones them, picks up the food and brings it to your apartment. And best of all, unlike traditional delivery it is actually cheaper than dining in (10% discount, no tips allowed). There is a large variety of world cuisines with amazing fresh ingredients. If I tried to replicate these meals it would be a) several hours and b) more money. I can be driving home, phone the concierge from the freeway, ask him to order such-n-such, come home and play with [name]Antoine[/name] rather than kicking him out of the kitchen constantly, and then doorbell! Other people might choose to spend their money differently, of course. It’s not that I don’t know how to cook, it’s more that I loathe and despise it and haven’t done so for ten years.

So while he is in this hybrid stage, for the next 6-8 months or so that he eats solid foods but isn’t quite ready for a full adult meal, I think I need to prepare him something in the evenings. His daycare actually has an in-house organic chef with very good menus, and breakfast is currently an organic whole grain blueberry waffle and/or scrambled eggs (which I do make). So I was hoping to get recommendations on a cookbook for young children with 100-200 recipes (there are many on amazon, just curious if people have had success with one or the other).

Thank you all for the tips–omelettes was a great idea; I never thought of them. @rge: we have an ‘[name]Antoine[/name] cabinet’ as well with his foods. Since the refrigerator is completely empty, he has all of that to himself (his fresh fruits, his milk, applesauce, etc). He can’t eat bagels or similarly hard things yet, but has enjoyed hummus, baba ghanoush, guacamole and various yogurts.

@bluesparrow I started making scrambled eggs at age seven. Your job sounds horrible, I’m sorry.

@emms thanks for the recs. You’re right, I want toddle mush. In high school I decided to make everything from [name]Joy[/name] of Cooking and made it through about two recipes once I realized we were talking about hours and hours of prep time.

@pinkballerina yes, we are doing oatmeal usually once daily and pasta thus far has been very successful.

@ottilie thank you for chiming in! The [name]River[/name] Farm kids book and the [name]Tessa[/name] Kiros one sound like want I’m looking for. [name]Will[/name] check them out.

@amandaberry thanks for the solidarity. He’s not able to eat tough things like carrot sticks yet, but I’m sure he will be soon. And he loves guacamole, which admittedly I don’t make.

@bluesparrow again: the two halves of your statement should explain each other. Does it help to basically think of me as a man?

@emiliaj thanks again for the omelettes tip, I think that should go over well.

19

[name]Flick[/name], the thing is he’s moved beyond purées now. I’m trying to find him ‘bridge’ foods between straight-up baby food and more adult fare.

20

[name]Ah[/name], ok, I wasn’t sure how old he was. On the up side, that’s a really fun age to feed! Lot’s of experimentation and finding ways to get a wide variety of flavors into his palate. The one thing I made sure to do was to read up on and talk to his pediatrician about what babies his age can and cannot eat - I’m sure you probably already know these things, I was clueless - I just kept that in mind and then threw out all the notions people had about what you should feed babies (or little people). By age one, [name]Caleb[/name] was basically eating what I would eat as long as it wasn’t dangerous for him and it wasn’t extra spicy (he would actually eat spicy food, but the poo it produced was NOT fun). I just kind of chopped it / cut it small enough for him to handle and let him go - I haven’t really made any child specific meals since he was eating everything in puree form, though, he just eats along with what we are having. (except lunch, lunch is a small portion of what we eat plus milk / juice, a cheese stick / cube of cheese and yogurt and / or fruit).

Something fun and very easy to cook, as other people have mentioned, is pasta.Babies his age [name]LOVE[/name] eating / playing with (lol) pasta and there are endless possibilities with flavor and things you can add in. We usually use a whole grain pasta, which aside from being better for you - is way harder to overcook than regular pasta, so it might be good for starting out.(not sure if you CAN cook and just don’t or you have only very basic abilities)