too tired (or not inspired) to cook?

There are days you feel like cooking and there are days you don’t.  That’s what delivery is for, right?  Well, that works for you, but might not work for your baby, as baby food menus may be the one delivery menu niche NYC has not yet comprehensively filled. 

There are a few ways to manage these types of situations.  I always, always, always have a beautiful package of steamed organic beets in the fridge.  Tofu is another no-cook go-to food.  Both of these items are vacuum packed which gives them a fair shelf-life.  I like to keep chops and purees in the freezer or fridge to give me some flexibility, variety and save me from cooking every meal, every night, twice.

Here’s a list of fresh and packaged foods to have on hand that can be easily turned into improvised no-cook meals. 

Fresh

Avocado – just cut and scoop.

Fruit salad composed of:

• Banana
• Bluberries
• Mango - slices in a snap with this amazing OXO tool.  (Watch the video. Normally, I'm not a single-use gadget kind of gal. but a mangophillic friend suggested it to me so I watched the video and the product sold itself.  And yes, it it really is this easy to slice mango with the magical OXO tool)
• Apple - slices in a snap with a handy apple-corer.  I like Rosle, but there are certainly less expensive versions of this type of tool out there.
• Mixed with a dollop of plain yogurt or kefir

Packaged

• Plain yogurt (add nearly any fresh fruit)
• Silken tofu
• Frozen peas (simply defrost under warm running water) -- When our daughter was really small, I would scatter a 1/2 cup of peas on her tray. She loved picking them up one by one and feeding herself.  
• Steamed beets

Delivered

• Mexican or Cuban = Order a side of red or black beans.  Share your rice and guacamole, or order a plain quesadilla.
• Thai or Chinese = Share your rice and puree (or chop up) an order of plain, steamed vegetables.
• Japanese = Share your rice and order tamago (egg sushi)
• Indian = Share your rice and saag paneer or puree a portion of a mild vegetable curry entrée. Yes, curry.  You might be surprised that your baby will eat and love curry!

While we're on the subject of rice ... do you ever feel overwhelmed by the amount of rice that comes with take-out/delivery?  Don't discard it!  Transfer that rice to a ziploc bag and dole it out to baby for meals.  Heat up a tablespoon of stock or plain water in a small frying pan and drop in a 1/4-1/2 cup of leftover rice mixed with a vegetable chop for a minute and presto, you have dinner for baby.  The same trick works with quinoa.  Our two year-old loves quinoa, chopped beets with finely grated grana padano cheese.

Sorry for the silence over the past few weeks!  I'm working on a from-scratch rice post for next week -- one that will please your little one/s and all of the big people too!

Posted via email from citybaby