I'm a new and young mom of a toddler and I don't really know how to cook. My son is starting to really eat now and I want to be able to cook him something good instead of just microwavables or sandwiches. If anyone has a good and easy recipe for something toddlers would eat and myself included, I'm up to the challenge.
When I had two babies, I didn't really know either. So I started out by using cookbooks from the library and added a new recipes to our kitchen once a week.
From my experience I would suggest -
1. - take stock of all food and seasonings you have on hand, make lists (freezers, cupboards ect)
2. - research (easily done on the net) a list of seasonings and what they are used for.
3.- spend time reading cookbooks and casually making lists of meals ideas with ingredients you are already familiar with.
4. Give yourself many ideas, include asking spouse and friends favorite meals, list about 10 ideas for breakfast, 20-30 ideas for lunches, and 30 and more for dinners.
Now you won't use all of these but it will create files in your mind as you learn about combining different flavors and imagination.
5. Ask for spices & seasoning for gifts (cuts down on your costs and gives you things you wouldn't ordinarly try)
ex. Curry for chicken and egg salads ( easy just chop up leftover chicken with celery and mayo and curry) chill and serve on a sandwich or on lettuce -- great for any lunch or dinner.
For example- the other day I made a meat loaf with ground beef, egg, italian bread crumbs and to experiment I added a can of green enchalada sauce (which I bought on clearance for .79), and baked it.
Now- our schedule changed that night and we didn't get to eat it, so I put in fridge. Two days later, I had to make a lunch for my husband and some guys fixing our roof. So I look through a cookbook and found a stromboli recipe, I didn't have the pastrami so instead I made the dough, chopped up the meat loaf, and used that as a filing instead, I added leftover cheese sauce and salsa( were small amount left in jars in fridge) and then added chedder cheese. (we buy the blocks because the shredded comes with potato starch that makes women bloat).
I baked and served with sour cream, a quick toss salad of bag mix and raspberry vinegrette and water with lemon, set up a table on the porch and the men all ate, talked and went back to work.
They were happy and my husband was proud and I cleaned out my fridge!!!!!
Cooking impacts every aspect of your home and family. Whether its welcoming your children in the door, hospitality for anyone or boosting your husbands' selfconfidence in his provision of his home and family with his and your peers..
Trust me! In this day and age men are jeolus of those that have wives that make any meals and provide a little feminity as well but that's a different subject for another day :) Sorry to go off on a tangent,
hope this helps.
Being a new cook and having a toddler, I'd start with bettycrocker.com and kraftfoods.com, they have simple kid friendly recipes... then when you get comfortable enough you'll be able to move on to "bigger and better" I had to start there since I was raised on meals from a can or a box or a drive thru window! I vowed not to do that to my hubby or kids.
I think good advice would also be to take advantage of already prepared foods at your local supermarket. I'm a single mom, work part time and go to school full time. My problem isn't that I don't know how to cook, but that I don't have the time or money to cook the way I used to. I use the rotisserie chickens alot. It's quick, affordable, and better than what I could make myself. I use them for everything, chicken salad, chicken and dumplings, or alone with a couple of sides. Another good place to start is with casseroles and crock pot meals. These tend to be "throw everything in a pot" kind of recipes but their always crowd pleasers which will boost your confidence in cooking.
I also started by reading the ideas on the back of the box or can.
like the stove top stuffing or cream of chicken soup. I read it and grab all the ingredients while still at the store.
there is a cookbook called the 4 ingredient cookbook out there that is amazing.
Here are a couple recipes that I find kids like:
BBQ cups
brown 1lb of ground beef, mix with bbq sauce. But a can of biscuits in a muffin pan (like making a bowl in each cup) fill with bbq mix cook according to the biscuit directions add some grated cheese right before they are done
try to make green eggs and ham with a little food coloring ( I add just a little to the eggs and scramble them) this is awesome if the kids have read the book
Tater tot cassrole
brown ground beef, put in cassrole dish, cover with veggies of your choice and cream of whatever soup. put a bag of tater tots on top and cook for about 30-45 mins...put cheese on top if you like
there is a cookbook called the 4 ingredient cookbook out there that is amazing.
Here are a couple recipes that I find kids like:
BBQ cups
brown 1lb of ground beef, mix with bbq sauce. But a can of biscuits in a muffin pan (like making a bowl in each cup) fill with bbq mix cook according to the biscuit directions add some grated cheese right before they are done
try to make green eggs and ham with a little food coloring ( I add just a little to the eggs and scramble them) this is awesome if the kids have read the book
Tater tot cassrole
brown ground beef, put in cassrole dish, cover with veggies of your choice and cream of whatever soup. put a bag of tater tots on top and cook for about 30-45 mins...put cheese on top if you like
