Processed food rut

[crunchy_mommy]

Lately DS & I have fallen into this rut... we are surviving on things like TJ's masala burgers or dumplings, store-bought hummus, etc.

On the one hand, even though they're processed, they have lots of veggies in them...

But on the other hand, they're processed...

I'm not able to cook meals in advance or freeze a bunch of stuff ahead of time.

DS is 17mos but only has 6.5 teeth so he can't eat things that aren't relatively soft. And we both like spicy food vs. steamed veggies or something.

And we only buy groceries twice a month.

So...

I need ideas for quick-easy-vegan meals/snacks... carrot sticks are out (too crunchy for DS, even things like pepper slices he usually spits out because he can't chew them)... we do smoothies occasionally but prefer to chew vs. sip our food most of the time... fruit is always a hit but I like to balance it out with more protein & fats...

I don't know if there's any easy way out of this rut, any thoughts?

[maciascl]

We are falling into a similar rut so I am curious what others suggest.

Somethings that come to mind right now would be tofu scramble, fried rice with tofu or edamame and spagetti with crumbled tofu added to the sauce or faux sausages. Not sure if those are really helpful but these are turning into some of our go to meals lately.

[texmati]

hmm... I'd take a look at what you are eating processed, and try to make that at home. Also, since it's summer, you might look at fruit as a snack-- my toothless 10 month old can eat most of the fruits we do, save apple.

Hummus is not difficult to make at home. I'm not sure what a masala dumpling is, but indian foods can be quick too (before morning sickness, i used to do my own 30 minute meals).

[crunchy_mommy]

Thanks for responding maciascl, I wondered if I really posted this or not 'cause no one responded Those are good ideas except I can't really cook even those things unless DH is home & even then it's almost impossible... I need like 2-minute meals haha.... Maybe I need to use more pre-chopped veggies etc. so I can just throw it all in a pan quickly. I don't know. Or maybe I need a calmer toddler.

ETA: texmati, we cross-posted We do a good amount of fruit but seem to always run out (plus blood-sugar issues with too much fruit anyway) hmm. Oh they aren't 'masala dumplings' they are masala burgers (just a veggie burger, with actual veggies) and thai veggie dumplings -- two separate things lol I tried making dumplings but failed miserably. I don't know, we're just 'stuck', I think I'm stressing myself out.

[SaoirseC]

why not just go with it until you have a little more time?

[crunchy_mommy]

I don't know, I guess I'm worried most about the salt content -- less so for me but for DS, he's only 1.5 years, seems like they have a lot of sodium (360 in the burgers which he will eat almost a whole one, and about 150 in the serving of dumplings he eats) and just isn't very balanced. Although we do eat low-salt in general and have variety for dinner. Maybe it's not horrible??? I just wish I could give him all made-from-scratch super-healthy foods, especially when he's so little...

[dbsam]

Originally Posted by SaoirseC

why not just go with it until you have a little more time?

That's what I'm doing right now. I just ordered cases of processed vegetarian food. I have been trying to cook from scratch instead of ordering out or eating processed food, trying to switch from l/o veg to vegan, buy organic (which I have down), buy local, eat less carbs, use up our excess pantry supplies, etc. I was so overwhelmed and was giving up or failing in the more important areas - like ordering out or eating too many carbs when I have tons of weight to lose or not eating all day then eating to much at night. So I decided last night I am going to continue trying to do it all but will have low carb, vegan processed food for those times I need something quick. My children do not normally eat the processed foods - my son likes some of them - but they are remaining l/o so it is a little easier for me to come up with quick meals for them.

[dbsam]

Your son could eat what my children are eating right now...

My daughter is eating black beans and avocados she is smashing together in a bowl. (I used Eden canned beans, rinsed - quick and easy)

My son is layering greens, beans, cheddar cheese, and salsa in a bowl.

For myself, I made a salad from greens, black beans, avocado and pecans.

So we all took from the same ingredients. Not very creative but easy and nutritious.

I am trying to remember what non-dairy items my children ate when they were your son's age: applesauce, beans, enchiladas (the way I made them they took less than 10 minutes to put together), they loved dipping sweet potato fries or eggplant strips (both purchased frozen) in baby food veggies (you could puree your own but I didn't have the time or energy), also processed but I believe low salt...they loved garlic butternut squash ravioli from Rising Moon) Well, I guess my ideas didn't help with the non-processed part of your request.