Seven 15 minute Meals – Quick, Balanced & Kid-Friendly

This speedy eggy veg rice recipe is simple, flexible and a lovely change from a standard omelette, while still providing a balanced mix of protein, fibre and vegetables. The softly scrambled texture makes it easy to adapt for babies and toddlers – simply chop vegetables finely or cook until very soft to suit their stage. You can easily mix and match the vegetables and beans or lentils depending on what you have in the fridge, making it ideal for reducing food waste and simplifying busy evenings.

Benefits

• One pan so less washing up
• Easily accepted by little ones
• Very adaptable depending on what you have
• A simple alternative to a standard omelette

I created this green pesto recipe as a way to add lots of extras into one of many children’s favourite meals, pesto pasta. This version includes four different greens along with walnuts and ground seeds to help provide omega 3 fatty acids, making it a simple way to boost both flavour and nutrition. It can also easily be batch-cooked and frozen, making it a very practical option for quick midweek meals.

Benefits

• Super easy to make
• Great way to add extra greens and healthy fats
• Easily accepted by littles
• Great way to get lots of extras in
• Easy to store and freeze

These Super Quick Creamy Mushrooms are a creamy, comforting option that works beautifully on toast, stirred through pasta or spooned over potatoes. The mushrooms add both depth of flavour and a gentle texture, making this a lovely way to introduce them to little ones. If you’re cooking for younger babies, or for children who are still getting used to different textures, you can simply blend the sauce to a consistency that suits them.

Benefits

• Easy to adapt textures of the mushrooms (e.g. dice or slice)
• Creamy texture often acceptable by little ones
• Super versatile so an easy one to combine with sides
• Great for getting little ones to new textures and new meals

These pitta pizzas are a brilliant option for busy evenings and a lovely way to get children involved in the kitchen. These little pittas are ideal for encouraging self‑feeding because they’re easy to hold and can be cut into manageable slices. Using wholemeal pittas keeps everything quick, but if you don’t have them to hand you can easily switch to bread or rolls and make simple  pizza oasts instead. If you’ve got a batch of my ultimate tomato sauce in the freezer, it works perfectly as the base.

Benefits

• Really readily accepted recipe
• Great for encouraging exposure for kids
• Really quick to make
• Adds novelty by allowing them to add their own ingredients
• Great for fussy eaters
• Cupboard staples

Kids and adults love these quesadillas/pizza wraps – it is one of my favourite flexible meals. Quesadillas are brilliant for using up leftovers and can be as simple or as varied as you like. When sliced into triangles, quesadillas are easy for babies and toddlers to hold, supporting independence at mealtimes. I love slicing them up and serving with veggies and/or fruit on the side.

Benefits

• Quick to cook with minimal prep
• Great for using up leftovers
• Encourages self feeding and independence
• Easy to adapt fillings based on preferences

A green frittata is a wonderful fridge clearer and always popular with little ones. It’s soft in texture, easy to hold and works brilliantly for babies, toddlers and the rest of the family too. This version uses mushrooms alongside fresh spinach, which gives it a lovely natural green colour.

Benefits

• Soft texture ideal for babies and toddlers
• Great way to use up leftover vegetables
• Can be served warm or cold
• Easy to slice for packed lunches

I’m a big fan of orzo as it cooks so quickly and has a lovely soft texture that works well for little ones.  This speedy prawn and orzo dish feels comforting but cooks quickly, making it ideal for weeknights. It’s packed with flavour and can easily be adapted with extra vegetables.  You can make it vegan by using tofu instead of the prawns. The full recipe is available in my latest book The Ultimate Weaning & Toddler Cookbook.

Benefits

• Quick cooking pasta ideal for busy evenings
• Soft texture suitable for little ones
• Easy to boost with extra vegetables
• Flexible option with prawn or plant based alternative
• Comforting family meal that works for all ages