Friday: Cook! Frozen Meal

Once a week, we usually use Cook homemade frozen meals www.cookfood.net. They serve most food from pasta to pies, to paella!
See below on how to serve this kind of food to your child depending how advanced they are.

How to serve this meal to your child

Beginner: ‘My child refuses any new meals’

The meals are frozen and can’t be reheated, so if you want to eat it with your child, it is always advisable to make sure you serve any ‘Cook’ meal alongside food they are more familiar with (or any meal in general). With a curry, serve rice and naan bread or another side your child likes. Just because your child refuses the main part of the meal doesn’t mean it’s a waste of time; they can smell it and they can see you eating it which is great role modelling! Mealtimes will never be seen as a fail if you follow this approach.

Intermediate eater: ‘My child may try this new dish but I’m not sure’

Choose a day when you can eat all together.  As above, offer the Cook meal with other components your child usually eats so there is no pressure.  It doesn’t matter if your child doesn’t touch the new meal, it is all about your child getting used to seeing new food and taking it in and also seeing you eat it to give them confidence for future meals. My son is still weary of food with sauces in, so he picks the meat out, which to me, is still very impressive! 

Advanced eater: ‘My child eats most things I give them and is not phased by new food’.

Serve the new meal and if they unexpectedly do refuse it, the best advice is not to panic and don’t feel bad.  It’s just one meal. Say non-confrontational words such as ‘you don’t have to eat anything you don’t want to’ and see if they can try a bit in their own time. If they don’t, it is best to move onto the next mealtime and write it off and try another time!

To find out your nearest Cook Food stockist, click here: https://www.cookfood.net/shops/