Need help with food shopping list!?

Question

Ok well i am a working single dad of two kids, 3yr old son and 1yr old daughter. I know what to get for them in terms of baby food, well mainly for the daughter. I know the son eats table food and all but here is my dilema.

My wife just upped and left us. She was the one that stayed home fed the kids etc, while i worked. Now that she is gone i really dont know what i need in terms of what should i have in the fridge so i have a variety to choose from in terms of eating three good meals a day. Two of which i will cook and a choice for the babysitter to cook.

I am not used to cooking three meals a day, or cooking period, i know how to cook, i love to cook. But for the last four years my wife has done that work, and she used to make the grociery lists etc. I want more than just hamberger helper or mac and cheese to choose from.

Any mothers or dads out there that have a full fridge? Right now my fridge is pretty empty and im buying two out of the three meals a day.

thanx

Answer 1

Milk, fruits and veggies... fresh (seasonal) and canned....if you want to minimize the mac and cheese..I suggest making up a few meals and freezing them in dinner size portions. Canned soups are a must for quick casseroles...basic chicken and hamburger also.

Lunch meats..non processed..get sliced from the deli...these are also freezable...bread (I also keep an extra loaf in the freezer in case I run out) and pb &j....

as a working dad ...dont feel guilty about spaghettios, and mac and cheese..these are great to have on hand for busy nights!

Best wishes to you and your family.

Answer 2

First thing would be to make a menu for the week. Pick the foods you like to eat making sure they are healthy and balanced meals.
Then make your shopping list according to what you have chosen to cook.
For baby food do the same. Pick foods you would pick for yourself only in baby form.
For your daughter, you can mash up anything you have on your plate for her to eat. And kids love fish sticks & french fries they can both have them too.
Hope you got some ideas to help you out.
Looking for recipes? Go to www.fooddownunder.com
you'll find whatever you are looking for.

Good luck to you. My prayers go out to you.
Things to keep in the fridge? Well Fruits, cut veggies are good snacks for the 3 year old.
I always kept Fruit "juices not drink" for my kids.

I would not advise sweets on a regular basis. You are probably pretty tired and don't want to "rev" them up before bedtime.

Make sure you are introducing them to a variety of veggies.
Have cereal on hand for breakfast oatmeal is something kids love and is now in several flavors in instant form.
Staples you need on hand for cooking are, oil, vegetable spray, flour, sugar, salt, pepper, vinegar, milk, butter, & eggs.
Having a variety of canned soups on hand is not a bad idea (don't forget the saltines) it makes a quick meal along with a grilled cheese sandwich (or any sandwich) when you are too tired or busy to cook.
Peanut butter & jelly is good too as long as the kids are not allergic to peanuts.
Kids love yogurt too and both of them can have that.
To a kid, mac & cheese is a staple these days. They can also both eat mashed potatoes and there are some ready made varieties on the market these days that are really good. I like "Simply Potatoes Brand" and theuy come in hash browns, mashed, diced & red wedges.

Answer 3

You can also get thing for snacks like crackers, cookies, even cereals like Cheerios...pretty much any thing dry that you can put in a sandwich bag for them even cheese is a good snack.....now I know those are hardly meals but there good in between snacks. Just be sure if you give you little ones anything like Hot Dog Weenies you keep and eye on them cause the can choke....its best to feed them small things or make sure there cut up well. Don't wanna scare you sorry, just want you to be cautious.

Answer 4

Buy a Rachel Ray cookbook.She has quick 30min meal recipes that are healthy and kid friendly and in the back of her book (Express lane) she has shopping tips & grocery lists and also what are the basics to keep on hand.Another idea is to cook a couple of meals on Sat or Sunday and freeze them or when you do cook double the recipe for lunch leftovers.

Answer 5

Bless your heart. Hope I can help.

Finger foods are great for both kids at this age. Stuff like Cheerios, fruit cocktail in fruit juice (not syrup), Teddy Grahams (store brand is fine), graham crackers, Nutrigrain bars, Crispix, large shreds of cheese, or even the "crumbled" cheese in the bag. (too much cheese can constpitate them, so try to balance it w/ apples.)

Do fresh fruit when possible. Watch the little one on most fresh fruits, like apples (they still choke on them), but the older one should be fine on small dices. Also halved grapes, bananas (sliced 1/2" thick then quartered), peaches, pears, tomatoes, melons w/o seeds; applesauce is good (buy in large bottle and make your own small servings) tho it still may choke the baby.

Milk products: Whole Milk for the baby (until she's 2), 2% for the 3 y/o. They can go Skim at age 5. Also yogurt, cottage cheese, yogurt smoothies (in a sippy cup).

Meats: lean meats like turkey, ham, roast beef, lowfat bologna, scrambled eggs, boiled eggs, lowfat hot dogs (cut so they wont' choke), tuna packed in water, fish sticks, as well as whatever baked chicken, pork chops, or hamburger dishes you make for yourself. But the cold meats are great for a quick breakfast or lunch.

Offer your 3 y/o fresh veggies like baby carrots, cucumber slices, and tomatoes, maybe w/ Ranch dip. At this age they can get real picky, but the more variety they are exposed to, the better. But dont' get too hung up on "food jags" (where they only wnat to eat one food for a week or two). They outgrow that. What usually works is giving them a choice of 2 options, both of which happen to be fien with you. "Do you want applesauce or grapes?" "Do you want yogurt or pudding?"

Dont 'forget about PNB/Jelly sandwiches, rice adn beans, hot cereals for breakfast, and muffins (w/o nuts or raisins for baby).

Go ahead and buy whole wheat bread (not just brown-colored bread. Roman Meal is NOT whole wheat) and serve whole grain crackers as snacks when you can. Fiber is a big issue in kids this age.

You're being a good dad.

Answer 6

I'm not a mother but I do know a little something when it comes to kids and food. - Waffles, pop tarts, oat meal or coco wheat, cereal, pancakes, french toast, scrambled eggs and toast, sausage gravy and biscuits, tacos, spaggetti, salads, pork chops, steak, fries, pizza, chicken nuggets or just any kind of chicken. Don't worry, you will figure something out. I'm sorry for what has happend to you all. I hope you and your kids are doing ok.

Answer 7

For starters, your need the basics: bread, butter, eggs, cereal and milk.

How to Stock a Nutritious Pantry - Printable Shopping List
http://www.homebasics.ca/viewarticle.asp?articleid=2718

Feeding Infants & Toddlers
http://www.askdrsears.com/html/3/T030800.asp

Answer 8

Well, my two year old likes things like hot dogs, fish sticks, any kind of chicken, hamburger just about any way you can fix it, pork chops, steaks, she will almost eat any veggie that I put in front of her. She loves Beans, (like pork-n-beans). Smoked Sausage, fried potatoes, scalloped potatoes, Tuna, She likes pasta, and fresh fruit... Lots of juices, well, that is all that I can think of right now, but I know there is other stuff out there.. Good Luck,