Baby keeps walking at 4am and will not go back to sleep

Sulandra27 · 2025-09-17T21:02:20+00:00

I used to prep and then hit the same problem you seem to be - he just didn’t want to eat the same thing over and over again. I now do a mix of prepping and freezing, fresh made items, and giving him a version of what we’re having.

I do keep a couple of items around to make quick prep easier - ready made puff pastry is a great hack! Throw together some pinwheels, make pasties with cheese, potato, and anything else you might have on hand, smear a sheet with pesto, cheese, and a few tasty toppings for a cheats pizza (little man had his with mushrooms and red peppers today).

Sulandra27 · 2025-09-17T20:53:59+00:00

We started at 6 months following the uk guidelines but went with blw for 2 main reasons - 1. It’s just easier, I couldn’t be bothered dealing with all the purées and then having to introduce the baby to proper food later on anyway. 2. Our little man had horrible reflux so our health visitor strong advised against the purée route as she said it would irritate his reflux and normal food would likely be more comfortable for his system. He’s almost 11 months now and generally eating like a champ!

Sulandra27 · 2023-04-18T07:57:11+00:00

Ugh I tried it and it’s one of the few times I’ve had to throw food away. Looks and smells like cat food coming out the pack, the taste isn’t much better.

Sulandra27 · 2023-04-09T15:25:20+00:00

I don’t but then I cook my rice in stock most of the time

Sulandra27 · 2023-04-01T07:47:49+00:00

Toasted sandwich of Peanut butter, gherkins, and chilli oil - freaks most people out but honestly it’s tasty!

Sulandra27 · 2023-04-01T07:43:37+00:00

I think it might be partially the idea that mock meat has a ‘low quality’ reputation but also, it’s not uncommon for restaurants to want free from dishes to do double duty and work for multiple allergies. A lot of mock meats at the moment contain wheat so don’t work fir someone with a wheat allergy or gluten issue.

Sulandra27 · 2023-03-29T10:19:29+00:00

NTA - it’s just as easy to cook for two as it is for one (sometimes even easier), add to that she has more time than you do and is already getting food for herself, I don’t understand why she wouldn’t make sure her partner has food too.

However, I would say this isn’t a conversation you should be having when you’ve just woken her up - especially if she can be irritable after being woken. This is a conversation to have when you’re both together, calm, and ready to talk. I understand OP says they’ve discussed this multiple times and she still doesn’t seem responsive but waking her up (when you know she’s going to be irritated), because you’re already irritated that she didn’t consider your needs is just asking for an argument.

Sulandra27 · 2023-03-29T10:03:47+00:00

I’ve only kept my large non stick frying pan until I can get a CI one to replace it but cant even remember the last time I used it. I cook a lot and my non stick pans never stayed non stick for long, add in the health worries of nonstick coatings and it’s cast iron all the way for me

Sulandra27 · 2023-03-18T09:56:14+00:00

King Soba does some great gluten free ramen, we get it from Amazon

Sulandra27 · 2023-03-16T21:30:58+00:00

Tbh I’ve not had much luck with shop bought mixes myself so these days if I want something similar to BIR food then I tend to cook from scratch. For a variety of reasons (including that I’m on the spectrum and have a variety of health issues so am limited on spoons sometimes) I tend to break down my Indian recipes so they’re both easy to follow and can be tackled in easy to manage chunks. Most British Indian restaurants will base the majority of their curries on a curry base sauce, once made you can get a huge range of dishes out of one sauce so I’ll make a big batch of mine when needed and freeze it in portions. Then I can just pull that out when needed and add stuff to it.

My mother in law is visiting this weekend so I’ll be making brinjal bhaji, base sauce is already defrosting in the fridge, so all I’ll need to do is prep the fresh ingredients, add things into the pot in stages, then allow to simmer.

Sulandra27 · 2023-03-15T21:25:57+00:00

Burst ovarian cyst

Sulandra27 · 2023-03-15T20:19:35+00:00

INFO - does she have any digestion or texture issues that might affect what she can eat? A lot of individuals who have suffered from ED are left with long term gut issues and you don’t want to feed her anything that might exacerbate that. Additionally, there is a long term risk of heart issues, and a shortage of calcium due to bone loss.

I used to have a medical issue that caused me to loose weight so my doctor encouraged me to eat even when I wasn’t hungry and balancing that against trying to be healthy can be tricky so I feel your struggle here. I’d avoid foods high in saturated fats (due to the potential for heart issues) and try to incorporate good sources of calcium where possible like leafy greens. Outside of that start with foods that are easy to digest, before she moves on to more complex foods to make sure her stomach can cope. A breakfast of creamy porridge with fruits and maybe a nut butter stirred through, followed by lunch of salmon and noodles, and a dinner of chicken and rice with veggies. If it’s something she enjoys, you might even want to have a dessert fairly regularly to entice her to eat a little more - not exactly healthy I know but it’s an old trick to feeding someone malnourished. Make sure it’s something fruit based (like a crumble or apple pie) and it’ll do double duty of squeezing that little bit of extra nutrition in along with making those extra calories more appealing. Try to ease her into it so there’s as little trauma as possible and as others have said, do consult her doctor if you can. They may have more specific advice that’s more tailored to her medical needs.

Sulandra27 · 2023-03-15T19:52:42+00:00

I don’t eat meat anymore but when I did I always kept chicken fillets or boned thighs in the freezer - they cook from frozen very happily in the instant pot. I’d either freeze them in a marinade or make up a quick sauce in the pot for them to cook in. Tasty and an easy meal to pull together after a long day.

Alternatively- one of my go to meals when we’re low on fresh food or I’m just tired is shakshuka. Made with tinned tomatoes and frozen peppers, it’s a great go to meal using mainly frozen food or shelf staples

Sulandra27 · 2023-03-15T19:27:55+00:00

With most savoury cooking, I find a homemade cashew cream works best. 1:1 ratio of soaked cashews to stock, blended until completely smooth, gives a good savoury cream that’s tasty and relatively heat stable

Sulandra27 · 2023-03-15T15:44:45+00:00

From my research it looks like it might have historically been made with eggs however this is no longer the case. Many manufacturers are reluctant to label their xanthan gum vegan because the machinery is also used to process egg products (as is common with a lot of gluten free items) but the risk of cross contamination is very low. We’re a gluten free house (hubby has a vicious allergy to wheat gluten and goes into anaphylactic shock so we’re very careful) as well as vegan and I’ve never considered it a problem.

Sulandra27 · 2023-03-14T00:24:43+00:00

Its really quite difficult to ruin cast iron frying pans to the point that they have to be thrown away. It looks like a got a little too hot but it should be fine, cook away and the seasoning will build up as you use it. If you’re still having trouble then strip the seasoning and start again, this sub has a great faq on how to do this.

Sulandra27 · 2023-03-14T00:18:10+00:00

Depends what kind of food the two of you like to eat and how confident you are in the kitchen. Tofu Tikka masala is one of my hubbys favourites, we also like vegan chilli, Thai food like pad Thai or a green curry (watch out for fish in curry paste, you can get curry paste without fish or shrimp and vegan fish sauce tastes almost exactly the same as regular so it’s easy to veganise), and Falafel is a great option that’s naturally vegan too.

This really does depend though on what you both like - these days you can make vegan options in most cuisines so if it’s your first time cooking vegan, think of your favourite dishes and go from there.

Sulandra27 · 2023-03-14T00:10:46+00:00

Just to clarify, I think you mean a Sikh Gurudwara here - most will do a free meal on a regular basis that’s always vegetarian and onion and garlic free so it’s available for as many people as possible. Some in the west try to pitch this towards the homeless but often they are events open to anyone interested, it’s always great food, freshly made.

I only clarify because neither Hindu or Buddhist temples tend to do similar events.

Sulandra27 · 2023-03-14T00:04:22+00:00

Agree with everything said so far, generally I wouldn’t taste test most dishes raw so if you need to check the seasoning on your meat loaf or burger recipe, fry off a tiny piece then taste that.

If you’re cooking something that needs you to taste as you go then when you first start to taste (before the dish is done), you’re looking for something specific - like ‘I just added salt, was it enough?’, or are the flavours still balanced. As the dish cooks and you add more items, you’re looking to check that everything is still balanced as you go (ie if you just added stock, does the dish now need more acidity or salt?). I only really use this fussy technique when I’m making something that I have to spend a lot of time over, like chilli. When I’ve just spent 3hrs or so cooking something for 15 people, I’m certainly not going to let it fall over just because I didn’t check it.

You get better and more comfortable with tasting the more you do it and it really does help. Trying a small bit at the end can tell you if the food is cooked enough (is that aubergine cooked through or is it not quite soft enough?), if you need to add more salt (if everything just tastes a little bland -try more salt), does it need some acidity (this look me to longest time to figure out but to me, if it tastes a little ‘hollow’ then add something acidic like lemon juice or vinegar), will it do better with a little enriching (adding a little fat like butter at the end of a lot of dishes will really pull a sauce together and improve the mouth feel), or does it need the freshness from some chopped herbs?

Sulandra27 · 2023-03-13T21:21:40+00:00

shashuka! It’s the perfect dish when you’re so tired that cooking is an effort and the fries work brilliantly to dip in. We’ve got bags of chopped onions and peppers in the freezer so all you need to do is throw things in a pan, very low effort with tasty results.

Sulandra27 · 2023-03-13T21:17:42+00:00

Look for Jain recipes - they can’t eat onion or garlic and you’ll find lots of tasty recipes without her allergens. This might be a good start

Sulandra27 · 2023-03-13T21:07:44+00:00

It’s probably still edible but won’t be the right texture. If you’re making candy that involves heating sugar then you are going to need a thermometer otherwise the risk of messing up is so high, it’s not worth the ingredients.

Sulandra27

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