Do you have a confirmed carb-lover in your life? Someone who couldn’t possibly ever consider a meal without some sort of starch?
I have two of them. My little men, one 3.5 years the other 11 months.
Actually I have 3 carb-lovers, but my Irish husband is happy to go along with my low carb, high fat ways as long as I cook him some potatoes every now and then.
So how do I keep my men happy? Without having to cook multiple meals?
It doesn’t need to be difficult.
1. Serve different sides.
Seriously, that’s all it takes. Mostly there’s an easy carby side that will work brilliantly with whatever you’re cooking.
Sure it does mean extra cooking, but not a whole meals worth.
Here are some examples to get you thinking:
Steamed rice
Fried rice like this one.
Cooked pasta
Tortillas
Pita
Flat bread
Canned chickpeas
Canned beans
Refried beans
Potatoes (always a fave in our house!)
Mashed spuds or other root veg
Roast root veg (pictured above)
And if none of those options work, just give them a side of hot buttered toast. Toast goes with everything.
2. Cook carbs in bulk.
This is the key to making the ‘side of carbs’ trick work almost effortlessly.
Whenever I am cooking carbs for my boys, I always make extra and either freeze or just keep in the fridge. Then when it’s time to serve I warm the pasta / rice /veg / whatever in a pan with a little oil.
Too easy.
What about you?
Do you struggle to cater for different dietary requirements? Need some extra help? I’d love to hear about your situation in the comments below.