You are making the right choice ~ spending some quality time with your babygirl. She will outgrow her need to spend time with you, before you're ready:) You will look back on this time fondly.
My first thought was a sweet potato cooked in the microwave, but that may be too messy. I used to cook ahead and make my own kiddie TV dinner in sectioned plates. Stack in the freezer, take out in the morning to thaw, and reheat quickly when you get home. You can sit down with her while she eats her dinner and discuss her day! She gets variety, learns her spoon skills, and gets mommy's undivided attention. It is actually a nice way to unwind.

For a starch, you can boil fingerling potatoes in about 10-15 minutes, or put them in the oven in foil. They're easy to grab hold of. :) Or you could even steam them.

There are other grains, like cracked wheat, that you can make instead of rice. And for a make ahead thing, you could make potato pancakes, rice balls, or similar things, to make variety from the same old things. They're quick to heat, and not very time consuming to make.

Great suggestions! Thank you!!

Why would the sweet potato be messy in the mw? She loves sweet potato (I can eat it, but still acquiring the taste).

Not sure I've seen cracked wheat - what is that and how would I make it? Where would I find it?

Rice balls ? - recipe?

I do make potato/zucchini/carrot pancake and she loves that, but the prep time is a bit long with shredding the stuff. Maybe time to get a larger food processor (I've got a mini and it's a pain to use for anything grown up).

I also used to make potato pancakes out of mashed potatos, but that is out now due to a major allergy to anything dairy.

I don't cook separate meals, (I either eat when she does or I won't get dinner) and so far we're lucky she eats almost anything and is quite the gourmet eater - about the only thing she's not big on is eggs in any form, but will eat them. She is not your typical kid eater as she'll eat what grown-ups eat, at least for now, but I'd like to try to continue that one.

Dinner is our time to sit down and eat together and I know she likes that we are eating the same thing as she will show me what she has and is very pleased when I take the same thing and put in my mouth and tell her what it is. Plus the good thing is I'm eating healthier now too. If DH was home he'd sit down too as I want her to get used to family meals and us sitting down together. Figured now is the time for me to teach her these things if I want her to continue them later.

BTW - great idea on the fingerlings - I need to see if our grocery store carries them still. Are they seasonal? I don't remember seeing them this past weekend.

Make all sorts of pancakes...buy kasha cook a bunch refrigerate and then mix with egg, a little salt and make into patties....fry until lightly browned and the egg is done and drizzle with a little syrup.
How much egg? enough to make the kasha hang together....and you don';t have to add syrup but that's the way I like it.
If she's a good eater I am sure any veggie steamed in pieces works well...broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, zucchini spears, halved cherry tomators.
How about things like bean medley, mixed ahead and baked just before.
I am thinking frozen of canned green beans, yellow beans, kidney beans or canolli beans and some canned lima beans....a mild BBQ sauce...tomato sauce with a bit of onion, vinegar and brown sugar and some liquid smoke....simmered for 20 minutes or so...it keeps in the refrig a while.
Does she eat meat too?
Linda C

I'd suggest some foil packet cooking. Put some washed outside lettuce leaves on a piece of heavy-duty foil. Cover with frozen peas. Dot with butter, sprinkle with S & P and an herb like tarragon (optional) and cover with additional lettuce leaves. Wrap package with a butcher fold and bake along with your entree.

Linda - Never had Kasha - so we'll have to see if I can order some online and give it a try.

All the veggies are things we do now as in steamed and we have a huge variety there.

So now I'm wondering what do you mean with baked just before. How long/temp. Sounds like a good combination of beans if I can find them, but I'm guessing any will do.

Yes she eats meats, I try to do a variety through the week with different proteins. We always have one of the following pork, chicken, beef, and fish in a given week. I'm going to try for some shrimp next week - haven't introduced shell-fish yet.

I forgot a few things she doesn't like much - tofu and avocado, although the avocado will do if there is nothing else left.

lyfia, good for you for spending that time with your daughter, it'll go quickly and you'll be glad you did.

ruthanna, that sounds yummy to me, even without a toddler!

the sweet potatoes sound like a very good idea, both my girls love sweet potatoes, and I like fingerlings myself.

Roasted vegetables might be another option, I roast big pans of them and just reheat, but you could stick them right in the oven with a meatloaf or a casserole and make whatever vegetables you like.

Annie

I couldn't say about seasons for the potatoes. We almost always have them but, from what I've read here, our produce is very different from the rest of the country.

Cracked wheat are wheat kernals that have been broken. They cook faster than whole wheat berries, and kind of fluff up. There's also bulgar, which is precooked and dried, and cooks very fast.

Kasha is buckwheat groats, like a cracked buckwheat.

You know, and don't like barley. Cracked wheat, bulgar and kasha are all potential substitutes for that. Cook according to directions on the package, and add your favorite flavoring. Bulgar has a distinctive, toasty flavor on its own, but also takes flavor from what you add. Possibles include using broth instead of water for boiling. A few dabs of salted margarine on top (or a little flavored oil and salt). Chopped herbs and a tiny bit of balsamic vinegar, or a touch of sweetened rice vinegar and chopped steamed veggies. Slivered almonds and peaches. The possibilities are endless. Anything you can do with rice you can do with wheat, for some variety.

Yes, indeed, a full sized food processor with a grating disc makes cleaning up the biggest chore in preparing for pancakes.

Another prepare ahead starch would be mashed plantains.

You can make some great purees from roots like parsnip, celery root, and rutabega. But that might be too like baby food for your toddler, and might require more spoon skills.

You can also roast roots. Cut them into even sized cubes, about an inch on a side. Toss them in a bowl with a little seasoning and a little oil (something that'll take heat like Canola rather than salad oil like extra virgin olive oil). Put them in a heavy, shallow pan, spread out with space between the pieces, and roast at 450° until they're crisp outside and tender inside. This is something you can do ahead, and put in the oven next to your main to reheat. You can do the same with other vegetables for a change of pace too, but cut them at least twice as big.

You can make mashed potatoes without dairy. I just use potatoes. If you want a rich substitute you can use a creamer like Mocha Mix. For something thinner, there's almond milk, rice milk, soy milk... And there are some very good vegetarian margarines that cook pretty well.

Oops. Meant to say VEGAN margarines. Non-dairy.

Here's an easy way to utlilize kasha as either a side dish or a main course. Leftovers can easily be reheated in the microwave.

MICROWAVE KASHA AND NOODLES

3 ounces bow-tie pasta
1 Tbs. vegetable oil
1/2 cup whole kernel kasha
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 cup chicken broth
3 Tbs. butter
15 fresh mushrooms, trimmed, and sliced
2 Tbs. minced onion
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1/2 tsp. coarsely ground black pepper

Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil, and add the pasta. Cook until just tender, then drain, rinse under cold water and drain again. Set aside. Cook the oil, uncovered, in a 2 quart microwave-safe casserole at full power for 1 minute. Stir in the kasha, and cook until toasted and fragrant, 1 1/2 minutes. Remove the casserole from the oven and quickly add the beaten egg, stirring until it is almost cooked and the kernels are coated (this will take only a few seconds). Return the casserole to the oven and cook 20 seconds. Stir to separate the kernels, breaking up any clumps with a fork. Stir in broth and cook, uncovered, until liquid has been absorbed and the kernels are cooked through, about 6 1/2 minutes. Break up any clumps with a fork. Set aside.

Cook the butter in a microwave-safe pie plate for 1 minute. Then stir in the mushrooms and chopped onion, and cook 3 minutes. Remove from oven and stir in the green onions and pepper. Stir the mushroom mixture and the reserved pasta into the kasha. Return the casserole to the oven, and cook until heated through, 1 to 2 minutes. (Note: for extra flavor, noodles can be cooked in chicken broth.)

I think it is great your daughter eats what you eat. She will grow up to appreciate good food. I had a problem years ago when my son started preschool, because he had never eaten sandwiches for lunch. He didn't understand he couldn't take smoked oysters and sardines & crackers for his lunch.~LOL

I was thinking the micro sweet potato would be messy as a finger food (yes, I've forgotten how messy toddlers are:). I find roasted vegetables on the grill, such as chunks of yellow squash, zucchini, onion, etc are delicious the next day after they have been in the refrigerator. I will include the tinest pcs in cold wraps and they add an unexpected sweet flavor.

Don't forget raw veggies with a dip of some kind as a really quick, no-fuss side dish. Most kids love dipping things...I think it has to do with feeling in control, like they're participating in their own meals rather than just eating them. I had a friend whose young daughter didn't like salad, but if you put a few lettuce leaves on a plate with a colorful array of julienne vegetables, sliced tomatoes and olives she loved to arrange the ingredients in a leaf, roll it up, dip in dressing and munch it down. Go figure.

The sweet potatoes are a great idea...also yams. Baked in their jackets, they're yummy hot, but equally as good room temp or cold as leftovers, so if you bake a big one, you can have several meals with it. I've never been able to figure out why people top them with sugar and marshmallows as they're so sweet just as they are.

Potato "pizzas" appeal to many kids. One meal, you boil red or yukon gold potatoes and serve them hot, but make extra. Then,you put the leftover potatoes on a piece of oiled foil, smash them with a fork to make the "pizza" dough (leave the skin for the vitamins)...dab it with tomato sauce of some kind, top it with cheese, and broil quickly to heat the potato and melt the cheese. You can add toppings as well, if you choose. If you've a toaster oven, this works wonderfully in one.

If spending time with your child while not sacrificing food quality is a priority, remember that zip lock bags can be your friend. Yes, I know it might seem wasteful to some, but they are. Cook rice for a meal? Double the amount so you can put serving sized amounts in zip lock bags, press out as much air as you can and freeze. Let it thaw on the counter as you play with your baby or change her into her jammies and give it a quick microwave zap when ready for dinner. Same thing with any number of starch side dishes and many main dishes.

Get a Chinese bamboo steamer.

You can steam 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 dishes at one time.

dcarch

Great ideas - I just did a skim of the responses and do have some specific questions, but got to get work done so will have to come back later. Just wanted to say Thanks!

Maybe Israeli couscous, or corn tortillas, baked or fried into chips?