Struggling with Dinner Ideas: Seeking Easy, Kid-Friendly Meals for a Busy Schedule

[nina1125]

I like cooking and still used to dread every afternoon stressing about what to cook that everyone would eat. Just before lockdown I started doing meal plans for the week and it really made a massive difference. You may still not enjoy the cooking side of it, but at least you only have to do the thinking bit once a week. I’ve now got a few years of meal plans on a spreadsheet and every week I just go back and pick one and then make a shopping list from it. It take about 30 minutes now. I add the odd new meal every week or two if I come across it. If you know you have the ingredients it makes it easier to do and the more you do it the quicker you’ll get.
A surprise hit in this house was sea bass pizza! Got some fillets, fried on skin side then put some pizza style tomato sauce topping on, follow by grated mozzarella and stuck under the grill for a few minutes finish. They didn’t even really register that it was fish they were eating. I chose sea bass because I don’t like white fish much but don’t mind sea bass but you could use a cheaper fish or one you preferred.

 

[elhannon]

Gousto or hello fresh

 

[tmaple]

Perhaps get the children to help..find some good recipes that they would like to try..good luck..xx

 

[arancf13]

Thanks again everyone. I’ve just been offered a dream job this morning so the little darlings will have to cook me dinner

 

[pookie10]

@arancf13 congratulations

 

[nombulelomalinga]

Try toasties/ wraps with various fillings on a plate with veg sticks and crisp.
Spag bol
Chicken lollipops (Chicken breast strips on sticks), with potatoes and veg with a choice of sauces on the table.
Sausage casserole (slow cooker)
Hotpot really easy especially In Slow cooker, fry off mince first then drain it, add the mince, cube potatoes, carrots, peas, sweetcorn, mushrooms and onion (if kids don’t like onion chop leek very fine it blends in) add water, seasoning and a stock cube. Leave to cook for a few hours just before serving add gravy powder to it. Nice and easy x

 

[ewetsade]

Buy a local bag of potatoes they last us a month.and were a family of 5.
Chips and egg.
Sausage and mash
Cottage pie.
Hot pot
Cheese and onion pie

 

[nancyk33612]

I did hello fresh when they have the 40%offers on to gove me some quick ideas and selected 20 min meals. I have put the recipes aside and paused my subscription and then the kids chose one dinner a week i do something else i know they like then they have to just try the other nights

 

[andarinka]

Wraps… random fillings in bowls they can fill themselves, homemade soup the night before and nice bread?

 

[tmt1982]

Since our son has been at full time school if he had a hot lunch he loves to come home to a pack up or picnic tea as he calls it. It's easier and can even be done before school to grab when home. Alternatively he may ask for beans on toast. Alternatively we find the meals we do all agree on and if I can it's slow cooked to make it easier. I think the meal choices depends on what you like and they like. Make it simple but as healthy as possible. The what to have for dinner discussion has to be the biggest and most frustrating in every household even if your a gourmet chef

 

[codeforchrist]

Go onto Jamie Oliver's fb page. He's started doing monthly ideas with things like batch cooking etc etc. Reminds me of my school domestic science classes...sensible yet interesting and money-saving. Worth a look.

 

[seekingwanderer]

Gusto is great!

 

[srlewis]

I batch what my daughter will eat. Then when we have something she doesn't like I get hers out the freezer and warm it through.

 

[gaurav]

I hated my mother's cooking so much that I taught myself how to cook
My kid learns from me and she loves it, the secret is... BBC good food recipes
My collegue swears by hello fresh though

 

[awman]

Slow cooker! Cook yours during the day and then only the kids to do. I totally get you with the fussy! My eldest literally only eats chicken nugget’s, turkey dinosaurs, cheese sandwiches and dunkers… the Occasional fruit..

 

[3enben]

I've been using these you can get your first box free if you sign up via my link it's so good and it means you can source your food cheaper in the shops rather than getting the meats etc delivered it's just the spices for the meals, my boys have tried alsorts since having these and honestly they are amazing and so easy!

https://www.simplycook.com/invite/D28W7W?via=app

 

[confundido]

I second simply cook. Great recipes and easy. My 9 year old likes alot of them and you can slightly adjust the recipes to take out items they may not like. I often change aubergine to brocoli etc. We tried Gusto but even then we would waste some of the ingredients.

 

[3enben]

@confundido yes that's why I love it!! You can substitute things can't you! It's great, and you can save the cards and make it yourself I've never tried gusto but i just like how you're going to get your own food etc most things you already have in, I saw a few people say their meat wasn't right from hello fresh and it's put me off I did try it but wasn't really keen on their meals whereas these are super duper tasty all 4 were a great hit! Now the boys ask for it again hahahaha x

 

[confundido]

Exactly and some you can even cut out the meat if you wanted to like the fire cracker noodles. My son absolutely loves those but go very easy on the hot sauce. The first time I made it I added it all and we got through about 4 pints of milk that nights with dinner.

 

[chibimaddy]

Strongly recommend Gousto, I can’t cook at all but these have taught me quite a bit! We do it for a few weeks, have paused it so we can re make some of the dishes from the recipe cards, found it lowers food waste so much too! As well as a smaller shopping bill as you know what you’re cooking each eve