Struggling with Dinner Ideas: Seeking Easy, Kid-Friendly Meals for a Busy Schedule
- Thread starter arancf13
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muffinsofchaos
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Same here! It’s just variations of pasta for them and chocolate for me 
it definitely helps doing a meal plan with them and then I’ll add a variation of something I want in! Often I cook a large curry for a couple of us (there are 6) then freeze some so it bails me out on a day they don’t eat what I want x
it definitely helps doing a meal plan with them and then I’ll add a variation of something I want in! Often I cook a large curry for a couple of us (there are 6) then freeze some so it bails me out on a day they don’t eat what I want xlindacastledavie
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@muffinsofchaos pinch of nom cook books are good 
muffinsofchaos
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lindacastledavie
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@muffinsofchaos well that’s handy they do a pizza pasta we did that last night 
muffinsofchaos
New member
@lindacastledavie haha send me some recipes! Although I don’t eat pizza and try to avoid pasta so it’s still masses of meals to cook!
I think when it's over whelming it's good to start small. It's definitely less stressful if you meal plan on a planner so you know what your doing for that week, it also helps you waste less food. It really does depend what you all like but easy things I find are chicken fajitas. Mine don't like spice so I cook the chicken separate, make a separate sauce then lay everything out they all like on the table, cucumber, lettuce, cheese, sweetcorn etc and let them build there own. Same with pizza I make the bases, or lidls are nice, pick 3 toppings, do one of each, again serve with salad laid out. If they like tomato pasta sauce you, if you make it yourself you can add whatever to it, mine just like to sprinkle ham on top serve with a veg etc
vanillasunflowers
New member
Ham, egg and chips
Sausage, beans and chips
Sausage and mash
Fatijas
Southern fried chicken wraps with salad in
Cheese and ham toasties with veg or salad
Tomato pasta
Baked potato
Baked sweet potato with mac and cheese
Sausage, beans and chips
Sausage and mash
Fatijas
Southern fried chicken wraps with salad in
Cheese and ham toasties with veg or salad
Tomato pasta
Baked potato
Baked sweet potato with mac and cheese
poppylavender
New member
Whatever the fussy kids eat, just make it. Have yours later, something lovely. Pick your battles, make life easy. X
@poppylavender from reading these replies you’re right, I think I’ve put too much pressure on myself xx
poppylavender
New member
xxchristismyarmor
New member
Easy mac and cheese:
* Fresh pasta (makes a huge batch) takes 3 or 4 mins to cook. Pour in about half a small tub of soluble cream and grate a GOOD amount of cheese in as well, you can put in Parmasan if you like, too. Add a little salt and some pepper. Keep it on low heat and stir until cheese is melted in. Serve it while it is hot.
*Again, fresh pasta with red or green pesto from a jar.
*omelette with whatever else they want in the omelette. You can do a quick salad as well.
*Baked potatoes. You can even buy them ready made (frozen) if you don't want to bale them yourself and put butter/beans/cheese/tuna etc in them
*slice up chicken breast, season it with chicken seasoning, and fry it. Put it in wraps with any salad or grayed carrot or anything you want.
*butternut squash soup (you can even buy this already peeled and chopped up in the supermarket). Add the butternut together with a chopped onion and a chopped up carrot. Pour in about 5 cups of water and a chicken or veg stock cube. Lid on and medium boil for about 15 mins. Pour in about a ladel of double cream and blend it all together. Serve with garlic bread.
* Fresh pasta (makes a huge batch) takes 3 or 4 mins to cook. Pour in about half a small tub of soluble cream and grate a GOOD amount of cheese in as well, you can put in Parmasan if you like, too. Add a little salt and some pepper. Keep it on low heat and stir until cheese is melted in. Serve it while it is hot.
*Again, fresh pasta with red or green pesto from a jar.
*omelette with whatever else they want in the omelette. You can do a quick salad as well.
*Baked potatoes. You can even buy them ready made (frozen) if you don't want to bale them yourself and put butter/beans/cheese/tuna etc in them
*slice up chicken breast, season it with chicken seasoning, and fry it. Put it in wraps with any salad or grayed carrot or anything you want.
*butternut squash soup (you can even buy this already peeled and chopped up in the supermarket). Add the butternut together with a chopped onion and a chopped up carrot. Pour in about 5 cups of water and a chicken or veg stock cube. Lid on and medium boil for about 15 mins. Pour in about a ladel of double cream and blend it all together. Serve with garlic bread.
farfromperfectclose2truth
New member
Join the club! I feel ya pain! I'm a single parent of four and its very difficult! But I've followed a few on FB reels doing recipes and so far been successful!
bhagat_singh
New member
Invest in a slow cooker. You can literally cook everything in it without needing a lot of skills.
From stews, curry's, fajitas etc to gammon, pulled pork, whole chickens, joints of beef, lamb etc.
You can buy seasonings for most types of recipes so no need to stress with measurements.
Colemans do a brilliant range of Big Night in 'take away' style mixes. The salt and pepper chicken is amazing done in the slow cooker. Roughly chop onions, peppers and bung it in with diced chicken and add the seasoning. Don't add any liquid leave it all day on low and you have an amazing dinner that you just have to do rice for.
Bliss!
From stews, curry's, fajitas etc to gammon, pulled pork, whole chickens, joints of beef, lamb etc.
You can buy seasonings for most types of recipes so no need to stress with measurements.
Colemans do a brilliant range of Big Night in 'take away' style mixes. The salt and pepper chicken is amazing done in the slow cooker. Roughly chop onions, peppers and bung it in with diced chicken and add the seasoning. Don't add any liquid leave it all day on low and you have an amazing dinner that you just have to do rice for.
Bliss!
gotorightway123
New member
Meatballs.:
Morrisons has now a very good offer on beef mince- under £2 for 500g.
Boil spaghetti pasta as on the packet, rinse with cold water, leave in the sieve. Use the same pot ( less washing up)
Beef mince put in the bowl, add chopped onions, 2 cloves of garlic, handful of breadcrumbs and crack an egg, salt, pepper, paprika, add 2 spoons of cold water ( it will mix better) taste- add some more spices if needed, don’t be affraid of salt. Mix together in the bowl with your your hand. Make meatballs, if they stick to your hand- have a bowl of cold water handy and dip your hands in after each one. In the pan- fry some oil ( 3 spoon) pot the meatballs in, clockwise, so one on 12,1,2 etc. once you go to 11 check if the 12 o’clock one is nice and brown on the bottom. That’s how you’ll always know which one to turn first. Turn clockwise, and you just fried them on both sides.
You can serve them just like that, with boiled potatoes mash, and a simple salad. OR in the pot- fry chopped onions on 3 spoons of oil, when see thru- add 2 cans of tomatoes, let it fry for a bit. Add teaspoon of sugar ( always sugar your toms! Always). Then add around 500ml of hot water with 1 chicken stock cube dissolved in. You’ve just made a tomato sauce. Now add the meatballs that you’ve fried and are resting on the plate with paper towel, let it simmer. Add 2 garlic cloves to the sauce. If too thin- let it simmer, add some cream or simple half a glass of corn water with teaspoon of corn flower dissolved- always stir vigorously when you add
Morrisons has now a very good offer on beef mince- under £2 for 500g.
Boil spaghetti pasta as on the packet, rinse with cold water, leave in the sieve. Use the same pot ( less washing up)
Beef mince put in the bowl, add chopped onions, 2 cloves of garlic, handful of breadcrumbs and crack an egg, salt, pepper, paprika, add 2 spoons of cold water ( it will mix better) taste- add some more spices if needed, don’t be affraid of salt. Mix together in the bowl with your your hand. Make meatballs, if they stick to your hand- have a bowl of cold water handy and dip your hands in after each one. In the pan- fry some oil ( 3 spoon) pot the meatballs in, clockwise, so one on 12,1,2 etc. once you go to 11 check if the 12 o’clock one is nice and brown on the bottom. That’s how you’ll always know which one to turn first. Turn clockwise, and you just fried them on both sides.
You can serve them just like that, with boiled potatoes mash, and a simple salad. OR in the pot- fry chopped onions on 3 spoons of oil, when see thru- add 2 cans of tomatoes, let it fry for a bit. Add teaspoon of sugar ( always sugar your toms! Always). Then add around 500ml of hot water with 1 chicken stock cube dissolved in. You’ve just made a tomato sauce. Now add the meatballs that you’ve fried and are resting on the plate with paper towel, let it simmer. Add 2 garlic cloves to the sauce. If too thin- let it simmer, add some cream or simple half a glass of corn water with teaspoon of corn flower dissolved- always stir vigorously when you add
gotorightway123
New member
Where do you live? Just come to mine, I’ll teach you.