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

[arancf13]

@gotorightway123 uk, midlands x

 

[jsrsolution]

I'm exactly the same with meal times (I'm a 'can't cook won't cook' person). Tried a meal planner but that didn't work i.e. kids moaned about everything written on it.
I try to 'cook' 2-3 times per week (roast dinner, spag bol, curries, chicken fajitas mainly) then do quick/ready meals a couple of nights too (chicken nuggets/pizza etc).
We always have a takeaway on Sat night as I need one night off each week from dinner stress! lol

 

[mludenyo]

@jsrsolution

 

[asainboi247]

Slow cooker can do anything in it

 

[liddie]

We it really depends what they are fussy over and are they old enough to help. I find far more willingness to eat when they have made it. Also things they can select themselves live tacos where you can put the various fillings (beans, salad, cheese ect)on the table and they fill to their own mix. I even do build it your self curry with roast veg, panner, prawns (whatever I have) and a sauce or dall and let her serve herself.
For inspiration this is what I can remember of our plan this week
Mon: cottage pie using leftovers from Sunday roast
Tue: chic pea and egg tagine with roasted butternut and dried fruit couscous
Wend: satay pork stir-fry
Thur: we are having a special family meal so not normal weekday fair
Fri: I can not remember but it's our movie night so always something we can eat not at the table

 

[aarcus]

I do try to meal plan and use the slow cooker alot, but I'm in no way the most organised, as we are not all sooooper mums, so when I say "what you want for tea kids" ? There is no better reply than...fish finger butty, tomato soup and custy bread, cheese toasty, bacon butty, happy fed kids, happy mum,

 

[ozie]

My 5 year old has the same dinner at school every day even though there’s different options

 

[shadowsinthesunlite]

Try sitting down with them and asking what they would like too, they might try a bit harder if it's something they've chose or been involved in deciding on xx

 

[rjmclaugh]

Look up Bored of Lunch and Taming Twins on Instagram, they have great family meal ideas that are easy to prep/cook. Both are launching cook books right now too

 

[marjoriejacinthe]

@rjmclaugh yessss we love bored of lunch, honestly can’t rate taming twins enough either, absolutely changed my life!!

 

[gotorightway123]

Shall I just send you my meal plans? And recipes? Would that help maybe?

 

[snyder502]

We all eat different meals here too however say I do spag bol, 2 kids have pasta and cheese, 1 just garlic bread with bit of Bol. I also have a vegan 16 yo she tends to have sweet potatoes with a vegan not chicken and veg/salad.
Wraps kids chose what goes in, always with salad and choice of chips or wedges.
Panini, make your own pizzas with bread or French stick,
Roast dinner we all have and vegan has meat alternative,
Mine all have hot meals at school so less fussy in week when all at work and school.
I also try get them involved in choosing shopping and meals

 

[samuelb]

Depending on how old the kids are ask them to write down all the foods/meals they do like. And then make something each night off the list and take turns if one of the kids don’t like maybe sit down n say try each foods as a food tasting night. X

 

[marjoriejacinthe]

@yuri48 !!!! Honestly can not rate her meal plans and recipes at ALL, there’s 5 of us (2 adults, 3 kids age 10,3,2) and we regularly have some leftovers for lunches the next day with her recipes as they’re really good portion sizes. We’ve tried over 60 different recipes of hers and not had a single bad meal yet. She’s released a few meal plans of 30 min meals, and has a new book out on THURSDAY with 100 new 30 minute recipes

 

[xiaochen]

I second this one. Tamingtwins. So easy and yummy food. Ivw mainly done the slow cooker ones, no faf and can be pre prepared very easily! My boys and myself and hubby love her food. Plus dinner is ready when we get home from a busy day when the last thing i want to do is cook!

 

[dopos]

What meals do they eat at school? It’s normally quite varied. Look up the menu and alternate it for home? Meal plan together

 

[eqa]

Cottage pie
Fish pie
Spag bol.

 

[tobor]

Forget its a slimming world just put some cheddar on top and it's easy and will feed 4 to 6 people

 

[wowgold675]

I feel your pain, can do three diff meals in one sitting. One child is pescatarian (by choice) another very fussy and no spices at all and then there’s the rest of us. Batch cooking and deep freezer helps. List of fave foods - they can all come up with ideas. Big bowls of prepped fruit / salad / veg sticks / pasta etc. cooked meats eg honey roast gammon, chicken and prepared boiled eggs and snack foods like yoghurts whilst they wait for tea. I’m a pro now just vary same dish or use microwave or actifry for the odd meal rather than use oven for sake of one or two. I like frozen veg and prepped food as all helps for quickness xx

 

[aaronellis]

So I sat my family of 5 together, asked them to write out what 4 dinners they love, then those 4 choices are put in a bowl in front of them, then we do a round of everyone pulling out 1 dinner each, that goes on a list of dinners for 5 nights of 1 week, (Saturdays is usually pizza for them and I do a roast on a Sunday which everyone loves) then we do it again and those choices are written and so on till all four are out and written down! So then I had a plan for a month of dinners , and at least once a week each person got what they like and everyone was happy! If they didn't like something they had to make their own dinner