For my children to not have two cooked dinners?

[mrsnw]

So from next week my two, dd 4 and ds6, will be school dinners everyday. Am I being unreasonable to not cook them a dinner in the evening and just give them a sandwich or beans on toast?? What do others serve up?

[ILetHimKeep20Quid]

Two cooked meals a day is hardly exrtravagant is it?

[Snoot]

I always think it's really sad when children just get a sandwich for their evening meal! School dinners are hardly huge and it's a long time before bedtime, put a proper dinner in their tummies before bed.

[ilovepowerhoop]

it will depend on the portion sizes that the school serves. If they are small then your lo's could certainly be hungry enough for a proper dinner

[BigBoobiedBertha]

Of course YANBU. Nobody needs 2 cooked meals a day. Assuming they eat their school lunch of course and if they don't why are you bothering?

Sandwich tea or boiled egg, beans on toast or other quick snacky type meals is absolutely fine.

[mrsjay]

I would wait and see if they are hungry or not I wouldn't eat 2 cooked meals a day and school dinners are not tiny portions but they might not finish it all keep your options open yanbu though

[LegoAcupuncture]

Yanbu if that's what you want to do.

Have you seen the size of school portions though? I work at a school and the meals are oly usually 400 calories or under, not really much for a growing child.

[luxemburgerli]

Sandwich etc is fine, really don't see the aversion to it. If you feel like you want them to have something hot (e.g. particularly cold day), you could have some fast hot dinners too. Like jacket potatoes, pasta, eggs and soldiers, soup and bread.

[dreamingbohemian]

You don't necessarily need to cook in the evening, but I think I'd make sure they got some veg in there somehow, that the meal was healthy overall. You can't be sure they eat enough at school and sometimes the meals aren't that nutritious.

[luxemburgerli]

That may be true Lego, but why do the dinner calories need to be hot? Sanwiches etc can still be a substantial meal.

[TrueStory]

I am flexible. Sometimes I cook a nice meal for DS, especially if I fancy it myself. A sandwich or such like every day would be a sad home event. Other times its just a bit of pasta, or toasted sandwich, as you say OP.

Isn't there a Middle Way?

[jamdonut]

School meals are not that huge,seriously. And if they don't like or eat everything, they are starving when they get home! There is nothing wrong with having two cooked meals.

[StephenFrySaidSo]

Ive always wondered what this issue with having 'two cooked meals' is. Is it an english thing to not have a hot dinner in the evening? I'd never heard of it before MN.

Op is it the cooking aspect you dont fancy or do you think they dont need something hot or they've had their veg or what?

[FatalFlowerGarden]

YANBU. But it does depend a bit on the quality/quantity of the school meals and how hungry your individual kids get!

Beans on toast, or a couple of boiled eggs with soldiers, a baked potato with topping etc; all perfectly reasonable meals (and hot, and cooked!) if they've had a decent lunch (and a good breakfast, and snacks at break time).

And it may not be 'extravagant' to cook a full meal in the evening, but it can be expensive and time consuming. I work full time, often not home until 6.30-7.00pm, and ds has school lunches - he knows full well that he won't always be getting a 'big' meal in the evening.

[luxemburgerli]

Where are you StephenFry? i am in Switzerland, virtually no one here has a hot meal in the evening, just one at lunch.

[StephenFrySaidSo]

And wont you be cooking dinner for yourself anyway?

[bamboobutton]

my ds never eats a cooked dinner if I serve one after school. the portions at his school must be massive as he only takes a few bites of supper before announcing he is full.

eggs and soldiers
beans on toast/chips
sandwiches
all fine in my opinion!

[Shannaratiger]

If mine have school dinners they only want a sandwich for tea. I will give them a hot meal if they asked but they haven't in 2 years.

[StephenFrySaidSo]

I am in northern ireland- hot dinners every evening, even in summer!

[FatalFlowerGarden]

There's nothing wrong with having two cooked meals a day. There's also nothing wrong with only having one! Food doesn't automatically become more nutritious just because it's warm

Do all of you have a cooked lunch and a 'proper' evening meal too? I don't!

[animaniac]

imo YABU to give them a sandwich for their dinner every day. Do you really want to rely on a third party providing your children's main source of nutrition for the day? they will have had a whole afternoon of school when they get home so would seem to me they will need something a bit more substantial.

[luxemburgerli]

why is the sandwich not a major part of their nutrition animaniac? Food doesn't have to be hot to be nutritious.

[Budgiegirlbob]

YANBU, there's nothing wrong with two cooked meals a day, but it doesnt mean you have to. After all, if they had packed lunches they would only have one hot meal a day, why does it matter if the hot meal is at school, not at home.

Although school dinners are not huge, I would think they would be plenty big enough for a 6 and 4 year old, as long as you are confident they will eat the majority of it.

Nothing wrong with a nutritious snack type meal like sandwiches, soup or beans on toast in the evening, especially if you do some veggies with it.
You'll soon know if they are eating enough, as they will tell you!

[dreamingbohemian]

I agree it doesn't matter if the food is hot or cold. But for example just giving your kid a cheese sandwich in the evening is pretty lame. At least add a side of veg or a salad or something.

[FatalFlowerGarden]

I think people are getting confused between 'nutrition' and 'cooking'...