Evening meal ideas for DC's who have hot school meals and whose mum is on a tight budget.

[cafebistro]

After recent events I am now bracing myself for life as a single mum. My DC's will have a hot meal during the week at school and I'm wondering what an appropriate evening meal would be as seen as they will already have had a proper meal on most week days. I am going to be on a really tight budget.

At the moment I cook a whole host of things for their evening meal as they usually have sandwiches for their lunch. Everything from cottage pie, roast chicken dinner, spaghetti and meatballs, lasagne etc . Will they still want/need a meal like that if they have had say a roast beef dinner for lunch?

What do others in my position do? Any meal ideas or general advice would be welcome as I'm trying to meal plan etc at the moment.

[CMOTDibbler]

My ds has a hot meal at school, and in the evening he doesn't want more than beans on toast or toast and soup - that sort of thing.

[cafebistro]

I also have a 2yo but can make her something more substantial for her lunch if need be.

[CogitoErgoSometimes]

We have grand tradition of what we call a 'picky tea'.... things like wraps or rolls, a yoghurt, piece of fruit, cereal bar etc. It's basically a packed lunch!

[Xroads]

Pasta, jacket potatoes, mince, eat less meat and invest in a slow cooker (you can use it for loads of things, best of all it uses less electric than a cooker)

I'm going to be a tight budget this year too my plan is to make things like:

pasta sauce (can be made cheaply with tinned toms, garlic, herbs and a bit of cheese grated on top) with garlic bread, fruit or yogurt for pudding

Jacket potato, beans and salad with a biscuit for pudding.

pizza, salad, wedges with angel delight (smart price)

fishfingers, waffles and peas

mushroom risotto, broccoli, carrots and fruit for after

etc

[Tortoiseonthehalfshell]

On days when mine is at nursery (she's 4) and has a hot meal, I tend to do things like this:

Beans & cheese in a baked potato. Or tuna mayonnaise
Pasta bolognaise, but with only a teensy bit of meat, mostly tomato sauce (& I grate a courgette through the sauce, the taste disappears)
Home made pizza - don't have to have much on it at all, just some tomato paste and grated cheese and maybe a bit of ham or tinned pineapple
Scrambled eggs on toast
Soup & toast. Mine adore pea and ham soup, very cheap and can be made in bulk. Or potato and broccoli, or pumpkin - starchy vegetables, basically. Not chicken broth with greens.

Basically I figure, they've had vegetables at lunchtime and I offer fruit as snacks, so I don't worry so much about a complete meal and focus on filling them up! But I do offer a hot meal rather than cold, just because it's usually the cheaper option. I am time poor and mine are grumpy in the afternoons so I choose things I can pre-cook in bulk and freeze into portions - cheaper that way. I don't know how old yours are, and how the calorie needs change, but my four year old is skinny as a rake and often eats, literally, more than I do, so I feel qualified to comment.

[Picturesinthefirelight]

Mine have a hot meal at school and usually ask for soup or a sandwich/ wrap for tea.

They also love pasta sauce made with passata which is really cheap.

[cafebistro]

Thanks for all the suggestions.
Cogito - a picky tea sounds fab and I'll definitely do that when the weather gets a bit warmer.

xroads - I'm not a massive meat so cutting back on that should be quite easy. I'm a mince and chicken sort of person rather than a shoulder of lamb like my xp. We have a slow cooker but it's xp's but I may try to hide it before he moves out .

Tortoise - my DC's are 7, 4 and 2 so only little really.

[Rooobs]

soup (Heinz tomato beats anything I make apparently )
breadsticks, hummous and grapes
tuna sandwiches
boiled egg and dippy soldiers
tuna mayo/sweetcorn and pasta

[ggirl]

ds has a hot meal again at night as we'rehaving one anwya...is that unusual then?
he's very skinny but says the portions are teeny at school

[2Tired2GiveaShit]

Sausage egg and chips
Stirfry
Beans on toast
Scrambled egg on toast
chips and gravy
Toastie sandwiches:- beans/cheese/ leftover spag bol/tuna the fillings for them are endless really!

[wheredidiputchristmas]

My dd's have cooked lunches at school, but always have a cooked dinner at home as well as A) school dinners aren't that big and B) dd2 is in reception and has her lunch at 11.30 so come 4.30/5pm she is staving.

[3ForMe]

Just wanted to add a toastie or a sandwich with a cup a soup.

But would have suggested all the others on here.

And school portions are tiny!

And don't forget cheap, filling puds like rice pudding, bananas and custard, sponge and custard.

Cup a soups are on offer for 50p in asda (batchelors I think) and own brand rice pudding is about 40p a tin.

[Rooobs]

oh and chicken fried rice, i.e. cooked chicken (or ham) with rice, peas, sweetcorn and garlic. Maybe an egg if they're lucky

[cafebistro]

Good point about the school meal portions being small.

[cafebistro]

Sorry posted before I'd finished - I suppose I'll play it by ear then on how hungry they'll be.