I cook 4 different meals every night, help me meal plan please

[OnlyWantsOne]

DD1 (4) and DD2 (6 months BLW) eat at 5.30ish - DD1 doesnt eat meat yet

DP gets home about 8, we eat together then, but Im doing WW PP

so at the moment im cooking 4 different things every night

Ive always been fairly crap at meal plans
so I needs some helps!!

[MrsPresley]

Can the youngest not eat the same as your older child? Obviously not everything will be suitable but adapt the meals to suit.

Give DP the same as you but a larger portion?

Some nights the children could more or less eat the same as you and DP.

What kind of meals do you all eat, is there a reason why DD1 doesnt eat meat?

[OnlyWantsOne]

DD2 hasnt been given meat yet, DP and I just dont feel ready to ive it to her I suppose... we eat lots of spag bol, curry, etc

[dreamingofsun]

get a slow cooker. easy to use, you can batch cook and freeze, and also keep food warm. then dd1 can eat the same as you, with some quick veg shared with DD2 and then cook fresh veg for adults later.

sausages, omlette, bolognese mix (made in slow cooker) can be bulk cooked and use for shepherds pie/chilli/lasagne/spagbol - so thats 3 nights meals.

delphinoise pots (sorry can't spell they have a diff name in our house) are easy to reheat (can be used following day) or bubble and squeek. lots of casseroles obviously (in slow cooker)

but i would focus on what can be reheated in the main without affecting flavour and sticking to 1 meal for all with frozen veg done from scratch. roast chicken

i have relatives who cook different meals for each family member and they all now have very very fussy children who turn their noises up at most of my cooking

[OnlyWantsOne]

See we used to all eat together and slowly after dd2 being born all chaos has begun. Yes will get my slow cooker back out.

Good plan!

Just wish I new how to work out the PP

[dreamingofsun]

i'm intrigued. whats 'pp'?

[OnlyWantsOne]

propoints

[bacon]

Microwave! I hold back a lot of meals from the previous night and then reheat. Works so well with meat dishes such as stews, lasgane, chicken dishes.

With DD2 its veg isnt it - which you make up and freeze or chill for endless ready meals - should be easy.

A lot can be said for eat one freeze one. say for example sheppards pie (I use Gary Rhodes). You can make mini portions for DS1 and freeze too.

You do need to sit down on the weekend with cook books/BBC good food website and make a meal plan for week and shop on Monday for all the ingredients. Madness doing all these meals.

Pop to Wilkinsons and get lots of plastic containers and those foil ones too.

Make a list like this - chicken, fish, pork, lamb, beef, then combine with pasta, spuds, rice, coucous. This way you get a good mix.

eg - Fish pie, chicken thighs casserole, beef pies/stews, lamb tangine, etc.

[notso]

Change from WW to Slimming World extra easy, it's ideal for family cooking, I have lost 2lb a week for the past eight weeks.
Don't be scared to give DD2 meat, DS2 is also 6 months and Blw and he mostly just sucks the juices out of the meat. I would also eat with DC and let DP eat alone, it's better for BLW and easier to just heat up one meal rather than two.

[OnlyWantsOne]

well ive done a meal plan

veg lasagne
veg curry + rice + naan
veg mac and cheese
sweet potato rissoto


that will get us til the weekend, with extra I can freeze - Ive been shopping and bought all the stuff, (£35!!) is there meal planninh thread

[Strawbezza]

You have some good ideas there. Definitely only cook once per night though, and leave your DP's tea ready to be stuck into the microwave when he gets home.

Try introducing tiny bits of meat e.g. onion, mushroom, tomato sauce for pasta but with a couple of chopped rashers of bacon mixed in, same with a bit of steak mince, etc. Flaked white fish or prawns in a chinese-style veg-based sauce with noodles maybe.