What meals do you cook for those nights where everyone need to dip in at different times?

[Daffodilly]

Monday is one such evening in our household. I need to feed the little two 5pm ish, then DD goes out and will want something later when she comes home, I grab a plate between bedtime duties and DH gets in last and has what's left.

I'm thinking of a magical one-pot dish that contains all the veg too and can happily simmer for hours...

Tell me your suggestions please.

[MilkRunningOutAgain]

Chicken or beef stew, with dumplings if you need a treat. With crusty bread.

Chilli served with jacket potatoes

Pies reheat well, together with coleslaw and a mixed salad

Big pan of curry and dhal plus salad

[pregnantpause]

Thursday is half meal day for us- half a meal between school and after school activity and the other half on returning from said activity exhausted and ready for bed. Many variants on soup have ensued. A large pot, easy to warm up, usually one to three veg portions per serving. The most popular is minestrone, or tomato, and a white bean soup is always favoured. Lentil soups, potato and leek, broccoli soup (with a poached egg in -sounds weird but it's really nice) celeriac and bacon, parsnip and ginger, chicken - soup is good, ESP with a bread roll. Stews too- corned beef stew, Irish beef stew, lamb cawl , pumpkin stew, mushroom stew, a cabvage and bean stew, etc.- all have good nutritional value, veg etc.and are filling delicious meals.
we also use cheats on these days- beans on toast, scrambled egg on toast etc. but that doesn't really pass on the nutrition front on a regular basis.

[ThatBloodyWoman]

The dc's have school dinner, so soup and bread.
Dh can sort himsrlf out.

[Daffodilly]

Thanks for the ideas. Yes soups could work as two of DCs have already had a main meal for school lunch.

Love ideas of stews at this time of year. Any good recipe links? I'm not good at making stuff up.

ThatBloodyWoman - you've just made up my mind. Tomorrow DCs and I will have left over meat from Sunday roast, not enough for DH too so he can sort himself out something for once. (Last time I left him to fend for himself he got suddenly very appreciate of me and arrange to go out for a lovely meal together one eve so I could have a proper night off cooking. Here's hoping that works again.....)

[ThatBloodyWoman]

Sounds like a plan!

[differenttoyou]

Pasta bake or stew for us. Pasta often has mushrooms and/or roast vegetables. Different combinations for the sauce. Sometimes just a cheese sauce, other times I mix mascarpone or cream cheese in to the mix. Sometimes just milk, egg, butter and some cheddar. Whatever is on hand at the time.