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AIBU?

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Original poster

Are my dinners rubbish?

636 replies

Sowhatbigdeal · 10/05/2025 13:38

Been told they are

Here’s an example of an average week, more or less:

Monday (I work at 6, so do something simple)

Feta & red onion salad with new potatoes & rice

Tuesday

Pasta with jar pesto (working today)

Wednesday

Dh to do omlette/eggs on toast with salad (working today)

Thursday

Salmon, salad, new potatoes

Friday

Homemade chilli with rice, nachos & dips

Saturday

Takeaway

Sunday

Roast dinner/homemade lasagne

Are they?

OP posts:
GildedRage · 10/05/2025 14:22

Weird combinations where’s the protein? Where are the colors of the rainbow, where’s the texture?
I’ve never seen potatoes and rice served together, generally starches are not duplicated.
salad, rice and beef chilli
salad, baked potato and chicken breast.
Pesto pasta and salmon
egg, pan fried potatoes, ham steak and tomatoes.
DH grew up with two veg per supper meal of which potato doesn’t count. So potato + sweet corn+ beets
potatoe + carrots + peas
potato + salad is okay but that needs lots of veggies
a protein is mandatory each supper.
my kids were not salad fans till more mature late teens.

BunnyLake · 10/05/2025 14:21

Who is telling you they’re rubbish. Your dh or dc?

I always used to try and have a jar of pesto in the cupboard as a go to for dinner if I was tired after work (I’d be, yay there’s pesto, nice quick dinner tonight). My kids (adult) still have it.

SonK · 10/05/2025 14:19

They sound nice to me : )

Maybe get rid of the takeaway and replace it with a simple stir-fry/ or homemade pizza / burgers and chips

ihaterunning111 · 10/05/2025 14:19

Croquembouchiere · 10/05/2025 13:43

Maybe not enough veg? More salad / veg on the side and friot for pudding maybe

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there was salad with almost all of the meals.....

Endofyear · 10/05/2025 14:19

These sound like decent meals to me - I would probably try and add in some extra veg - halved cherry tomatoes and some asparagus/broccoli/sweetcorn/peas in the pesto pasta, mushrooms, peppers and/or courgettes in the omelette and maybe some fruit & Greek yoghurt for puddings. But overall I think those are pretty healthy quick meals! If DH is complaining, I'd advice him to feel free to devise a healthier menu, shop for it and cook it!

Strictlymad · 10/05/2025 14:18

Quite salad heavy which if dc eats is great (with afew elements not just them eating the cucumber etc). Could do with some protein with the pesto pasta, and afew veg over salad daily might be good variety. Can still be summery- cous cous and med veg, fajitas with peppers and beans. Pulses and seeds are quick and add nutritional value

faerietales · 10/05/2025 14:16

Sowhatbigdeal · 10/05/2025 14:11

Why not?

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They're just not the kind of things I would have liked.

But then again, they're not the kind of thing I'd want to eat now so maybe I'm not the right person to ask.

Who's telling you they're rubbish? The 7yo?

Goldenbear · 10/05/2025 14:15

I think too many people make a massive fuss about food these days. DH is like this, very much into his cooking and spends a bloody fortune at the weekend. I just don't get it is rather read a book. I do cook but now mine are teens and one an adult it is just so repetitive, also I seem to miss the mark a lot and my variations on dishes because I don't have certain ingredients in does not always lead to the best outcome, the other night for example was a chilli that was sweet as I didn't have chilli powder or chillis so used a Thai sauce with lime in it!

TheTwinklyLilacSquid · 10/05/2025 14:13

ChaiLarious · 10/05/2025 13:57

I'm sure those judging secretly eat them more than once a year and just say they don't on here to keep up with the image of the perfect poster. We love a takeaway in our house.

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Definitely, we know there are many leading their best imaginary lives online, a bit of escapism from their real lives. I imagine a weekly takeaway for a busy working family is a much needed break/ treat that many people do. Not me, I'm too perfect 😉

Original poster
Sowhatbigdeal · 10/05/2025 14:13

Also have chicken, tuna steak, fishfingers and so on

OP posts:
Original poster
Sowhatbigdeal · 10/05/2025 14:11

faerietales · 10/05/2025 14:10

They sound like perfectly normal dinners.

I'm not sure I'd have eaten even half of them at the age of 7, though!

Why not?

OP posts:
sprigatito · 10/05/2025 14:11

Sowhatbigdeal · 10/05/2025 14:08

To clarify-salad is generally-lettuce, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, red onion, peppers, carrot, sometimes, corn on the cob, celery, beetroot, egg, hummus added etc, it’s a full meal

Do always feel a bit rubbish doing the quick pasta and jar sauce thing, used to add peas, but then Dc suddenly decided they didn’t like them…should add broccoli etc, do sometimes do a simple tuna mayo pasta with sweetcorn

Your salads sound gorgeous!

faerietales · 10/05/2025 14:10

They sound like perfectly normal dinners.

I'm not sure I'd have eaten even half of them at the age of 7, though!

Original poster
Sowhatbigdeal · 10/05/2025 14:10

Goldengirl123 · 10/05/2025 14:06

Are they the same meals every week?

No, this is just this weeks, although I always do the simple pasta one (with variations) and eggs or beans on toast/jacket potato

OP posts:
TheBroonOneAndTheWhiteOne · 10/05/2025 14:10

Can you tell us why you think your meals are rubbish?

Has someone said so? If your daughter eats and enjoys them, what's the problem?

noworklifebalance · 10/05/2025 14:09

Sowhatbigdeal · 10/05/2025 13:52

Dc is 7

Friday or Saturday usually takeaway or eat out, not necessarily unhealthy, not McDonald’s every week etc

The menu looks good to me - would probably add some protein to Monday & Tuesday’s meal.
Aim for > 5 fruits/veg per day if possible (I think potatoes don’t count), which you may well be.
Friday is pizza day for us but usually from the freezer - smaller (so we don’t eat too much) and cheaper) - with veg on the side.

Blackbookofsmiles1 · 10/05/2025 14:09

Sounds fine, not that I’d like it myself if I’m honest, seems lots of salads and pasta but not actual meals, and a lack of proteins.

If you’re happy with it though, doesn’t really matter what others think.

Original poster
Sowhatbigdeal · 10/05/2025 14:08

To clarify-salad is generally-lettuce, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, red onion, peppers, carrot, sometimes, corn on the cob, celery, beetroot, egg, hummus added etc, it’s a full meal

Do always feel a bit rubbish doing the quick pasta and jar sauce thing, used to add peas, but then Dc suddenly decided they didn’t like them…should add broccoli etc, do sometimes do a simple tuna mayo pasta with sweetcorn

OP posts:
Goldenbear · 10/05/2025 14:08

It's fine, we have so much pasta in this house mainly because my late teen eats so much of it that one night of pasta seems quite light to me! I do serve veg with everything though. When it is just younger Teen DD and I we have very dull stuff as neither of us are fussed so last night was courgette, avocado, packet of tomatoes on the vibe and an egg but it wasn't all together, over the course of the evening and DD had a roll and Reese bar, I had a Lime soda and Gin!

TheBroonOneAndTheWhiteOne · 10/05/2025 14:08

Sowhatbigdeal · 10/05/2025 13:53

No just pasta with pesto sauce, Dc loves it, is this bad

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Not at all!
It's quick and easy and none is wasted.

Goldengirl123 · 10/05/2025 14:06

Are they the same meals every week?

Wishimaywishimight · 10/05/2025 14:06

PuppiesProzacProsecco · 10/05/2025 13:53

Can't get over so many people thinking a takeaway once a week is too often. We sometimes have three two 🙈

Same here 😆 (fab username btw!)

Hyperbowl · 10/05/2025 14:06

I put YABU because I think YAU for suggesting those dinners are rubbish. Sounds lovely to me. I could only dream that my child would eat half of those things. I’d tell whoever suggested otherwise to sod off and mind their own business.

HerbertVonDoodlebug · 10/05/2025 14:04

This seems a totally fine and normal diet to me

but then I had an extremely fussy eater and would have celebrated with bloody fireworks if he’d eaten even half of this menu

winterwarmer8274 · 10/05/2025 14:03

They sound fine to me (apart from Monday where it sounds weird haha)

and also agree I wouldn’t serve just pesto pasta unless I literally have 5 minutes to cook dinner.

I’d add some veg / chicken