Are my dinners rubbish?

It’s fine, seriously. I’m surprised no one’s mentioned UPFs yet. 🙄 It will never be good enough for the mn food police.

Pasta, pesto and cheese is a real quick comfort meal if you’re busy or running the DC somewhere.

Mine won’t touch salad of any variety so you’re winning.

Mostly they sound fine, although I’ve never understood why people think pasta with jarred pesto is a meal on its own. I would serve some proper protein and at least one vegetable with it.

Add cooled green beans, raw cauliflower, cooled broad beans etx

People need different types of food depending on the stage of their life.

My household is a 16yo boy and me (61yo woman).
DS needs lots of protein and carbs. He is growing fast, very active, wants meat with everything. Your meals would be a bit light for him.

I'm a 61yo woman, post-menopause, post-cancer, very active, work full time. I need lots of protein & veg. Not many carbs. I would find your suppers low on both.

But you have different needs to cater for - a 30s woman and a 40s man? Only you can know what suits you. Are you sedentary? Gym-going? Looking after twin 8 month olds? Breast feeding? An Olympic rower? It makes a difference.

If your dh is grumbling about your meals, I'm sue he knows where the kitchen is !!

Other than the takeaway, looks fine to me.

I wasn't thinking McDonald's but I would say most takeaways have nasties. You just don't know. I wouldn't have one every week, let alone give to a child.

Who's told you the dinners are rubbish, and rubbish how - as in not tasty or not nutritious?

Nothing is "bad" as a one-off, but if you're skipping veg entirely for a meal then it isn't ideal. If you're maxed out then could you just throw a few fresh bits in like cherry tomatoes, olives, cashews, chia seeds, spring onion?

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.

Mine would have been starving on Monday and Wednesday if that was their dinner, unless they'd had a proper meal at lunchtime.

Thursday, Friday and Sunday feel more like proper meals.

You’re feeling brave asking MN to comment on the weekly menu, the massive salad/no protein crowd will rip you to shreds! I think it looks like a perfectly normal week of food like most people would have. Wouldn’t personally go for feta salad and rice and potatoes but that’s personal preference.

If you’re worried about lack of nutrients in pesto pasta (which is food of the gods) then add in a handful of frozen broccoli to the end of the pasta cooking time, drain, chop up the broccoli, add back to the pan with pesto and a good few scoops of cream cheese. I’ve been feeding that to DS once a week since he was weaned.

The word "salad" is also quite unclear, as much as "veg" would be. There's a huge difference between rolling out just lettuce + cucumber and calling it salad, or just peas and calling it veg - versus a range of mixed veg, fruit, nuts and seeds. I usually aim for 5-9 ingredients per salad so it's tasty and gives DS lots of nutrients. Of course occasional nights are baked beans, or cherry tomato and olives only... but as a general rule a big mixture is better.

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

Sounds okay abit bland for me but tbh theres nothing on your list i would eat apart from the takeaway depending on what it was.
Op your doing your best thats all that counts.
I will add im a fussy eater i have my reasons.

They sound nice to me and if there's fruit available then great. Maybe ask them what they'd like, see if it's practical with your working hours and meet somewhere in the middle?

It looks healthier than 80% of the population eat.

It wasn’t clear what your salad contained - I’m not sure lettuce adds anything tbh unless they eat masses of it. How much pepper, tomato etc and do they eat it? One small slice of pepper for a 12 year old is pretty negligible. Half a pepper for a 4 year old is great though.

Without seeing the meals it's hard to know. You aren't describing much veg nor fruit/ nuts/ seeds. And sometimes you seem to add carbs to carbs (rice with potatoes!?!?). It also sounds very bland. If the "pasta with jar pesto" also has a pan full of veg lightly fried in olive oil plus nuts, or seeds, or tofu, or meat - then great. If it's literally pasta with pesto then you missed all the important nutrients.

Can you reduce the takeaway to once a month and on the other Saturdays do a healthier equivalent? (Home made pizza better than take-out; make fajitas; get the bits and pieces to put burgers together at home with loads of fresh salad rather than getting McDonald’s, etc)

Who isn't happy?

Missed it was for a child. Age? Do they have a big balanced meal at lunchtime - in which case something lighter for tea is fine. Check protein and fruit/veg content though, maybe low depending on what else child eats in the day.

How old is the child?
Is that the main meal of the day?