Active discussions

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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:
TheTwinklyLilacSquid · 11/05/2025 19:47

Toooldtopretend · 11/05/2025 19:09

My kids have pasta and pesto quite regularly. I throw some frozen peas in to cook with the pasta for a bit of extra veg. Sometime frozen sweetcorn or some fresh baby corn.

Show quote history

Do social services know?

Missj25 · 11/05/2025 19:46

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?

Sounds good to me OP 🤷🏻‍♀️

HolidayHell2025 · 11/05/2025 19:45

I batch cook and make meals in between.

Pesto freshnis suoer easy to make and tastes a million % better then the scrappy shop stuff.

The meals are fine if your suoer busy and working lates. But try to batch cook every now ans then a build up a supply in the freezer.

TheTwinklyLilacSquid · 11/05/2025 19:43

Wine = grapes = sugar = type lv diabetes. Wine also has no protein and I suspect....upf gasps How uninspired and dull. Have you thought about educating yourself and doing better? If I can come up with anymore faddy buzzwords after a scroll on Instagram, I'll be back with more condescending retorts. I'm thinking...something about fibre.

ChaiLarious · 11/05/2025 19:29

BassesAreBest · 11/05/2025 18:59

Aren’t shots UPF or does the alcohol kill off the processing?

Show quote history

It cancels it out if there is a plant in it.

Feetinthegrass · 11/05/2025 19:24

I think it sounds pretty standard and fine to me. Especially if they are eating fruit as well. I add vitamins daily and that’s it, who is criticising you op?

Toooldtopretend · 11/05/2025 19:09

Sowhatbigdeal · 10/05/2025 13:46

Fruit available after dinner
In winter I do vegetables like carrots, broccoli, cauliflower etc, just changed to salads etc, not sure what else I could add?

Show quote history

My kids have pasta and pesto quite regularly. I throw some frozen peas in to cook with the pasta for a bit of extra veg. Sometime frozen sweetcorn or some fresh baby corn.

intrepidpanda · 11/05/2025 19:02

Theyreeatingthedogs · 11/05/2025 18:14

I'd add in some veg in with pasta. Stir fry onions, peppers, mushrooms, carrots and herbs and use passata for sauce. The pesto will probably be UPF.

Show quote history

Aldi does a reasonably good one. (Got lactic and ascorbic scd if your being a bit ultra. But I am OK with them)

BassesAreBest · 11/05/2025 18:59

WtafIsThat · 11/05/2025 18:58

The pesto will probably be UPF.

Bingo! Someone do a shot.

Aren’t shots UPF or does the alcohol kill off the processing?

WtafIsThat · 11/05/2025 18:58

The pesto will probably be UPF.

Bingo! Someone do a shot.

soupyspoon · 11/05/2025 18:35

ChaiLarious · 11/05/2025 18:33

Maybe we could all discuss how healthy our bowel movements are based on our fibre intake. A four on the Bristol Stool Chart is the aim lol

Show quote history

Oh thats brilliant yes. If you're the 'wrong number' I can look down on you.

ChaiLarious · 11/05/2025 18:33

soupyspoon · 11/05/2025 14:54

Well talking of fibre, does everyone get their full amount of fibre. This can be another shaming device and thing to worry over.

I might start bringing it up on multiple threads.

Show quote history

Maybe we could all discuss how healthy our bowel movements are based on our fibre intake. A four on the Bristol Stool Chart is the aim lol

intrepidpanda · 11/05/2025 18:28

Sowhatbigdeal · 11/05/2025 17:52

Read them again, ffs

Show quote history

Sorry, I have. What am I missing?

ZenGarden89 · 11/05/2025 18:23

It all just sounds uninspired and rather dull. I don’t think the Monday to Wednesday dinners are appropriate for a child, no. Maybe a lunch on the run but not dinner. And rice and potatoes with a salad is just bizarre.

SpidersAreShitheads · 11/05/2025 18:20

Cheesyfootballs01 · 11/05/2025 18:02

@Sowhatbigdeal what do you want from this thread?

You have asked if they are rubbish dinners - the majority have said yes but you are just arguing back at them that they are not??

Who has said that they are unhealthy? If you and your family are happy with them then just carry on as you are?!

Edited

Exactly this really.

I don’t think the Mon-Weds dinners are great for a child tbh.

Will there be others out there who eat worse? Definitely.

But then maybe don’t put up a post with your week’s menu expecting compliments ….and get arsey when people say it’s not ideal nutrition for a growing child.

DrPrunesqualer · 11/05/2025 18:16

WtafIsThat · 11/05/2025 17:33

Isn’t shoving a jar of sauce into a bowl of pasta how most of us got through university? That and instant noodles.

Edited

And wine 🍷 🥳

Theyreeatingthedogs · 11/05/2025 18:14

Sowhatbigdeal · 10/05/2025 13:53

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

Show quote history

I'd add in some veg in with pasta. Stir fry onions, peppers, mushrooms, carrots and herbs and use passata for sauce. The pesto will probably be UPF.

YouMustBeTheWeasleys · 11/05/2025 18:05

Not the worst and I wouldn’t mind any one of these maybe once a week if there is stuff in but none of them very inspiring or comforting - to be fair your weekend meals found totally fine but your weekend meals feel quite studenty. I would be looking to bring the lasagne energy to the rest of the week

Cheesyfootballs01 · 11/05/2025 18:02

@Sowhatbigdeal what do you want from this thread?

You have asked if they are rubbish dinners - the majority have said yes but you are just arguing back at them that they are not??

Who has said that they are unhealthy? If you and your family are happy with them then just carry on as you are?!

GlitteryUnicornSparkles · 11/05/2025 18:00

Am I the only person on here that thinks salad with potatoes and rice sounds like a bloody bizarre concoction!?

I’m a bit confused about what an onion salad is, don’t most salads contain some form of onion thus just making it a salad with feta or is this some sort of mixed heavily oniony salad!?

Pesto pasta I’d probably add some meat or something or do something with it.

Salad with egg on toast also sounds a bit of an odd mix to me, and an omelette on its own as a main meal sounds a bit lacklustre, I’d probably do something to go with it.

Personally I’d do veg with the salmon over salad but each to their own.

Everything else sounds fine.

harriethoyle · 11/05/2025 17:58

I think all of your dinners sound delicious @Sowhatbigdeal - are you near Yorkshire and if so can I come round for my tea?!

Original poster
Sowhatbigdeal · 11/05/2025 17:52

intrepidpanda · 11/05/2025 17:02

Monday. 2 carbs, no veg, wouldn't serve cheese as a mai protein.
Tuesday. No veg, no protein, just unhealthy bridge carbs
Wednesday. This is a lunch, not a dinner. Again veg??
Rest is fine.

Why are you putting working?
It's not an excuse to just shove a jar of sauce into a bowl of pasta.

Read them again, ffs

OP posts:
TheTwinklyLilacSquid · 11/05/2025 17:48

intrepidpanda · 11/05/2025 17:02

Monday. 2 carbs, no veg, wouldn't serve cheese as a mai protein.
Tuesday. No veg, no protein, just unhealthy bridge carbs
Wednesday. This is a lunch, not a dinner. Again veg??
Rest is fine.

Why are you putting working?
It's not an excuse to just shove a jar of sauce into a bowl of pasta.

Quite! No excuse at all, she should be whipped. I'm surprised she has the strength to open the jar of sauce with the lack of protein in her diet from that evil pesto pasta once a week! She's probably a type 3 diabetic from all those double carb Mondays.

WtafIsThat · 11/05/2025 17:33

Isn’t shoving a jar of sauce into a bowl of pasta how most of us got through university? That and instant noodles.

faerietales · 11/05/2025 17:04

Why are you putting working? It's not an excuse to just shove a jar of sauce into a bowl of pasta

I often do that even when I'm not working - I must be some kind of heathen 😂

Swipe left for the next trending thread