My god its relentless (lighthearted)

If it was just me I wouldn’t bother with any pissing dinner. X

What about fish? I buy lightly dusted fish and air fry it - peppered mackerel salad, basically take it out of packet and plonk on plate, or salmon - with a bit of soy ginger & honey in tin foli in air fyer?

I was hoping our DS would get less fussy as he grows and his appetite increases. Nope. We’ve just got an 11yo who eats more pasta and meatballs.

I’m envious of MIL who lives alone and just eats soup and salad.

Nothing helpful to add except to say that your post really made me laugh OP and solidarity 😭 I believe we are living the same life.
reading the thread with interest!

Following for inspiration.

I absolutely agree OP, it's so hard. DD1 actually cried the other day when I told her what was for tea, I know end of term exhaustion was a factor but it's so difficult trying to keep everyone eating! Any new ideas welcome here. We often resort to just pasta with tomato sauce - I make the tomato sauce with a tin of cannelini beans blended in for a bit of hidden protein, but it's not ideal.

Husband can’t cook.

🙄

I hear you OP! I do all the meal planning and all the cooking. I actually don't mind it but thinking of new / different ideas that everyone will eat and can be made in the time I have (which can be very limited given work / school / activities etc.) can be VERY challenging! No one else in the house is of any help. Even when I ask them what they want they can't think of anything so it falls on me again. And it's every week!

Current meals include:
stir fry (can change the meat/veg/sauce to mix it up a bit)
pasta (pasta bake, spag bol, lasagne, meatballs)
jambalaya (or similar rice dish)
Sausage & mash
Chilli (served with rice or jacket pots or in wraps)
Curries (again can change the meat/veg/sauce - may also do it with rice one day, Naan bread another)
risotto

Definitely looking for more inspiration though!

I like a traybake for speed and nutrition. Piece of meat or fish, veggies, oils, herbs etc, stick in the oven. Serve with microwave rice, frozen mash or couscous, or you can parboil/ding new potatoes and add to the tray bake. Quick, easy, healthy, tasty. You could do a couple of variations on one go even if people are fussy about certain veg etc, on separate trays!

I’m lucky they are good eaters but they are definitely not easy in other ways if that helps! 😜

We have similar issues. Weeknights we rotate the same fire things that most of ours will eat. Anyone that doesn’t want it gets to make their own pasta. Weekends we try to do something more adventurous for them to try (sometimes they do sometimes not), Sunday is always a calm roast (the one thing everyone will eat). It is as you say relentless. So boring. I like cooking but not the same things ad finitum. It takes any pleasure out of it

We do a jacket potato night - works as everyone can choose what topping they want! We also love a pasta bake and I roast up a chicken and do it with wraps, rice, salad etc.

I'm sure someone on here used chat gpt for meal inspiration! Just ask it for a weeks worth of quick, healthy meals and it should give you some ideas.....also, if you are cooking entirely new things then no-one can say they don't like it because they have never eaten it!

Quite often I make a massive chicken soup with loads of veg, pasta, beans in... you can then freeze half.
It does as a meal with bread / garlic bread / sandwich.

Also quesadillas - cheese and refried beans in a tortilla in a frying pan for 1 min. You can add all sorts.

I am so jealous that your DC eat all these foods! Amazing! 🤩

Honestly no one warned me about this bit!!

I have got into 'dump bags' the day the shop arrives I do up a few of those - curry/ stew/ fajitas that can be for you DH and DD2

How big is your freezer? Home made nuggets are actually really easy to make. Buy diced chicken breast, coat in egg, then in panko crumbs. Freeze it flat on a tray, then put it into a zip lock bag.

Lots of batch cooking for the DD1 if you get a chance some time. Things like chilli/ burgers/ pie filling (i freeze puff pastry in single serve slices along with it). freeze them all in Chinese containers (from amazon, not suggesting you get 20 take aways!, well do if you want!!)

I know we were all raised in the 90s and either 'eat it or starve' but hey!

Oh sorry just saw nugget loving DC is 5!! Well she will expand her diet in due course… probably about age 8…

I feel your pain - literally worst thing about being a parent is having to think of meals. I can’t wait until I can just eat crisps and toast. This is a nice easy meal, easy to reheat and super tasty
www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/sausage-ragu

Try the RecipeTinEats website, it’s been a godsend for family meal ideas

my kids like from her site:

Quesadillas
Chilli
Butter chicken (there’s a slow and quick version)
Pulled pork
Lamb shawarma soup
Chicken shawarma one pot with rice
Greek lemon chicken one pot with rice
Smoked sausage with rice and peas (I use chorizo)
Honey soy chicken
Thai chicken curry (uses bought curry paste but tarts it up a bit)
Massaman lamb curry (ditto)
Satay curry
Minestrone (although I use only 1 can tomatoes)
Chorizo chickpea stew (I also make it with a stock base instead of tomato)
Short ribs in red wine sauce (I use stout instead)
Mac & Cheese
Asian slaw
Family Meat Pie (takes a while)
Toad in the hole
Chicken pot pie
Greek chicken gyros

Also popular

hairy bikers sausage casserole
Roast veg, cous cous and halloumi
Pasta bake with mozzarella and tomato sauce
Bolognese
Burgers
Pasta & meatballs
Pork belly strips with an Asian bbq marinade
Teriyaki salmon, noodles, veg

Granted mine are not fussy eaters 🙏 but there might be some ideas here yours will like??

For your nugget lover - she may just prefer plain food - so eg if making a curry keep a piece of chicken plain and she can cook it herself..? Will she eat eggs as these are very useful go to for a one person meal ?

Husband cant cook

Has he tried?

Cut out the three different dinners op! Harden your heart!

Obviously this doesn’t apply if there are disabilities, allergies or neurodivergence that you have to accommodate.

But if this is just about preferences, then I am old school when it comes to food. Your time and energy is important too op. You are not running a restaurant. And you don’t have time to take them to sport and cook special dinners for everyone. But tell them that you will make an effort each week to include everyone’s favourite meal at least once a week.

Remind your dc again and again that some nights it will be their favourite dinner, some nights they will just like it, and sometimes it won’t be their favourite but they are lucky to have hot food and plenty of it! Also you have spent money, time and effort preparing it. There is a bowl of fruit and yoghurt for anyone who doesn’t eat but no other snacks.

It’s a nightmare initially but make sure they are hungry and they will get used to eating what’s on offer and this will prepare them for adult life when everything won’t be catered for their individual enjoyment,

Also, get them involved in cooking and meal planning and make it fun. During the holidays, they each get to plan, shop for, and cook and serve their favourite meal. The Dorling Kindersley step by step cooking for children books are brilliant for this. Your dh can learn from it too. He really needs as an adult to step up and learn to cook. No one is born knowing how! Also, it helps if you all sit down as a family and parents demonstrably enjoy their food too.

Good luck 💐