Super-easy Friday night dinner

[Eyelashesoffire]

I'm talking open packets, put on table. I'm just shattered. I've been doing a 'mezze' style dinner recently for Fridays but they're bored of that now. To complicate things I'm low carb, dairy free but the others aren't. One is veggie.

My easy dinner is salmon fillet, dump some bottled thick teriyaki sauce on top, veggies like green beans, brocolli, zucchini (pre-prepped from a bag if you want), roast in oven for 15 mins. A microwave bag of coconut rice for the carb eaters. That doesn't help the vegetarian - it's tricky to do low carb and veggie in one meal! I'd maybe do a separate dish with tempeh instead of salmon?

That's a nice idea thanks, the "veggie" can be persuaded to eat some fish so that might work.

I'm another for salmon fillet and veg. ✅

I put a frozen fillet or two on a parchment lined baking sheet, spread some jarred pesto on top and bake at 425f. I sometimes add chopped sun-dried tomatoes (in oil) and crumbled feta on top of the pesto.

For the veg: cut up zucchini and toss in evoo with garlic powder and a bit of salt for the seasoning (I do same with asparagus and potatoes) and add to the baking tray for the last 10 mins or to your liking; and boil corn on the cob. Easy and Peasy. 😁

Roasted veg with chickpeas, rice on the side. Mix the veg and chickpeas with harissa paste (or any jarred paste of choice), bag of salad, stir some tahini in some coconut yoghurt with garlic and chopped herbs and a squeeze of lemon and drizzle over.

Heinz cream of tomato soup (grate cheese in for interest)
garlic bread heated in oven - 10 minutes

popcorn for movie

job done

Or
get some of the packet dals in the world aisle from supermarket
microwave rice
dal in pan (bit like soup)
rice in microwave

most of that is vegan
no low carb, but you could double up the dal and think they do a bombay potato - again I know not low carb but just have a tiny amount

omelette
veggie and no carb
anything egg based
eggs cook quick

or stick jacket potatoes in - I know not low carb but you could scoop out your potato and add it theirs
cheese
beans
houmous
salad
tuna mayo

very low effort
filling
little washing up
is that what you are after

If it’s Friday Night Dinner then you should of course have a nice bit of squirrel followed by crimble crumble.

Chicken kiev, microwave rice, pre-done salad.

'mezze' style dinner ... but they're bored of that now. To complicate things I'm low carb, dairy free but the others aren't. One is veggie.
Who are these 'they / others'. Can't one of them cook?

Pizza and salad. You have a little bit of pizza and lots of salad to avoid carbs/cheese.

Prawn stir fry is super quick and easy if you get a bag of stir fry veg and the pre-cookes noodles. Fridge to plate in five mins.

Chicken wraps. Toss chicken and veg into pan (or separate pans to appease the veggie) and cook. Wraps, grated cheese, avocado on the table and everyone makes their own.

@senua ha! 😂 I'd love it if one of them cooked. I'm training up the children but the DH only cooks at the weekend - apparently it's too difficult to cook during the week 🙄

DoorDash.

Fish wraps - stick fillets or fingers in the oven (battered or crumbed, doesn’t matter), mash avocados with lots of lime juice and spread on wholemeal tortilla wraps, bit of mayo/chipotle/tartare sauce, chuck in the fish and roll ‘em up. If you can be bothered you can add gherkins, sliced spring onion or red onion, shredded lettuce, pickled red cabbage or whatever else you fancy.

Soften sliced red onions in olive oil, add tinned chickpeas and a jar of tomato-based pasta sauce & throw in some shredded spinach to wilt down. Top with crumbled feta, halved cherry tomatoes, fresh coriander (or whatever herbs you like), a bit of Greek yoghurt with lemon juice, sliced red chillis. Serve with garlic bread. Slightly more effort but it’s just a tiny bit of chopping and a few jars/tins so still super quick and easy.

I do noodle soup for a quick and easy meal.

Stir fry a load of sliced veg. If you are really pushed for time, just buy a pack or two of stir fry veg from the supermarket.

Add some noodles - I do usually use dried noodles and cook them first, but you could use pre- cooked, or the ones you just have to soak in hot water.

Add a couple of cartons of Itsu broth, they are vegan (although you can get a chicken version), and just heat it all through.

Add any extras, I usually use up leftover roast chicken, and add a halved hard boiled egg per person.

DH only cooks at the weekend - apparently it's too difficult to cook during the week
I can sympathise with that. My solution was batch cooking:
do several-meal's-worth of a dish in one go,
freeze it in portion sizes,
get it out from the freezer in the morning and then
bung it in the microwave for a quick nuke at night.

I did all sorts of stews (tricky for your vegetarian) and pasta sauces (tricky for the low-carb'er) but I'm sure that you can find some recipes e.g. vegetarian curries. I think that a trawl through the Hairy Bikers' recipes might be useful.

We have a selection of ‘emergency’ comfort meals. They are a bit bread based, though. Could you have a suitable hearty soup for you while they have a meal like tortellini?

Supermarket rotisserie chicken, bagged salad, french stick (for them).
Cheese and biscuits, grapes, cherry toms, mangetout peas and other fun size veg.
Cheesy Scrambled egg on toast.
Leftovers!
tortellini

As DH can’t cook in the week, make sure he batch cooks at the weekend. Things like fruit salad or bean salads, coleslaw, really help on the fast prep days.
If you have a fridge full of salads made at the weekend, you can really brighten up a meal on a busy night, and have a poke bowl on Friday of the leftovers.
I try and make a bean salad, a coleslaw, a fruit salad, a tomato and onion one, carrot and peanut etc.

Soup and toasties. Tinned fruit and ice cream. Wine and crisps.

I buy pouches of microwaveable grains and lentils from Merchant Gourmet. Microwave for 90 seconds. Top
with feta, rocket and vinaigrette.

Egg and beans on toast is what we’re having tonight - delicious and takes 5 mins

Always cook ONE meal that accommodates all the allergies. And you can they be bored with Mezze style? Tell them to eat a different combination. And if any of the bored people are over, say, 16( it would be 14 in my family but I’m being kind!) tell tem to get their own dinner. And if any are adults, tell them to get everyone’s dinner.

Ramen, thinly slice veg, stir fry in sesame oil with garlic and ginger (paste from world food section) add the fresh noodles, a carton of itsu broth or you can get wagamama paste and make your own and get some itsu dumplings freezer section, meat/prawn for those that will veggie ones for the veggie , hot bowls of ramen in minutes , it's mine and DHs quick meal . I cook from scratch 99% of the time and figure it's better for me than dominoes!

Variation on this one, but the hot smoked salmon fillets, which are already cooked, so you open the pack and eat! No oven! Microwave some tenderstem
broccoli with a knob of butter. Pack of ready cooked lentils or rice.
If the vegetarian is there too, try some homemade bean and veg burgers. I batch make them, and then cook in oven straight from freezer.

Yup fish finger wraps are always a winner. We like sweet chilli mayo, sliced little gem lettuce, cucumber, tomato, avocado, spring onions snd whatever random herbs need using up.

Or omelette and salads - even easier!