Easy heat / serve meals

[DisappointedD]

I’ve recently started a new job which means I’m getting home later some days. This may not be forever but certainly for the next few weeks.

There is a couple of nights a week where my DD has sports, DS on shifts, DH gets in just as we leave again for sports. Last week I made chilli in the morning and had micro rice pouches, every just re heated their chilli portion and chucked some rice in the microwave.

I’m looking for suggestions of similar meals that I can make in the morning that everyone can just serve when they come in but with sides that can be done in air fryer or microwave. I don’t really want my teen to be making pasta on the hob for example (I had decided on bolognaise today for example but then realised pasta isn’t easy to make for the side).

No one likes the texture of mince done in the slow cooker. So although some suggestions might work. Most include mince.

Bags of frozen gyoza (we get the Itsu ones) go down well here on those sorts of evening. Only take a few mins to cook, then we have a bit of salad on the side.

Or you could make a big pasta salad the night before which is eaten cold? I do one with olives, chunks of mozzarella, tomatoes etc.

You could you a pork and cider casserole, or meatballs and a vegetable sauce (pasta has a lower blood sugar reaction on reheating so they could reheat the pasta although tbh I think making pasta is probably pretty doable for teens).

I do meatballs with bacon, onions/shallots and a redcurrant and red wine gravy which I usually eat with mash and broccoli - could air fry tenderstem broccoli.

I don't know if you count meatballs as mince or not!

Ratatouille? Could eat with rice or potatoes or just nice bread, plus could potentially do some chipolatas in the air fryer if people wanted meat.

I also sometimes do a chicken and courgette and pepper tomato sauce, then top that with pasta mixed with grana padano, creme fraîche and black pepper and then bake that. You could probably shove that whole thing in the air fryer in portion sized pyrex dishes if you wanted.

I have also enjoyed pulled pork from the slow cooker but obviously it requires pulling at the end so might be too much at the end faffing.

Thanks @Ineffable23 probably shouldn’t have said, both teen and young adult have ADHD and don’t really want boiling water on the stove and the chance of getting distracted but fine with them using microwave and air fryer.

Roasted veg tray bake with sausages or chicken works fine microwaved.
pasta and sauces are ok if you slightly undercook the pasta and mix the sauce through the pasta so it doesn’t stick together.
any sort of stew / casserole and potatoes with veg
fish, chips and peas in the air fryer / microwave

I do bolognese and other sauces for mine to reheat but I mix it with the cooked pasta and they reheat it all together in the microwave. You need to add a splash of water usually but it’s fine.

Quiche and beans/salad.

Might try this. Thanks

Portion up mashed potato into dishes that can be reheated and just have a pot of food in the slow cooker, could vary that each night

Or serve meals with bread rather than potato so that its not the same everynight.

New potatoes mixed with a sauce or dressing kept in the fridge and can warm that up in the microwave, serve with a pie or quiche warmed in the airfryer. Pots of coleslaw, bags of salad

Pre-bake a load of jacket potatoes and then they can just be re-heated in the microwave and they can add whatever toppings they like.

Soup
Toasties
Pasta can be cooked in advance and re-heated
Stews

If you have a slow cooker, put two chicken breasts in, cover with cumin, paprika and chilli (or a pre-made fajita spice mix), plus a red onion, a pepper and a jar of salsa. In the evening use two forks to shred the chicken and stir in a can or two of kidney beans = fajita filling.

Add toppings of choice and put in wraps. We usually have avocado, lettuce, cheese, and fresh coriander.

This also sounds like the kind of thing air fryers were invented for (though I don’t have one myself!)

Air fryer is very useful but left to their own devices they would put chicken strips and chips in every day 😂.

The main issue is the youngest needs to eat first before I’m home. So needs to be something she can prep / reheat.

You can do baked potatoes in the slow cooker, beans can be microwaved and then just add cheese.

Stew / casserole in the slow cooker.

Home made soup? Although that needs someone to blend it, so maybe not.

Pork ribs in passatta? Put the ribs in the slow cooker, I tend to put them around the edge. Add some beans, fresh or tinned and fill the sc with passatta. I like to add some chorizo but you can leave that out. Add whatever seasoning you like.

The fat in the ribs melts in to the sauce so you end up with meat and free floating ribs that can just be picked out.

Serve with crusty bread.

Can’t believe I’d forgotten about baked potatoes! Those have been added to the list.

I’ve done home made soup today for DD. Have a soup maker so the blending is fine. DD loves a good soup. DH & DS will have it for lunch, but never consider it a dinner.

Maybe soup on its own isn't dinner but add a sandwich or a toastie or even potato wedges. I don't mean actually put it in the soup, just serve on the side.

What about stuffed cabbage leaves?

We used to have similar issues. here's a few things we did:

Pre-made frozen fish cakes cookeed in the airfryer. I generally just did a big pile of steamed/sauteed veg to go alongside which coud be reheated on stove/microwave but I was usually cooking about 5pm. Might be better to do with those pre-prepared packs of veggies you can stick in the microwave for you? Chips optional.

Tacos - I'd cook mince for tacos and make a few bits for the toppings - a salad/salsa, some picked onion, grated cheese, guacamole, sour cream (not all at once!) etc. then the tacos can be cooked in the air fryer in a few minutes and the mince microwaved, or use the soft taco shells and they can go in the microwave too.

I'd make a fajita mix that could be wrapped in a tortilla/wrap and put in the air fryer or microwaved separately. sometimes I'd do vegetarian and we'd fry halloumi fresh but that might not work for you but halloumi could be done in the air fryer?

I second the pasta and sauce mixed together and just microwaved. Just ever so slightly undercook the pasta. works well.

Yes to jacket potatoes. We quite like them with scooped out insides that we then mix with tuna and cream cheese and lots of pepper, then back into the skins and topped with cheddar cheese. then reheat in the air fryer in 10 minutes. Usually served with a salad.

Those were our standards that came out time and time again over the year or two we had this issue!

Great suggestions that will go down and well and are manageable for the teens! Thank you.

Oh yeah I know, me & DD would be fine with soup plus sides.

Any curry will re-heat well so you could cook and have several portions done either in the morning or in the freezer to defrost first thing. Microwave rice and all done.

DD is now at uni and often has pasta leftovers she puts in the microwave. I think creme sauces may not be the best but bolognese or pesto ones work.

I still would start teaching your DCs properly, DD has ASD/ADHD and we managed for her to cook, she loves traybakes/oven baked chicken and then pasta at the end.

Yes agree re teaching them, they are quite good (certainly better then some NT friends) , I just worry with the rush of getting in from school, home work, getting changed for sports there is a bit chance of distraction.

Couscous is easy to make ( just pour on boiled water) I would do a spicy morrocan inspired stew with tomatoes, chickpeas' peppers and assorted veg can add chopped up sausages for meat eaters.

Soup is popular here pea and ham/ pea and lentil is satisfying.

Ds has adhd and i 100% get this. You want to ease into it. Its the forgetting to turn off after I worried about!!!

Yes, it can be a lot if they don't have the time to fully concentrate. But it does get easier when they are used to it.

I’m on my own tonight and had a portion of chicken casserole out of the freezer (chicken breast, chicken soup and loads of veg) and made up a portion of instant mash. And do you know if was the most wonderful thing I’ve eaten recently … easy pleased maybe but it’s -3° out there and I needed very comfortable food 😍