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May I ask what your mid week family meals are?

94 replies

gallopingglio · 05/01/2026 20:50

Struggling for inspiration for a family of 4.
We usually cook things like spaghetti bolognaise and chicken rice and sauce, roasts, cottage’s pie, or chops but we’re all bored of it and need new ideas.
I’ve looked in lots of books but it all looks a bit too far fetched.

Any ideas welcome, or examples of your weekly meal plan if you have one.

OP posts:
FcukBreastCancer · 06/01/2026 09:29

Simply cook has been great for my ideas

Last night. Coronation curry. (Simply cook)
Udon noodles and veg, chicken
Lamb shepherds pie. Lamb frozen from previous roast
Wraps probably
Tacos

SoOriginal · 06/01/2026 09:32

This week:

  • Meatball Tagine with Basmati (easyish 45-1hr)
  • Penang curry with basmati (easy. 30 minute dinner)
  • Fajitas (chicken, black beans, smash avo, peppers, onions, cheese, piri piri) (easy dinner 30/40 mins)
  • Beef chilli with Tacos and smashed avocado (easy. one pot, slow cooked until we’re ready to sit down)
  • Puttanesca (quick and easy - 30 mins)
  • Katsu curry (higher effort meal - usually a weekend)
  • Prawn red thai curry (quick and easy - 30 mins)

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mindutopia · 06/01/2026 09:46

Pretty much the same as every other night, except I’m more inclined to cook extra and we have it for 2 nights because I’m more likely to be running someone to something.

This week we’re having:
Cheesy pasta and broccoli, also some leftover curry from the weekend (Monday)
Ham and bean soup with garlic toasts (2 nights tonight and Wednesday)
Baked paneer, rice, dal (from the freezer, not making it) and kachumber salad (Thursday)
Salmon with an Asian glaze, chips, mushy peas (Friday)

Maddy70 · 06/01/2026 10:02

Fajitas
Chilli
Thai curry
Spag bol

DiscoBeat · 06/01/2026 10:04

Yesterday we had meatball Stifado with rice and whole spiced cauliflower. Tonight is venison pie and scalloped potatoes. Hot honey chicken burgers and chicken balti and dal also this week.

gallopingglio · 06/01/2026 10:04

Thank you everyone for lots of amazing ideas. I can’t wait to try them out.

OP posts:
sprigatito · 06/01/2026 11:07

SoftBalletShoes · 06/01/2026 06:32

I cooked a lot for my late dad when he was that age. I got a bit fed up with conservative food too, but at that age their systems often can’t cope very well with spicy things. My dad also didn’t do well with oily or greasy things as he got older.

ETA: My dad also became underweight through having cancer. Normally when making mashed potatoes for myself I would just use a bit of semi-skimmed milk and a bit of marge, but when my dad started to lose weight I made the mash with double cream and Kerrygold butter. If the mash is also VERY mashed - almost puréed - it slips down easily and is a good way of getting calories into someone if made with the butter and double cream. I’d also offer him a Magnum ice cream for dessert as he loved those and again, precious calories. And cold, so easier to get down if appetite is waning since cold things have less taste. Hope these tips help a bit.

Edited

Hi @SoftBalletShoes thanks for replying! My dad survived stage 4 lymphoma a few years ago and his weight has never fully recovered, and now he has Alzheimer’s, heart problems and chronic kidney disease as well, so caring for him is tricky. I do enrich his mash with butter and cream, it’s one of the things I know he’ll always eat so it’s frequently on the menu even though everyone else is sick of it. I also find that even though he can’t cope with very large meals any more, if I leave out biscuits/little flapjacks/bowls of nuts and raisins/brownies, he’ll graze and then forget he’s eaten it, so he’s upping his calories. I also keep a snack box near the fridge with cereal bars and baked crisps and little bags of nuts, so every time he goes to put milk in his tea he’ll snaffle a little something.

Magnums for pudding is INSPIRED, I think he’d really go for those! Am going to buy some this afternoon 😊

thebeautifulsky · 06/01/2026 11:53

Monday - Frittata (had boiled new potatoes from Sunday to use up) with salad
For the rest of the week:
Tuesday - Stuffed jacket potatoes (cheese, tomato, mushrooms, peppers)
Wednesday - Bean chilli and brown rice with homemade tortilla chips
Thursday - Griddled chicken marinated in Nando's sauce, homemade chips and salad.
Friday - Fried Gnocchi with homemade tomato sauce and parmesan
Saturday - homemade vegetable and lentil soup and homemade seeded rolls
Sunday - Roast (family usually visit) then toast for dinner.

MagicTape · 07/01/2026 09:12

I'm another who likes to get multiple meals out of a roast!

Sat - roast beef & all the trimmings
Sun - cold roast beef and mash (last shredding of beef then used for weekday lunches)
Mon - spinach tofu and chickpea curry (Happy Pear recipe)
Tues - cod fillets and home made chips with peas
Tonight and tomorrow - beetroot coconut curry (another Happy Pear one!)
Friday - fakeaway, not decided what yet but probably noodles

loveulotslikejellytots · 07/01/2026 09:45

This week I made myself a massive batch of Dahl, I forgot to halve the recipe so I now have a tonne of it 😂 I’ve frozen it.

Other dinners planned for this week (mainly the kids as I’ve had Dahl).

Burgers and chips
Omlettes and hash browns
Sausages and cheesy jackets
Tomato soup and cheese toastie (swimming night)
Chicken fried rice

I have beef mince in the fridge so either a chilli or maybe beef nachos? I have a load of spag bol in the freezer so I won’t make that with this batch of mince.

foodyum · 07/01/2026 13:19

Yesterday was chicken pie (shop brought) and veg
Today is baked potatoes with beans and cheese with salad
Tomorrow is salmon with roasties and veg.
No idea about Friday, probably something from the freezer.

GreenGodiva · 07/01/2026 13:39

Marry me chicken has become a staple in our house, often with pasta or mash and broccoli. Also home made sourdough pizza is very popular when my grandkids are here. Pea and ham soup with a toastie. And once a week we get proper old school and either have fish chips and peas with bread and butter, or egg chips and beans with bread and butter and a brew.

Bestchocolate · 07/01/2026 13:49

@Mrsbunnychops silly question but when I batch cook curry like this i do the coconjt milk also

What are you bath cooking

LoudPlumDog · 07/01/2026 13:50

Why only on Wednesdays?

BiddyPopthe2nd · 07/01/2026 13:59

Salmon darnes covered with a spoon of pesto and sprinkle of grated Parmesan, roasted for 15 minutes. As oven is on, roast baby potatoes to go with. And wilt spinach (open bag and pour into colander, boil full kettle of water, slowly pour full kettle over spinach, press out excess water before serving - do it last minute as it doesn’t stay hot long but spinach is perfectly wilted and not overcooked sogginess).

Chicken joints thrown into a bed of veggies and diced potatoes and thrown in the oven - could be seasoned with lemon/garlic/herbs for Greek, piri piri, plain breasts with a pocket cut into it for cream cheese and the breast wrapped in slices of streaky bacon etc.

Can do similar to above with lamb or pork chops or thick dinner sausages - throw in the oven, throw potatoes in as well. winter root veg or squash are good veggies to oven cook - or Mediterranean style veggies for a lighter option.

Chicken fajitas or beef tacos.

I batch cook family friendly curries - serve 1 portion to the family and freeze the rest in single serving portions to defrost as many as needed after dinner 1 night for the following day’s dinner.

Chilli con carne or veggie chilli (both also good to batch cook).

Italian herby sausages formed into meatballs to have with a jar of tomato sauce and pasta.

smoked fish and brocolli pie (mash topping). Cottage pie (mash topping). Beef stew as pie filling (pastry topping).

Chicken and mushrooms in creamy/white wine sauce as pie (pastry or mash topping) or as a sauce with rice or pasta.

Slow cooked stews and casseroles - beef and Guinness; pork and cider and white beans; coq au vin; chicken chasseur; Irish stew (lamb based).

Hoolahoophop · 07/01/2026 14:03

This week
Carbonara with salad (using the last of the Christmas ham)
Chicken Kiev's with veg (and jacket spud for those not on a January diet)
Smoked salmon risotto and salad (using up the last of the smoked salmon bought in for Christmas.
Fish Fingers and waffles (for the busy night)
Grilled spicy chicken with flat breads and assorted bits to make it interesting.
Toad in the Hole with lots of veg
Roast Chicken tray bake so I can use the leftovers in the week for a quick dinner.

Regulars.
Kiev
Fish Fingers
Flatbreads
Sausages (with mash or toad)
Bolognaise (usually batch cooked from the freezer)
Chili (usually batch cooked from the freezer)
Cottage or Shepard's pie (usually batch cooked from the freezer)
Meatballs (usually batch cooked from the freezer)
Fajitas
Stir fry
Burgers
Pizza (home made or bought in)
Noodle soups

BiddyPopthe2nd · 07/01/2026 15:27

I also like to do a massive pot of macaroni cheese. I have bacon lardons or leftover diced ham in it. And lots of veg - into the bowl of “mix-ins” I add the meat, and whatever veg I have but generally things like raw diced peppers, raw frozen peas, raw mange tout or sugar snap peas, chunks of lightly cooked french beans, fried mushrooms, fried onion, fried garlic, fried courgettes, steamed brocolli (still al dente) etc - all in nice bite sized chunks. Once pasta cold, I add in the mix-ins and stir through before adding the cheese sauce. It’s great straight from the pot and leftovers freeze well to be reheated as a pasta bake (with a generous handful of cheese on top).

yikesanotherbooboo · 07/01/2026 15:35

Chicken or halloumi wraps
chicken curry
roast chicken
sausage and bean casserole
sausage and leek one pan
pasta alla norma
carbonara
puttanesca
pasta with courgettes or broccoli
veg lasagne
soup once a week eg minestrone, celeriac or leek and potato
stirfry
salmon tray bake
omelette
shakshuka
greens and beans
chicken Caesar salad
roast veg with halloumi or goats cheese
lots of others …

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