To as what a typical week of dinners looks like for you?

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I need inspiration! I'm not a massive foodie. I actually quite dislike cooking... but we are a family of 2 adults and a 5 and 3 year old and I need ideas.

Yes, it's such a chore trying to think of family dinners all the time when you don't particularly enjoy cooking.

I found loads of good ideas on this recent thread

Sunday roast
Something with leftovers - if we had pork it will be an egg fried rice with veg and pork, chicken will be a curry
Taco Tuesday
Mash meal - veg, protein and mash
Fish meal - usually herb crushed potatoes and veg
Pasta/spaghetti meal
Toad in the hole

Then we sometimes mix it up with quesedillas, freezer lottery or pizza

I try to have a couple of easy meals a week.
Something like jacket potatoes with bacon and beans or cheese, soup and crusty bread or even a full breakfast for tea(egg, bacon, sausage, beans)
The rest of the time we have things like lamb chops, mash and peas, chicken and rice, shepherds pie and veg, spaghetti Bol and beef casserole. I don’t like ready meals or cookin sauces so make for scratch and my trade off is the two easy meals a week.

@Princessmushroom Great ideas, thanks

we are veggie so a week might look like this:

curry
sausages with mash and veg/beans
a couple of pasta dishes
pizza
risotto
soup
and there's bound to be the odd beans/scrambled eggs on toast or just a sandwich because I've got disorganised and there's nothing else!

You’re not alone OP! I love cooking and I find it a massive grind, because of what the children will/won’t eat, and I don’t eat meat.
I cook most of the below over a 2 week period:

*Sausages (meat for family, queen for me), baby roast potatoes (cut new pots in half, put them in at 200 for 30mins-no need to parboil) 2 different greens(green beans/peas/broccoli/or salad veg, roast carrots
*salmon fillet baked in foil at 200 for 20 (covered in harissa for DH & me) couscous, 2 different greens.

• filled pasta with either pesto, cheese & peas or plain pasta w a tomato sauce & salad veg
• wraps with roast veg (sweet potatoes, carrots), salad veg and halloumi (slice thickly & fry off in a dry pan-5 mins)
• stir fry with veg, noodles & tofu/prawns
• i’ll occasionally roast a chicken
• if ^ chicken pie the next day
• mushroom lasagne
• broccoli and cauliflower fritters (recipe on mylovelylittlelunchbox website) salad veg
• jacket potatoes with cheese/baked beans/ salami/salad or green veg
• sausage, kidney bean & tomato casserole (recipe found on here)
• aubergine & chickpea moussaka, rice, yoghurt, greens (for DD2 just the last 3)
• veg chilli w rice, yoghurt, greens
• macaroni cheese, salad veg
• fish fingers, peas, roast baby pots&roast carrots
• homemade or bought fish cakes with potatoes, greens.
• once a week we have pizza either take away or homemade depending on energy levels.

This week

Clam and prawn spaghetti
Katsu chicken with jasmine rice
Roast chicken dinner
Spicy chicken stir fry

I try and do a freezer meal once a week and a pizza and sushi night.

I just wish the family would get involved in what they want to eat.

I do quite a lot of stir fry using the ready chopped packs of veg that most supermarkets have. Chicken, beef or prawns plus a packet of veg with my own sauces and either noodles or 2 minute microwave rice.

I don’t have any DC yet but me and DH meal plan for two weeks at a time, most meals can be adjusted for little ones with ingredients replaced with nicer ones if they’re a bit fussy. we try to do a range of different meat, fish and veg meals and take all leftovers for or work lunches the next day (sometimes with micro rice)

this week and next week were/are:

M- grilled fish with Moroccan spices, couscous and tabbouleh
T- SC chilli con carne with jackets
W- stuffed peppers with leftover chilli mixed with rice
T- pasta bake with prawns
F- Nando’s because we cba to cook
S- SC lamb with Yorkshire’s, veg and gravy
S- Chicken biryani with salad
M- chickpea & spinach curry with leftover biryani rice
T- thai green curry soup with noodles
W- sweet potato and veg tacos
T- falafels in pittas
F- freezer meal - homemade donner in leftover pittas
S- oven fish and chips
S- eating out

Last 7 days, two adults and one teen

Asaparagus risotto, roast chicken drumsticks, with some rocket and cherry tomatoes

Roast pork, roast potatoes, carrots, peas, broccoli

Creamy lemon chicken, made in slow cooker, rice, spinach, peas

Beef in red wine, made in slow cooker, mash, carrots, peas, broccoli

Smoked haddock, peas, baked potato, carrots

Cold deli meats, cheese, olives, garlic bread, salad

Fish cakes, mixed salad, chips, peas

Try making cauliflower cheese but with broccoli as well when my DS was little it was his favourite, with sausages and baked potato. I used to do a lot of meals that could all be baked in the oven, no stirring required, Maybe a slow cooker?

This week (2 adults, 2 DCs in lower primary) we have had/are having:

Monday microwave jackets with tuna/leftover bolognese
Tuesday fish fingers/fish goujons/potato waffles/sweet potato wedges with red cabbage (there were bits to use up)
Weds baked ham and boiled potato and red cabbage coleslaw (are you sensing a theme)
Thurs just adults - leek and chorizo omelette with crusty bread (kids have a hot lunch so I often just give them a sandwich).
Today I think we're having mac and broccoli and cheese
Tomorrow DH will probably do corned beef and beetroot hash
Sunday meatloaf

this is a standard week for us:

adults (we don't eat together during the week)

Monday - prawn omelette and salad
Tuesday - turkey steaks with veg
Wednesday - homemade curry (beef, chicken) with veg not rice
Thursday - Homemade turkey chilli with veg
Friday - anything goes really

Kids

Monday - sausages and mash with peas and gravy
Tuesday - chicken pies with veg
Wednesday - macaroni cheese with leeks
Thursday - breaded fish with chips and peas
Friday - pizza

Weekend meals might include fajitas, tacos, sometimes a roast, often a curry, rarely a takeaway as my husband's cooking is always nicer

Last seven days, I’m not an adventurous cook really, we mix up what we put in our salads-

Lamb chops, corn on the cob, green salad

Fish, corn on the cob, green salad

Chicken stir fry (mushroom, capsicum, courgettes, aubergine, black bean)

Omelettes (mushroom, tomato, spinach, basil, cheese)

Home made pizza and green salad

Steak, beans and broccolli

Pulled pork tacos with coleslaw and rice,

Fish fillets baked in foil, with root veg mash, salad and rice or potatoes or pasta

Roast vegetables, cous cous and chunks of chicken or beef

Vegetable curry of some sort plus dal defrosted from a previous batch cook, rice or bread and yoghurt

Jacket potatoes, salad, hummus, cheddar

Fish fingers, fried eggs, baked beans, homemade chips

Veg curry again because I made loads and there's no space left in our tiny freezer

Asda melt in the middle fishcakes with potatoes and a salad

Ready made quiche, cheesy mash, gravy, steamed veg broccoli /peas/carrots

This week
Saturday - kids had fish fingers and chips, adults had Pho after kids in bed
Sunday- chinese prawns, green beans and rice
Monday - chicken shwarma with roasted butternut, roasted new potatoes, green beans
Tues - home made root veg soup + cheese on toast
Weds - salmon w ginger, spring onions and sesame, roast new pots, broccoli and cauliflower
Thurs - same as Tues
Fri - Andalusian inspired bean and quorn sausage stew
Saturday - undecided at present
Sunday - turkey pie (frozen xmas leftovers) and veg
Monday - spag bol (triple quantity and freeze extra)

day-to-day meals in the Binary Household:

"Fishy Pasta" (Tinned sardines in tomato sauce, in a pasta sauce made with onions, garlic, tomatoes, carrots etc and pasta)

Vegan- brunch - sausages, scrambled tofu, beans, fried onions, toast, mushrooms etc

Pasta bolognese

Sausage, mash, veg and ladles of gravy!

Butternut squash curry and roti

falafel wraps and salad

mixed bean chilli

sausage casserole

Thai green quorn curry and rice

Pork casserole and dumplings

shepherd/cottage pie and veg

omelette (either eggs or chickpea flour)

jackfruit bbq

soups

stir fry

shakshouka

"deli style" sandwiches or quesadilla

fish pie

^ my kids are 2 and 5 if that makes a difference

Next week we have

Fajita stuffed chicken
Macaroni cheese
Chicken and chorizo bake
Cottage pie
Baked potatoes
Pizza night
Vegetable enchiladas

I keep a 4 week meal plan that we rotate on as I find it easier than coming up with a new plan every week. Then I have a list of other meals that we swap in occasionally if we get fed up of something. I enjoy cooking but still try and keep one or two easy meals each week like baked potatoes or some sort of pasta meal, and Saturday is always pizza night wether it's homemade or frozen or takeaway.

Spaghetti Bologna's
Jacket potatoes with tuna/cheese and salad
Chicken, rice, mushrooms and onion done in the pan with stock and Worcester sauce
Prawn stir fry
Fajitas
Pizza and chips
Tuna pasta with pesto

Past 7 days:

Roast chicken, pigs in blankets, yorkshire pudding, potatoes, parsnips, carrots, broccoli
Chicken curry (using leftovers) with rice
lasagne with salad and garlic bread
teriyaki beef stir fry with rice
fish pie and veg
veggie pasta bake
home made nandos (peri peri chicken, halloumi, corn on the cob etc)

I’m on SW so all meals diet friendly
Usually within one week we have
Roast dinner
Full breakfast
Some kind of stir fry
Fish with vegetables
Chicken with Mediterranean veg
Something grilled eg chops or chicken with veg
Paella or risotto
I’m gluten free and don’t enjoy potatoes or pasta
All our meals have to be quick cook as I work late frequently and also visit DF in nursing home every other evening plus try and swim or gym twice a week!

It does vary a bit from week to the next but this is the idea...

Monday - cheesed and potato pie with sausages and beans.

Tuesday - cottage pie with veg

Wednesday - pasta bake

Thursday - fish / fishfinges, mashed potato, peas, parsely sauce.

Friday - pizza

Saturday - full English breakfast style

Sunday - roast dinner

40 weeks pregnant so meals a bit simpler/quicker than usual but so far this week

Chicken in Marsala sauce, rice, green beans, carrots
Chili con carne, rice
Beef stew and dumplings
Meatballs and pasta

Bit much red meat so far this week but never mind

Rest of week I have fish pie, jacket potatoes, and roast pork in but also have lots of fish fingers/ pizzas etc in freezer just in case! I had a freezer full of home cooked meals before Christmas in preparation for baby coming but then our freezer broke so we had to eat it all.

Think I'll start Taco Tuesday again.

This week we have had:
Chicken in creamy mushroom sauce with a side of broccoli
Butterbean and chorizo stew
Prawn stir fry
Baked potatoes with beans and cheese
Tonight is tea out.
Tomorrow is honemade curry and naans.
Sunday will be steak and sweet potato fries with salad

I don't eat much rice or potato. I do like pasta a lot. I try to do a veg substitute for the carbs or it's too heavy to digest before bed!