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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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

147 replies

Emsonline · 11/01/2019 08:57

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.

OP posts:
AlaskanOilBaron · 11/01/2019 14:51

Here's our week thus far:

Monday - Minced chicken meatballs, mushroom sauce + an enormous pot of wild rice
Tuesday - Confit of duck + leftover rice (I buy it in the tin from Waitrose, it's amazing but pretty expensive)
Wednesday - Leftover rice --> egg fried rice (with Chinese cabbage) + some filet steak I found on sale (who hoo) drizzled with sesame oil/seeds
Thursday - Spaghetti Bolgonese
Tonight - chicken breast with chorizo cream sauce, probably mashed potatoes

ScienceIsTruth · 11/01/2019 14:51

Oops, posted too soon.

Also:

Jacket potatoes with various filling (beans, cheese or tuna mayo).

Homemade sourdough pizza with cheese, mushroom, peppers, onions and chicken.

Roast gammon joint with mash and veg.

Ham with egg and homemade chips.

I'll be making pea and ham soup with the leftovers tomorrow and then we're having a roast chicken dinner on Sunday.

That chicken will then make a curry or risotto for the next meal and then a stew the day after with the carcass.

Then it'll be a pasta/cous cous or rice dish without meat and the day after it'll probably be sausage and mash or something quick.

neversleepagain · 11/01/2019 14:54

Roast chicken dinner.
Chicken curry and rice with left over chicken.
Beef stew with dumplings and mash.
Salmon with spinach rice pilaf.
Jacket potatoes with baked beans & cheese.
Chicken burgers and salad.
Lasagne.

Oogle · 11/01/2019 15:04

This week:
S - sweet chilli salmon stir fry
S - roast chicken
M - chicken pie (made with leftovers)
T - pizza (unplanned but we had guests)
W - honey and lemon chicken
T - chicken and veg stir fry (no noodles)
F - spag bol (although we probably won't have it as we went out for lunch, so will probably have tuna salad instead

Next week:
S - Fishcakes with poached eggs and veg (or it might be spag bol!)
S - Steak
M - Salmon with mash and veg
T - Chicken in tomato and olive sauce
W - Bombay lamb wraps (bbcgoodfood)
T - Fish pie
F - Chinese pork fillet with egg fried rice

ScienceIsTruth · 11/01/2019 15:09

I used to meal plan religiously but got out of the habit whilst having house renovated. Trying to get back to it now though.

We also have a sushi night about once a month (usually bought from London on way home, but sometimes homemade by older dc) and I'll often make (once a fortnight) something with wraps, so enchiladas, burritos, fajitas or something similar. If I'm in too much pain to make anything we'll have a takeaway.

On, and I make a lot of traybakes to cut down on prep/watching and washing up. Eg, so last week I got the dc to prepare a load of veg (peppers, onions, mushrooms, courgette, and potatoes) and chop them into similar sized chunks. I then drizzle with flavoured oil and season well with salt, pepper and whatever spices/herbs take our fancy, then I roast until golden and cooked through. Sometimes I'll add a bit of diced chicken or bacon pieces, other times I'll serve it with a baked eggs (cracked over veg and cooked with it for last 10 mins or so).
I sometimes change my mind last minute, or have run out of time to cook what I wanted, or unexpected guests turn up with different tastes, so things do get swapped about, probably at least once a week.

TechnicalSergeantGarp · 11/01/2019 15:19

I batch cook every week on a rotation and am so bored. Everything below has been made in bulk and frozen. I've had a few days off and need to get stuff sorted for next week. I've also decided to make more things from food programmes.

Sun: cottage pie, vegetables and apple crumble

Mon: stew, crusty bread and red cabbage

Tue: Tom Kerridgeish pasta. Made with passatta instead of red pepper and soft cheese with pepper instead of cream.

Wed: can't for the life of me remember

Thur: sausage, mash and beans (DH I'd have veg and onion gravy)

Fri: Chinese takeaway

Sat: NEW homemade pizza from Jamie Oliver's money saving meals. American hot Chicago pizza pie. Ingredients from Aldi 46p for strong white flour! 78p for four pizza bases or £1.78 a pizza -

1 kilo of strong white flour,
Large pinch of salt
7g (standard size of packets) yeast
600ml tepid water
Tin tomatoes
2 garlic garlic cloves
Oregano
S&P
Splash of vinegar from jalepenos
2 sausages
Jalepenos
Cheese
Red onion
Smoked paprika
Fennel seeds
20 mins 190°
We'll have with salad and veg sticks. I'll make a thin base for DH and I. DS will make thick crust pepperoni and garlic bread.

Sun: got chicken to use so curry or jerk chicken, rice and peas.

TechnicalSergeantGarp · 11/01/2019 15:24

www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/2411639/lemon-and-oregano-chicken-traybake - can't remember how to do links

This is a staple in our house as can I get ready in zip lock bags the night before. I make it with chicken breasts and add a little more liquid so there is more sauce.

Pretamum · 11/01/2019 15:28

This week we've had (2x adults, 1 child):

Marinated chicken thighs with pitta, hummus, corn cobs, minty Greek yoghurt
Chicken Kievs, baked potatoes, veggies
Salmon with roasted broccoli
Sausages, mash, veg, onion gravy
Freezer food - leftover bolognese or curry normally.
Takeaway pizza tonight.
Probably BBQ tomorrow (don't live in the UK)
Curry or roast pork on Sunday.

Ideas for next week:

Jambalaya
Mushroom Marsala pasta bake (from Smitten Kitchen blog - haven't tried it before but looks delicious and her stuff is usually pretty good).
Fish fingers, chips, veggies
Chilli
Freezer leftovers probably

I get bored easily with food and am trying to cook at least one new recipe a week as well as not repeat the same things week after week. DS tries most things but usually doesn't like new foods and will only eat one or two mouthfuls -he has a well established list of food he likes and rarely does he stray from it! So I try and make sure the week is a combination of stuff he likes as well as new stuff in the hope he'll come around to it. Try to cook from scratch as often as possible but sometimes cannot be bothered.

DangerousBeanz · 11/01/2019 15:43

This week was,

Saturday Veggie pasta
Sunday roast chicken dinner, roast potatoes and parsnips, carrot and swede mash, gf stuffing, gravy.
Monday bubble and squeak squeaked with leftovers from Sunday, with left over chicken.
Tuesday lentil and veg tacos
Wednesday lemon sole, homemade oven wedges, peas, roast onion and tomato, tartare sauce
Thursday corned beef hash, cabbage pickled beetroot
Friday veg curry and rice.

ScienceIsTruth · 11/01/2019 16:15

Oh, I made some courgette and potato rosti before Christmas, that even my veg hating dc loved, so they'll be a regular feature this year (I'll just vary the veg used).

LanaLily11 · 11/01/2019 16:19

This week we’ve had:
Shepherds pie with Yorkshire’s and peas
Leftover shepherds pie with baked beans
Chicken and leek gratin with halloumi fries, wedges and corn on the cob
Toad in the hole with dauphinois potatoes and cabbage
Tonight will be spinach and ricotta tortellini with garlic bread and green beans

I’m on maternity leave and love cooking so am cooking from scratch everyday. I’m sure the novelty will wear off before long

LucyInTheSkyy · 11/01/2019 16:27

Mon- Jacket Potatoes w/ baby corn, carrot & cucumber then cheese / beans / tuna or chilli
Tues- roast chicken with either pesto & rice/ pesto pasta / roasted tinned potatoes
Weds- lasagne
Thurs-chicken & mushroom bake
Fri- leftovers / help yourself to whatever
Sat- soup & crusty bread or roast chicken & crusty bread
Sub- roast / casserole / slow cooked meat with roasties & veg

Alternative quick meals are;

Stuffed pasta
Pizzas & salad / crudités
Pesto pasta & cheese
Apple & cheese pork chops & rice
Quesadillas
Fajitas
Anything in the slow cooker- casserole / chilli/ spag Bol /
One pan stir fry

Nothingfallingdowntoday · 11/01/2019 16:28

This week

Mon - gammon steak with cauli cheese
Tues - baked pots with bean and veg chilli
Wed - morrocan chickpea and spinach stew with wild rice
Thurs - red Thai veg curry
Fri - veg paella
Sat - piri piri Chicken

DuggeesWooOOooggle · 11/01/2019 16:50

Meals in constant rotation in our house:

Salmon with some kind of grain (eg quinoa) and salady bits.
Veggie sausage baked on a tray with potatoes and veg
Tofu stir fry
Sweet potato and chickpea curry
Pasta of some kind, often veggie, sometimes with meatballs
Home made pizza (usually on a weekend)
Chicken or veggie casserole with dumplings
Paneer and spinach curry from Jamie Oliver 15 minute meals (although I use twice the amount of paneer and frozen spinach)

I've been trying to do Veganuary but am really struggling at the moment thanks to the triple whammy of moving house soon (so things to use up), being absolutely full of cold and 6 weeks pregnant with morning sickness beginning to appear. Am just eating what I fancy and can face cooking at the moment!

Oblomov19 · 11/01/2019 16:59

Yum. Making notes.

Roast lamb,
Steak pie, new potatoes & 3 steamed veg,
Steak and salad.
Spaghetti & meatballs.
Pizza
Fish and chips

MrsTWH · 11/01/2019 17:08

A typical week for us is:

Sausages/toad in the hole and veg
Roast dinner (usually chicken)
Chicken and broccoli stir fry
Veg Thai green curry and sticky rice
Fajitas
A pasta bake with salad and garlic bread
Oven pizza!

Lymphy · 11/01/2019 17:15

@drspouse please tell me about this beetroot and corned beef hash, it sounds like it could be a winner in this house

JoinTheDots · 11/01/2019 17:19

This week we will be having (but probably not in this order)

Sun Chicken Dopiaza
Mon Prawn noodles
Tue Roast chicken
Wed Pizza
Thur Fish pie
Fri Chicken fajitas
Sat Carbonara

RebeccaWrongDaily · 11/01/2019 17:22

Sunday this week we had roast pork and all trimmings.
Monday jackets with beans/cheese/tuna/coleslaw and salad
Tuesday Sausages, mash, left over cauli cheese & red cabbage from sunday with yorkshires and green beans and carrots
Wednesday Lamb koftas, Chicken satay, hummus, pitta, halloumi salad
Thursday - Chicken cacciatore with roast spuds + veg
Tonight we've got meatballs in tomato sauce, pasta, garlic bread,salad.

My family is really fussy. This is all that goes on the table. Not everyone eats everything. I find it tedious having to plan this way.

ladyvimes · 11/01/2019 17:53

Reading this thread with envy at all of those of you that have children that eat such variety. My ds5 is currently having a meltdown because I’ve cooked cheesy spaghetti and not cheesy pasta as we only have whole wheat pasta and he’d deifinitely be able to taste the difference! FML!

FayFortune · 11/01/2019 18:01

They (mostly) get better over time ladyvimes.

shecamefromgreece · 11/01/2019 18:14

I'm trying to cook some different stuff so this week is
Friday-jerk chicken, rice and peas, sweet potato wedges and spinach, Cucumber, mango and lime salad.
Sat- beef brisket slow cooked in tomato sauce with spaghetti and garlic bread
Sun-leg of lamb
Monday-roasted pepper and mushroom risotto
Tuesday-chicken madras and rice
Wednesday-pasta with prawns and chilli
Thursday-homemade burgers with wedges, corn on the cob and salad.

FatandSassy · 11/01/2019 18:45

This weeks menu for us (5 kids, 2 adults):

No puddings during the week as it's usually fruit or an ice lolly

Mon - courgetti carbonara
Tue - soup and bread
Weds - big salad. Jackets w/cheese or tuna&mayo
Thurs - adults - stir fry
- kids - fishfinger butties
Fri - chilli, nachos, rice
Sat - IKEA meatballs, potato rostis, peas. Pudding = Swiss roll
Sun - roast pork dinner.
Pudding = crumble & custard/cream

bibbitybobbityyhat · 11/01/2019 18:54

We are omnivores but I aim for vegetarian or vegan 3 or 4 times per week.

Fish once (husband doesn't like it so we have fish when he's not here which is fine, he's not here for dinner at least once a week).

Chicken once a week.

Red meat no more than once a week.

Pasta once a week.

Processed meat like bacon and sausages, cured deli meat etc, is a once a month "treat".

Puddings only on Sunday.

SurfnTerfFantasticmissfoxy · 11/01/2019 18:58

This week;

Salmon with salsa on top and green veg
Steak with cauliflower mash
Pea and Pesto soup
Tuna steak with Singapore noodles
Chicken stuffed with Feta with spicy green beans and tomatoes
Spicy Tuna poke bowl with sushi rice and crispy veg