To ask what the heck you cook young kids that's healthy and doesn't take forever?

[Iveprobablybeenunreasonable]

I'm back at work in 2 weeks, and won't be picking my dc up from nursery until 5pm. They are 3yo and 1yo.
Both good eaters
Current routine is start cooking at 4.45, eat at 5.45, bath every other night and bed at 7pm.
They have usually finished eating by around 6.10 (dinner followed by fruit or yoghurt etc) so they get a good 45 mins of downtime before bed

I can't drag bedtime out but I won't get home till around 5.10 once back at work.
All the meals I make seem To take around 1 hour. They won't finish eating till about 6.40 and then it'll be bedtime!

They can have a night of beans on toast (they usually have this after swimming lessons Fri night) and a night where i reheat something like a chilli out of the freezer.

But what else can I do that's healthy and doesn't involve loads of prep and cooking time?

I have time to do NOTHING in the mornings which rules out the slow cooker. I have to get me and both dc up and out the house by 7.15am.

DH is not around during the week

Help pleeease!

I’ve also been known to do my 10 minute sweet and sour. Microwave rice, defrost and eat chicken strips (Nuked) and ready made sauce plonked on top. That’s a proper ‘I’m beyond exhausted today’ meal.

One of my kids favourite meals is a tray bake.
So dice some potato quite small so it doesn't take long to cook. Toss in olive oil and some seasoning.
Season some chicken breast (or prep any other meat you want) I always slice the chicken thinly to cook quicker.
Throw some assorted veg onto a tray with olive oil and seasoning,
Chuck a pan of rice on,

My kids love it and it cooks in under half an hour

Although as an aside, you could prep a slow cooker meal the night before and put the pot covered in the fridge over night

Google slow cooker dump bags. They're amazing

Have you tried gnocchi with homemade tomato sauce? It takes minutes and my 2 love it

Tuna pasta bake. I make my own sauce (or you can buy it) and add in broccoli. My kids love it and it’s ao easy!

PeapodBurgundy we are leading parallel lives! That’s the exact pesto I buy! 😂

Oh hang on, I see you said paste. I get a sundried pesto from Morrison’s but I use a chilli tom paste from the Turkish shop because it goes in to my kisir as well. Will try that one out!

@ktd27 do you mean me?! From A few years ago where I recommended using cream cheese?! I remember that so well because you were so.nice and funny about it!!!

I bought an electric pressure cooker. You can make a stew/soup thing from frozen in like 30 minutes. Gets more use in the winter, mind you.

Haven’t managed to read the whole thread, but sympathies, we have the same problem.
I do make one night pizza night, home made if I’m organised, bought it in a shop if not.

Be prepared for some nights they will be starving andeveryome will be crying, and other nights will glance at whatever you’ve stressed over making, shrug and demand to play a game before bed.
Try not to get worked up about it. I do try to have a lot of porridge made so if they suddenly decide they are ravenous before bed they can have some of that. (Also when they sometimes decide they are ravenous at 3am 😳).

I do generally work on the principle that they have eaten food at nursery, so anything I give them is extra.

Mine love egg noodles and veg. 4 mins in boiling water. Done.

We buy ready made lamb meatballs, then just chuck these in the oven for 20 mins, pop some pitta in the toaster and serve with a herby yoghurt (Mint and coriander- I cut them with scissors as it's quicker then getting the chopping board out) hummus and corn cobs. My LO absolutely loves it and it is a piece of piss.

Also picnic tea of crackers, carrot sticks, cheese, fruit and salami. Couscous with something from the freezer like chilli or tagine.

@IamPickleRick we get the pesto too. It's my go-to lazy dinner: a jar of that, garlic bread bunged in the halogen oven, and a tin of sweetcorn to help appease the Mammy guilt

Beef stew, made in advance or cooked through the day, with potatoes in the stew, and served with green veg and Aunt Bessie’s Yorkies.

Microwave rice pouches and frozen mash are your friends.

Tortellini. We have it at least twice a week. I bung extra fresh veggies in the pan whilst the pasta is draining, then add the sauce, then stir together. Altogether takes a max 15m.

I've been a big fan of casseroles recently, but they're not so great on the duration front. However, I find I can bung everything I need in the pan in 5m, and it's ready in 45m without further interference.

Steamer meals are good too - potatoes in water, chicken on one layer, veg the next. Takes 20m tops.

Last one - get yourself a decent size toastie maker, and buy wraps. Very easy to put together and churn out.

Yes yes yes to maximising QUICK foods (part cooked, instant mash, microwave rice), and adding fresh veggies.

could you cook up a nice home made soup on Sundays to feed on Monday with some nice bread. My favourite is Home made minestrone as the little pasta pieces makes it seem more a meal than a snack.

Pasta is always quick, add some pesto and some ready cooked chicken.

omelette, fishfingers and frozen steam veggies, carbonara, jacket potatoes done in the microwave, served with cheese, beans or tuna mayo. don’t feel bad if you have to use more tinned food than you’d usually choose to use, tinned veggies are still veggies.

Invest in a slow cooker. Next winter you can all come home to slow cooked stews, casseroles etc.

Would a bit of batch cooking at weekends work for you?

Forgot to add, check out Jamie’s 15 minute recipes. He has a YouTube channel so you can find some nice ideas from there.

Prawns, noodles and some frozen vegetables.
Boil some water in a pan, add a chicken stock cube. Throw in some frozen prawns and bring back to the boil. Bung in the vegetables and noodles and wait 5 minutes.
Done.
Dd likes a bit of soy sauce and sea weed on hers.

Mine didn't like pasta but loved it now- it's worth trying different shapes and sizes as tastes change over time. Quick cook pasta is smaller and softer (and quicker!)

Frozen rice packs are great when you're in a hurry - not the most cost effective but so handy. Ditto veg packs, or just do peas in the microwave.

Noodles or couscous cook quickly and are a nice alternative.

Potatoes chopped up quite small only take 8-10 mins or leftover boiled potatoes can be fried for a treat.

Potato waffles cooked in toaster.

Any veg that needs boiling I cut up quite small so it cooks quickly.

Salmon takes 20-25 mins in oven & can be served with any of above. Chicken not much longer (mini fillets or cut small) and can buy frozen.

Ham/tuna can be stirred into pasta/rice with some soft cheese & veg.

I make & freeze shepherds pie, chicken & mash pie, fish pie, bolognese sauce all with tons of veg so they just need heating. Usually have 2 in freezer at any time so that's 2 meals per week.

I have a rough weekly plan but not so rigid that they get bored, it gets mixed up. Planning is the answer!

Tuna mayo pasta with cucumber and sweet corn.
Fishfinger sandwich.
Hotdogs.
Veg stirfry.
Oven pizza and chips.
Tinned meatballs and mash

When I had a similar routine just a bit later home , I had more meals ready in freezer to take out night before , so look at what you do now, can you do two or three one night , and give yourself at least 2/3 nights from batch cooking, it will be better to eat a good healthy meal from freezer, than try survive 4 nights on ten minute dinners, but there are plenty of quick options, I see you say kids don't like pasta do they like couscous or noodles both super quick to make, and mix with frozen veg, protein wise eggs and fish is so fast to cook.

What I used to try do was as getting say Mondays dinner ready doing rice or whatever to add to what I had made Sunday, i'd be thinking of prep for Tuesday, which could simmer away or be in oven when we ate and kids played , i'd do things like a beef casserole with baby carrots and baby potatoes in it whole - less prep, the sauce base for a curry, roast chicken, let it cook for hour or whatever it needed, out of oven leave cool -while I did stories, and into fridge , so next night it just needs to be warmed up and your prepping the following night, only thing is set a timer or you may forget.

My top tip is jacket potatoes done in slow cooker.

Simply wrap in foil and out in slow cooker.

I do them on low and when I come home I can literally open the lid and take them out to serve.

You could easily wrap them the evening before (takes like 1min) and leave in pot on counter overnight.

Whenever I use the slow cooker I always prep it all evening before.

Mine do three days at nursery so on those nights they have beans on toast, pasta with pesto and cheese and probably something like chicken nuggets and chips with frozen veg. Then they have Greek yoghurt and fruit for pudding. I don't think it hurts for a few nights!!!

noodles! the fat udon ones are great but all sorts excellent. bit of honey garlic and soy and then whatever veg and meat you fancy. I have a juilette-peeer which cuts carrots into thin noodle strips which is great and fast.

oh and my favourite time to do batch cooking is Saturday morning first thing. I hate getting up at 7am but getting 8 meals into the freezer by 9am is a great feeling!