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!

Canned sardines in tomato sauce is a big hit in our house. Nice on toast with sliced tomatoes on top.

Tinned spaghetti with grated cheese on top and a pouch of those mixed frozen veg that you cook in the microwave. My two had that at least once a week when they were small.

Cheese and ham toasties on wholemeal bread, with veggie sticks and sliced fruit on the side (carrot sticks, cucumber sticks, half a pear and half an apple each, sliced.)

Meatballs and sweet potato fries - if they don't need to eat immediately, just heat up the oven and bake these together for about 25 mins. Serve with peas or iceberg, cucumber and cherry tomatoes.

Fresh pasta spirals cook in a couple of minutes. Cook some petit pois with them. Stir in some cream cheese and chopped ham.

Egg fried rice. It's pretty much my answer to everything!
Super quick, especially if you use a pouch of rice but to keep costs down you can cook the rice the day before and keep in the fridge.
Add whatever veg you fancy or needs to be eaten and some meat or fish if you are inclined. I quite like a few ready cooked prawns chucked in at the end (just to warm them through) but DS is not so keen.
One big pan of covers your carb/veg/protein needs - it's quick, healthy and tasty. And easy to adapt for different tastes.

Cook curry, chilli, pasta bake and then use it the next day, whilst you cook for the following night. Whilst you cook rice etc you can prepare the meal and it can cook on the stove - once cooked place on side to cool and pop in fridge ready for the following day

Cashew nuts are a good, easy protein to thrown into egg fried rice, noodles etc. Obviously as long as no nut allergies.

One I did for mine was oven baked salmon (fillet in tin foil with lemon juice, butter salt and pepper), new potatoes, and veges - eg, asparagus, broccoli, baby carrots.

Took ten minutes max to prep, 20 minutes to cook. Only needed a very little salmon as it's very rich, and great source of proteins, fish oils and omega 3's.

We use the Maggie so juicy bags a lot. They're great as you just chuck the meat in and off you go and it gives you between 30mins and hour to get on with other things like homework, sorting you her children, getting PJs ready

Whatever you are eating - why make more work for yourself. Pasta, potatoes, rice meals whatever. My favourite quick meals are pasta, fajitas, stir fries and soup

When mine were tiny and at nursery, they usually had a sandwich, a wrap or a toast meal after nursery, with veg sticks, fruit, yoghurt etc. If I do Cooke, they perhaps had some pre-bought stir-fry veg and straight to pan noodles, or pasta with jar pesto and raw veg.

Batch cooking so if I make a spag boll or similar at the weekend I'll always make double. For quick meals:

Tortilinni, veg and cooked chicken with butter and cheese.

Pasta, tin of tuna, jar of pesto, mixed frozen veg add cheese yummy.

Chicken thighs and chopped root veg in oven, throw over some stock (and white wine if I have some open) dried herbs. Quick roast (okay takes an hour to cook but can be getting on with other things).

Salmon add some dijon or wholegrain mustard then some grated parmesand and or breadcrumbs chuck in the oven with some chopped peppers and courgettes and olive oil.

Couscous is super quick as a side. I add some bouillon and sometimes get a jar of roasted peppers chopp them up and mix it in.

Stir fry! Buy the microwave rice to go with it to save even more time.

Nearly all my food prep/cooking takes 30 mins max.

risotto - whatever veg you have to hand - handful of grated cheese in at the end with some fresh herbs.

sausage and mash - don't peel the potatoes - better for you anyway.

tuna cheese and sweetcorn in a toasted sandwich

prawn curry and rice - (mild or as hot as you like)

pizza

jacket potato in microwave then in oven for 10 mins

cous cous with salmon/chicken

ham/tarragon/philly cheese/peas with pasta/orzo or rice

frittata

I love food....

jacket potato boats - scrape hot potato out and mix with ham peas cheese anything and stick it back in - grill or oven for 10 mins then you can make people out of cucumber and tomatoes...

sainsburys savoury pancakes - takes about 2 mins
1 ham, 1 cheese and tomato and if both eaten 1 nutella!

Sweetcorn and crispbakes

Eggy bread. And a load of fruit

Gnocchi in. Passata sauce and jacket spuds in microwave work well here.

I just used to give my kids toast after nursery - they'd already had three meals there and my priority was to feed them quickly!

If you do want to use the slow cooker though, you can do all the prep the night before then add the meat and turn it on in the morning.

Tin new potatoes salmon under gril and salad
Omelette with peppers red onion muzhroom rtc with side of ham
Spag bowl always quick
Chicken kievs new potatoes. Tesco do herb one in microwave bag and they are lovely
Pita with salad hummus etc cold chicken/ham
Grilled giant mushrooms with melted cheese
Cauliflower cheese
Soup
Veg stir fry (this takes 15mins)
Slow cooked caserol
Prawn stir fry
Prawn salad
Chicken goujons mash peas and gravy
Cod chips n peas
Toad in hold with veg
Meatballs
Egg curry is super quick
Daal is too
Both eaten with rice naan or roti
Hmmmm what else

Jacket potato in microwave with Philadelphia and cucumber or with Tuna mayo and sweet corn

Omelette with veg

Pasta and pesto with broccoli

Instant noodles with prawns and peas

Frozen pizza with veg crudités- it’s not THAT bad!

When mine were in nursery they didn’t have a hot meal in the evening though, having had one at lunchtime. Quick sandwich with veg crudités was plenty. Our nursery gave them a very generous snack late afternoon

Not the healthiest but as a treat I would thread chopped frankfurter sausages on to uncooked dried spaghetti and cook. The could never fathom how the spaghetti got through the pasta. Tip on some fresh sauce.

I know you said you don't have time for the SC but some things are just so easy and quick. A whole chicken or a joint of meat cook well. All you have to do is plug in the SC, switch it on, lift the lid and put a chicken in. Just boil some veg when you get home.

It takes less time than boiling a kettle.

If you do have a couple of hours you can prep sc meals, put them in the liner bag and freeze. The night before you want it take it out and putin SC, in the morning add a bit of boiled water and switch on.

Do you have a steamer? You ca use a pan if not but I put fish or chicken with herbs in foil parcels and steam them along with veg - if you get pre cut veg you can prep in less than a minute then put the steamer on for 20 mins.

Instead of making mashed potatoes buy sweet potatoes, put them in the microwave (no prep at all) for 5 mins, turn over and cook for another 5 mins.

Take them out using a tea towel because they are hot, cut in half and squeeze out the ready mashed potato.

My two like scrambled eggs, eggy bread, pasta, macaroni cheese (not baked), pizza very occasionally. Also if I'm out during the day at all I often put the slow cooker on - casseroles, etc.

BTW Bolognese sauce is lovely in the slow cooker - really soft and tender.

Always cook double or triple portions and freeze the leftovers.

Slow cooker. Freeze casserole/soup ingredients, defrost overnight and switch cooker on when you leave for work. It's lovely to come home to a cooked meal all ready for the table.

Posh porridge: normal porridge with chopped fruit, nuts, seeds. V quick and filling.

Salmon cooks really quickly, bung in foil with a lemon or Soy sauce in oven for 20-25mins. Have with green veg, and sweet potatoes, pasta or noodles . Ready within 25mins.