...to not know what to cook that my whole family can eat?

[FuckertyBoo]

So, these are the dietary ‘requirements’, though some are more like preferences -

Me: pescatarian & gluten free, trying to avoid ‘bad’ carbs
Dh: hates eggs, cheese, aubergines, courgettes, cauliflower, will not call anything like soup & sandwich or jacket potatoes ‘a meal’
Dc1 (4yo): cannot eat anything remotely spicy and also hates eggs
Dc2 (14mo): will not be spoon fed and is very messy if he tries to spoon feed himself. So it really needs to be finger foods to save my sanity and my floor !

It’s not possible is it? To come up with meals we can all eat the same I mean. Any suggestions much appreciated.

I wouldn't complicate life with the 'bad' carbs issue. Reduce refined sugar if you wish but potatoes and rice are adaptable sources of energy .

Stir fry served with a portion of fish.

Barley risotto served with chicken tray bake.

Vegetable and lentil stew/casserole leaving out the vegetables DH won't eat.

GF large pasta shapes served with a fish {eg smoked salmon} sauce or mixed green vegetables as in Pasta Primavera.

The sooner the baby learns to use a spoon the better for you!

you could use brown rice instead of white rice but one lot of carbs a day in the form of potatoes is surely ok; the mediterranean diet does include carbs they eat bread and pasta and potatoes but they don't have chips with pasta, gluten free means cutting out most of the bad carbs bread most pasta cakes biscuits
I also won't consider soup or a sandwich a main meal
jacket potatoes I would but with a filling and some vegetables or salad
you all eat fish of course your DH not liking the other sources of protein ( eggs and cheese) for non meaters doesn't help, but maybe he think you not liking meat also restricts choices

Sainsburys do a red lentil pasta that is apparently quite good

Yeah, dh is actually very reasonable accommodating my various preferences. His preferences aren’t U either. It’s just tricky finding something we all can eat.

I think ignore DC2's mess as a factor; chuck a cloth on the floor and live with it. Then you only have to balance 3x diets rather than 4, which opens up the possibilities a bit.

Family of 6 here. I always try to cook healthy balanced meals. My children could get a qualification in picking fault with my cooking.

DH and I were reminiscing about the nights our mums would make us a cooked breakfast for dinner.

We went a nice long walk today so thought we could risk the calories/ stodge.

Quietest dinner ever. Not one complaint. In fact DS (age 5) wants to know if we can have it every night.

Why have I even bothered trying to provide the little monkeys with a balanced diet?

Quorn Bolognese (can be made with meat for the others)
Lasagne ditto (can be made GF and you could have a small portion with salad)
Roast chicken with wedges/roast pots/sweet pots/mash and various veg (no pots for you)
Baked salmon/cod/haddock with pesto and rice/veg
ham, egg and chips/veg
Pasta bake for the rest of the family

Fahjitas?

We only season the meat and initially left a bit that was unseasoned for DD, slowing adding a bit of seasoning to it as time went on (obv you wouldn't have that but maybe do a Quorn option or have more veg?). We cook all the veg together in a big stir fry pan (carrots, onion, broccoli, fine beans) but don't season it, cheese and salsa in bowls to help yourself. Gluten free wrap for you/everyone? My DH has some separate chillis to add more heat to his.

Baby will make a mess I expect but get one of those mats you put under the high chair or invest in some big anti-bacterial floor wipes and a catch-all bib

Mine love kedgeree, just add the eggs to those who like it.
Quinoa is gf.
Rice noodles are gf.

Bolognese... veggies in sauce or quorn? A brown pasta option, rather than white? If DH/kids want a meat bolognese, could DH cook a big batch, then freeze it in portions. Could simply be re-heated in a pan alongside your option, everyone has the same pasta?

Curry... same as bolognese. Could DH make some meat versions that they like, you make a veggie curry you like. Freeze. Then defrost and reheat as needed, all have the same rice?

Oooooh kedgeree! Hadn’t thought of that.

Tbh, dh isn’t some sort of meat fiend. He orders the vegan option at work most days when I’m not there obviously. He just hates eggs and cheese.

Salmon, broccoli and sweet potato, or any of the thousands of permutations of firm fish plus vegetables

Veggie & tofu stir fry with 100% buckwheat noodles, sauce made from peanut butter with a bit of soy sauce, lime juice and rice wine for the kids

Falafel (try sweet potato recipe, so easy) with a middle Eastern inspired salad / slaw, hummus and pitta - you can just not have the pitta

Burrito bowls with black beans, avocado, sweetcorn, red pepper, brown rice

Home made black bean burgers (Tesco website has a good & easy recipe) served with sweet potato wedges and other veg of your choice

GF fish fingers, baked beans and steamed veg

I don't think you're faddy btw. In fact you're probably eating the diet all of us should aim for - low refined carbs, low meat, low gluten.

Kedgeree? I thought the four year old wouldn't eat anything remotely spicy OP?

Dove's Farm brown rice spaghetti is great, and all the lentil pastas are edible. Morrisons, Tesco, Sainsbury's etc all do their own brand versions now which are cheaper. Buckwheat flour is great for pancakes - in fact they might be another good meal option for you.

Carbs-wise, have you considered quinoa? I use it a lot, it's pretty uninspiring if cooked plain, but if cooked with stock & with a drop of oil or butter added, or cooked as a bake in with vegetables etc, I really like it. It's higher in protein than rice, I think, so it's a bit more filling, too.

My mother used to make kedgeree without any spices at all. I didn't realise it was supposed to be spicy until I was about 25.

Spanish fish stew - messy for the little one but easily solved by the eating in just a nappy technique.

GF tuna pasta bake
Cheese on top for everyone except DH

Sardine and tomato pasta with caper black olives and chilli (can add chilli flakes later for those who like)

Cod lions baked in cream with dill served with mash potato with rocket wilted in it and with caramelised onions

Savoury pancakes or wraps (gluten free for you) with choice of fillings are quite easy, adaptable and child friendly.

Ah yeah... I think I just thought “yum kedgeree” for myself! No, I don’t think dc1 would eat it. And a spice free, eggless kedgeree for Dh sounds a bit miserable.

Thanks for all the ideas though . There’s loads here I can try out on them.

And thank you to the poster who said I am not a faddy eater! I didn’t think I was either, but there you have it! I know a gluten free, sugar free, low(ish) carb VEGAN. So I thought my requirements were rather tame.