To ask - what do you make your children for tea if you can't be bothered cooking?

[spik]

What's your go-to on the nights where you don't have the energy to do a big meal?

Chicken nuggets and chips and peas. They love them

Fishfinger sandwich
Spaghetti whoops

Sandwiches

I buy the ready cooked frozen chicken from Iceland and use it quite a lot for quick meals- even make chicken nugget things with it so defrost a bit, cover in batter and throw in a pan to cook the batter basically.

But yes, DS is also obsessed with spaghetti hoops, what's in those things?? They get spaghetti hoops at nursery and it's by far he's favourite meal.

Beans - spaghetti - eggs - ravioli - on oast! Kids get the choice. Although I always have a couple of pizzas in the freezer to stick in the oven for 10 mins when I csjt be bothered.

We had one of those days today they had cheesy scrambled egg in a wrap and an apple each afterwards

Has anyone else noticed that kids will request the oddest fillings though? DS has just asked me to make him a peanut butter, ham, cheese, apple and pear sandwich . He'll eat it as well, despite being fairly fussy (only bland food tolerated).

Has anyone else noticed that kids will request the oddest fillings though?

Not mine
Cheese & ham
Tuna and cheese
Salmon and cream cheese
Jam

Tuna pasta, although dd does ask for plain pasta with just cheese on or just pesto. Cheese and ham toastie or wrap, tinned mackerel on toast.

Quesadillas with a variety of fillings who am I kidding, pesto pasta for the win

I always have a wee stash of those M&S kids pasta, curry or pizzas in the freezer! Other than that: beams on toast with grated cheese on top or potato waffles, beans and a fried egg on the side. This is awful but I keep those innocent smoothies hidden in the fridge for those type of days coz I don’t feel so bad if she has a bit of a beige dinner if I give her a fruity smoothie for ‘dessert’ (she sees them as a massive treat!) so I know at least some fruit/veg has gone into her that meal!

If I can't be bothered to cook, my youngest makes quesadillas for everyone. Well worth keeping him alive to age 10 so I could hand over the kitchen duty. Hopefully he will add more meals to his repertoire soon.

Ds likes a picnic dinner - crackers, cheese, ham or chicken, crusty bread, sausage rolls. Basically a bit of everything.
He also loves heinz spaghetti and sausages with toast

Dosas: Indian crepes made out of rice and lentils with coconut chutney. They are not as fiddly as you might think if you keep the batter in the fridge.

Giant sushi rolls ( which you can slice of you have a very sharp knife) which can be wrapped in seaweed sheets ( nori) and then ( non pvc) cling film make delicious and nutritious meals in themselves which children love to make.

I know of many children who wouldn't ordinarily eat oily fish or avocado tuck into these with gusto!

Precook a big batch of sushi rice ( rice or slow cooker).

Finely chop avocado, red and yellow peppers, cucumber etc.

Once rice is cooked stir in a generous amount of sushi vinegar and let cool.

If you don't have sushi vinegar then add sweetener of your choice and taste, to rice vinegar.

Add tinned fish ( a mixture of different ones such as tuna, mackerel, salmon or sardines in oil NOT tomato) mashed with mayonnaise, a splash of lemon juice and soya sauce.

Top with a sprinkle of roasted black sesame seeds.

Drizzle teriyaki sauce ( soya sauce and maple syrup) on top.

Perfect for packed lunches, picnics or as a meal in themselves.

Fishfingers, vegetables, rice or mash
Pasta w various sauces. I don’t buy ready made but the pizza express passatta is so nice you don’t need many additions. Also I discovered that if you ‘boil’ mushrooms, courgette w the pasta for last five mins) you save a pan, Chuck the passata in w some herbs etc and cheese if desired. V tasty.
Eggs, potato waffles, beans/peas