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?

Mine get 'Bread Surprise'. The surprise is whatever filling it might have 👍🏼

Cheese on toast. They loved it. But that was 30 years ago and it's probably practically child abuse now.

Cook some noodles and throw some sliced hotdog sausages (from a jar) in it plus sweetcorn. They love it. Ready in a few minutes.

My mum (in the 1950's) would do me a fruit salad tea. She peeled and chopped an apple, a banana and an orange and I had them in a bowl with full cream milk or evaporated milk out of a tin.

I loved it.

Filled pasta from supermarket. Takes 3 mins to boil with some frozen peas in same pan. Drain, throw in knob of butter, spoonful of pesto and parmesan. 5 mins flat and super yum!

When I can't be arsed to cook I cut up peppers/cuke/carrot, cherry toms, nuke a frozen quiche Lorraine, a punnet of strawberries. I will vary the quiche for sausage rolls, frittata, cocktail sausages, pizza/calzone, cocktail sized steak pasties, tuna empanadas. And the fruit we will just take whatever is easy, grapes, easy peelers, bananas. I can't take crisps or other snacks as they eat those first and then fill up.

When wet we have this on the living room carpet, when sunny we take it to the park. Today I snoozed in the sun on the picnic blanket as they ran around playing Pokemon.

@22Giraffes Potato waffles in the toaster are so quick and much better than the oven as they go all golden and crisp on the outside.

I put them on the highest setting with the frozen option on if you have one. You must resist the urge to take them out too early or they can fall apart, wait till they are crispy and they pop up like toast. I've been doing them in the toaster for 10 years.

Sausage and chips, fish fingers spuds and veg, spaghetti bolognese because its so quick quick and they all eat it, sometimes though they just want a bowl of cereal when they get home and then maybe a sandwich later on.

Cheesey tortilla wraps here.
Two wraps- grated cheese, ham between them. 2 minutes in microwave- cut into pieces with pizza cutter.
Add pepper, red onion, coriander, tomato if your kids like these.

Pasta, cheese cubes or a pickled egg and salad veg. Which is basically his favourite supper anyway.

Pasta dish my friend's DH cooked for us when we went to stay with them.

Bung on pan of water for pasta, whilst linguine cooking chuck smoked bacon lardons and thinly sliced courgettes in pan and stir fry with a little olive oil. Add a small tub of garlic and herb soft cheese and a bit of pasta water if necessary. Drain pasta, toss with sauce and serve.

Egg fried rice
Pesto pasta with peas
Marmite pasta

Omelette, chips and beans. Usually I throw some raw veggies at dd while its cooking so I dont feel guilty and do fruit for pudding.

...or my concoction.

Thinly sliced chicken breast or pork steak, stir fried with whatever veg you fancy/have handy, add a couple of teaspoons of Nandos seasoning, dollop of low fat cream cheese and a splash of milk to make sauce. Serve with 2 minute microwave rice.

DS is so fussy all his teas are quick!
Pizza and veg sticks
Quesadilla - wrap with cheese and tomato inside and veg sticks
Flatbread toasties and veg sticks
Fish finger sandwich
Normal cheese toastie and tomato soup
Hummus, pita and veg sticks
Eggs- boiled/ scrambled/ fried egg sandwich/ eggy bread/ omelette, fries and veg sticks
Beans on toast
Sausage, hash brown (he’s gone off mash) and carrots
Pasta, meatballs and tomato sauce
This is about his entire meal list.
He’ll eat veg fajitas and roast pork with roast potatoes and carrots - those are his less speedy meals.
He’s 7 and hoping he’ll grow out of it!

Beans on toast topped with grated cheese

Pasta with pesto, peas, and ham

"Picnic tea" which is usually cold meats, cheese, crackers/breadsticks, hummus and raw veggie sticks. DD (5) would have this every night if she could.

Chicken goujons or frozen vegetable fingers (DD won't eat fish) with raw carrot and pepper sticks and flavoured microwave rice or pasta salad.

Soup and a half sandwhich

Tortellini with a handful of frozen peas, a little olive oil and some parmesan

My mum always made us this:

Some type of pasta boiled, and then drained, and whilst still in the hot pan, she'd add some tomato puree and a few raw eggs. Mix well and the heat from the pan cooks the eggs. Season to taste.

I make it for my DC and they love it.

Also:

something on toast, eg,
baked beans,
spagetti hoops,
fried egg,
scrambled egg and smoked salmon,
tinned fish in sauce.

Omelette or pre-made packets of dried ramen noodles with veg.

Roasted cauliflower.. cut into florets of similar size, place on roasting tray and season with salt pepper, paprika, cumin (or whatever). Spray or drizzle with oil and roast at 180° til golden brown and crispy at the edges. It's so nice, I could just eat a plate of this (and I'm not even vegetarian!)

Brick noodles
Pasta with grated cheese
Fried egg on toast
Omlette
With sticks of veg if she likes

Jacket with cheese and beans, leftovers, mini cooked breakfast (egg, beans, toms and toast), packet pasta in sauce, pasta with pesto and veg, pizza, something with chips.

Jacket potato beans and cheese (which is conveniently his favourite food)

Pasta pesto with peas, cheese and a boiled egg (extra protein).

Brown rice with pesto and puy lentils (made in the rice cooker, so put food in, turn on, come back 30mins later).

Bagel and cream cheese.

Toast with toppings basically, so spaghetti hoops and an egg.

Toasted bagels, cream cheese, smoked salmon, chopped apple, olives, cheese slices and crisps. And anything else lurking in the fridge.

Spaghetti hoops on toast

Boiled egg and toast

This was a long time ago and they still like it as adults

Fish fingers, oven chips and baked beans; or leftover portions of homemade dinners from the freezer!

Fish fingers, with pasta and cucumber/tomato or spaghetti hoops (I buy the no added sugar ones, convincing myself they are better)
Pasta with tinned tomatoes, grated cheese and herbs
Pasta with cream cheese and ham
(now I've found out you can do macaroni cheese in the microwave...that)
Cheese toastie with salad
Chicken breast slices, with frozen mash and peas/sweetcorn with gravy
Wraps, with breaded chicken pieces and tomato, cucumber, grated cheese, etc
Salmon, cooked in the microwave, with frozen mash and frozen veg
Cheesy pancakes with cucumber/tomatoes/carrot sticks
Sausages, frozen mash and beans