To ask for quick dinner ideas...

[Newbie1999]

That would suit both a 5yo and just turned 1yo?

Back to work from mat leave soon and need inspiration for really quick but healthy kids dinners! Will be cooking for me and husband separately (we like spicy food).

shepherds pie
chicken and red pepper and onion kebabs on little sticks with honey/soy sauce drizzled over
baked potatoes prawns veg & mayo
noodles broccoli & salmon
spag bol or meatballs
simple chicken casserole
pork steaks with stewed apple sauce (they eat a plateful of apple to one bit of pork tho)

my children basically like just ingredients, cooked, on a plate. Lots of cooking proper "dishes" hasn't worked - the ones above are the only things they like.

You can spice up some of the above eg cook lots of salmon noodles & add stir fry sauce to yours, similar with kebabs or make a Thai sauce for pork etc
it's nice not to have to do it twice for you and DH too.

I would cook the day before/batch cook at the weekend, and then just take put the freezer that morning. Pop veg /carbs on when ready and dinner will never be more than 20 minutes away.

Beef/lentil spaghetti bol
Risotto/paella
Orange meal- fishfingers/chips/peas and corn in this house
Omelette and chips
Jacket potato
Fajitas
Cottage/shepherds pie
Quiche with salad veg and baby potatoes

Mine like a deconstructed salad nicoise, surprisingly. So boil eggs and potatoes the day before and on the day bung some frozen green beans in a pan of water, open a tin of tuna, shell eggs and bung it all on a plate with some olives and a drizzle of olive oil. I really don’t have very adventurous eaters but they wolfed it down and is pretty good on the healthy front.

oh yes "special fried rice" too - egg fried rice with prawns peas and ham.

I’m doing fajitas tonight - strips of chicken breast, peppers, onions, cumin, paprika, tomato purée in a big pan, stir fried and shoved into tortilla wraps. Takes 10 mins tops I usually take the DCs chicken out of the pan when cooked and then stick some dried chilli flakes in for me and DH

Special fried rice - whatever i had that needed using in the fridge with rice and a egg stirred in

Creaming leeky sausage pasta - fry some sausages (chipolatas are quick) with some chopped leak, sling in a cup of veg stock, simmer 5 mins, sling in 2/3 tub of creme fraiche and a handful of peas. Serve with pasta mixed through.

I'd batch cook & freeze small portions of whatever they normally eat. Pasta sauces (tomato, spag Bol), mild chicken curry, shepherds/cottage/chicken pie, lasagne, soup - whatever they enjoy. Then easy to defrost in the morning & just need to reheat with some rice, pasta or veg. Also have some par baked bread, crackers, cheeses, cooked meats, even jars of pasta sauces, beans, soup etc for alternatives or in case you forget to take stuff out of the freezer.