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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Weekday dinners

124 replies

1stmonkey · 29/12/2020 21:23

AIBU to ask what you usually eat Monday-Friday?

I've googled til my eyes have gone square but am struggling to find anything quick, easy (ideally freezable) and family friendly that isn't a stew, curry, bolognese or chilli?!

I feel like i rotate the same meals (or very similar variations) over and over and quite frankly i'm so bored!

Aiming to cook more (to eat more healthy food, and save some pennies) so would love any inspiration you care to share.

OP posts:
Geekgirlmum · 30/12/2020 00:27

Bacon, spinach, mushroom and feta (mix fillings with bechamel sauce and cover with cheese like double Gloucester) baked potatoes with salad
Chicken with spicy cooked tomato salsa (homemade) - served with green beans and chips
South African glazed chicken, peppers and mushroom kebabs with turmeric rice
Vegetable soup - I put all the veggies we have in but must have peppers, tomatoes and butternut
Korean BBQ - beef bulgogi, sticky rice, grilled veggies like mushrooms and courgettes, cheesy corn - we use our Raclette to cook it all
Beef, pork and bean chili
Prego steak rolls - we are making these tomorrow; I usually make the Portuguese rolls but you could but them; served with salad and/ or chips
Greek chicken in flatbread with hummus and tsatsiki
Tempura prawns and rice with veggies

Wanderdust · 30/12/2020 00:28

@justlonelystars

Try Gousto. Honestly changed my life. Hello fresh and mindful chef are also good. They really help to get you out of a cooking rut and I rarely repeat dinners nowadays.
Same! Although I get it might be cost prohibitive for some but you do get a free trial and, once you've done it for a few weeks and have a collection of recipe cards, you can always cancel!
Wanderdust · 30/12/2020 00:29

I also have Gousto codes if anyone is interested!

partyatthepalace · 30/12/2020 00:43

I always either cook for 2 nights, or bulk for freezer. It is dull.

  • stirfries with chicken tofu etc
(Prep double leave half in bag in fridge)
  • tray bakes - salmon, tofu with roast veg
  • vegetable gratin - basically cauli cheese with whatever veg and breadcrumb or nut crunchy top
  • warm lentil chefs salad. Heated tinned peu lentils w shallots and herbs, add chorizo or feta etc, and serve over roast veg or salad
  • frozen chicken or fish baked in Parma ham w microwave rice/microwave steamed baby potatoes and veg
  • filled pasta w salad
  • pasta bake w salad l
  • breaded haddock w oven chips peas and salad
  • burger w wrap, oven chips, salad
  • spaghetti carbonara, or with salmon and creme fresh, or peas smoked salmon and Philly
  • sausages and mash
  • baked potatoes w whatever and salad
  • all day breakfast
  • eggs on toast

Freezer meals
-cottage/shepherds pie, chilli, bolognaise, stews yada

Also usually have some Cook or other ready meals in freezer, including curry

caperplips · 30/12/2020 00:45

Typical weekday dinners here include:
Chicken kiev with mash & veg
Homemade burgers in brioche buns
Potato, bacon & egg tray bake
Meatballs in white wine cherry tomato sauce with spaghetti
Breaded haddock with new potatoes
Chicken schnitzel with potato salad
Cottage pie with peas
Nigel Slater sausage & mash supper
Bbq fillet steak with mash
Homemade pizza
Thai red chicken curry, rice & poppadoms
Bbq Italian lemon & rosemary chicken
Prawn, squash & spinach curry
Lasagne
Jamie Oliver chicken with prosciutto
Bill Granger pasta with mushroom & prosciutto
Creamy tomato & basil chicken pasta
Asian salmon parcels

partyatthepalace · 30/12/2020 00:48

@caperplips

Typical weekday dinners here include: Chicken kiev with mash & veg Homemade burgers in brioche buns Potato, bacon & egg tray bake Meatballs in white wine cherry tomato sauce with spaghetti Breaded haddock with new potatoes Chicken schnitzel with potato salad Cottage pie with peas Nigel Slater sausage & mash supper Bbq fillet steak with mash Homemade pizza Thai red chicken curry, rice & poppadoms Bbq Italian lemon & rosemary chicken Prawn, squash & spinach curry Lasagne Jamie Oliver chicken with prosciutto Bill Granger pasta with mushroom & prosciutto Creamy tomato & basil chicken pasta Asian salmon parcels
Chicken Kiev!

Forgot that. Love it.

Having frozen peas and spinach, microwave rice, little potatoes you can microwave steam, oven chips - all v important as well as the actual frozen meals. Also always have feta, tinned lentils and eggs.

How fascinating mid week cooking is...

Rosebel · 30/12/2020 00:51

We use the slow cooker a lot in the week.. Chuck veg, meat and stock in the cooker in the morning and its ready when we get home.
We do casseroles and roasts in the slow cooker. Other times we do stir fry and usually have freezer Friday which is my cheat day

Frannibananni · 30/12/2020 01:11

Usually one night of pasta always home made sauce from the freezer or a cream sauce.
One night of a takeaway type food cooked at home - burgers, kebabs, pizza or fish and chips,
Grilled fish and steamed greens
2 nights of Grilled steak or other red meat with a big salad
A chicken dish like a tray bake or green curry
And usually a small roast once a week

MrDarcysMa · 30/12/2020 02:01

Sausage gnocchi
Sausage and bean casserole with mash
Roasted Sweet potato cubes w/ veg chilli
Teriyaki stir fry
Pad Thai
Thai curry
Dahl and rice
Halloumi salad W/ roasted chickpeas
Black bean enchiladas
Refried bean and cheese quesadillas
Prawn and tomato linguine

brownmunde · 30/12/2020 02:18

chicken pilau rice with raita
chicken wraps
lamb and potato curry with rice or chappatis
lamb kebabs chips salad
chicken curry
okra and aubergine curry
grilled spicy chicken wings
-nothing takes more than an hour

singlemummanurse · 30/12/2020 04:16

Meatballs, usually split in half and do one lot with gravy, mash and veg and the other half in a tomato sauce with pasta.
Shop bought pastry then make turnovers. Cut it into four then myself and lo have a savoury one and a sweet one each.
Make our own pizza, either a packet mix or ready made base with a variety of toppings.
Tomato and cheese pasta.
Chicken and coconut rice with veg.
Risotto.
Stress and casseroles.
Fry up.
Gammon, eggs and chips.
Chinese chicken noodles.
Stir fry.
Tacos.
Lasagne.
Quiche, potato salad and vege sticks.

DianaOfTheLakes · 30/12/2020 04:25

isn't stew, curry, bolognese or chilli?

Sounds similar to us but we also have stir fries, pasta with chicken or fish, fish (from the freezer) with potatoes and veg, gardener's pie.

There is a really nice (and easy) salmon and pea pasta recipe on the Waitrose website which is nice with tinned salmon too. I often make extra and take some for lunch, with a side salad, the next day.

DianaOfTheLakes · 30/12/2020 04:33

We also have baked potato nights too, I've discovered Langley Farm cottage cheese recently and it's really tasty but healthy.

Spinach, feta and potato frittata is good and you can make enough for lunch the next day. Recipe is on BBC good food.

namechangefail2020 · 30/12/2020 06:09

Maybe I'm the only one hit I love meal planning. This week:

Trinidadian stew (made with white fish, citrus and rum)
Veggie sausage casserole
Thai minced chicken salad
Mushroom miso soup
Jambalaya

namechangefail2020 · 30/12/2020 06:10

#but

MsSquiz · 30/12/2020 08:12

We do Gousto 2 or 3 times a week for 2 weeks of the month, and then reuse old Gousto recipes

Here's a code for 50% off your first box and 30% of your first month

https://cook.gousto.co.uk/raf?promocode=DANIE41896657&utmm_source=iosapp

PurpleMustang · 30/12/2020 08:23

The Pinch Of Nom cook books are really good and healthy.

DianaOfTheLakes · 30/12/2020 08:34

@MsSquiz

Are those codes useable by many, or just the OP?

MrsToothyBitch · 30/12/2020 08:42

There's 2 of us so we're able to stretch family sized meals with left overs, which helps! However, we have the following:

Eggless kedgeree,
Thai inspired courgette and aubergine curry,
Chicken, red pepper and chorizo pasta,
Goats cheesed stuffed red peppers,
Tagliatelle with mushroom and pork belly,
Pasta pomodoro with homemade sauce,
Lasagne- with jar sauce,
Pork loins or chops in Worcestershire sauce and cream sauce with pepper and sage,
A middle eastern potato and onion spicy dish, similar to spanish omlette,
Chilli con carne,
Lemon and honey chicken,
Beef ragu (heated back up from batch),
Mexican- we use a kit though,
Roasted chicken breasts with garlic, rosemary, tomatoes, olives and pancetta,
A sort of aubergine ratatouille,
Veal schnitzel,
Stuffed courgettes,
More for lunch but sometimes soups- chicken and cream of tarragon, cherry tomato with carrot and red lentil, beef goulash, somerset mushroom,
Mushroom bruschetta

Always looking for new veggie meals! I got the Pinch of Nom books last year and I'm determined to cook more from them.

MsSquiz · 30/12/2020 08:49

[quote DianaOfTheLakes]@MsSquiz

Are those codes useable by many, or just the OP?[/quote]
It might just be 1 person, but I'm happy for anyone to use it Smile

TheIrishRover · 30/12/2020 08:55

Meatballs and spaghetti
Fried rice with anything going in the fridge
Oven battered fish and chips
Pie
Steak and chips
Pizza
Toasties
Plate of picky things
A million ways with chicken and erm...chips
Pork chops and roast potatoes

I'm sick of planning mid week meals.

Oysterbabe · 30/12/2020 08:56

I find choosing what to cook for dinner every day one of the worst bits of being an adult. DH couldn't care less, it's just fuel and would probably be happy with the same thing every day. The kids get excited about pasta or chilli and rice, everything else is eaten reluctantly.

sallievp · 30/12/2020 08:59

simplycook.com/invite/49CVM8
This is my code for a FREE simply cook box if anyone would like it.
We really like simply cook...has definitely livened up our weekday dinners.
Love the Nasi noreng and jambalaya especially but all have been great.

RememberSelfCompassion · 30/12/2020 09:01

Shamelessly posting to remind me for ideas later.

Jurassiclover · 30/12/2020 09:59

So we have a few that we just have on rotation.

Pasta bake - super easy, especially if I really don't want to cook I just use the jar sauces that allow you to use dry pasta. If I want to be a bit healthier though I'll make my own sauce with passata herbs etc. Sometimes we do tuna pasta bake or a chicken/sausage pasta bake.
Pasta with sauces - we have a few different pasta recipes we like, we have a pesto pasta recipe we like to make, a creamy carbonara style pasta, creamy Cajun chicken pasta, and also a really nice chicken style pasta sauce that has cream and tomatoes in.
Lasagna - another that can be super easy if using ready made sauces, but have also made from scratch too and that wasn't too bad either. Also experimented and made a hunters chicken lasagna which is one of our favourites!
Spag Bol - had this last night actually, another favourite! Can make this last 2 meals too if you double quantities, and then we like to add chili, kidney beans and peppers to the leftover sauce so we have a chili to serve with either chips & cheese, rice or even with jacket potatoes
Pasta with meatballs and tomato sauce
Chicken, rice and veggies (or sometimes chicken, chips and veggies) - this is one of our favourites also, we get chicken thighs, season how we want then cook them in the oven, get lovely crispy skin that way too. We make ours spicy (usually Cajun seasoning and paprika etc) but you can season however you want really. This one's a hit when we have friends over too as we will cook chips and rice (sometimes we make spicy rice) and make up a salad and then some corn on the cob/beans too, can all be laid out and you can have it as a serve yourself type meal.
Pork, rice and salad - same as chicken really, season however you want and can be done as a more buffet/serve yourself type of meal.
Gammon egg & chips.
Gammon, mashed potato and creamy mushroom sauce.
Fish, chips and mushy peas.
Breaded chicken, chips & katsu sauce (or you can have this with rice too)
Omlette - sometimes we just have omlette and salad, sometimes we'll have a few chips and make 1 big omlette to share. This one is great for packing a load of veggies in and great for getting little ones involved too as they can chose their own fillings if making individual omlettes.
Fry up - guilty pleasure meal here hahaha. We don't have this very often but it's actually fairly easy if you know your timings, we have bacon, sausage, egg, beans and then toast or chips, another meal that can be done on a platter as a serve yourself type of meal
Sausage, mash & beans (or sometimes veg and gravy)
Fajitas or tacos with salad - again great for a serve yourself type of meal and can be super easy to make too.
Home made soup - we make a bacon and lentil soup which is lovely.
Home made pies - I make this a bit easier for myself by buying the ready to roll pastry sheets. We do bacon and egg pie, creamy chicken pie and sometimes a chicken and veg pie. We either serve this with salad or sometimes chips and gravy depending on which pie we have.
Shepard's pie/cottage pie
Mince and dumplings with mash and veg
Subway style sandwiches - we get the part baked crusty bread batons for this. We've had steak and cheese, tuna mayo, egg mayo and even meatball & sauce in these before. Serve with either salad or chips depending how big the sandwich is.
Burgers either with salad or chips (sometimes both)
Salad's in the summer are also a nice easy meal, we do either chicken or ham and then make some hard boiled eggs, loads of different veggies/salad bits and serve up some boiled new potatoes with it. This is a favourite of mine cause it involves minimal cooking haha.
Any type of meat, crispy potatoes and veg. We like doing either belly pork or gammon usually with this. Sometimes we have some cauliflower cheese with it too.
Chicken chasseur with new potatoes, cripsy potatoes, chips or rice (depending how we feel on the day), can make this a bit easier too and buy the sauce packet ready made so all you do is add water and warm it up.

We probably have more ideas but I realise how long this reply already is hahaha. Hope this helps!