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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Need some lazy dinner food ideas please

34 replies

HoppingKangaroo · 18/07/2022 19:04

I'm sick of eating the same food. Husband is useless at cooking or planning what to eat. I have a difficult 4 year old (autistic) and I'm 25 weeks pregnant. Would appreciate some lazy dinner ideas please. Thanks

OP posts:
Weelegs29 · 18/07/2022 19:09

Flatbread with guacamole, cooked chicken, halloumi/feta

Pre rolled pizza dough- top with whatever you fancy

Microwave rice/meat/veggies/curry sauce

Omlette

Allthecoloursoftherainbow · 18/07/2022 19:12

Pasta and pesto
White rice with a friend egg on top and a splash of soy sauce
Omlette
Something on toast?
Anything in the freezer?
Takeaway?

MolliciousIntent · 18/07/2022 19:12

We had pasta pesto.

Needtobuildabridge · 18/07/2022 19:13

Cheesy pasta - goes down a treat with children!
*Cook pasta
*Drain
*Put into a bowl
*Add cheese (melt in the microwave if you want)

Add other toppings as wanted.

UWhatNow · 18/07/2022 19:15

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Heroicallyl0st · 18/07/2022 19:17

Microwave rice with veg (cucumber/carrot/pepper) sticks and whatever nice thing the shop has to cook in the oven within 20mins - chicken gougons, salmon fillet, sausages etc.

Toasted English muffin with scrambled egg and salad.

Ylvamoon · 18/07/2022 19:25

Husband is useless at cooking or planning what to eat

Mine used to be the same but due to a change in circumstances he's now cooking regularly. We have had some interesting dinners, but nobody had died of starvation to date!
However he's learning. Today he made Salmon (pre cooked) New potatoes with Zaziki and Salad. All lovely and cold.

AdaColeman · 18/07/2022 19:28

Chicken Caesar salad made with bought cooked chicken.

Salad Nicoise, you don't need to plate this up, just put the ingredients on a couple of platters or bowls and everyone can serve themselves, that might work for the fussy child.

Cous-cous or lentil & chickpea salad with ready poached salmon or a pack of smoked mackerel fillets or tinned fish if you like it. Use ready flavoured couscous and tinned lentils & chickpeas for simplicity.

Russian salad made with tins from the store cupboard plus mayonnaise, add some chopped up cocktail sausages.

jackstini · 18/07/2022 19:42

Tray bake - throw veg, potatoes on a tray, bake 30 mins
Add salmon or chicken - 30 mins more

Cheat's risotto - microwave rice, can soup, add protein. My faves are mushroom soup with chicken and broccoli, or lobster bisque with cooked seafood

Noodles, cooked meat, packet Chinese sauce

Pizza wraps - microwave meat (pepperoni or ham) & cheese in a bowl. Spread past sauce or tomato purée on a wrap, add cheese/meat mix)

Pasta salad with tuna and sweetcorn

Riverlee · 18/07/2022 19:45

Pasta with tuna and mayonaise.

Buy a huge amount of mince, and cook it up. Then freeze it in smaller quantities. You’ve then got ready made mince which you can use for spag Bol, shepherds pie, lasagne etc (once defrosted).

? and oven chips, eg pizza, breaded chicken, battered fish, burgers, etc

stir fry and frozen rice

GroggyLegs · 18/07/2022 19:50

Jacket potatoes. Put them on the timer, they're ready when you arrive home.

Chicken thighs with salad - put thighs on a baking tray, season, cook 40 mins and serve with salad.

Fry off garlic, add single cream and warm through, add a pack of smoked salmon pieces, stir into cooked spaghetti 👌

Do not fear the micro meal. We have one a week - it just gets us over the midweek hump.

safetylastday · 18/07/2022 20:33

I’m sure dh will learn to cook soon enough when you stop providing food for him.

but if you must feed him then pesto pasta, pizza, tray bakes, quiche with new potatoes and salad, fresh filled pasta with a sauce

Newestname002 · 18/07/2022 20:37

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If he can read surely he can read a recipe. There are millions of books out there with simple to follow recipes. I learned using the Delia Smith books from eons ago (they were good because they explained "why") but there are plenty others out there. 🌹

bluechameleon · 18/07/2022 20:45

Falafel, pitta bread, hummus, salad.
Carbonara - cook spaghetti, beat together grated parmesan/pecorino and an egg and stir in with a bit of the pasta water. Add fried mushrooms (or lardons if you eat meat).
Dahl - fry onions, cook red lentils in coconut milk or tinned tomatoes with spices or curry paste. Serve with naan and yoghurt.
Fish cakes - tin of tuna or some cooked fish, mashed potatoes, bit of milk and some herbs. Dip in egg and breadcrumbs and fry or bake. Serve with peas and ketchup (this is compulsory, no other accompaniment is acceptable).

PuckeredArseFace · 18/07/2022 20:57

Some of these sound really lovely!

BuffaloCauliflower · 18/07/2022 21:01

My husband was willing but unconfident with cooking so we started getting Gousto boxes so he could just follow the steps, and they really grew his confidence and now he cooks all the time. Could that be worth a go?

Leypt1 · 18/07/2022 21:03

Glaze aubergine, mushrooms, chicken or salmon with a mix of soy sauce, honey, lime juice, and oil. Bake and serve with rice and greens. You could also just sprinkle on a spice mix like garam masala or five spice with salt and oil

Do a traybake, today we watched nigella put frozen peas, leeks, garlic, salt and oil. She then put raw chicken thighs on top and drizzled with more salt and oil and baked the whole thing for 30 minutes

Chickpea, sweetcorn, onion, lemon juice and tuna salad (a real thing I ate the other day when I only had the energy to open tins)

Nacho salad - tinned kidney beans(we like the ones in a vaguely Mexican sauce) warmed and tossed with chopped lettuce, tomatoes, jalapenos, nachos, and cheeeeese. Sometimes we also add chorizo

Fried rice with anything

Roast veg and cheese omelette, if you roast the veg in an oven dish (the deep kind) then you can give them a headstart before pouring the Eggs in and baking the whole thing

A whole different approach to consider is component cooking - e.g. at the beginning of the week roast a few different types of veg and a whole chicken. Boil some eggs. Keep a stock of various sauces, pickles and pastes. Combine them in ways that feel good to you during the week - salads, curries, noodle dishes, fried rice, soups, omelettes, sandwiches. Bonus is that cooked veg takes up less space in the fridge

Leypt1 · 18/07/2022 21:07

Also, we really like the "roasting tin" books for inspiration, especially the quick one. They're not massively foolproof, but they are all very simple. Maybe make your husband pick 3 things out of it every week, have him follow the recipes, and eat them across 6 days?

RoastingMarshmallow · 18/07/2022 21:11

Bagels! Just change up the fillings to suit the family, e.g. mozzarella, tomato and pesto, falafel, egg, lunch meats
... so quick to make (unless you go for some serious fillings that take an age to prepare)
Serve with some salad, crisps, chips and dip etc depending on your preferences

Suprima · 18/07/2022 21:13

get a gousto box- he cooks half the meals

stop enabling this ‘can’t cook nonsense’- Christ, how do you shag him?! What a baby

notanothertakeaway · 18/07/2022 21:14

Salmon poke (pronounced pokay) bowls with hot smoked salmon, kikkoman poke sauce and microwave rice

Goldieshock · 18/07/2022 21:31

Flatbreads, slow cook lamb or pork, salad veggies & sauces/dips

Pizza pitas - add toppings and grill

Slow cooker pulled pork with braised rice (chicken stock cooked rice in oven)

Part bake baguettes w/ beef steak & salad

Make your own burritos- lay out wraps and variety of fillings ; seasoned chicken / micro rice / grated carrot / avocado etc

Quesadillas- chicken & chorizo w/ Gruyère cheese

Half jacket potatoes with anything and everything you have that needs eating up!

Flavoured Minced beef in a pan w/ garlic & onions etc melted cheese served over pitta / flatbreads / baguette

coffeetofunction · 18/07/2022 21:44

If you have an air fryer or halogen oven you could do rosemary potatoes (tinned pots), "boiled" eggs also in the fryer and put on the side of a salad

Omelette and salad

Pesto bread, cold meats, cheese and olives

Left over chicken with coleslaw, potato salad and nice bread

Chicken dipper/nuggets/left over meat wraps

Loaded fries/wedges with BBQ pork (slow cooked) and cheese, pickles, jalepineo

Stir fry

Fajitas

Fish finger sandwiches

Rishiscreditcard · 18/07/2022 21:54

Cook pasta
Stir in knob of butter and grated Parmesan.
Eat it

Butterlover1 · 18/07/2022 21:59

Hassleback potatoes and something