Are my dinners rubbish?

[Sowhatbigdeal]

Been told they are

Here’s an example of an average week, more or less:

Monday (I work at 6, so do something simple)

Feta & red onion salad with new potatoes & rice

Tuesday

Pasta with jar pesto (working today)

Wednesday

Dh to do omlette/eggs on toast with salad (working today)

Thursday

Salmon, salad, new potatoes

Friday

Homemade chilli with rice, nachos & dips

Saturday

Takeaway

Sunday

Roast dinner/homemade lasagne

Are they?

The word "salad" is also quite unclear, as much as "veg" would be. There's a huge difference between rolling out just lettuce + cucumber and calling it salad, or just peas and calling it veg - versus a range of mixed veg, fruit, nuts and seeds. I usually aim for 5-9 ingredients per salad so it's tasty and gives DS lots of nutrients. Of course occasional nights are baked beans, or cherry tomato and olives only... but as a general rule a big mixture is better.

You’re feeling brave asking MN to comment on the weekly menu, the massive salad/no protein crowd will rip you to shreds! I think it looks like a perfectly normal week of food like most people would have. Wouldn’t personally go for feta salad and rice and potatoes but that’s personal preference.

If you’re worried about lack of nutrients in pesto pasta (which is food of the gods) then add in a handful of frozen broccoli to the end of the pasta cooking time, drain, chop up the broccoli, add back to the pan with pesto and a good few scoops of cream cheese. I’ve been feeding that to DS once a week since he was weaned.

Mine would have been starving on Monday and Wednesday if that was their dinner, unless they'd had a proper meal at lunchtime.

Thursday, Friday and Sunday feel more like proper meals.

I'm sure those judging secretly eat them more than once a year and just say they don't on here to keep up with the image of the perfect poster. We love a takeaway in our house.

Nothing is "bad" as a one-off, but if you're skipping veg entirely for a meal then it isn't ideal. If you're maxed out then could you just throw a few fresh bits in like cherry tomatoes, olives, cashews, chia seeds, spring onion?

Who's told you the dinners are rubbish, and rubbish how - as in not tasty or not nutritious?

Other than the takeaway, looks fine to me.

I wasn't thinking McDonald's but I would say most takeaways have nasties. You just don't know. I wouldn't have one every week, let alone give to a child.

People need different types of food depending on the stage of their life.

My household is a 16yo boy and me (61yo woman).
DS needs lots of protein and carbs. He is growing fast, very active, wants meat with everything. Your meals would be a bit light for him.

I'm a 61yo woman, post-menopause, post-cancer, very active, work full time. I need lots of protein & veg. Not many carbs. I would find your suppers low on both.

But you have different needs to cater for - a 30s woman and a 40s man? Only you can know what suits you. Are you sedentary? Gym-going? Looking after twin 8 month olds? Breast feeding? An Olympic rower? It makes a difference.

If your dh is grumbling about your meals, I'm sue he knows where the kitchen is !!

Add cooled green beans, raw cauliflower, cooled broad beans etx

Mostly they sound fine, although I’ve never understood why people think pasta with jarred pesto is a meal on its own. I would serve some proper protein and at least one vegetable with it.

It’s fine, seriously. I’m surprised no one’s mentioned UPFs yet. 🙄 It will never be good enough for the mn food police.

Pasta, pesto and cheese is a real quick comfort meal if you’re busy or running the DC somewhere.

Mine won’t touch salad of any variety so you’re winning.

They sound fine to me (apart from Monday where it sounds weird haha)

and also agree I wouldn’t serve just pesto pasta unless I literally have 5 minutes to cook dinner.

I’d add some veg / chicken

This seems a totally fine and normal diet to me

but then I had an extremely fussy eater and would have celebrated with bloody fireworks if he’d eaten even half of this menu

I put YABU because I think YAU for suggesting those dinners are rubbish. Sounds lovely to me. I could only dream that my child would eat half of those things. I’d tell whoever suggested otherwise to sod off and mind their own business.

Same here 😆 (fab username btw!)

Are they the same meals every week?

Not at all!
It's quick and easy and none is wasted.

It's fine, we have so much pasta in this house mainly because my late teen eats so much of it that one night of pasta seems quite light to me! I do serve veg with everything though. When it is just younger Teen DD and I we have very dull stuff as neither of us are fussed so last night was courgette, avocado, packet of tomatoes on the vibe and an egg but it wasn't all together, over the course of the evening and DD had a roll and Reese bar, I had a Lime soda and Gin!

To clarify-salad is generally-lettuce, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, red onion, peppers, carrot, sometimes, corn on the cob, celery, beetroot, egg, hummus added etc, it’s a full meal

Do always feel a bit rubbish doing the quick pasta and jar sauce thing, used to add peas, but then Dc suddenly decided they didn’t like them…should add broccoli etc, do sometimes do a simple tuna mayo pasta with sweetcorn

Sounds fine, not that I’d like it myself if I’m honest, seems lots of salads and pasta but not actual meals, and a lack of proteins.

If you’re happy with it though, doesn’t really matter what others think.

The menu looks good to me - would probably add some protein to Monday & Tuesday’s meal.
Aim for > 5 fruits/veg per day if possible (I think potatoes don’t count), which you may well be.
Friday is pizza day for us but usually from the freezer - smaller (so we don’t eat too much) and cheaper) - with veg on the side.

Can you tell us why you think your meals are rubbish?

Has someone said so? If your daughter eats and enjoys them, what's the problem?

No, this is just this weeks, although I always do the simple pasta one (with variations) and eggs or beans on toast/jacket potato

They sound like perfectly normal dinners.

I'm not sure I'd have eaten even half of them at the age of 7, though!

Your salads sound gorgeous!