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?

I would bet good money that the vast majority of people don't eat "30 different plants a week" - it's not something I've ever even heard of outside of MN.

Your children have devices? How disappointing. Naturally my DC only read novels printed on 100 percent recycled paper.

I'd struggle Monday- Wednesday, they seem rather light and not overly filling.

Salad is great but I wouldn't put lettuce leaves with cucumber & peppers in the same category as vegetables like carrots or broccoli.

Don't get me wrong, in summer I would have something like Salmon, new potatoes & Salad, but it would be a green bean salad or carrot salad plus a lettuce one.

If you feel it's enough and nobody is snacking 30 minutes after dinner, then it's fine.

Because they don’t like it. Why else?

But no it must be because they’re used to having too much sugar. Because that’s the only alternative. FML.

Bore off back to your plain yoghurt.

Yes peas are delicious in pesto pasta as is rocket on top. And extra pine nuts gives a protein boost. You can even add chopped almonds. If you chuck all that on it’s a totally different meal.

your meals are all nice but a bit more like cafe/restaurant meals: ie; taste nice, plate well but not really sufficient nutrition long term.

You'd need to be living under a rock not to have heard of that.

In a perfect world we would be eating a rainbow, eating our oily fish, piling on the protein, getting just the right amount of dairy and getting pulses and grains down our necks whilst still finding room for seeds, nuts and fruits

Who's perfect????????

Your meals sound fine, small for us ( but DH is a manual worker and wants his meat and 3 veg )

You are doing what you can with the time restraints you have, you are doing your best

That's a very narrow-minded view you have there.

I was raised on whole, natural, UPF-free foods but there were still plenty of things I didn't like, a plain yoghurt was one of them. It just tasted unpleasant to me.

Don't know what FML is.

You're incredibly rude- and maybe a teeny bit defensive?

If you are feeding your kids yoghurt with 3 teaspoons of sugar in a pot that's criminal.

You need to get your head around healthy eating. And stop scorning posters who do eat more healthy food.

No, I just live in the real world where most people can't afford to be buying 30 different plants every week.

My daily breakfast is 5% fage Greek yoghurt, blueberries and mixed seeds. It's ace.

That would literally make me throw up. The blueberries and mixed seeds are fine, but the texture of Greek yoghurt is appalling.

Food is never a one-size-fits-all. You adapt to what people will eat.

Who’s complaining?

If it’s your child/children then it’s because they’re probably too healthy in their eyes and they would prefer something beige. If it’s your husband then he can make dinner instead.

You could add a tin of tuna to the pasta and pesto for protein, if you wanted - no extra cooking, just stir it into the pasta before/with the pesto and it warms up naturally - and a bag of spinach for the veg; I just put the leaves in a colander and pour boiling water over them (the water from the cooked pasta does the trick). Then mix that in as well.

But I don't think your dinners sound 'rubbish'. If it's your husband that's moaning, he knows as well as you do where the kitchen is...

Maybe it's just me, but I can't think of many any seven year olds who would happily eat most of the meals listed there.

I asked ChatGPT to make it a little more interesting but suitable for a family of mum/dad/7 year old.

Here's what my guy came up with. Others will get other answers based on their discussions. Mine makes me a weekly autism/vege/adult menu and shopping list.

Monday – Greek-Inspired Feast Night
Warm new potato & feta salad with caramelised red onions, cherry tomatoes & a honey-mustard dressing. Served with lemon rice and warm flatbreads for dipping.

> Optional: Let your child crumble the feta or drizzle the honey dressing—tiny chef duties!

Tuesday – Pesto Pasta Party
Twisty pasta with basil pesto, sprinkled with parmesan & toasted pine nuts. Served with garlic bread fingers and cucumber batons with hummus on the side.

> Try mixing in peas or halved cherry tomatoes for colour and crunch.

Wednesday – Breakfast-for-Dinner Bonanza
Fluffy omelettes or dippy eggs with toast soldiers. Side salad with fun extras: grated cheese, sweetcorn, and apple slices.
Serve with mini smoothies or fruit yogurt for dessert.

> Let the 7-year-old choose fillings for a “build-your-own” omelette.

Thursday – Summery Salmon & Rainbow Plates
Baked lemon-garlic salmon fillets with buttered new potatoes and a ‘pick-your-own’ salad board—lettuce, grated carrot, peppers, cheese cubes, and croutons.

> Add a fun sauce for dipping—like yoghurt and mint or sweet chilli mayo.

Friday – Fiesta Night!
Family chilli con carne with rice, cheesy nachos, and a trio of dips: guac, salsa, and sour cream.
Set up a DIY nacho topping station!

> Serve with mocktails or fizzy water with fruit slices for that party feel.

Saturday – Takeaway Night
Let each family member choose their favourite: pizza, curry, or noodle boxes.
Eat on the floor picnic-style or with a film for a fun twist.

> Maybe pick a ‘new food of the month’ to try together?

Sunday – Lazy Roast or Lasagne Comfort
Classic roast dinner (or bubbling lasagne) with garlic bread, peas, and broccoli trees.
Finish with apple crumble and custard or ice cream sundaes with toppings galore.

> Get the child involved in layering the lasagne or arranging the roast veg.

That's a myth.

Plants are cheaper than a McD's, coke, and other crap stuff.

I bet you aren't aware that rea, coffee and chocolate count?
As do herbs and spices.

It's really not that hard to do it.

If you make an effort to educate yourself.

Who does that?

We do. It’s easy.

The Mon-Weds meals don’t seem ideal as the main meals for a child aged 7 tbh.

I can’t get upset about a takeaway once a week 🤷‍♀️

Other three meals seem fine.

To be honest, it’s less than five a day, which isn’t unrealistic.

I’m sure so long as you have five different fruit or veg a day ( which isn’t unrealistic) they don’t have to not be repeated at all during the week. Ie; you could have raspberries on Monday and Saturday, blueberries on Tuesday and Thursday etc. I think the idea is variety not a total ban on repeating a strawberry portion in your weekly intake.

Who said anything about McDonald's, coke and crap? Or are you just making generalisations again?

I do think 30 different plants each week is fairly unrealistic for many people. I wouldn't have the storage for that many items, for starters!

Same.
I do think some people worry too much about nutrition and others not at all - a country of extremes!

Looks great and fun. I've asked Chatgpt a few times but never came up with this sort of stuff. May I ask what prompts you gave it??

Shockingly you can only do a UCAS form for an exceptionally gifted child online. How tacky. I'd much prefer it was handwritten in beautiful cursive writing using a quill and ink.