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?

Read it all again

Two carbs?!

I think they are perfectly realistic. Life is busy and we don’t all have the time or inclination to make a complex meal every night and often even these ‘quick dinner’ ideas are anything but quick. It’s also nice to have a night off from cooking every week so I see nothing wrong with a weekly takeaway.

@AllThatGlistensIsntCold

Its not necessary for everyone to eat fish,

Sounds lovely!

Lots of cultures eat both rice and potatoes with their dinner so I wouldn't worry :)

I agree, there’s an obsession with protein these days. I wonder if it stems from shops pushing protein powders and bars. Its certainly very easy to meet the requirements

Why not? What would/should they eat? My dc def does, but never been a fussy eater

Mine would eat them all op.

👏👏😂😂

I'd maybe look into couple of simple curry dishes like lentils where you can chuck everything into the pot, leave it to simmer till tender then add a simple tempering.

I said YANBU because it looks like basic meals to me, just fine, and you later said you add vegetables and fruits and so on.

But there's not much context given here so I don't know what you're after.

Not good in what way? Not delicious enough? Or are you asking if they have a good amount of nutritional value? (Please ignore the posts that say you need more animal products. You do not).

Also, who said your dinners aren't good? If it's your child or someone else who actually eats them, why not talk to them about what they'd like better? And along with that, be sure to make them help prepare the dinners.

If the complainant is someone who doesn't eat your dinners, please either tell them to shut up or find something to put them down for in return or both! Overly critical, non-supportive people are to be avoided, in my opinion. :)

Struggle to stay alive?

Protein bars and shakes are one end of the spectrum but historically good nutrition has been poorly understood and proteins have been costly or difficult to come by so there has been little protein in diets. Protein can’t be stored in the body and so daily intake is needed.

Sounds fairly normal. Sometimes when you’re working you just have to do what works. If I was making this is how I would do it:

Monday: I wouldn’t do rice and potatoes, just one or the other, and I would serve this with veggie sausages or I’d put lentils in the salad for protein.

Tuesday: pesto pasta is a perfectly acceptable quick dinner but I’d add a protein source. Chickpeas for me (I don’t eat meat) but if you do then chicken - you can buy ready cooked so less time/effort.

weds/thurs: fine. What’s in your salad? I’d go for darker leaves like spinach to up the nutrition, maybe broccoli and green beans with the salmon?

Friday: fine

Saturday: takeaway can be whatever you make of it really. I wouldn’t personally have it every week but everyone is different.

Sunday: probably fine. What do you have on a roast? If it’s all crackling, paxo and yorkshires it’s not exactly like having chicken and tonnes of veg.

we’re all doing our best, and I hope you take that in the spirit of “here’s some simple changes to up the nutrition” rather than “your food is bad” it’s not, it’s fine and normal x

Makes sense for athletes who need protein to build serious muscle, not so much for the rest of us!

That grain salad sounds yummy 😋
Would that be one mug each of rice, barley and cracked wheat, or all combined into one mug?

I can't believe the number of people on this thread who are trying to shame @Sowhatbigdeal for having a child who eats salad 😂

Meant to add, along with cherry tomatoes, toasted pine nuts are also lovely with pasta and pesto and provide some protein.

Are you reading the same thread as me?

One mug in total
So fill the mug up with the various grains
Trust me this is plenty for 6 adults

If you don’t have time to fry the onions and garlic I sometimes cheat and just add a knob of butter for richness and some garlic salt. This is one of those recipes you can play about with to suit.

Depends on the jobs you do. If you are sitting at a desk all day then they aren't too bad but if one of you has a physical job then i really think you need to bulk them up because they all sound like suppers to me after you have eaten a cooked lunch. My Husband would be eating the contents of the fridge all evening if dinner was a red onion salad.

I'm just about to order our weekly takeaway so if anyone could tell me the best Indian order to make sure I get a few of my 30 plants a week in I'd be very grateful. How many are in an onion bhaji?

Can I come to your house for my tea please? It sounds yum. Next time you go shopping, look at the crap other people are pushing around in their trollies. Mumsnet is not a good place to survey what's "normal" or "typical" or "rubbish".

My kids love this too....add frozen peas/sweetcorn & bacon bits. Grated cheese on top. Just as quick but more nutritious.
Whatever I can add veg to I do.