My god its relentless (lighthearted)

[PretendToLaugh]

Dinner!!!!!!!!!!!

Why did no-one warn me this would be a huggeeeeee part of having a family 😂

I need ideas, inspiration something nutritious that can be whipped together in a very short amount of time.

2 adults 3DDs

DD1 - fussy, likes chilli, tacos, steak pies, homemade burgers think very traditional British pub food

DD2 (my fave child to feed) Will eat anything and everything BUT must be in the mood for it, physically cant eat something shes not in the mood for.

DD3 - god she will be the death of me, would quite literally live on any form of chicken nugget if i allowed it.

All 3 train between 6-21 hours in sport, we are busy, as is everyone, both work full time so i need fast nutritious meals that taste nice and things that will reheat well as we are on different schedules.

Current rotations include:

Meatballs and spaghetti
Chilli
Roast chicken dinner ( the only meal of 2 we sit down together ad eat as a family)
Home made burgers

Some nights there will be 3 dinners on the go and sometimes its processed shite.

Is everyone else living in this hell and whats your current meal plans

We have similar issues. Weeknights we rotate the same fire things that most of ours will eat. Anyone that doesn’t want it gets to make their own pasta. Weekends we try to do something more adventurous for them to try (sometimes they do sometimes not), Sunday is always a calm roast (the one thing everyone will eat). It is as you say relentless. So boring. I like cooking but not the same things ad finitum. It takes any pleasure out of it

I’m lucky they are good eaters but they are definitely not easy in other ways if that helps! 😜

I like a traybake for speed and nutrition. Piece of meat or fish, veggies, oils, herbs etc, stick in the oven. Serve with microwave rice, frozen mash or couscous, or you can parboil/ding new potatoes and add to the tray bake. Quick, easy, healthy, tasty. You could do a couple of variations on one go even if people are fussy about certain veg etc, on separate trays!

I hear you OP! I do all the meal planning and all the cooking. I actually don't mind it but thinking of new / different ideas that everyone will eat and can be made in the time I have (which can be very limited given work / school / activities etc.) can be VERY challenging! No one else in the house is of any help. Even when I ask them what they want they can't think of anything so it falls on me again. And it's every week!

Current meals include:
stir fry (can change the meat/veg/sauce to mix it up a bit)
pasta (pasta bake, spag bol, lasagne, meatballs)
jambalaya (or similar rice dish)
Sausage & mash
Chilli (served with rice or jacket pots or in wraps)
Curries (again can change the meat/veg/sauce - may also do it with rice one day, Naan bread another)
risotto

Definitely looking for more inspiration though!

Husband can’t cook.

🙄

Following for inspiration.

I absolutely agree OP, it's so hard. DD1 actually cried the other day when I told her what was for tea, I know end of term exhaustion was a factor but it's so difficult trying to keep everyone eating! Any new ideas welcome here. We often resort to just pasta with tomato sauce - I make the tomato sauce with a tin of cannelini beans blended in for a bit of hidden protein, but it's not ideal.

I married him for his other talents, not his culinary skills! 🙄

Nothing helpful to add except to say that your post really made me laugh OP and solidarity 😭 I believe we are living the same life.
reading the thread with interest!

I was hoping our DS would get less fussy as he grows and his appetite increases. Nope. We’ve just got an 11yo who eats more pasta and meatballs.

I’m envious of MIL who lives alone and just eats soup and salad.

What about fish? I buy lightly dusted fish and air fry it - peppered mackerel salad, basically take it out of packet and plonk on plate, or salmon - with a bit of soy ginger & honey in tin foli in air fyer?

Perfect, amazing, i would eat it every single night i love fish, DD1 and 3 would class me serving them fish as a form of abuse 😂

If it was just me I wouldn’t bother with any pissing dinner. X

I have a freezer full of good quality, frozen noodles (don't use the dry ones, they're gross) along with frozen veg. I can whip up a really tasty dandan noodles in 15 minutes if I have mince in the fridge. Lovely if your girls like peanut butter.

Or make some char sui noodle soup. Really savoury and delicious. I roast the pork at the weekend and slice it as I need it through the week. Broth comes from the roasting sauce + chickens stock. Again, with frozen noodles and frozen veg. it tastes amazing and takes under 15 mins to pull together.

Before baby over relied on deliveroo, so most of my meals are lazy quick.

My other hack are grain pouches / couscous packets. Add pomegranate seeds, spring onions and herbs to anything and it becomes moreish. Takes under 5 mins plus whatever grilled fish/meat and salad you want to prepare. Squeeze of lemon over the top and you're done!

God, I've got a filthy mind...😳

The older 2 can "help" him make stuff together.

The little one, just cook hers separately.

This is similar to our household eating challenges. Food cart style chicken and rice is a favourites ll. I’ve also managed to convince my fussiest that creamy spinach pasta is pesto so he now eats that too.

Same as me! Packet of crisps and some dip and i'd be happy!

I'm extremely fussy 3yr old LOVES chicken noodle soup. It is a great meal too. I freeze the soup in those huge ice blocks so I always have some on hand. Then make the noodles as it defrosts in the microwave

Mine have school dinners so only require a tea. In the holidays we eat out a lot especially at cheap places. Saves a significant amount of hassle

Things you assemble so everyone can have a bit they like eg fajitas but all components separately, baked potatoes various fillings.
Fish - would little one do goujon type

I hear you! I have 2 ND DC. Eldest is veggie with likely ARFID. Youngest more open to different things but still has issues with a lot of food.
On a good day I make 2 different evening meals but it's usually 3. There is no longer any meal that everyone will eat. My summer challenge is to find one!

Can you do similar to meals to your list. So if roast chicken dinner is a hit do chicken pie and veg. Pasta and meatballs acceptable do some form of chicken pasta like parmigiana.

I've always said it the thinking what to cook that's the hard part, not actually doing it.
I regularly make the following for my lot. We also do a lot of sport between us so things that reheat easily or can be quickly cooked separately are a winner.
Naan bread pizzas
Quesadillas
Halloumi pittas
Burgers
Paella
Tacos
Lentil casserole with halloumi
Cheesy tomato pasta (pasta with tomato sauce and grilled with cheese on top)
Chicken kebabs
Mac cheese
Bacon and tomato risotto
Baked salmon
Chilli
Sausage and courgette pasta bake
Chicken wraps (fake KFC)
Quiche

I try to cook a new recipe each week, usually something from the Tesco magazine, but that takes headspace and time so not on a busy evening!

Will youngest sausages? They do chicken ones. So sausage and mash and veg.
Can you do a thing over summer where everyone writes 5 meals on paper they like. See if there’s overlap.

Hunters chicken (sauce separate) and veg.
Chicken Kiev and veg.

So much love for this thread. The meal thing was not even an issue I considered before having three children. Now it (and the laundry) are daily torture. And I say this as a former chef. I have lost ALL LOVE for cooking and dream of the time I don’t have anyone extra to feed and can eat a carrot and a bag of crisps for dinner when if I can’t be bothered to cook in the eve.

last week I had a pot of olives, a babybel, and a glass of white wine for dinner as kids had all come back stuffed from a bday party so it was just me eating and IT WAS HEAVEN.

some slummy mummy things I throw together which pretty much cover all food groups:

• poke bowls. I prep all the ingredients seperately and Kids can pick and choose what goes in them thereby building their own bowl
• sausage and mash and broccoli / tinned corn / tinned beans
• fill a wrap with grated cheese, some kind of meat, sweetcorn, salsa unless your child will run screaming from it. Roll it up, microwave for 30 seconds. Serve with cucumber, carrots, something to dip it all in. The fact it’s hot makes it acceptable as a dinner I think
• ditto toasties with fridge leftovers in them
• dippy eggs with cheese on toast and chopped up fruit