to be sick and tired of cooking for my dcs.

[moodlumthehoodlum]

They have morphed into very fussy eaters, and it is nightmare preparing a meal that both will eat.

They are still little (3&4), but its blardy dull constantly having to think about what the next meal is, and then when I do cook it, having it whinged and moaned at.

I know there are bigger things to worry about in life but its a pita.

ok. moan over.

YANBU - when I am rich I am getting a cook.

me too. I used to enjoy cooking. now its just a chore.

add dd's cow's milk and wheat intolerance to that whinge and you have my life atm.

so sick of trying to cook something that she can eat, that both of them will eat and doesn't involve me having spent hours preparing when they'll inevitably refuse to eat it.

[sulk]

we definately need a emoticon don't we?

I do thank my lucky stars that they don't have intolerances, apart from a seeming intolerance to nice food prepared by me.

M&S kids ready meals - they save my sanity on a Friday. Sod the credit crunch.

I don't mind the cooking so much as the having to think about what to do. I just can't be bothered anymore.

me neither. I've got about four meals that I just make over and over again. I used to be so good. now I just can't be arsed.

YANBU. I have 10 meals done in constant rotation. Used to quite like cooking but now it is one big chore stretching in front of me for the next 15 years.

Dh is a chef and he finds it stressful cooking for DCs.

heh, Turn their mealtimes into a geography lesson. Spin a globe and let them pinpoint what country you will cook a meal from. Then when they don't eat it at least you had fun trying to make it and they will know where not to go for food. :P

Wellhaveallbeenthere, may as well just take the food out of the fridge and chuck it straight in the bin. No geography lesson but a lot less time wasted.

Thanks crackfox. That's cheered me up . 15 years of it stretching ahead of me..... I think by that stage I will have given up trying to fob them off with scrambled eggs!

CrackFox - do you mind me asking what your 10 are ? Sounds a great plan. I too used to like cooking now it such a pain.

Spag bol
Tomatoey pasta and garlic bread
Macaroni cheese and a salad
Lasgane, wedges and sweetcorn
Sausage, mash and peas
Char-grilled chicken, wedges and salad
fish in bread crumbs, chips and peas
Honeyed pork chops, mash and carrots
Roast chicken, roast potatoes and carrots.
Chilli con carne and rice

I am so bored with it all but DS1 (now 7) was such an extremely fussy eater that I am amazed that he eats what he can now. Don't want to push him any further as we are all happy and seems to be no whinging at meal times.

thanks CF, that's really helpful.

My problem is that ds has recently gone off - pasta, mince, any type of meat except chicken and fish. DD won't eat jacket potatoes, rice, chicken, ham, pork & lamb.

They can't live off tuna sandwiches. I think I may have to get stricter. Now I write it down it does seem ridiculous. DH is equally fussy.

GAH.

It is a chore, though, cooking for everyone day in, day out. And I think most people do end up with a core dozen or so meals that they just rotate because it makes shopping so quick and cheap and you know everyone likes the meals.

It actually makes things much easier for me, sticking to our basic meals as I have little time to cook during the week.

thanks CF - some nice choices to copy, thank you ! Some of my 'favourites'..
fishcakes and mash/wedges
meatballs and pasta
shperherds pie/cottage pie
fish pie
veggie pie
tuna pasta with sweetcorn

I think I need to start menu planning again.

And when your dcs don't eat, do you just leave them to get on with it, or do you make alternatives? I really don't want to go down the route of making everyone a separate meal, and I was brought up having to eat everything, so I detest fussy eaters. (and yet I pander to them also...)

It bores and bugs me too.

made an effort tonight and most of Ds' dinner is in the bin. (and my tummy) Why, oh why did I bother?!

i'm horribly strict with dd1 (5) who is becoming increasingly fussy. I make what I'm making (which can't always be something she likes as we get a veg box and can't predict contents) and if she doesn't want it she has bread and butter. Often she will try and like things she has decided just from the look/smell that she won't like. i do allow that she has preferences and really genuinely doesn't like eggs in some forms and that's okay but at the end of the day she eats what i cook (if only a few mouthfuls).

dd2 is thankfully still at that age where she'll try anything without prejudice, although lots of stuff ends up on the floor.

Exactly the same Crackfox, although I don't have so many in my repetoire.

Fishcakes, noodles and peas.
Spaghetti Bolognaise
Chicken or Fish fingers, Jacket Potatoes and Brocolli.
Salmon Tagliatelli.
Sausages, eggs and toast.
Spaghetti and Meatballs.
Sausage, Jacket Potatoes and veg
Fish in batter/breadcrumbs, chips and peas.
Ham or cheese Baguettes with Salad.

My on line order is exactly the same every week

I think I need to be stricter, but dd would happily live off bread and butter. But maybe that's a good plan, to start off with as surely both dd & ds would eventually get bored.

I won't even mention the nightmare that is lunchboxes.

Oh me too. On their own my two are not that bad but they are like Jack Sprat and his wife. Ds likes eggs, dd doesn't. Dd likes tomato-based sauces, ds doesn't. Ds loves fish, dd barely tolerates it. Dd loves lentil dishes, ds won't eat them. Ds also does not eat mince. The ONLY vegetable they both eat is edamame. Dd likes broccoli, green beans, lentils, chickpeas, asparagus but will not touch peas, sweetcorn or carrots. Ds only likes peas, sweetcorn and carrots. Oh he will not eat potatoes either. Sometimes the thought of teatime just fills me with despair.

Dh used to be fussy too but I have put a stop to that nonsense.

i love this thread now. I'm going to crib everyone's meal rota this evening

yes, some great ideas. keep them coming... loving the sound of salmon tagliatelle

It gets better.

I felt like you do a couple of years ago. They are 5 and almost 4 now and we have many more meals.

It's still pretty boring though.

I tend to cook from the surefire repertoire in the week and then do something a bit different at weekends served with something I know they like. Then it doesn't matter if they don't try the new thing but DH and I don't die of boredom!

They can always have bread and cheese so I know they won't starve.