Seriously though is this that bad?

[coolma]

About once a week, if I'm particularly a) fraught b) tired c) in a frame of mind which would contemplate screaming loudly; I give the children fish fingers, oven chips and beans. Since becoming a mumsnet contributor (well terrified and inadequate reader mainly) I am feeling horribly guilty about this. Please tell me it's ok.

The reduced salt and sugar ketchup mings too.

DS still hasn't noticed that he has a separate bottle of the stuff to me and DH though so I am safe for now

Ketchup is good for you.

Absolutely fine.

"Sod it, let's have a chips night" is always met with "YAY!" in our house - I think this has more to do with the subsequent improvement in my mood than with the oven chips, though

my dd would eat this every night. in fact she say to me 'mum can I have a happy meal for tea'

(runs)

There's nothing wrong with it.

It's only spoilt rich ponces with too much time on their hands who are so anal about what they feed their DC that they have time to object to other people's perfectly valid choices. You need to be a rich ponce to have perfectly cooked organic food all the time.For the rest of us, a reasonable amount of fruit and veg and a reasonable amount of variety is a perfectly adequate diet.

The only problem with fishfingers and oven chips, as far as I am concerned, is that I always have to cook a few extra chips and a couple of extra fishfingers as a treat for me - and I so don't need the extra calories!!

My DH calls this kind of dinner 'friendly food'. It is friendly I think. And nice.

Deep fried Mars bar for pudding anyone?

Umm- read the thread 'mumsnet has made me' and you'll realise that mumsnet has made you paranoid. Nothing wrong with what you've done. I'm desperately watching though for that annoying post that will surely come saying:

'oh but it is so easy to just dip some lovely fresh fish in breadcrumbs and cut up a few potatoes put some olive oil on them and bung them in the oven' blah blah blah.

My mother still quotes my now infamous line (at about the age of 4) - 'the only fink I like is fishfingers and I'm going off them now too'....and I managed to survive (rather well I might add!)

SGB is bang on, frankly

Monday- home amde stew with proper MN stylee butchers meat (Dh at Uni until 3, me off to Uni at 5.30= slowcooker meal)

Today- home made coconut chicken with rice noodles

Tuesady- oven chips, beans fish fingers (gluten free ones for ds4)

soddit LOL-its the balance that matters not the specifics

If anyone thinks that's wrong they should get off their high horse. Oh organic blah foie gras blah blah, no McDonalds for little Horatio. Give me a special fried rice and a pear cider and I'm happy.

phew - I was honestly beginning to feel like a really rubbish mummy! They do like fruit and things like that and dd gets amazing food at nursery but I still think i should be rustling up super stuff for dinners! So, from now on it is 'petit poisson et pommes, avec ...um...avec beans ennit'

Actually, thinking about MacDonalds - I bloody love them but my two littlest are not keen at all I have tried - I really have!! dd always want milk and ds just wants the crappy plastic toy - oh no, another worry - do i buy them too much plastic? 'I will stop reading the poncey mumsnet threads, I will stop reading the poncey mumsnet threads...' x 100...

I would never give my children fish fingers, chips and beans in one meal. Whatever would I feed them the rest of the time ?

Seriously though, have you looked at the ingredients of modern fish fingers? There's not much to worry about there. Mine will now eat "proper" breaded fish but I think you can guess which they prefer and which the corner shop is more likely to stock ...

Of course it is OK. It is all part of a balanced diet. Mothers deserve an easy option at least once a week.(superwoman is difficult to live with).

I never used to have oven chips in the house (pre kids) but DH made me look at a label and it said ingredients, spuds and sunflower oil. And they weren't that fatty. So we have them all the time now

my two are teenagers now and fish fingers chips and beans havent done them any harm my eldest worked for mcdonalds for a while and hes ok (i think lol)

Right, this is a light hearted and supportive thread and I really do not want to upset anyone, but when we are getting anxious about feeding our dc fishfingers, chips and beans for dinner and feeling guilty about it, I think it is time to remember that our dc are lucky beyond belief and they are NOT facing starvation in Africa.

(sorry)

I think that's about right - you can't overdo it or there wouldn't be space in their diets for pizza and chocolate sandwiches

If you're feeling particularly guilty then put some cucumber on the plate too. They won't eat it, but you've offered something green and that's enough IMO. Good quality oven chips are no worse than a baked potato with a dollop of butter. Especially if you buy chunky oven chips with some skin still on as kids will never eat the skin of a baked potato.

Branstons reduced salt and sugar baked beans are yum.

And those omega 3 fish fingers are brain enhancing aren't they (that's what I tell myself when scoffing DD's leftovers anyway)

OMG I would never feed my kids this meal!......ok only because DS1 is deeply suspicious of anything breaded and DS2 won't eat chips if there's any kind of sauce on them. That said we did have cheese on toast this evening which I reckon is an almost perfect meal. Bread=Carbs, Cheese=protein, Tom sauce on bread=veg portion (I'm stretching there arn't I?).

Everyone needs at least one 'bung together meal' - don't sweat it.

Fishfingers, potato waffles and peas in this house... great meal

It's all about balance. Don't let what other people think bother you.