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Original poster

Fed up with cooking diff meals, ideas for family meals please

50 replies

Dancergirl · 07/03/2011 17:53

Yes I know I've made a rod for my own back...but I'm still cooking different meals for the dc than for me and dh. I'm a bit of a foodie and both me and dh love good food and sometimes quite spicy food. I would love my dc to develop a love of food too and I know they will eventually (I was still living on fish fingers aged 8 lol), but in the meantime I would like some ideas of family meals I can cook that everyone will enjoy.

I do a roast chicken once a week, sometimes homemade spag bol or meatballs. Thing is, if it's just me and dh I would often do a pan-fried fish thing, eg I sometimes do pan-fried sea bass with lemon/pine-nut/garlic/oregano sauce with is absolutely delicious.....but I know the dc wouldn't touch it and secondly pan-frying fish for loads of people is a pain.

OP posts:
fifi25 · 07/03/2011 19:20

Ive got one who wont eat anything spicy and is very picky. The other 2 are fine.

My kids love smoked haddock/cod with cheese sauce, mash and greens, seved with homemade crusty bread..

Meatballs with peppers in cherry tomato sauce is nice.

Lentil soup always goes down well too.

They like hunters chicken at the moment

Sausages with roasted veg (sweet potatoes, peppers and courgettes)

dreamingofsun · 07/03/2011 19:48

i very rarely cook different meals for anyone - they each have just 1 or 2 meals they don't like, including my husband.

why wouldn't they like see bass - it sounds lovely? It might be your body language suggesting they shouldn't?

My approach has always been that i serve dinner (only 1 meal), if they don't like it its just left and if they get hungry they come back and eat it. no desert till they do. no fuss.

its like being a cafe otherwise and i think encourages unadventurous fussy eaters

thisisyesterday · 07/03/2011 19:50

i would just start cooking one thing for everyone

have you TRIED giving htem the same stuff you eat?

dreamingofsun · 07/03/2011 19:51

sorry you wanted ideas - favourites in this house are fahitas, spagetti carbonara, jamie's fish curry, anything chinese, indian (not very spicy), chicken breast with ham and cheese on (grilled), chicken kiev.......to name a few

moogalicious · 07/03/2011 19:52

My dc's like these slightly spicy and they freeze well
this medium rare

moogalicious · 07/03/2011 19:54

oh yes and fajitas with guacamole, grated cheese and sour cream (we have jalapeños)

Original poster
Dancergirl · 07/03/2011 19:58

Thanks thisisyesterday for your highly helpful post Hmm

What do you think the answer to your question might be......? Just in case you're struggling, it's YES - many, many times.

OP posts:
dreamingofsun · 07/03/2011 20:02

dancergirl - what do you do if they say they don't like it?

if you serve them an alternative instead, so they don't go hungry, you are encouraging them to reject food. if on the other hand you just shrug and leave it for them to eat later they may well tuck in? obviously banning any other snacks in the meantime.

i'm not surprised you are sick of cooking different meals - it would drive me crazy and all the washing up!!

thisisyesterday · 07/03/2011 20:03

ok.... well i would! sorry if you don't like the answer, but that is what i would do!

you said you had "made a rod for your own back" so it was not clear whether you had actually tried making meals for all of you or whether you had just gone along with separate things

DamselInDisguise · 07/03/2011 20:09

My kids (10 and 1.5) love: lasagne, shepherds/cottage pie (esp with cheesy mash), pork in cider, steak pie, chicken pie, pork/chicken/beef quesidillas/burritos/fajitas, spinach and ricotta puff pastry roll, chicken wrapped in bacon in roasted tomato and pepper sauce, pretty much anything containing chorizo, roasts with the various trimmings, toad in the hole/sausage and mash, lentil soup, pasta/gnocci with tomato-based sauce or carbonara, bolognaise, cauliflower cheese, macaroni cheese, homemade burgers with roast tomatoes and sweet potato chips, pulled pork sandwiches, fishcakes... Pretty much anything I make.

DS1 eats everything; DS2 chooses what he wants from his plate and we leave him to it. We never eat meat with bones in it because DH is fussy; the kids would happily eat it!

Hulababy · 07/03/2011 20:11

I have never cooked seperate meals on a regular basis for Dd. The only time she will sometimes eat differently is if she has friends round or has an activity maning she has to eat at a different time to us, although normally it is the same as us just earlier.

Not sure what you mean by famly meals really as we don't differentiate.

8y DD chose this week's menu plan for Mon-Thurs. I gave her the hairy Biker's coobook plus her own thoughts on what she fancied. She helps cook a lot too so will chose things she things she can attempt fairly independently as often as possible.

This weeks meals are:

Monday - chicken korma/masala with pilau rice and chapati
Tuesday - cottage pie with cheesy mash
Wednesday - spagetti carbonara
Thursday - homemade fishcakes with cheese sauce and steamed green veggies

We have new recipes occuring a lot as I love cookbooks so we have lots to chose from, lol! Other things we eat a lot though include:

fajitas
chilli and tortillas
mousakka
various pasta dishes
curry
fillet steak and chunky potato wedges
breaded herby fish with oven baked chips/wedgies ot herby mash
various meat casseroles
roasts
ratatouille

etc.

moogalicious · 07/03/2011 20:12

Another one - chicken or beef stir fry with noodles, made with ginger, honey, soy sauce and chillies for the grown ups.

DamselInDisguise · 07/03/2011 20:15

Same stir fry would be nice with duck too. DS2 was most keen to be eating duck. He made quacking noises on its way to his mouth.

The kids love quiche too. DS1 will even eat salad with it.

moogalicious · 07/03/2011 20:16

hmmm...duck - hadn't thought of that one. Dd1 is a carnivore so she'd be keen to try.

NettoSuperstar · 07/03/2011 20:19

Hulababy, Cottage pie with mash?
That's a bit mashtastic!

OP, there is no such thing as adult food, and kids food, perhaps you've fallen in to that trap?

There's always a choice in my house-eat it, or don't.

Hulababy · 07/03/2011 20:19

Betto - I mean the mash on top is cheesy. We don't have mish with mash, lol! :)

dreamingofsun · 07/03/2011 20:25

duck's one of my DS's favourites. if i do chinese pancakes there's a fight.

omlette, risotto (though i confess 1 of mine really doesn't like this so he has omlette); the mish mash meal (anthing left in fridge cooked). jamie's jules pasta, though as advised on here i only put a dash of vinegar in. fry up. lasagne.

tihs post is turning into a decent meal plan. please keep the ideas coming.

dreamingofsun · 07/03/2011 20:27

another favourite is chicken and leak pie, using a packet or 2 of asparagus soup and pre made pastry. looks like you've made an effort, when you haven't

Original poster
Dancergirl · 07/03/2011 20:28

dancergirl - what do you do if they say they don't like it?

No I don't make anything else for them, but I hate seeing them picking at a lovely home-made meatball. I try and incorporate a part of the meal they they like but then invariably they'll eat the spag and not the bol for example.

I've probably made a huge mistake giving them separate food to start off with but a)I can't turn the clock back now...and b) my mum always gave me separate food/what I liked and I eventually turned into someone who eats everything and loves food. But she only had 1 child to cater for. I've got 3.

OP posts:
moogalicious · 07/03/2011 20:32

don't worry dancergirl just try some of the recipes suggested, but perhaps small portions so it's not too daunting. I guess it will be trial and error.

I also have 3, all with different tastes.

DamselInDisguise · 07/03/2011 20:33

I'd just let them pick away. They'll start eating more of it over time, and they won't go hungy. It doesnt really matter if they pick apart a lovely meatball. You'll only have one meal to make too, which is a bonus.

You could start by making sure that you include at least one thing they like in each meal. For example, you could do pan fried fish and serve it with mash, or potato wedges, or sweetcorn, or something else they enjoy.

moogalicious · 07/03/2011 20:35

Homemade pizza's - I use white bread mix for the dough and get the kids to do the toppings (have to have 2 veggies). Me and dh have it with salad because we're fat.

dreamingofsun · 07/03/2011 20:41

my MIL would cook a separate meal for everyone and even now my BIL will only eat chicken balls and sweet and sour sauce if we have chinese. He claims he doesn't like anything else????!

could they help with the cooking? or could you involve them in the weekly meal plan (giving them 2 or 3 grown up options to choose from)

devilsadvocaat · 07/03/2011 21:01

ds is a picky veg dodger and he eats:

quesidillas with spinach, cheese and pesto

we had this tonight

lamb mince, half cup breadcrumbs, one egg, half block feta, sundried toms finely chopped. make little patties serve in pitta.

spread peanut butter on bread and wrap around cooked chipolata sausages. bake in oven until golden. i put mustard in adults too.

salmon steaks, spread with a little tom sauce, add breadcrumbs and cheese.

meatloaf also went down well.

dh and i also like spicy food and i add stuff after serving theirs.

i think the key is, if you think they won't eatit, serve a little of it (a spoon) with a potato (easy to cook alongside any meal). don't expect too much too soon. trying is the key imo.

Hulababy · 07/03/2011 21:11

Dancergirl - do they cook with you? How old are they? Does the 8y enjoy cooking?

My 8y cooks a lot as I said and does more and more of it independently too. I also give her a good amount of freedom over our meal plans for the week. The food she will chose based on the pictures is very varied and it can be a great start to get even a reluctant child trying new things.