If you eat with your kids every night but not with dh or dp - what do you cook?

[SunnilyEnough]

My dh comes home very late most weeknights, so I eat with the boys. I'm trying to improve our meals (so far a lot of soup and pasta) but when I look at possible recipes, I sort of can't be bothered when it's just us - especially as half the time they won't like it. (They are 6 and 2).

Any tips? Do you just eat simple nursery type food with them in the week and cook more interesting stuff at weekends?

I stick a load of chicken legs and cut potatoes, onions and peppers into wedges and bake it all together (takes about an hour) in a big dish. Boys have 'chicken and chips' and I have mostly veg. Could also be done, no doubt, with sausages etc. It's my stand by for if we are going out and want to come back to a meal, as I just put the oven on timer.

Also do lots of things like baked potatoes or pittas with various fillings, so everyone can have something they like, but I don't feel like I'm doing separate meals.

SunnilyEnough I have exactly the same problem at the moment so will watch this thread with interest!

Lots of types of risotto. Fish pie, shepherd's pie, stew, casserole. Is this what you class nursery food? The only thing I don't do is curry because DS won't touch that.

similar boat here though my DD is 16months. I tend to cook what we would normally eat (with the exception of spicy foods). But for easy meal ideas, i usually do sausages and mash, baked potato, salads, stew or casseroles in the slow cooker, soups etc. Im not one for making large fancy meals, as long as its got some veg thrown in there im happy lol! I got my Lo to help make meatballs one night, went down a treat!

DH doesn't eat with us due to shifts, and he's veggie. I eat with the children mostly and sometimes eat again later too .

Pasta with bought sauce or pesto, chicken legs, chicken dippers, fishfingers, roast dinners, 'picnic' at the table. Occasionally hot dogs, they love them.

I guess by nursery food I mean stuff that's more aimed at children and is less sophisticated. But without driving yourself mad! I'm getting sick of the same old things.

Baking things is good! Like the idea of chucking it into the oven and having time with the boys while it cooks. Did a sausage tray bake the other day, ds1 not mad on sausages, will try with chicken legs.

What does your DH eat when he gets in?

DH can never be counted on to be home in time for meals as emergencies often crop up but I cook as if he is going to be there and then he just warms up his share.

He usually makes himself something to eat in his office (he's self-employed, works alone), though if I'm making something he can reheat, I do extra so he can take it in the next day. Again usually just soups/pasta sauce/pesto/casserole.

sausage, mash , veg & gravy is popular
shepherds pie / lasagne are favs here (4.8 and 1.9)
macaroni cheese
toad in the hole
casseroles
jacket spuds
spag bol

Tonight we are having 'hot dogs', wedges, and roasted butternut squash - I do one kiddie type meal a week (disclaimer home made wedges, proper sausages)

When Dh is away or working late we have:

Fajitas (Dh can reheat the filling later)
chicken kebabs with naan bread and salad
lamb kebabs with pitta and salad
pasta with shop bought sauce
chicken goujons and home made chips
Breaded fish with chips
spaghetti bolognese (usually make this during the day and freeze left overs for following week)
moroccan meatballs with couscous (again made during the day and frozen if some left)
chops and veg
pizza (homemade dough can be frozen or buy pizza bases)

I have a very fussy dd but find if I give her one new thing with something she knows, she'll give it a go.

Do you cook one of those things from scratch every night? I'm trying to find a balance so that I'm not cooking a big meal every evening, and also re-jigging leftovers (roast chicken into chicken pie or soup).

I'm quite an unenthusiastic cook as you might be able to tell! But do want the children eating home-cooked, fresh food.

I do what sommewhereelse does unless I know in advance DH is going to be really late then I have something in the slow cooker or do DH a smaller portion to heat later.

Not sure what you mean by nursery food, that is what my Mum would call Shepherds Pie but MIL would call turkey twizzler and chips.

We all eat the same though, Curry, Chilli con carne, casseroles, Stew, rissotto, roasts, lasagne, fish cakes with salad, what I would call home cooking.

The only meals DH and I love but DC don't like is Steak and Stilton pie or a steak, so if we have this then I do something the DC consider a treat like pizza, or chicken and chips.

Generally I don't like things that take more than 30 mins to cook with the exception of the spaghetti and the meatballs which take about 15 mins prep plus cooking time. But I make double of the longer meal so I can freeze and save time the following week.

Kebabs take minutes! Very easy and the dc's like eating things on a stick

Chicken Goujons and breaded fish are from a packet - if it's the weekend and DH home I will make from scratch.

Roast chicken into a pie sounds nice

X-posted just seen your post re nursery food.

This week because we are bit skint (roll on Friday) I spent £14 on making a massive stew which fed us all on Sunday with mashed potato,
last night as left -over -stew risotto,
tonight as meat and potato pie with new potatoes
and I should have enough to make a pasties for mine and DH's tea on Wednesday (older DC go to PIL for tea).
Apart from the initial cooking of the stew the other meals can be cooked in under an hour.

I just make "normal" food - lamb stew, chicken casserole, pasta and tomato sauce (mine are 3 & 5). I refuse to cook more than one dinner, however, once or twice a week I won't eat with the kids and I'll make something for me and my husband - chilli or the like. I have found that having a jar of easy chilli in the fridge great. - last night we had pasta and tomato sauce and after I had dished up the kids, I stirred a teaspoon of chilli in.

DH gets his dinner out of the fridge when he gets in -he never eats with us midweek.

I bought a slow cooker for under a tenner and I use it once or twice a week. Great for lamb stew, pork casserole etc - when we have eaten I just switch it down to low and DH gets his dinner from the slow cooker.

I used to wait for my husband but it was driving me bonkers - I felt I was spending all evening making food - it works much better for us this way round...

I just cook one dinner for all of us and dh heats his up in the microwave when he gets in.

I use a lot of mince type meals for the early evening with the children, its quick and easy and they are usually eaten. Not a keen cook myself and am always a bit jealous of whatever DH manages to make later on as it's always yummy and more grown up - he's a fab cook. The kids always drool over his food and I wish I could be bothered to make my food more interesting.

Maybe try your children on a more adventurous menu, you may be surprised what they may like. You could always do extra pasta/potatoes so that if they don't try much they can fill up on the more plainer things.

exorbitclamp - can't you get your DH to cook a bigger portion in the evening and you and the kids have it the next day for dinner?

Would mean not having to cook twice and you might get taster dinners!