Healthy and speedy meals for 4 please!

[isleangel]

Right, I seriously need meal help. Have 2 DS aged 7 and 5, and we used to eat healthy meals, but we have all had 1 bug after another, which ended in the flu for us all last week, and now I can't think of 1 healthy meal to make, to build us up all up again. Please help - thank you ( healthy snacks would be appreciated too

I recently downloaded the ''Be Food Smart'' app for free on my smart phone. It's really helpful. They have some brilliant recipes on there. Our currently favorite is vegetarian sausage casserole, with red onion, pepper, garlic, chickpeas and tinned tomatoes. So easy to do, and tasted awesome.

That sounds lovely! I'll definately look that up.

Stir fries are pretty quick and you can fill them with lots of veg.

Dhal is good. I have a recipe that is red lentils, split peas and rice, its lovely, v filling v popular with children.

Also good in this weather:

Beef in red wine
Cottage or shepherds pie
Fish pie
Spag bol or any pasta
Soup w bread
Jacket potatoes

Thanks for the suggestions - taffeta, I have never had dhal before, is it easy to make? And what toppings do you use for your jacket potatoes - I can never think of any proper toppings, apart from beans, and then it seems easier just to boil the potatoes

Buy a slow cooker and a recipe book! Used mine 3 times this week already, once for lamb chops ( with steamed veg and mashed potatoe), once for roast chicken ( with usual trimmings) and once for lentil soup, dumplings, ham and boiled potatoes. Got steak with mushrooms, cherry tomatoes and asparagus for tonight, brisket ( slow cooker) tomorrow and meatballs for Thursday. Feeding a family of 4 also. Hope this helps!

angel home made chilli is sooooo good with baked spuds and grated cheese!!! PLUS it freezes beautifully too!!!

How about a simple soup and home made cheesey scones? You can freeze the scones uncooked too if you make an extra large batch do easy to whip out and pop on the own when you are short of time!

[[http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/1432/irish-soda-bread Irish soda bread is so tasty with soup too, and very fast to make, though you would only need half this recipe for 4, it makes LOADS!!!

Dhal is easy ish. You have to soak the pulses overnight and stir a bit, but its not complicated iykwim.

JPs - we have tuna mayo, prawn cocktail, scoop out and mash inside with cheese and chives then grate more cheese on top and grill. Or also nice with mashed smoked mackerel creme fraiche and dill. Or spag bol or chilli. Or in fact any leftover casseroley stew thing is nice in a JP.

I will try again with the link to the Irish soda bread!

Here is the cheesey scone recipe I use, they are YUM!

And this is my go to easiest store cupboard lentil and tomato soup recipe. It freezes well and is very cheap to make, I have a pit on the stove now, along with the scones in the oven, perfect in weather like this!

Thank you all - you are making me hungry ( a first for about a week! ) Taffeta your jp toppings sound lovely. I will definately try the tuna mayo.

lola - i've never made cheesy scones or bread before, but you have inspired me to change - we really do need proper feeding, and I hadn't realised until now how much in a rut we had got - not a bit of wonder we have all been ill.

I also feel inspired to make better use of the freezer, and maybe buy a slow cooker

I came across this veggie chilli the other day and thought it looked really tasty...

BTW Angel, the soda bread needs to be eaten warm out the oven and it doesn't keep!!!!

Same with the scones, they are best eaten very fresh...if you do freeze them uncooked they will just need a fe more minutes in the oven than the recipe states!

*few

Thank you for the be food smart link sir boob it looks fantastic!

Lots of great ideas on this post, love it!

We have also cut down on meat, even though the kids love it. I love making fish, beans and pulses and rice dishes. We have a large family and with four men/boys in the family, so meals have to be healthy but really filling!

Healthy Recipes

I do a dahl with split red lentils - no need for soaking. In fact, we've just devoured a pan full! If you search my name, you should find my recipe.

Could you start with a healthier breakfast? I buy big bags of frozen red berries. Zap a handful each in the microwave in the morning and eat with natural yoghurt and a couple of spoons of granola. Or you could maybe try grated or stewed apple, or poached plums etc with porridge. If you poached the fruit say on a Sunday afternoon, it would last for several weekday mornings.

Stir fries with noodles are often popular with children - they are quick and easy and a good way to ram lots of vegetables into them!

I'm a veggie multitadkmama, I LOVE cooking with pulses!

multytaskmama r u not a real poster? You have just written the exact same post under a different name (indianmeals) on the thread "healthy cheap meals"

lolalottaindianmeals was an old id which was logged into my desktop. I have not written anything as indianmeals for months, will get mumsnet to remove. Once posted from the desktop, I was unable to remove. I am a real poster, real person, real mum with three kids I am a stay at home mum now and a carer and love cooking for my family aged from 2 to 92. Apologies if you it looked like anything else

pizza is great.
the dough can easily be made in advance (or in a bread maker), then topped with tomatoe paste and toppings of choice.

dough for one tray:
250g bread flour
100ml water
50ml olive oil
half a sachet yeast
pinch of salt.