Ideas for super super quick teas?

[DewDr0p]

The dcs have a slightly hectic after school schedule this term and we have 2 nights where I literally have half an hour to feed them between activities or me needing to go out myself (yes! I do have a life too lol!)

I don't mind giving them a beans on toast type meal once a week but 2 nights in a row seems excessive But they aren't quick eaters so I don't really have time to cook even pasta/rice.

They do have a school dinner but one of the nights ds1 is doing swimming and tennis so he needs plenty of fuel! Last week he had a sandwich but it wasn't quite enough. What can I feed them? I do have time to prep/cook earlier in the day or the day before.

So far have come up with pittas well stuffed with tuna & sweetcorn, with maybe some salad bits? Veggie curry with naan/pitta? Cold cooked chicken with crusty bread and salad.

Any other ideas much appreciated!

mini pizzas?i use those breakfast muffins,toast them,whack on some pasta sauce(homemade or ready made)some mozzarella and cheddar and whatever toppigs they like,serve them with some veg sticks or something,my kids have that once a week,i let them top them themselves but if i was low on time would only take 5 mins to do it myself.

Make a chilli or bolognaise earlier or any kind of stew/tagine/pasta bake type dish earlier in the day and then just reheat in microwave and serve with jackets pots (also cook earlier). I know you said you don't have time for pasta but the quick cook stuff only takes 5 mins, or even fresh pasta which usually only takes 2-3 mins.

Or stir fry using pre-cooked noodles? Cous cous with aforementioned tagine? Takes 4 mins whilst you reheat tagine? Probably both quicker than making a hearty sandwich....

Fruity flapjack for pudding eaten in the car on the way to activities?

use a slow cooker. really useful for when people have to eat quickly or at different times. i would serve the food with nice bread or maybe a jacket pot done in the microwave.

I make a lamb stew using the shank and lots of veggies/tomatoes and serve up the meat with potatoes and steamed veg, then use the rest as a pasta sauce the following day (or stuff into peppers, or pour over couscous).

I also have days when I have very little time to cook, so try to be a day ahead!

(the picture attached is just because I could. It is cute)

Can you see my koala?

If you want to do pasta but don't have time to cook it, get fresh pasta - those little stuffed ravioli/cappelletti etc. Boil the kettle, pour water into pot, put pasta in and it's cooked in 2 - 3 minutes. Serve with just pesto if necessary or, fry bacon/mushrooms/tomatoe/courgette etc as you prefer. Or serve with pesto and fresh tomatoes/avo/feta/chopped cooked chicken etc.

DS eats lots of food that has been pre-prepared and frozen but when we're in a massive hurry, this is quicker because we don't even have to wait for it to cool down to eat.

A slightly mroe expensive option but super convenient is those pre-cooked packets of rice. It allows you to create something substantial without waiting for the rice to cook - you can just serve with whatever mince/stew/casserole you have that you made earlier.

Also ver useful are vienna sausages or frankfurters - they just have to be heated up in hot water or microwave (from frozen just put them in water and bring to boil) and they can be served as hot dogs with salad on side.

What about gnocchi or cous cous? Both are ready super quick. I freeze meals and microwave if I am in a panic. The two minute rice might not be the most economical but might be handy to have on standby. Gnocchi and a homemade freezer dinner of mince might be a quick option.

Stir fry - use those ready cooked noodles, pack of stir fry veg, and some chicken if you want, chopped with scissors.

I can see your koala

Why is this the only thread on which I can post my koala?

Soup and bread? As in, make a batch of soup and freeze individual helpings. Heat up quick, serve with cheese and bread. You can do fairly substantial ones like lentil, veg and bacon, or chorizo, sweet potato and bean (can give you recipes for these if you want them).

Fresh pasta with sauce you've made earlier/bought and can heat up in the microwave in the 3 mins it takes to heat the pasta.

Eggs? Scrambled are the fastest, but an omelette is still fairly quick and you can chuck in veg/cold potatoes (tinned are good for this apparently)/cold suasages/ham etc

Picnic tea? Salady bits, cheese, cold sausages/cold chicken, bread/pitta, maybe hummous or something?

Jacket spuds in microwave with beans/cheese/tuna mayo/coleslaw and ham? Bit of salad too.

Heat up some chilli and stick it in flatbreads and top with cheese and chopped tomatoes.

Heat up a curry and serve with naan bread.

Obv some of these require some cooking earlier or in advance and freezing!

Ooh some good ideas here, thanks.

Dcs love curry and big soups so they would be good options with bread to start with. And why didn't I think of couscous? Will investigate fresh pasta/ready cooked rice too.

I don't own a slow cooker... should I?

I make a batch of turkey enchiladas for speedysuppers. Fry a finely chopped onion,crushed clove garlic and finely diced red pepper in oil until soft. Add in 500g turkey mince and brown. Cook for 8 minutes then stir in red pesto (approximately 6 tsps) and optional grated cheese. Spoon onto flour tortillas and roll up. put in baking dish and top with tomato sauce or grated cheese. Freeze and when required defrost and put in oven at 200degC for 25-30 minutes.

We are like this five nights a week!

Yes to the slow cooker.

My oven is had a programmable timer so I can put jacket potatoes on in advance to come on which can be a great help (also pasta bakes etc).

I have also precooked pasta, which means a bowlful of bolognese, for example can be reheated quickly in the microwave.

I've also found my rice-cooker as useful as I can also set the timer for that.

Fajitas? If you use the kit from the supermarket it's super quick. Fry chicken, onions, peppers, sprinkle on the spice mix, leave to cook for few minutes while you heat the tortillas in the microwave (40seconds), then serve everything in the middle of the table with salsa and sour cream, maybe some cheese, and they can help themselves. From start to table only takes about 20 minutes to prepare and cook.

My 10 minute emergency dinner is: put a tilda basmati rice in the microwave (2 mins). Frying pan with a good spoonful of butter and half a teaspoon of mild curry powder and crushed clove of garlic, melt and cook but dont burn for a couple of mins and stir in packet of prawns, cook peas and mix all together. Mine love this dinner!

something light

Prawn stir fry maybe? Buy ready cooked prawns and one of those packets of sauce. Stir fry one of those stir fry packs throw in prawns to heat through then sauce and serve with micro rice? Ten mins tops.

Not sure if someone has suggested it up thread, but what about soup? Big, hearty soups, with meat, rice, beans, pasta etc. The kind of soup that's a meal in itself. I love a soup you could stand a spoon in!

Quesadillas? With whatever filling they like.

Omelettes, jacket pot, stir fry?

omelettes, quick and good for protein

When DS was little and at nursery we had to send his meals in with him, and I'm still in the habit of batch-cooking pasta and freezing it. It's then just 3 mins in the microwave to defrost, its also a great way of saving left overs when I've cooked for the family.

So tomato, tuna and veg; plain tomato sauce; and his favourite, soft cheese, pesto and mushed up broccoli - all frozen for quick teas.

I can also recommend the frozen fresh stuffed pasta, which I often have if I'm in on my own, with butter and parmasan.

Quiche, either ready made or home made in advance. They store easily in the fridge, don't need heating, and you can use/get whatever fillings would most appeal to your DC.

Serve with couscous, salad, beans, raw veg...whatever you want really.