Please give me new ideas for quick easy evening meals.

[clumsymum]

I seem to have got into a rut of the same six or seven meals, fish pie, marinaded lamb steaks, Homemade veg pizza, the ubiquitous spag bol etc., and DS must be ready for a change, cos I'm desperate for something different.

I can't spend hours preparing, and want it to cook in about half an hour. Nothing too elaborate, as there are just ds and I during the week, and I want to spend after-school time with him as well as slaving over a hot stove.

Cheers. If you can recommend any good recipe books I'd be grateful too.

bacon and mushroom in campbells condensed mush soup, served with rice.

very quick

very yummy

we're having it tonight

I'm selling good reciepe books!!! see in the for sale bit

And although I'm not selling it, The Dinner Lady by Janette Orey is well worth buying - cheap in asda and tescos

McDonalds

chilli and rice
homemade soup and sandwiches made with the boiled ham used for the soup stock.
chicken and veg fried rice
macaroni cheese with bacon and tomato
cous cous and roasted veg
homemade fish cakes and potato wedges

kedgeree
goulash with rice or noodles
moussaka
lasagne
veg/meat casserole with dumplings

I don't know where I would be without Anabel Karmel - she is an amazing woman. I would probably be on planet sausage and beans without her! My very fussy dh and dd both eat virtually anything she suggests and most meals can be frozen so that food can be ready in seconds. Particularly good are her chicken and apple balls, tasty rice and american cheesecake - which my dh said was the nicest food I have ever made! Hopoe you enjoy

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400 Three and Four Ingredient Recipes (Hardcover)
by Joanna Farrow

Its brilliant, they are all dead easy, and tast really good!!!

or even "Taste"

roasted veg is my fave - takes about 45 mins or so to cook but you don't have to watch over it, just shove in the oven.

Courgettes, peppers, red onion, potatoes (small), garlic, dried chilli flakes and lots of olive oil - omit chilli if child not keen.

I sometimes put chicken breasts on the top for the last 30 mins or halloumi.

Serve with crusty bread to mop up the oil [fat bloater emoticon]

Pasta carbonara - takes as long as it akes for the pasta to cook:

Boil pasta in one pan. In big frying pan fry bacon bits (I use smoked) until crispy. Beat a few eggs with a dash of cream and half a teaspoonful of thyme in a glass. When pasta cooked drain put in big frying pan with bacon bits, add egg mix and cook briefly until egg done. Salt/pepper to taste.

10-15 mins tops.

You could do home made pizza too, you can make the bases yourself in a big batch and freeze them or buy them ready made. Then get the kids to help and add whatever toppings you like
Or do sausage and mash.
Or buy some skewers and do them with bits of chicken breast, veg, bacon etc, the good thing with these is it's easy to cater to invdividual tastes with the veg or spices.

Liquidclocks, my DH makes similar and calls it 'easy carbonara' It's delicious, but I only recently discovered he uses two tubs of full fat cream in it

Pesto pasta.
Boil some pasta shapes like penne,meanwhile fry some onion,courgette,pancetta,pepper.Stir into cooked pasta,add some pesto from a jar,sprinkle on greated cheese and toasted sunflower seeds.

Sausages ,roasted veg and couscous.

Red cabbage chilli-one for winter
Make a chilli as you like it,cook some red cabbage,put on top of chilli in an ovenproof dish and sprinkle cheese and breadcrumbs on the top.Then bake approx 30 mins

Some smashing ideas here. Please keep them coming

You could do a spread of cheeses, ham, breadsticks and vegetables to pick and choose at, I love doing this and it's nice to have the leftovers for lunch the next day.

We also do a potato bake, parboil potatoes, slice them, put them in a baking dish and cover with whatever you like. Our favourites are spinach, riccota and bacon, or cream, red peppers, garlic and ham, then serve with a big salad.
You can make this the night before or during the day too.

I know lots of people hate him, but I find Jamie Olivers books are really good for easy family meals, his maryland chicken is one of the strangest but nicest things I've cooked in a long while.

I like the idea of the 3 or 4 ingredient recipe book.

One of my probs is standing in the kitchen for ages is very tiring/painful for me. I want to move so we can fit in a kitchen table to sit at for veg prep.

We often bring our butchers block into the living room and sit cross legged to do the peeling/chopping.

gyros (I get ready seasoned packets of meat in the supermarket), I just fry it up then lather on creme fraiche in case it's too spicy, makes a bit of a sauce. Serve with rice.

Just bumping this along for you cm, I always pick up good ideas on these threads too

Cheers SSandy.

I have never heard of Gyros. what on earth is it? I have had a pretty cosmopolitan life, and thought I'd covered every part of the world's cuisine, but not Gyros.