Meals for everyone eating at different times...

[ComeHeather]

I do meal plan and am quite frugal, but it seems that the 'family dinner' is impossible at the moment. DCs are older teens at different schools/colleges and DS has a part-time job in the evenings. There isn't a time when we are all home together. I feel like I am a short order cook who starts making meals at 430pm (for youngest ones) and then cooks 3 or 4 things until 1015pm (when DH and /or DS get home) when everyone has been fed. It's getting me down!

How do you organise this sort of family schedule/meals?

Slow cooker, then they can help themselves as and when.

Or plate it up and they heat it up when they get in.

I do one cook and the rest is heated up. Heat up friendly meals involve pasta, mash, cous cous, wraps or rice (immediately cooled then reheated until piping hot). I also do cold meals for evening like this.

Favourites are fajitas, chicken tikka and rice, honey chicken and rice, sweet chilli beef and rice, chicken & veg & sweet potato mash, lasagne, meatballs and crusty bread, ratatouille and cous cous, philadelphia and roasted vegetable wraps, chicken salad with crusty bread or pasta salad.

Yup, plated up meals to be microwaved (by the diner, not you) as they wish.

Thanks everyone. sharon those are great ideas.