Fed up with thinking what to cook every night.

[viioletsarentblue]

Think my family will throttle me if I give them spaghetti bolognaise yet again

Any ideas for Quick, Cheap, Easy, Tasty midweek meals?
(other than sausage casserole, stews or soups)

[Pointlessfan]

DH and I like cooking and have loads of recipe books but always seem to eat the same things so we went through our recipe books and wrote a list of things we've never tried but would like to and we try to make one new dish a week off that list.
Otherwise things that are popular here are:
Cauliflower cheese.
Sausage and mash with veg or toad in the hole.
Chick pea and sweet potato curry in slow cooker.
Bubble and squeak.
Frittata. DD would just alternate between frittata and cauliflower cheese if we let her!

[Lunaballoon]

How about curries? I often rotate a chicken or prawn version into my weekly meal plans, usually padded out with lentils and/or a tin of chick peas.

[viioletsarentblue]

I know I could look up a lot of things in a cookbook, but it's good to get tried and tested ideas.
Meals that really are easy to make and don't cost a fortune.

[viioletsarentblue]

I know you said no stews, but am currently in love with making my version of cassoulet in the slow cooker, using Tesco Toulouse sausages, chunks of pre-cooked belly pork, chicken thighs and canellini beans.^

That sounds tasty (and easy)

Could you give me a rough idea of how you make it?
I don't have a slowcooker but could maybe use a casserole and put it in the oven.

[FurryDogMother]

Kedgeree
Spicy baked salmon
Frittata
Chicken and mushroom risotto
Prawn and chicken paella
Toad in the hole
Liver and bacon with mash and onion gravy
Chicken tikka (buy a Tongmaster 5 min marinade mix from Amazon, it's amazing), mint and cucumber raita and salad
Moussaka
Twice baked potatoes and baked beans
Singapore noodles
Pasta carbonara
Homemade kebabs (another Tongmaster mix from Amazon) with kebab sauce (tomato based, recipe comes with mix powder) and salad
I know you said no stews, but am currently in love with making my version of cassoulet in the slow cooker, using Tesco Toulouse sausages, chunks of pre-cooked belly pork, chicken thighs and canellini beans.

Argh, am hungry now!

[TwinsPlusAnotherTwo]

Following for ideas. I'm so fed up with it.

I have 4dc, and they all dislike different things:
One won't eat cheesy/creamy sauces
One doesn't like any kind of beans
One won't eat rice
One is a veg-dodger, won't even eat potatoes.

I love food and cooking, but it has turned totally joyless in our house. I get the older two involved in planning, but they always pick the same things, and usually stuff the littles ones won't eat.

Sorry, nothing helpful to add!

[BabyTheCaveLion]

I hate thinking what's for dinner. I sat down one day and did a 4 week meal plan. Now I just stick to that until we're thoroughly bored and then make a new 4 week plan! Here's a few of the meals on mine....(I have a 2 and a 3 year old)

Homemade KFC burgers
Cottage pie
Chow mein
Steak, chips & veg
Chickpea curry and yellow rice
Spaghetti & meatballs
Roast dinner
Cajun chicken burgers
Lasagne
Bacon & green veg risotto
Fragrant pork and rice one pot (bbc good food)
Massamam roast chicken curry
Tacos
Pulled pork pittas
Pitta pizzas
Spag Bol
Pork chops
Thai sticky chicken and noodles
Cumin lamb pittas
Sausage roast dinner
Jacket potatoes
Hot dogs
Burritos
Quesadillas
Butternut squash and bacon risotto
Hunters chicken
Pasta bake

Apart from roast dinners I refuse to spend more than 30-40 mins on each meal. Pinterest is really good at looking for new meal inspiration.

[WowOoo]

I'm taking some of these ideas.

What annoys me even more is when I go out of my way to make something different and the children moan and say 'can't we have bolognese/curry again?'

I can't win, but I try something new every few weekends. It's too boring for me otherwise.

[SheGotAllDaMoves]

OP I hear ya .

I actually like cooking and I bloody love eating...but...the endless meal planning. Sometimes I'm all out of ideas.

Sometimes I literally open a cook book (I have a billion) and that's what I order.

[fuzzpig]

I feel your pain

[viioletsarentblue]

I seem to be constantly making either:

Spag Bol,
Shepherds pie,
Salmon and vegetable medley (violet's medley = tomatos, courgettes, peppers and onions) Masterchef here we come
Pork chops in breadcrumbs
Gammon, egg, mushrooms and chips
Sausage & Mash
Chicken, (roast dinner)

and then it's the same boring meals (rotated) the next week and the next and the next.

I'm determined to get out of this rut.
They must be sick to death of eating it and I'm sick to death of churning out the same old crap.

[viioletsarentblue]

Right,
I'm going to try

oven baked risotto,
gnocchi & crab (tinned crab),
meatloaf,
Nigellas chicken & chorizo bake.

Any more?

I'm looking for some 'hearty' recipes as well (my lot have massive appetites greedy pigs with hollow legs)
If it was up to them they would be quite happy eating a Sunday Roasts every day of the week.

[M48294Y]

Spaghetti carbonara

Pasta with ham, mushrooms, cooked peas and philadelphia lightened with a bit of creme fraiche stirred through

Ham, cauliflower cheese and a baked potato

Peppers stuffed with rice and vegetables or rice and minced beef or lamb

Meatloaf with vegetables (quick to prepare, takes a little while to cook)

Salmon baked in foil with egg fried rice and green beans

Sausage, mash and onion gravy

Spicey bean burgers with chips and salad

Nigella's chicken and chorizo tray bake (don't put the chorizo in at the start, it will burn, put it in after the chicken has been cooking for half an hour)

Chorizo and chick pea stew with spinach

Cold meats, olives, pitta bread, hummus, greek salad

Chicken or steak fajitas

[lastqueenofscotland]

Stir fries
Currys
Falafel
Risotto/paella

[viioletsarentblue]

Some good ideas on here. I'm making notes!

[MilkRunningOutAgain]

Baked potato with baked beans and cheese
Pitta pizzas, toast, split, spread with tomato purée, sprinkle on grated cheese, tuna, chopped ham, chopped salad onion, whatever you like, grill
Gnocchi is quicker than pasta
Savoury pancakes and carrot, cucumber, pepper sticks
Home made burgers (turkey mince makes good ones)
Marinade diced chicken or lamb in crushed garlic, lemon juice, soy sauce and sugar for a couple of hours, put on skewers and grill. Nice with wraps and corn on the cob and salad

[KissMyFatArse]

Cook in the bag chicken, mega easy and tasty, fling in done veg and chopped potatoes too and it's a meal in one. Rustic chicken or garlic and herb is good in this house.

[evelynj]

I usually make these eat the same thing 2 nights on the trot, so if I make risotto or pasta eat it for 2 or 3 nights. They hate it,
I don't mind.

[toffeeboffin]

Hmm, bacon sandwich and pudding sounds right up my street for tonight! - - falls spectacularly off low carb wagon--

[toffeeboffin]

I have no ideas, I'm in the same bloody predicament!

Watching with interest.

[calzone]

One freezer meal ie fish fingers and chips with peas
One roast
One soup
One jacket potato and cheese with beans

Then a proper choice each

Chicken fajitas
Spaghetti and meatballs
Chicken stir fry and noodles



Is basically how I work out my week......or I would scream!

[FinallyHere]

How old are the family? The most powerful responses would be to have a simple family meeting to do the planning. There may be guidelines in place, no repeats within a week etc. given them a chance to be creative see how quickly it gets boring to plan. You may find one of 'em is really good at it/wants to do it.

A weekly house meeting to decide, say one choice each and you do the rest and you are sorted. My nephew now has a black board in the kitchen/dining room and very proudly showed us how he and his new wife do this together each week, when they were showing us their house. I caught my sisters (his mother's eye' and we both knew what the other was thinking : i remembered when she
, as the mother, was bored to menu planning and decided to get the family involved. Brilliant result

[BatonRouge]

I just did a really easy dinner - made it up but tasty and ridiculously quick.

Gnocchi and Crab:- Melt some lurpack garlic butter - add white and brown crab meat. Cook peas and green beans for 7mins or so then add to crab. Cook gnocchi for 3mins then add to sauce. Really quick - super tasty if I do say so myslef

[Rivercam]

I get fed up with planning the evening meal also. My staples are:

Sphag Bol
Swedish meatballs and pasta
Stir fry
Fish and mash (breaded fish)
Gammon
Pork chops ( with cheese and sliced Apple on top)
Chicken thighs/legs (cooked in oven)

Quick meals:
Hot dogs
Pizza etc

Friday meal is always chips and... Pizza, burgers, southern fried chicken ...
Sunday - roast

[poocatcherchampion]

I hear you.

You my think this is drastic but I recommend an emergency c section that doesn't heal for 6 weeks and joining a church if you don't have one and then church friends will start bringing dishes around shepherds pie without fail followed by crumble its like being on a very painful and frustrating holiday.

Pancakes with mushroom and ham cheesy sauce
Corned beef hash