5 simple meals

[Rainbowunicorn71]

Hi! I teach a group of teens with a variety of mh, learning and social difficulties. As part of life skills this year my aim is that each child can prepare 5 basic meals independently. I'm looking for suggestions about what these meals could be. Must be simple, nutritious and not too expensive to make.
What would you do? Thanks!

I would do a soup, maybe a veg broth or something simple like carrot and lentil soup.

A basic bolognaise type sauce. That kind of sauce can be used for so many things aside from spag bol, eg pasta bake, add some spices make chilli, use as base for cottage pie etc, so it is a great foundation to learn.

An omlette.

Would a whole roast chicken be too ambitious, maybe too expensive? Drumsticks and thighs are cheap and easy to roast with some seasoning, that could be an alternative. Roasting potatoes is cheap and a good thing to learn.

A fruit crumble is cheap and easy to make. I know its not a meal, but knowing a pudding is useful too.

Macaroni cheese
Bolognese/ Ragu/ meat base for pasta or cottage pie
Stir fry
English breakfast? Lots of different skills that could translate into many meals- scrambled eggs, beans on toast, bacon sandwich etc.
Making pizza is a nice lesson with some transferable skills- even if they never make dough again they can add toppings to pre bought ones.
TBH although you want to prepare, I'd start off with a lesson discussing food and work shopping some ideas around what they like.

Spaghetti bolognese
Sausage, mash and peas
Cheese and ham/onion/spinach omelette
Stir fry with either noodles or rice
Chicken tray bake- maybe thighs with potato and root vegetables, or drumsticks with chunks of peppers and onions which could be served with cous cous?

Great ideas, thank you!! Good idea to discuss although I'll have to try to steer them away from burgers, chips, pizza etc or maybe find healthy alternatives. Making our own is a good idea thanks!!
Love the idea of a cooked breakfast.... I'll def help them eat it

Pasta and pesto with chopped cucumber, carrots and tomatoes.
Teach them to cook peas and broccoli in the microwave - in a bowl with a little water covered in pricked cling film, cook for 2-3 mins.
Quorn mince bolognese
Baked potatoes
Beans on toast
Rice, tuna and tinned tomatoes/onions

I'd start by basing them around ready made sauces.

Fry mince, stir in a jar of tomato pasta sauce, cook pasta, add grated cheese - spag bol
Cook chicken thighs, add a jar of curry sauce, cook rice and peas - chicken curry
One pot chicken: thighs in a roasting tin with peeled chopped carrots and potatoes, sprinkle on some herbs and pour over some chicken stock roast for 40 mins. Cook peas or broccoli to serve with it.
A soup would be good.
A pizza using bread mix as the basis for the dough.
A chicken or steak or cheese and onion pie, quiche or pasty using ready made pastry?

Simple chilli/spag Bol
Scrambled eggs
Sausage and mash
Curry (using patak's paste or something)
Soup, eg leek and potato

Pasta and a sauce
Baked potato
Dahl is idiot proof
Leek and potato soup
Fajitas with a kit

Cheese, leek and potato pie. Lovely comfort food when served with frozen peas, or can be a bit lighter feeling with a salad. Mash potato. Sauteed onions and leeks. Mix with the potato and a load of grated cheese. Put into a dish and top with more grated cheese. Bake until golden.

You're all stars thank you, loads of suggestions to go on here.... They'll be experts

Baked potatoes
Fried egg / boiled egg / scrambled egg and toast
Carbonara
Roast tomatoes in oven for 20 mins then add to pasta. Grate cheese over.
lentil soup - a bit harder but really just chopping and cooking.

Salmon parcels are easy and healthy-

Get sheet of foil and place fresh noodles, pak choi cut in half lengways, and then salmon on the top and then drizzle oil, soy sauce and add some chopped chilli and ginger then make the foil into a parcel and bake for 30 minutes ish, really tasty and I can't cook at all.

Curry is pretty easy and can use chicken thighs to make it cheap, I use jar sauce and it's nice enough

Omelette

Have a go at a Quiche.
Really simple but tasty but lots to learn.
Check out this link:

cheese sauce, (mac & cheese, cauliflower cheese etc)

The simplest, yet tastiest meal I make is like a caprese salad tossed through pasta (warm, so the cheese goes a bit melty) so just mozzarella or burrata, basil leaves, tomatoes, olive oil, salt & pepper, I also sometimes add chorizo and olives.

Open sandwich.
Toastie.
Sachet of microwave rice with stir fry chicken/ or left overs, and mushrooms, peppers added.

There's an Instagram account called OnePoundMeals and all the recipes on there are really straightforward, and easy, and cheap.

Ooh will definitely check that out, thanks!

i'm teaching my manchild of a DP to cook and we're on a budget as i'm on mat leave but he has coped well with these!

Mackerel Kedergee
1 Onion
1 can of tinned mackerel in oil
some green beans
1 cup rice
curry paste to taste
a few spoons of crème fraiche
2 eggs
Peas

put rice on to cook and egg on to boil, chop the onion and brown in a pan, add the fish and green beans, stir in rice and peas add a few teaspoons of curry paste and a few spoons of crème fraiche. Put on a plate and put quartered boiled eggs on top!

Then to use the he rest of a few thngs from that I do a veg curry.

1 tin chopped toms
1 small tin chickpeas
some onion
some green beans
crème fraiche
curry paste
rice
spinach

brown the onion, put the toms in and simmer down, chuck everything else in and once the rice is cooked stir in some crème fraiche and curry paste.

I really recommend buying frozen veg, they are about £1.20 a bag in Tesco and it means you have no waste as they keep for ages and its much cheaper! I normally get a bag of green beans, a bag chopped onion, a bag of spinach, peas and chopped mushrooms and spend around £5 which lasts ages!!

1 sweet potato
bacon lardons
asparagus
egg
little bit of flour

grate the sweet potato and stir in the whisked egg and a few teaspoons of flour to make a batter. shape in to a patty and fry for about 10 mins until brown on both sides, fry barcon lardons and asparagus and cook egg (I poache but fried would be just as nice). assemble - sweet potato rosti, asparagus tower, lardons, egg on top!

a bit of honey with the sweet potato is lovely but not essential!

Wow all fab!! Thanks iklepickle..... So is your dp now a whizz in the kitchen?

Cheese sauce for macaroni/cauliflower cheese
Tomato rice with cheese
Jacket potatoes
Scrambled eggs
Lentil soup with dumplings