After school/work meals for 5 need to be ready in 20mins-ish

[Wishiwasrunning2]

Hi,

I'm totally stuck in a rut! We all arrive home from school and work about 6.10pm (4 days a week) and I need some easy meals to cook that they will eat and are healthy.

I'm currently cobbling together snacky teas for 3dc (3,6,9) like beans on toast, chicken nuggets, hot dog and chips, pesto pasta. But I know they veg intake is not what it should be. I then cook another meal for DH and myself once the kids are in bed. I'm exhausted and don't want to cook two meals.

My problem is time and slightly fussy eaters as they're used to the junk food. DH and I love all food (apart from pork for DH bacon and sausages are fine). We also love spice which the kids won't eat. My eldest is the fussiest but I'm well used to adapting separating her meal so it's acceptable.

Can anyone help? Just after some ideas. I'm used to meal planning and happy to cook.

Lurking for tips, DH and I each have made a "ready meal" this afternoon to have through the week, little inspiration mine is chili, his is a potatoe cheesy bake thing. This will be supported by a quick pasta dish and curry on the night I am home by 5 and lasagne on the night he wry.

Well, ditch the adults eating separately from the kids. It's far healthier physically, socially and psychologically for you all to eat together and talk about your day. We all get in about the same time as you Mon-Fri (5yo and 3yo here) and we always eat together before 7pm. I'd be far too knackered/starving to cook a second meal after 8pm once they're in bed!

I bit the bullet and did a nine week meal plan. All meals are planned out for nine weeks, then I just go back to week one again. I never have to think about what we're going to eat, and I've written all the ingredients down the side of each week so the shopping list each week is a no-brainer as well. This way, we have balanced meals cooked from scratch six nights a week (Sundays are my day off from cooking), and we rarely eat the same thing twice within each nine week period. I do a combination of stuff I know the DCs will eat, and stuff they will protest about, but they must at least try the meals they (think they) won't like. They do not get alternatives - not toast or fruit. It's what I cook and serve or nothing. They're both fussy and would live on toast or fruit otherwise. Roughly half of the stuff is batch cooked (I have two massive freezers) so I just have to stick it in the oven, and the rest of the time it's cook-in-under-30mins stuff like stir-fries, mash/veg/sausages, pasta with homemade pesto etc.

I got a Tefal Cook4me as part of the MN trial and I can honestly say it's made my life so much easier. Slow cookers are great but I honestly don't have that time in the morning. With the Cook4me you can have one pot meals ready in less than 30 minutes including preparation. It's really easy to clean as well.

We do alot of stir frys. Noodles, veg, chicken also vegetable fried rice with egg is nice.

Mondays tend to be proper foods which I've made on Sunday. Like cottage pie, lasagna, roast dinner.

Homemade soups with cheese on toast or cheese scones is always popular in my house.

Slow cooker chilli, Bolognese packed full of vegetables.

Beefburgers with salad.

Chicken tacos.

Pulled pork wraps with salad or crunchy veg like in duck pancakes.

Pasta with veg sauces. You can buy decent chilled sauces and beef it up abit with extra veg.

Bought fish cakes with peas and sweet corn.

Spanish omelette is really easy and great for left over veg.

Also you can get a few veg on a pizza.

Snacky tea a couple times a week is a lovely treat! I try to get carrots, cucumber and houmous on the DC plate.

My kids love stir fried rice with chicken and veg. And DH has his with added siracha!

Watching for ideas. Same situation here.

quick soup:
1l water and 2 stock cubes. bring to boil. add a couple of cups of pasta shapes & a couple of cups (defrosted) frozen veg. boil for another 10 min.

You wouldn't need to defrost that veg brownelephant if you go in to boil for 10mins. You could chuck it in straight from frozen. Would probably want to add protein somewhere in there - chicken/ham/red lentils/white beans.

Similar situation here, I cook a roast on Sunday and have been making soup, shepherds pie, and lasagne at the same time! Then lasagne goes in freezer, we have wraps on Monday with leftovers, shepherds pie for Tuesday and lasagne for Wednesday. Pizza on Thursday, and something in the slow cooker on Friday. Some days a lazy fish, chips and baked beans. I am trying to get ideas for things similar to shepherds pie that can be made in advance and thrown in the oven. The soup is my lunch for the week!

I do a slow cooker sausage, potato and baked beans casserole. You might be able to hide more veg in there if you're crafty. The other thing I often do is at the weekend bake a hole bag of jacket potatoes in the oven. We eat some on the day and the rest go into the fridge or freezer for meals during the week. Tuna, sweet corn and mayo isn't a bad filling, nor is left over sausage casserole....

It's not exciting but a few dull but very easy meals really help me get through the week.

Similar thread I started last year

true, you don't need to defrost, but it makes it a few mins quicker.
wrt protein, durum wheat pasta does contain a good amount and some veg like peas, broccoli are not bad either.

I add frozen peas & sweet corn to lots of things.

I also cook chicken portions up then have them whole with a jacket potato (me) or chopped up with rice, cous cous cous, pasta or noodles, Dd & dh. Ds won't eat properly chicken so I do him some dippers or a quirn sausage with the rice.

Following for inspiration, sometimes I’m really good at incorporating one new dish a week but have been failing recently!

Everyone loves this fancy but quick pasta:

https://www.waitrose.com/content/waitrose/en/home/recipes/recipedirectory/h/hestonnspeaaandpancettaa_spaghetti.html

My dc are quite fussy but don't mind munching on carrot, cucumber, mange tout, sugar snaps, cherry toms, red pepper etc while I cook dinner. This takes care of vegetables and stops them whining.

I bulk make garlic & herb bread, wrap in foil and freeze it.

Following!

In a deep dish, place raw chicken, 4 sliced red onions, a bag of raw baby new potatoes and some chopped chorizo.

Bake. Done.

Place in boiling water, broccoli florets and penne pasta. Drain and mix in fresh pesto and Parmesan. Done.

Cook spaghetti and drain. Add to diced mozzarella and raw tomatoes, garlic, olive oil. Season. Done.

Rotisserie chicken, new potatoes, bag salad. Coleslaw. Done.

Sausages. Frozen mash. Beans. Done.

Keep the ideas coming!!

This morning I prepped the chicken for stir fry tonight, I bought pre-chopped and I'm marinading it in soy sauce and garlic. Bag of stir fry veg and rice (forgot to get noodles) I bought Jarred ginger for DH and I but we can just add to taste and will keep in the fridge longer than fresh.

Tried slow cooked beef in beer yesterday but we ate it all!! Must cook bigger quantities!

Brilliant thread and lots of good ideas. I do make curry though and my youngest has his own small pot of Greek yoghurt he can add to make it less spicy.

I always over cater and so have plenty of leftovers for another day. Plus a weekly meal plan is a must so there's always something at some point that's a 'favourite' with everyone.

I've also convinced the DCs they must eat whatever is given as any wastage impacts on less holidays! They are teenagers/tweenagers and I'm trying to teach them the value of money.