I need five family meals by 2pm!

[LittlePotSoonHot]

First week whereby toddler will be eating with us and I need to think of five family meals that I can get ready with as little fuss as possible by 6:30pm. I've ordered loads of cookbooks off Amazon but won't have them before the shop today AND I'm on the move and can't do proper internet browsing for recipes.

Please post your classic family recipes/ quick weeklies / cheat meals (including method and ingredients) and help me out :-) My pen is poised on the shopping list...

I’m a little confused how youve gone from not feeding a toddler to feeding complete meals??! What were you feeding them last week?

He eats a lot earlier than us usually so I was doing a separate meal - usually pouches plus rice or fish, new pots and veg etc. We've been cooking and eating about two hours after he's gone to bed but he's now waking up early so needs a much later bedtime

This is a very odd thread .

A big pack of mince will make cottage pie and spag bol. Divide the mince into two and prep:

Cottage pie
Cook mince until brown. Add one pack of passata (so no gravy needed, as it will make a lovely sauce) and one beef stock cube. You could add some Lea&Perrins, but taste first as the stock cube will add some salty flavour. Add frozen mixed veg. Top with mash and grated cheese and brown in the oven to finish.

Spag bol sauce
Cook mince until brown. Add one pack of passata or tin of tomatoes, one diced carrot, one diced garlic clove, mixed/Italian herbs, and a beef stock cube.

I also add a bay leaf or two to my recipes - it adds a nice flavour!

Thanks @DailyMailcanfuckthefuckoff

Thanks @DailyMailcanfuckthefuckoff

I thought of another! Easy fried rice:
Heat some diced chicken and bacon (cut into lardons) in a wok, until cooked thoroughly. Add frozen mixed veg (peas, green beans, carrot and sweetcorn work best) and some soy sauce. When rice is done, add to wok, add more soy sauce, and stir everything together. To finish, crack a couple of eggs at the side of the wok and let cook for about 30 secs, then mix everything up again.

The whole cooking process is about 10 mins (apart from the rice washing and cooking).

@DailyMailcanfuckthefuckoff that one's great!

It's my favourite easy meal, I don't know why I didn't think of it the first time I posted. Tastes great reheated too - I always make too much of it so there's leftovers. One tip - make sure you add enough soy sauce to get all of the rice browned, but do it a bit at a time, as that plus the bacon can lead to a lot of salty flavour! Of course you can also add some spring onion to it, but as you may have seen from my previous post, I hate all kinds of onions and never cook with them

I've had various language students stay with me, and that meal has always been a favourite with them!

@DailyMailcanfuckthefuckoff it sounds fab! Can't wait to try it, thanks for posting it

This recipe for Pork and Apple Burgers does two meals and my DC like them both

@JiltedJohnsJulie Great one!

There’s some suggestions on this guide from the Caroline Walker Trust too OP.

If you’re coming back from holiday, could you pick up enough food for today and have a supermarket deliver the rest tomorrow?

If you normally have very hot food, natural yoghurt will cool the heat down for a toddler. There’s no need to have a completely spice free diet

Or make a mini sauce with less chilli, or be a bit of a philistine and add the hot bits after you’ve fished the toddler’s up.

Thanks both, really useful suggestions. Sorry for slow response - signal can be a bit dodgy! I can definitely do a mini shop but I've got really good suggestions here so am going to give all these new ones a go. V grateful, thanks

Thanks to this thread, it’s reminded me to do a supermarket shop and have it delivered when we return from holiday. I do like coming home, knowing the fridge is about to be filled back up

@JiltedJohnsJulie it's the worst part of coming home - no food! :-)

.

Oh my god @KnickersOnOnesHead, that is so organised!

Haha just got it!

I have four altogether, but wouldn't let me post more than 3 photos. They just get rotated every week but we don't stick rigidly to them. Last week dc had dominoes instead of sausage and mash!

Tuna pasta bake: pasta shapes; couple of tins of tuna; peas; sweet corn; mix with white sauce; top with grated cheese or cheese mixed with bread

Whole chicken; sprinkle over mixed herbs. Place potato cut into wedges around it. Pour over a cup of waterand juice of a lemon; roast