I am resigning as the catering manager of my family because

[robinpud]

I am fed up of
trying to provide healthy varied meals

catering for picky eaters

preparing 3 different meals at 3 different times to fit round people's schedules

standing in a supermarket deciding whether it is safe/healthy/not too expensive/ has too many food miles/ is full of chemicals/etc

coping with children hungry all the time except at meal times

trying to be bothered to prepare interesting packed lunches

thinking of reasonably healthy snacks

So, I am wondering if nuggets, fruitshoots and doritos wouldn't just be the way to go until they produce meal replacement tablets. That will free me up to read, do exercise and feel far more relaxed.

Do it!

When I first moved to Bordeaux we lived in a hotel for a month (!). I got really really pissed off with ordering meals for the kids and them just asking for sodding chips that I stopped ordering meals and they had chips, notheing else, for lunch and supper. After a couple of days on the chip regime (no puddings, because if you only eat chips, you don't get a pudding....) they started asking for "proper food".

I have one child who is on a weight loss diet (dss with doting "eat, eat eat mother), one who is veggie, one who doesn't like fish or cheese, one who is not into fish, one who will eat anything and a gourmet French dh. I cook one meal and they either eat it, or they don't.

Why did I marry a man who thinks throwing cold tuna onto some cooked pasta with some chopped tomatoes makes for a satisfying meal?

feel for you and robinpud I am tempted by your idea

then thats it robinpud. For the next week serve 'im nout but tin tuna and pasta. simple.

and that is exactly why I love ggglimpopo

will you just read her post and sit in awe

what the hell are you doing preparing 3 meals for 'schedules' .. you prepare one and re-heat

put them on school lunches

fill the fruit bowl and bread bin et voila snacks .. which they help themselves to .. anything else they ask and the answer is no

meal goes in front of them, they eat it .. if they don't fine .. they will next time

Actually robinpud your dh's tuna pasta sounds fine! I would go for more veg most meals but it's good enough to give you a break, isn't it?

My solution to this problem has always been to serve meals in serving dishes. I might have 3 or 4 different veg on the table in serving dishes and I don't mind what they eat as long as they have a good portion of some kind of veg.

Makes them feel as if they are exercising choice

No school meal service here Twiglett!
Anorak- he would eat this 5 nights out of 7.

Am I the only one who finds it all a chore.. are other people semi orgasmic at the prospect of cooking yet another meal?

My DH has just refused another of my 'disgusting' packed lunches and declared he will eat at work. Yay! now it really feels like school holidays - no packed lunches at all. And all because I had the audacity to put Burgen in his lunchbox because the white bread had all gone.....