If you have kids and work full time, what meals do you make?

[TwinningIt]

I like cooking, but am getting fed up with my usual rotation of meals that all (most) of the family will eat. We both work full time so start prep for dinner at 6pm earliest. My lot (family of 6) also eat A LOT of food and the kids are all having packed lunches at school, so a light tea doesn’t really cut it here.

I do cook at the weekend and try to make a couple of meals for the week. Batch cooking is out though - the amount my lot eat in one meal makes it almost impossible to make double quantities, I’d rather just prep two different things at the same time.

Tuna pasta bake www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/tuna-sundried-tomato-pasta-bake
Cheats fish pie www.womanmagazine.co.uk/archive/creamy-fish-pie-2326
Fried rice recipes.sainsburys.co.uk/recipes/main-courses/prawn-egg-fried-rice
Chicken noodle stir fry realfood.tesco.com/recipes/chicken-noodle-stir-fry.html
Quick chilli www.goodhousekeeping.com/uk/food/recipes/a536960/cheats-chilli/
Fajitas www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/easy-chicken-fajitas

Bolognese
Risotto, either chicken and leek or a tomato risotto (aldi packet mix) with sausage and broccoli
Gnocchi bolognese bake
Fajitas (serve our daughters before adding the fajitas mix)
Chilli
Curry using jar sauce (aldi special select are good) and have individual portions of korma in the freezer for our daughter)
Sausage/chicken casserole in the slow cooker that morning
Savoury mince
Turkeys steaks grilled with tumbled potatoes or chips and veg
Cod wrapped in prosciutto baked and served with grilled asparagus/carrot and new potatoes
Cod fried with soy sauce and a few chilli flakes served with veg and potatoes
Tuna steak (aldi frozen) fried with salt, pepper and chilli flakes served with spaghetti and broccoli that's tossed in the wok from the tuna to pick up the chilli oil (again serve daughters without chilli)

This is probably not helpful depending on your circumstances but when mine were small they ate at their childminders at 5pm before I picked them up at about 5:45pm. This was a real lifesaver, I cooked for DH and me after the DC were in bed. But quick meals we often ate were

Frittata/ Spanish omelette with salad & bread
Casseroles and stews cooked the evening before and heated up
Jacket potatoes / sweet potatoes with tuna and cheese, or beans and cheese
Vegetable soups, like minestrone or tomato & lentil With nice bread
Fish or prawn stir fry
Egg fried rice

And yes yes to making a shepherds pie and a big batch of tomato sauce at the weekend ready for Monday & Tuesday.

We do gousto 4 nights a week so quick easy meals and everything delivered

Omelette
Ham, egg, chips
Stir fry
Creamy garlic pasta made with bacon/chicken or both.
Cottage/shepherds pie and veg
Jacket potatoes with various fillings
Salmon pasta
Fajitas
Duck with pancakes and Chinese picky bits, egg fried rice (easy to make from scratch)
Pizza base from Aldi - add the toppings
That’s during the week.
Sunday, always a roast.
Friday, take out, usually fish and chips.