Another thread on quick teas

[bullgoggy]

What would you cook on nights when you (solo parent) arrives home at 1800 with 3 kids under 5 and needing tea but needing to start bedtime at 18:30?

Sadly the two quickest proteins (egg and tinned tuna) are out. They get ‘tea’ at childcare about 1600 but they’re hungry again and so am I.

This would be the night my kids get chicken nuggets/ frozen pizza/ beans on toast. If it's once a week I really wouldn't worry.

Otherwise you'll have to precook and just reheat things.

Batch cooked bolognaise or chilli type stuff from freezer with fresh pasta or sachets of rice so ready in 10 mins in microwave. Pre cooked jacket potatoes with beans/cheese. Fresh tortellini with butter and grated cheese.

For me the quickest teas are reheating something I’ve made earlier (and usually frozen). So Bolognese, curries, tagine, chilli, chicken casserole, soup etc.

Things on toast, maybe cheese or sardines. Cheese and oatcakes and veg sticks.

or leftovers.

Something like beans on toast or fajitas (where I prep the veg/meat before hand and leave it in the fridge. Or crumpets, cheese on toast, reheated leftovers, even a bowl of porridge! If they’ve had healthy meals at the childminders I wouldn’t be too worried about getting all of the food groups in a plate for this meal!

Depends, is this one night a week or 5 nights a week. The odd night then beans on toast for sure

Other ideas
Pasta. Fills them up, and they'll sleep
well.
Mac and cheese/bolognaise/chicken cacciatore in a slow cooker?
Steam a piece of salmon, takes 10 mins. Flake into bow pasta, peas and if you see it a drop or two of lemon flavoured oil. It's light and colourful
Pasta soup. Any kind of soup with cheese on toast on the side
Risotto reheats ok if you batch cook and freeze. Roast a few halves of butternut squash for 30 mins and it's easy to peel and chop. I've not met a child who won't eat it esp with cheese sprinkled on top.
Fish fingers and sweet potato chips in the oven.

I would definitely be looking at slow cooker meals if it's a regular thing so all you have to do when you get in is serve and maybe microwave some rice.
If it's one night a week- beans/spaghetti hoops or cheese on toast, those filled pastas or something reheated

It’s 3 nights a week with our new childcare arrangements which is the problem - otherwise for sure it would be stuff on toast or fruit and cereal

Ok so how about
Evening 1 something on toast
Evening 2 fruit and cereal
Evening 3 plan to make double of one of your other meals from a less rushed evening, reheat second portion

Pesto pasta

I need this thread too.

I do cook eggy bread with beans and tinned tomatoes that's quite quick and not terrible to eat.

Following with interest

I wish people wouldn't suggest bloody batch cooking all the time. That is not a quick tea!

OP I would do-

Beans on toast
Pasta with cheese, butter and sweetcorn/peas
Jacket spuds
Fish fingers/nuggets and chips
Pizza
Wraps can be pretty quick if you just do mince, cheese and chopped cucumber or tomatoes

I would precook a chicken a night when you are home and strip.
You can use this chicken with wraps one night, pesto pasta another. Or quesadillas

One night a soup and toast

If you have any potatoes that you can precook I would serve those with the chicken and some veg and gravy.

Soup (buy fresh cartons) and bread

pancakes and banana

batch cooking IS the definition of a quick tea but It doesn't necessarily mean spending the whole weekend making multiple meals . It just means doubling up when you're making something and freezing a couple of portions for another time

Soup made in the slow cooker, blend ahead of time so it just needs reheating. Serve with crusty bread on the side.

What's wrong with a cereal/sandwich/beans on toast type meal .. followed by a piece of fruit, it's only three times a week ... your DC is not going to die from malnutrition. Mumsnet is obsessed with 'proper, hot meals'.

Do you have an air fryer? This can be v helpful as you can do chicken nuggets/ fish fingers and chips with steamed veg or, more substantial versions like fish cakes, chicken Kiev etc which are much quicker in air fryer than oven.

Ditto, pre microwaved jackets (do while making breakfast) can be popped in air fryer and done in 10 minutes.

I do a packet of sausages in 11 minutes, without pre-heating.

Depending on children's preference and cost, frying a steak or lamb chop or piece of fish is super quick (but expensive). Air fryer chips or baby potatoes and veg boiled on stove work as sides.

Eggs on toast with sliced cucumber/peppers/carrots or get posh with steamed asparagus or tenderstem broccoli. Mine loved tinned/frozen sweetcorn mixed into scrambled egg at that age or just boiled.

Pasta pesto with frozen peas (added to pasta water) and fried bacon or chicken breast.

Tomato based pasta sauces keep very well so make extra and just make pasta on day.

Similar set up here but 4 nights a week - home at 5:50 and dinner on table quick, kids here are 6 and 2.

actually find that once a week they’re happy to have fruit porridge sprinkled with dark chocolate chips

other nights are
slow cooker curry and microwave rice
fajhitas (kids have fish finger wraps as they seem to have gone off chicken)
slow cooked mince and mash
freezer fish and chips
chilled pizzas with chopped cucumber and tomatoes
homemade chicken nuggets (diced chicken breast, tossed in Greek yogurt then breadcrumbs and baked for 15 mins while I do sides)

Money no object, fish is my go to, cooks in 3 minutes. Serve with stir fry veg and noodles, couscous with jarred peppers - both cook in under 10 mins.

Alternatively slow cooker is the solution, chop the veg the night before and store in water to keep fresh overnight, put everything in and set before going to work.

My kids have always eaten at 6.30 without an issue

Tortellini pasta shapes (filled with a protein- meat or cheese if you're veggie), with peas and grated cheese

Other nights, soup (either pre home made or a fresh carton) with cheese on toast and chopped cucumber etc
A picnic style tea- sandwiches, fruit, salad, cubes of cheese

Pasta bake made the day before, so all it needs it reheating, don't even need to cook pasta.

Beans on toast

Pesto pasta

Freezer jacket potatoes

Cook some pasta, add some frozen peas/sweetcorn/both halfway through. Once cooked, drain and stir in some passata, herbs, cheese.