New family meal ideas

[Snuzzle]

I'm stuck in a bit of a rut with meal planning and need some new ideas please. DP isn't keen on seafood but will eat salmon and doesn't like anything too spicy. DD 9 is lactose intolerant but is open to trying most foods

Have you had a look through the weekly meal planning thread for ideas? Or the new recipe a week thread?

@myrtleWilson yes I have got a couple of ideas but there's an awful lot of curries and cheese based sauces which don't really work for us.
Hoping I might get some suggestions here which will be more suitable

Peanut chicken www.sainsburys.co.uk/gol-ui/recipes/sticky-peanut-butter-chicken

Salmon fried rice www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/salmon-egg-fried-rice

Pork and apple meatballs realfood.tesco.com/recipes/apple-and-pork-meatballs.html

Paella www.coop.co.uk/recipes/easy-chicken-paella

Chicken traybake realfood.tesco.com/recipes/chicken-and-sweet-potato-traybake.html

Salmon stir fry www.ocado.com/webshop/recipe/sticky-soy-salmon-and-veggie-noodle-stir-fry/173678

Mushroom stroganoff realfood.tesco.com/recipes/mushroom-stroganoff.html

Smoky sausage and bean casserole https://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/pork-recipes/jools-sausage-smoky-bean-casserole/

@Fivemoreminutes1 brilliant thanks, the peanut butter chicken and the chicken traybake look perfect.
I already do a pork and apple burger but meatballs might be good for a change. Also already do a pork stir fry but again changing to salmon would be nice now and again

I just asked Chat GPT for a meal plan for my family and this is what I got. Looks quite good!

Monday:

• Breakfast: Whole grain pancakes with fresh berries and yogurt
• Snack: Apple slices with peanut butter
• Lunch: Turkey and cheese sandwich on whole wheat bread with baby carrots and hummus
• Snack: Greek yogurt with granola
• Dinner: Baked chicken breast with roasted sweet potatoes and green beans

Tuesday:

• Breakfast: Scrambled eggs with whole grain toast and orange slices
• Snack: String cheese and grapes
• Lunch: Veggie wrap with avocado, cucumber, and bell pepper with a side of cherry tomatoes
• Snack: Trail mix with nuts, dried fruit, and pretzels
• Dinner: Spaghetti with marinara sauce and turkey meatballs, served with a side salad

Wednesday:

• Breakfast: Overnight oats with banana and almond butter
• Snack: Carrot sticks with hummus
• Lunch: Grilled cheese sandwich with tomato soup
• Snack: Apple sauce with cinnamon
• Dinner: Beef stir-fry with broccoli and brown rice

Thursday:

• Breakfast: Greek yogurt with honey and fresh fruit
• Snack: Popcorn
• Lunch: Tuna salad sandwich on whole wheat bread with baby carrots and ranch dressing
• Snack: Banana with almond butter
• Dinner: Baked salmon with roasted asparagus and quinoa

Friday:

• Breakfast: Whole grain waffles with fresh berries and whipped cream
• Snack: Trail mix with nuts, dried fruit, and pretzels
• Lunch: Grilled chicken wrap with avocado and tomato, served with a side of grapes
• Snack: Cheese and crackers
• Dinner: Homemade pizza with whole wheat crust and veggie toppings, served with a side salad

Note: Portions and serving sizes should be adjusted according to each child's age, activity level, and individual dietary needs. It is also important to consult with a healthcare professional before making any significant changes to a child's diet.

Today we're having pork fillet with grilled pineapple, Mexican rice and salad.

Linguine with chorizo and pesto always goes down well.

Minted lamb kebabs with toasted pitta, Greek salad and tzatziki is another favourite.

Pizza. Obviously.

Where is this thread

Tonight we are having Jamie Oliver Broccoli minestrone (big favourite in our house)
A good salmon one is Mary Berry 5 spice salmon stir fry.
And DH’s favourite weekend dish is M Berry Mexican tortilla bake.

Pork with grilled pineapple sounds good.

Pizza is difficult because DD can't have regular cheese and DP won't eat vegan or dairy free cheese.
He's so awkward and fussy, definitely won't have 5 spice, any sort of curry flavours or chilli.

Shakshuka goes down well here, no need for it to be spicy.
I've made a big frittata for tonight, it's got lots of green veg (leeks, spring onions, asparagus and peas) in and feels quite summery. Just serving it with a green salad and apple slaw.
We had garlic, lemon and herb chicken on the bbq at the weekend. Really quick and easy, just butterflied the chicken breasts and left to marinate and then they cooked in a flash on the bbq. Lovely with a wild rice salad and tenderstem broccoli also done on the bbq.
Simple pasta dish, gently fry off some chopped bacon, add red onion and garlic, a good glug of balsamic and a tin of chopped tomatoes, allow to reduce down a bit, add a load of freshly chopped parsley and a bit of basil. Add your cooked spaghetti and mix well. Serve with toasted garlic breadcrumbs.
Roast a piece of gammon and serve with a pineapple, sweetcorn and pepper salsa and paprika wedges.

@CallieQ
https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/food_and_recipes/4453984-Weekly-new-recipe-thread?reply=126509689

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/food_and_recipes/4707549-2023-meal-planning-thread?reply=126189216

@Snuzzle how about some sweetcorn, courgette tacos from Thomasina miers - you can sprinkle them with feta cheese (so DP can have feta and DD can have a vegan equivalent)?

If chicken tray bakes are good then I'd recommend Diana Henry, chicken and cauliflower or Nigella's chicken, pea and leek traybake or chicken, lemon and basil traybake with cous cous (which I think is Nigel Slater but could be Nigella!)

lentil ragu with pasta

Nigella's chicken in orzo

Chicken schnitzel with new potato salad (we do a german version with no mayo)

There are several nice sausage and pasta recipes (nigel slater or rachel roddy spring to mind)

I really rate Lamb Legs, chard (or other green veg like cavolo nero) and borlotti beans with mint sauce on the Riverford website - you really don't need much lamb at all with this one

Also, have a look at beatthtebudget website - she has loads of good quality batch cooking ideas and all the recipes have nutritional content shown so you know what you're getting..

(happy to dig out photos of any recipes in this post that you think may appeal!)

What about pizza bagels instead? You can do half with vegan cheese half with regular cheese. Just slice in half, spread pizza sauce/tomato puree, cheese and whatever toppings/seasoning and grill until cheese is melted enough.

Quick and easy option with whatever sides you like.

I make these quesadillas regularly, sometimes just as wraps when I cba to fry the tortillas. I make it spicy and add sweetcorn, but you can adjust the seasoning to whatever you like. The original recipe is really tasty, but it’s easy to separate out half the mince and make 2 batches for different flavours/spice levels.

https://girlheartfood.com/cheesy-ground-beef-quesadillas/

Tacos/quesadillas/tortillas sound good as I can make a few fillings for everyone.
Definitely going to add a chicken tray bake to my list. Already do a sausage pasta bake though.
DD loves lamb so will take a look at the lamb dish and I do a baked omelette that goes down well so will try a frittata too.

A few of our favourites (you don't say what you usually have so not sure if any are helpful)

Spaghetti with meatballs or bolognaise

Chargrilled greens with halloumi or steak in Pita breads (for halloumi i do a lemon honey dressing and steak.just put some mustard and mayo on)

Baked chicken/grilled chops/fried steaks with new potatoes and veg or salad.

Fajitas

Butternut or pea risotto (possibly tricky to do dairy free)

Tacos

Sweet chilli chicken stir fry

Pasta with lots of different sauces but probably favourite/easiest dairy free is chorizo (optional), aubergine and tomatoes.

Asian style pork mince and noodles.

Thai style/satay curries

I do soy, ginger and honey salmon.

100ml Soy sauce
2 tbsp honey
Squeeze of ginger (you can get it ready minced in tubes in supermarkets)

Marinade for 20 mins, Chuck it all in a frying pan and bring the sauce to a simmer, it'll reduce down as the salmon cooks. Add sugar if it's a bit soy heavy. Serve with rice/noodles and sugarsnaps/mange tout/baby corn

Can upscale the amount sauce if needed eg 150ml / 3tbsp

I was also going to suggest individual pizzas. I use naan breads for the bases, and then reduce down tinned tomatoes, add vegan cheese (or regular cheese) and whatever else anyone fancies. A little bit of oil/ketchup/vegan pesto in the tomato mix is nice.

If lactose (and not milk protein) is the problem then Jarlsberg cheese is your friend. Naturally lactose free real cheese that melts well on pizza

Is there any way to tell if it's milk protein or lactose that's the issue? We suspect DD has a milk protein intolerance vs a lactose intolerance. But it's all so vague. I am considering a private allergy test to try get answers.

This week we’re having:

Greek salad with garlic bread and halloumi fries
Hot dogs, salad and chips
Prawn tacos with slaw and salad (you could sun salmon or just use chicken or beans)
Mac and cheese (could use lacto free cheese or just do cheese free pasta bake) with pickled beetroot and whatever green veg from the garden

None of it this week is especially fancy, lots of salad and things that can be thrown together without too much use of the oven because it’s hot

I'm DF too and we're having Cornish Style Pie tonight.

Naan bread pizzas in our house tonight.