Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Food/recipes

For related content, visit our food content hub.

One hot meal your whole family will eat

65 replies

rosemole · 14/01/2025 21:32

We have a few, but there are some things that are off limits because of fussiness/dislikes/allergies.

My lot will all eat:

Toad in the hole & veggies
Spag al ragù
Baked salmon, wedges & veggies
Fish n chips
Curry
Potato cakes
Chicken Noodles with soy sauce
Spinach, bacon & tomato pasta

But I can't make lasagne, cottage pie, fish pie, soups etc - well I could but some wouldn't eat which is just annoying.

Just looking for ideas!

OP posts:
rosemole · 14/01/2025 22:18

@JC03745 yes I can make most variations of as per your suggestions, they are pretty good really. But I'd never thought of making homemade fish fingers/goujons so thank you for that 👍🏼 that's definitely on my list as DS has recently discovered making home made chicken goujons so he can do that one 😆

OP posts:
Whatwouldnanado · 14/01/2025 22:21

Wow. You are all nicer than me. No allergies, issues or vegetarians so I have always cooked just one meal, and have never had anyone objecting. I serve everything help yourself style and they take bits of everything. Basic stuff but do take on their recipe suggestions, copy nice pub/holiday food etc.

onelippybitch · 14/01/2025 22:24

Chilli and rice.
Jacket potatoes.
Pie and veg.
Burgers.
Chicken wrapped in bacon with chips.
Sunday roast.

Then it all goes downhill. One ds doesn't like pasta which is a staple meal in our house. It's not unusual for me to cook three separate meals.

AtleastitsnotMonday · 14/01/2025 22:28

Some alternatives not already suggested
Chicken skewers (various flavourings, garlic, paprika, tandoori)
Cod wrapped in prosciutto with red pesto
Nacho chicken (chicken breast bashed fairly flat, topped with seasoned chopped tomatoes and crushed tortilla chips with grated cheese)
Tuna steaks with balsamic glaze

Rainbowqueeen · 14/01/2025 22:28

Easy Chicken & Leek Pie - My Kids Lick The Bowl

Egg chips and salad

macaroni cheese

roast dinner

my suggestion is find a flavour they like and look for other recipes that use that. Mine like soy sauce so we have fried rice, adobo chicken, stir fries with soy sauce as the base.

Easy Chicken & Leek Pie - My Kids Lick The Bowl

Easy chicken leek pie made with puff pastry, family-friendly comfort food, the perfect kid approved family meal

https://mykidslickthebowl.com/easy-chicken-leek-pie/

Hall84 · 14/01/2025 22:28

Sausage pasta - taming twins one pot dish
Roast chicken
Sausage and mash
Spaghetti bolognaise - taming twins slow cooker for extra veg
Paella - variation of the meals in minutes recipe
Fish pie - taming twins
Chicken chasseur - hairy bikers

JC03745 · 14/01/2025 22:29

Would fajitas work? Everything on the table and they help themselves to what they eat? Chicken, peppers and onions cooked with the fajita mix, rice, guacomole, grated cheese, lettuce, salsa or fresh tomato, jalepenos and wraps

Shakshuka? I add a tin or chickenpeas for more fibre, but they are optional. https://downshiftology.com/recipes/shakshuka/

Best Shakshuka Recipe (Easy & Traditional) | Downshiftology

This classic, authentic shakshuka recipe is perfect for any meal of the day. It's a combination of tomatoes, onions, spices and poached eggs.

https://downshiftology.com/recipes/shakshuka

rosemole · 14/01/2025 22:29

I find the whole fussiness thing so interesting (obviously not at the meal time where they are actually being fussy and having to deal with it).
I read somewhere that you have to offer your kid the same thing 12 times if they reject it before you can discount it as a genuine dislike.
Obviously not counting being starving on a desert island.
But there may be truth in that as DS1 made such a fuss about not liking bacon for YEARS, then I started chopping it up in pasta and telling him it was ham for YEARS without him realising until one day I told him and now he'll eat rashers.
It's all psychology! Except offal. That's just vile 😆

OP posts:
rosemole · 14/01/2025 22:34

JC03745 · 14/01/2025 22:29

Would fajitas work? Everything on the table and they help themselves to what they eat? Chicken, peppers and onions cooked with the fajita mix, rice, guacomole, grated cheese, lettuce, salsa or fresh tomato, jalepenos and wraps

Shakshuka? I add a tin or chickenpeas for more fibre, but they are optional. https://downshiftology.com/recipes/shakshuka/

Yes it would but I'm fussy (oh the irony - in a good way!) about most supermarket processed stuff (seed oils etc) so I'd probably have to make my own fajitas. I'm up for trying. Thanks for the suggestion.

OP posts:
EveryDayisFriday · 14/01/2025 22:37

Homemade chicken and mushroom potnoodles spaghetti.
Fish/ scampi and chips
Pizza

That's about it. Everything else is a discussion/ moan. One doesn't like cheese, another doesn't like sauce/ liquid, one changes their mind on which meat they'll eat this week, no one will touch vegetables except for me who is clean eating.

I end up making 2/3 meals a night, its a complete PITA.

Lorrdydoowhatevs · 14/01/2025 22:39

One pot chicken, chicken thighs, onions, garlic, tin of tomatoes, tin sweetcorn, red peppers, mushrooms add rice at the end to thicken.

Everyone loves it and it’s very easy.

CatherinedeBourgh · 14/01/2025 22:40

rosemole · 14/01/2025 22:34

Yes it would but I'm fussy (oh the irony - in a good way!) about most supermarket processed stuff (seed oils etc) so I'd probably have to make my own fajitas. I'm up for trying. Thanks for the suggestion.

Making your own fajitas is a doddle!

TheFormidableMrsC · 14/01/2025 22:41

Roast dinner.

BecauseOfTheRain · 14/01/2025 22:42

Nigella's sweet potato macaroni cheese goes down great with all of mine, including super fussy vegetable dodging 7 year old

rosemole · 14/01/2025 22:43

@CatherinedeBourgh have never tried! Do you have a preferred recipe?

OP posts:
CurlewKate · 14/01/2025 22:43

Nigella has a recipe called Praised Chicken- I've been making it since mine were little and they're adults now. I have literally never met a meat eater who doesn't love it. She also has a chicken and orzo dish-ditto.

TheLadyIsAVamp · 14/01/2025 22:45

We're not a particularly fussy household.

Ramen, usually with chicken but sometimes steak/pork. Everyone can choose their own toppings egg/beansprouts/gyoza etc. We have this almost every week switching up the flavours.
Halal cart chicken bowls
Sweet & sour chicken
Keema either with rice or in naan wraps
Hunters or pizza chicken with wedges, corn and salad
Fakeaway nandos
Taco boats (the stand and stuff things with homemade filling) served with salad, guacamole etc
Sausage and pepper hash with fried eggs.
Beef & broccoli with either rice or noodles
Creamy paprika chicken

Serious Eats' Halal Cart-Style Chicken and Rice With White Sauce 

This utterly faithful recipe perfectly recreates a New York City halal-cart classic: Chicken and Rice with White Sauce. The chicken is marinated with herbs, lemon, and spices; the rice golden; the sauce, as white and creamy as ever.

https://www.seriouseats.com/serious-eats-halal-cart-style-chicken-and-rice-white-sauce-recipe

CatherinedeBourgh · 14/01/2025 22:45

I'm feeling very lucky. The only thing mine won't eat is rice (or another cereal to replace it) and purees.

Provided there is some crunch in it, they will eat it. Bonus points if it contains bacon.

I'm the fussy one who won't eat half the things...and happily lived on rice and steamed veg until they came along!

mitogoshigg · 14/01/2025 22:47

When my dc were tiny they liked soft tacos/fajitas, shepherds pie, toast dinners, sausage and mash, homemade pizza, curry and rice, but trick was to hide the veg from dd1

Tarkan · 14/01/2025 22:47

My 16yo is autistic and has so many issues over certain foods. Tomatoes are a no, even ketchup, so spag bol is a no go, but the sauce on pizza is ok and lasagne is ok. I also do a cheeseburger pasta that has tomato puree in it but I think it's the amount of cheese against the tomato that makes these things ok.

Other things I can make for all of us:

Toad in the hole
Roast dinner
(No potatoes or gravy for 16yo with these though)

Cheesy pasta
Creamy spinach pasta (I wilt a whole bag of spinach and blend it until smooth then mix with a tub of cream cheese and add some seasonings/stock until it's a nice pasta sauce consistency).

I also make up my own pasta or risotto dishes with chicken leftovers, often adding cream cheese to the pasta or leeks to risotto or I'll make a basic white sauce with whatever thrown in to the sauce too, sometimes served with normal rice rather than pasta/risotto.

Scampi or anything with prawns (if we have a prawn cocktail though then DC will just eat the prawns, no sauce or lettuce).

Steak pie (just buy it from the butcher though) or a supermarket chicken pie is ok as long as there isn't too much gravy in it.

Burgers.
Tacos (no spice for everyone else but I add hot sauce to mine).
Stir fry with noodles (limited veg for DC, carrots and sweetcorn are ok and I can usually get away with a small amount of bean sprouts but not too many).

For lighter dinners then French toast or toasties always go down well. I sometimes make French toast out of a cheese sandwich but not very often, this is the only way DC will eat eggs though.

glittereyelash · 14/01/2025 22:48

Enchiladas, fish tacos, steak sandwich, smash burgers, chilli nachos, beef stew, chicken vol au vonts, pulled pork baps, prawn and chorizo pasta, carbonara, seafood chowder, crispy beef and noodles, butter chicken, homemade pizza, meatballs and spaghetti, chicken kiev and mash, tortellini soup, chicken wings and wedges, crustless quiche, chicken pot pie, bangers and mash.

Tisfortired · 14/01/2025 22:50

Shepherds pie
sausage and mash
anything at all with pasta
roast dinner
slow cooker beef stew
chilli and rice

The above everyone will eat, anything more exciting will usually need adapting for DC, my youngest in particular the other will eat most things.

Friendofdennis · 14/01/2025 22:53

Chicken or beef roast dinner with Yorkshire puddings

roast carrots onions and courgettes with feta cheese served with rice

lentil and tomato soup

chicken marinated in yoghourt and spices served with rice and steamed mange tout or peas. That’s about it really

BitOutOfPractice · 14/01/2025 22:53

Risotto was always a hit here: bung in what you have leftover

chicken kiev
chicken korma
jamie Oliver’s sausage meat pasta
roast
toad in the hole
macaroni cauliflower cheese
thai yellow curry
pizza
fajitas
pulled pork
gsmmon, baby roast potatoes, cauliflower cheese

my own personal speciality - crap en crout (layers of cooked sliced potato, layer of cheese, sprinkled with cooked bacon chopped up, layer of baked beans, layer of grated cheese, all topped with crumpled up shop bought filo, bunged in oven. Voilá)

TBH mine weren’t that fussy. They are grown ups now still my babies and eat Pretty much anything.

rosemole · 14/01/2025 22:54

glittereyelash · 14/01/2025 22:48

Enchiladas, fish tacos, steak sandwich, smash burgers, chilli nachos, beef stew, chicken vol au vonts, pulled pork baps, prawn and chorizo pasta, carbonara, seafood chowder, crispy beef and noodles, butter chicken, homemade pizza, meatballs and spaghetti, chicken kiev and mash, tortellini soup, chicken wings and wedges, crustless quiche, chicken pot pie, bangers and mash.

Amazing list! You are winning

OP posts:
Swipe left for the next trending thread