What can we replace Jacket Potato Night with??

[FusionChefGeoff]

I love JPN but kids have started moaning! Bonus features were:

no prep, just shove in in between calls
DH with no confidence in kitchen can do it too
10 mins to finish off & serve
we could all have our own version / fave toppings
healthy
cheap
can all take and eat whenever it suits
No thought needed!
always got cheese / tuna / beans and potatoes last for ages so basically a store cupboard meal

What can I start doing on our very busy Wednesdays instead??

Omelette is obvious but the bastards don’t like them.

Sweet potato night?

If the children don't like it, let them sort their own meal out. No reason why you should give up JPs.

I’m with @northwestgirldon’t replace it with something better than JPN - they will be moaning about your other regular offerings if you do.

Just swap their potato for fries and let them have loaded fries.

Aldi finest pie and some steamed veg and two packets of finest ready made potato mash

Nacho night. Shove the nachos in the oven covered in grated cheese. Served with bowls of (shop bought) salsa, sour cream, guacamole.

Would work with tacos too.

An alternative would be garlic bread/pitta bread night.

Hummus, salad, cheese, grated carrot tomato's etc on the table. Bake bread or toast pitta bread in a stack on the table to stuff as wanted.

'DH with no confidence in kitchen' (why? Are the potatoes likely to shake their heads and tut at him disapprovingly?) can learn to be 'DH with responsibility for finding something he can cook on that night' instead.

Fish finger wraps with lettuce, other salad veg , grated cheese and sweet chilli sauce.
Just put your JP toppings out but with wraps if not and let them choose between JP and wrap.

Wow thank you!!

Pizzas are a treat / weekend thing so try to keep that for then
toasties might work - not as healthy but certainly quick
I can definitely get behind soup but that drops the protein count right down
They’re fussy about eggs and only one likes beans (FML) so the ‘on toast’ needs some thought
Tacos etc are faffy
I batch cook a lot - and feel that if Weds becomes leftover night then I’ve just ‘lost’ a meal - the beauty of JPN is that it’s a ‘new’ meal

Maybe it’s a rotation I need instead - so that I can still have JPN but mix in 3 other options to reduce the moaning.

JPN
Toasties
Air fryer chicken wraps
???

they are starting to cook - but its such a busy night no one really has time and it takes them AAAAAAAGES to
cook so that needs to be another night!

@overthinker001 I love mumsnet for reflecting my struggles so exactly 🤣

Children cooking night, they pick each week and they make it

Gnocchi teaybake. Chuck little tomatoes, chopped peppers, courgette and gnocchi in a tray in oven. Stirling through pesto and/ or goats cheese at end.

Omelette

Chicken and chorizo pasta/gnocchi. Use pre-cooked chicken. Whilst pasta cooking. Fry off chorizo, add pre-cooked chicken and cherry tomatoes. Throw in pasta, stir and serve. Or pan fry gnocchi at the same time. I quite like it with stuffed gnocchi but the kids prefer linguine/spaghetti.

I would just replace jacket potatoes with shop bought wraps, and keep the flings and accompaniments the same. They can microwave the filled wraps if they want, or just have cold. Potentially do one week jackets, one week wraps.

Mezze night?
Just buy various dips like houmous, babagnosh, pitta, falafel, with whatever else your supermarket sells that goes. add a bowl mixed salad. If your supermarket sells dolamades or mini filo pasty parcels even better.
Maybe not every week but once a month as alternative

We quite often do a pasta night, family favourite is a take on a really old Jamie Oliver one which, pancetta, lemon, thyme, kale/Cavalo Nero, mozzarella, loads of garlic, absolutely delicious.
But it’s so versatile, pasta. Always got a bag in the cupboard, always have the bits in for it and can change up the greenery, sometimes it’s cabbage, just whatever we have really.

Tortellini and pesto

Nacho night (layer nachos, salsa, cheese and cooked bbq chicken and repeat. In oven from cold so all cheese melts gently, remove when top layer starts to brown, serve with jalapeños and guacamole/ sour cream)

sliced breaded chicken and coleslaw in wholemeal pitta bread- 10 minutes in airfryer and a surprise hit!

Quesadillas? Just tortillas, loads of grated cheese and whatever other fillings you like - ham, chicken, tuna, peppers, onions, tomatoes, chopped spinach etc. Serve with some guacamole, salsa, sour cream or hummus for dipping ☺️

Party Tea Night? Just pop bread, crackers, fillings, meats, cheese salad etc on the table. Crisps/snacks in bowls maybe some sausage rolls or mini pastries.
Might work over Summer and go back to jackets in autumn/ winter.

Garlic Mushrooms and bacon on toast. So tasty.

Egg and vegetable fried rice is quick too.

Or put a whole chicken in the slow cooker on low before you go to work. Serve with nice bread and coleslaw.

Pizzas.

Sausage and veg tray bake.

Welsh rarebit and side salad.

Ham and cheese toasties with pickle.

Chunky fish finger sandwiches.

Prawn mayonnaise on crusty bread.

Avocado on toast with a poached egg.

Caesar salad with left over chicken

Toastie - cheese, ham, tuna
with a ton of soup

Chicken nugget wraps

Oven pizza

We have a beige night where we have something with chips and peas or sweetcorn or something.
You could have loads of different pasta sauces they just need to be sorted the night before and then serve with fresh pasta for quickness.
We also used to do soup/sandwich nights

I was going to say omlette but....

J.pots are the best. Maybe you could buy some of those sandwhich filler pots and let them take whichever flavours they like as toppings.

Toasties perhaps if you have or can obtain a sandwhich toaster, probs only £25 or whatever. Tinned soup can be microwaved alongside it.

Ceasar salad is quite quick.