Struggling with meal ideas - any suggestions?

[KatyMac]

I am feeling uninspired & dispirited

This is what I normally serve

Pasta with cheese & tomato salsa
Rice & Peas, Sweetcorn & Raisins
Pizza Toast, cucumber & carrot
Cheese & Potato Pie with beans
Fish Fingers, broccoli & cauliflower
Beans on Toast, cucumber, carrot & tomato
Chicken nuggets, cucumber, carrot & tomato
Poached salmon with carrots & broccoli/green beans
Cold meat, chips & beans
Pasta with cheese, tuna, broccoli & sweetcorn
Rice, fish with peas & sweetcorn
Mince, mash, with carrots & peas
Baked potato & cheese, cucumber, carrot & tomato
Toad in the Hole, with carrots & broccoli

Any suggestions to add to it all?

bump

Fry an onion and garlic/ powder, add loads of red lentils, curry powder or your own mix of spices, a can of tomatoes, some creamed coconut, and then enough boiled water to cover by about 1-2 inches. Can also add some soya mince. Boil for 30 minutes till water is absorbed and then season with salt and pepper. Serve with rice and spinach. (It's called dahl)

Fry an onion with garlic and add tins of chickpeas, plus some paprika and some chopped tomatoes. Serve with broccoli.

Hmm - that sounds nice - OFSTED will love it - multiculturalism at its worst (sorry not being rude just ironical....honest)

I used to do couscous - but the children stopped eating it (I'm a childminder) & several mums asked for it to go off the menu

Spinach - that's a new one for me as well

Thanks

Veggie mince and borlotti or pinto beans made in to a spag bol by cooking with onions, garlic, grated carrot, courgette, tinned toms, a bit of marmite, and stock.

Chickpea and veggie soup with bread and hummous.

Lentil roast and veggies

Used to make spag bol a lot - must return that to the menu as well

They are not real soup fans - which upsets me as I eat tinnes (or is it litres) of the stuff

Sorry tonnes

Haha well like or lump the indians, dahl is great. Why is it multiculturalism at it's worst?! The kids will like it as it's quite easy to eat with a spoon.

Didn't realise it was for loads of little ones though, thought you just meant family meals.

How about stir fries with loads of colourful veg such as carrot, peppers, mangetout, and red onion. Fry with some sesame oil, then add some noodles and whatever protein element you want (I use marinaded tofu). Can add soy sauce, or other sauce.

Ah. I see. Dahl maybe not best for them then. Although you could just serve it thick with rice, then they see it as more solid?

If they are more in to dry things then I guess you could try making sweet potato wedges, corn on the cob and bean burgers?

How about spicy rice with some chickpeas added...

They love rice - we eat a lot

I'd serve ratatouille but they won't eat that either

I'm adding a fish pie

& stirfry - I'll add that too

Multiculturalism at it's worst - the first thing I thought of when I saw Dahl, wasn't oh that looks nice or interesting ingredients but goodness me a dish from another culture that will please the powers that be - which tbh I think is very sad

Oh I get you >brain ticking away slowly but surely emoticon

Would they do a beef stew KatyMac? Slow cooked so it's very soft and easily chewed? Maybe served with rice and appropriate veggies?

Soooo wish I could get DS used to spicy food. He even turns his nose up at sausages if they've got a bit of pepper in them

They might - they aren't that good with gravy (I live on the stuff) but if you get one saying 'I don't like that' they all follow grr

what about flour wraps or pitta bread with chicken strips and peppers / mushrooms combination

How about adding a tin or butter beans or other well cooked white beans into the potato mash. Thy won't taste it and it ups the protein and fibre!

i saw a recipe in a mag last week that sounds really nice, chicken breast served with spinache and cheese mash

also dd1 loves making apple and turkey bites with me

1 pack of lean turkey mince
1 apple
1 slice of bread, grated
half small fried onion

whiz apple in food processor then mix all ingredients together in mixing bowl (i let dd1 do this but she loves it) and shape into small balls then flatten slightly

then fry for 5 mins each side untill golden. i serve this with mash and peas

oh and dd1 also loves fish finger wraps
grill fish fingers and serve in tortilla wraps with lettuce, tomatoes and mayonnaise serve with sliced peppers

Thanks for these ideas

I'm starting to feel a bit more inspired

How about some mini quiches, falafels or pizza pastry things.

Picnic pies
Pack of shortcrust pastry

100g grated cheese
6 cherry tomatoes halved
3 large eggs
½ pint milk
salt and pepper

Cut circles out of pastry with 10cm cutter, put in muffin tin. Put half a tomato in each cup. Mix eggs, milk and ¾ the cheese. Add salt and pepper and pour in each cup. Top with the rest of the cheese and cook at gm4/180 for 20-25 minutes.

Bean and Feta Falafel

150g frozen broad beans
½ onion roughly chopped
½ tspn ground cumin
1 tspn ground coriander
2 tblspn chopped fresh parsley
50g feta cheese
tblspn flour

Cook the broad beans then put in the food processor with all the other ingredients. Whizz until chopped small then mould into small patties. Chill for half an hour then fry in a little oil or cook in the oven brushed with oil at gm4 for 15-20 minutes.

Serve with salad, pitta and yoghurt/mint sauce.

Pizza and spinach palmiers

Pack of ready rolled puff pastry
4 tblspns tomato ketchup
75g frozen spinach
125g grated cheese
1 egg beaten

Put both sheets of pastry on the side, and divide the tomato ketchup between them. Spread this out and then cover with the spinach and the cheese. Roll up both ends to meet in the middle and cut into slices.

Lay cut side down on a baking tray, brush with beaten egg and cook for 10 minutes at gm6/200

chilli and rice
tuna pasta bake
macaroni cheese (maybe with cucumber, cherry toms etc on side)
risotto
jacket potatoes with tuna or cheese/beans
sausage and mash

I also make spaghetti and meatballs for my kids quite a lot,

pack of mince, 1tbspn each of grated parmesan and chopped parsley. squidge together with your fingers until combined and then roll into small balls. refrigerate until needed.

Tomato sauce - chop a small onion and one clove of garlic and fry gently in a little olive oil, add a bottle of passata and the bottle half filled with water, 1/2 teaspoon each of sugar and salt. simmer for 10 minutes and then add a big glug of milk, stir then drop in the meatballs.

Cook for 20 minutes, without stirring because you don't want the balls to break up before they're cooked.

Serve with pasta or rice. It also freezes well so I usually make a huge batch and freeze small portions for standby meals.

chicken risotto
homemade pork burgers with veg
fish pie
sausage pasta dish

Gosh - such a lot

Thank you all