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Can you tell me what you are cooking for your teens please?

25 replies

Jamfirstest · 06/08/2025 09:26

Any inspiration at all. No one is vegetarian but dd2 is low gluten (retesting for coeliac soon I think and raging ibs) so pasta once a week at the most and low pastry etc.

dd1 will eat anything but loves fish. Dd2 hates it.

they love slow cooker chicken casserole and they kind of thing.

I love cooking and I have 2 slow cookers but limited freezer space - that’s a whole debate with dp for another day.

dp is vegetarian but I can’t bloody factor him in anymore plus he eats with dss. Who loves my cooking dear of him.

im sick of repetitive food and im losing weight. I need some more healthy staples that wont feed the bin.

tell me any proper meals your teens like eating please ❤️

OP posts:
MissyB1 · 06/08/2025 09:37

I have a 16 year old who luckily will eat pretty much anyhting. We cook things like;
Prawn stir fry with noodles
Salmon teryaki
Chickpea curries
Chicken curry
Morrocan chickpea and lentil stew (has harissa in)
Frittata / crustless quiche and salad
Chicken and veg traybake
Veggie chilli

Jamfirstest · 06/08/2025 09:49

I would absolutely love the Moroccan one can you post the recipe please? Dp would too very much.

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MummyInTheNecropolis · 06/08/2025 09:52

My teenager loves all things Mexican, so regularly has enchiladas, tacos, fajitas etc but she cooks them herself. She also loves poke bowls which are pretty easy to throw together, and again, she makes them herself.

SpaceOP · 06/08/2025 10:04

Im never quite sure what counts as gluten but we have rice noodles regularly with stir fries, curries etc. Or of course, with rice.

Favourite meals of 14 year old DS who also loves fish (although I suspect quite a few have gluten so you'd have to adjust) and who isn't a fan of things like spaghetti Bol/ meatballs/ cottage pie etc:

Gnocchi - our 2 favourite sauces are sausages, fennel seeds, garlic, chilli, lemon, spinach and/or peas, few tomatoes, wine and creme fraiche. or homemade pesto stirred into lightly steamed greens with some creme fraiche and topped with burrata.

Homemade chicken or pork schnitzel with wedges and salad.

Salmon - we do in various forms with different sides as options. Currently using the Jamie Oliver recipe for miso salmon grilled with green vegetables and a little pickle on top as our favourite but I'm getting bored so I think I'll do a foil-wrapped baked version with soy, ginger and lime next time and perhaps a little stir fry on the side.

"Cheat" sweet and sour chicken with rice

Baked chicken with wedges/new potatoes and vegetables. I vary the flavourings I use for this but the trick is to cook it relatively low for a bit longer - comes out very soft on the inside and crispy on the outside and DS loves it.

Tacos/fajitas - we do a variety of options here. I am not sure if proper corn tacos would count as gluten but if they do, those would work. We sometimes do mince versions with a fairly basic salsa, pickled onion, sour cream and cheese. But we also do versions that are a bit more interesting - we did a pulled pork with a pineapple salsa a week or two ago and i did chicken ones with a mango and avocado salsa the week before! Or do them as burrito bowls with rice instead of the wrap.

Those are his favourites.

We also do paella fairly often (in winter), and lots of fairly simple things like fried steak/fish with salads/veg and potatoes. And in winter the odd risotto or pilaf - either alone or with a roast chicken or with roasted veg.

I also do various versions of stir fries and curries fairly often served with rice or noodles usually.

Growing up, we didn't eat a lot of pasta - I am not sure why. But we often had sauces on rice that would equally work well with pasta. DH's favourite pasta sauce that would work on rice I think is a chorizo, tomato and aubergine one. My parents used to serve slightly curried mince on rice with sweet accompaniments like chutney or banana (we are south african and I think it was their simplified version of a bobotie!)

We have a meal planning thread on here - come and join. Lots of great ideas and recipe sharing there and a good mix of meat eaters and vegetarians.

MissyB1 · 06/08/2025 10:50

I’ve thought of a couple more
fish tacos (Jamie Oliver)
asparagus and pea risotto

DancefloorAcrobatics · 06/08/2025 10:58

Different types of vegetable/ potato bakes.
As a basic meal I often do a spinach & mushroom potato bake and meat / fish eaters get that on the side.

A low fat dauphinoise potato bake with a leafy side salad is a firm stable in my house!
Stuffed Peppers are good as you can literally fill them with anything from mince meat to lentils! Depending on filling it's a side salad and/ or new potatoes to go with it.

DongDingBell · 06/08/2025 11:57

Chinese for the win here.
Loads of rice based meals - with chicken, pork or fish usually.

Also, Mexican - fajitas, enchiladas or tacos.

Chicken thighs roasted with various flavors.

GoldDuster · 06/08/2025 12:05

Teens currently on a veggie sushi making spree, and ramen, dead easy and they can do it themselves, sticking spare in the fridge for snacks and lunches, working well.

Cancercomeback · 06/08/2025 12:10

My sons at the “need to eat lots but still fussy” stage, so our main meals are fajitas, sausage and mash, spaghetti and meatballs, chicken pie type things. He likes steak or pancetta wrapped chicken with garlic roast baby potatoes and salad, and chicken Kiev’s and jacket potatoes too.

lonelyplanet13 · 06/08/2025 13:32

Tonight we’re having steak enchiladas! Topped With a beautifully unhealthy serving of cheese and jalapeños x

Jamfirstest · 06/08/2025 14:49

@MummyInTheNecropolis dd1 loves Mexican. Dd2 says it’s too spicy. Dd2 loves a Nando’s chicken rub….dd1 says it’s too spicy. Sigh

OP posts:
Jamfirstest · 06/08/2025 14:51

@Cancercomebackdd1 loves chicken wrapped in anything and we eat all those things but you did remind me my student gave me a gift box of cured meat so I will use that up to wrap chicken and they will love it xx

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Jamfirstest · 06/08/2025 14:52

@DancefloorAcrobaticsdp would be overjoyed with a mushroom spud bake I will make him one but ttt DDs will freak! Thank you though at least some ideas for dp

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Jamfirstest · 06/08/2025 14:53

Thank you @MissyB1

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Dimbat · 06/08/2025 14:54

Home made Minestrone soup - you could use extra beans instead of pasta. My teen loves “main meal soups”

SpaceOP · 06/08/2025 15:24

Jamfirstest · 06/08/2025 14:49

@MummyInTheNecropolis dd1 loves Mexican. Dd2 says it’s too spicy. Dd2 loves a Nando’s chicken rub….dd1 says it’s too spicy. Sigh

I accmodate different levels of spiceyness with things like spicy sauces on the side or ONE element being especialyl hot and the rest not!

caringcarer · 06/08/2025 16:52

My 2 teen foster DC love a chicken gnocchi bake. Chop and dry fry 4 chicken breasts, put into baking dish, add a bag and a half of gnocchi, 1 1/2 pints of chicken stock, a pot of red pesto, 3 chopped peppers. I do 1 red, 1 orange and 1 yellow. A squirt of tomato puree, a little squirt of garlic puree, chop up a mozerella ball, a dash of double cream. Give it a mix up and bake in oven for 40 minutes. My boys love it and have it 2 days in a row. It serves 4 portions. One time I only had 3 chicken breasts to chop and cook and they didn't even seem to notice.

minipie · 06/08/2025 17:09

Recommend the RecipeTinEats website OP. Lots of crowd pleasing ideas, and her recipes always work as she’s tested them to death.

My tweens eat from there

Quesadillas
Meat pie
Lamb massaman
Thai red curry
Butter chicken curry
Lamb shawarma soup
Chicken shawarma one pot
Greek Lemon chicken and rice one pot
Minestrone
Vietnamese pork bowls (little bit dry tbh, may try with belly pork instead of mince)
Chorizo chickpea stew
Smoked sausage rice & peas (I use chorizo)

Also suggest

Hairy bikers sausage & lentils
Risotto - any sort
Sticky chinese pork belly
Loaded nachos - tortilla chips layered with chilli and pre grated cheese, oven, serve with mashed avocado, sour cream and fresh tomato salsa

Jamfirstest · 06/08/2025 17:54

@caringcarerthis sounds brilliant!! Thank you

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Jamfirstest · 06/08/2025 17:55

@minipiethsnk you going to look now xx

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OhDorWheresthesalad · 06/08/2025 21:31

Things DD likes that aren't pasta/gnocchi (her faves) are:
Fajitas
Katsu curry - prefers chicken but likes yasai Wagamama-style
Buddha bowls
Any risotto
Salmon with anything
Mezze style food.

mindutopia · 07/08/2025 13:26

If they’re teens, I’d have them cook one meal a week.

Mine really loves spam and pineapple fried rice. You could sub in prawns if you don’t want to do tinned processed meat (though I’m happy to do it once every few months) or just do pineapple and it can be vegetarian.

Breakfast for dinner is also a big hit. So I do some variation on a cooked breakfast, American pancakes with berries and maple syrup and bacon/chipolatas or sausages and/or bacon, fried egg, hash brown, mushrooms and tomatoes, both with a big fruit salad. You should be able to make all of that gluten free.

Timeforabitofpeace · 07/08/2025 23:10

Skewers with vegetables (mushrooms or peppers) and chicken.

fruitpastille · 07/08/2025 23:55

Prawn chorizo paella
Mine love this at the mo. I'm sure my recipe card says paella rice, not arborio but I guess it's pretty much the same. Dh doesn't like prawns so I put a bit of chicken in with the chorizo. I dish his up then quickly add the prawns and cook for the rest of us. You could change the spice level depending which chorizo you use - I get the spicy aldi one.

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