Which cookery books are your main recipe source for after school when you want to put good/healthy food on the table for dc, but don't have lots of time for prep/cooking?

[Earlybird]

Looking back on our school year routine, I feel dissatisfied with my evening meal repertoire and would like to make changes for when school resumes.

I don't have the time or inclination to do chopping and extensive other food prep prior to the afternoon school run. We often come screeching in the door about 5.30 following after school activities. What can I 'throw together' relatively quickly that is healthy and appealing?

I'm sure there must be some suitable cookery books out there for our lifestyle, but I simply haven't stumbled upon them yet, so all of you who have this sussed, please enlighten me...

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cod - I made Enid's chicken nuggets expecting dd to love them, because everyone else's kids seem to. But, it was nose turned up, so a big disapointment for me. Think i may try again, but leave out the garlic, or cut it back.

Earlybird, try

Fry up bacon strips/lardons/pancetta (dependant on ponciness - we use value Bacon cutoffs ) with garlic, mushrooms and red onion. Add tinned tomatoes or cream. Season with black pepper (probably salty enough dependant on bacon) and oregano & basil. Chuck over pasta.

Done

[gordon ramsay]

I like Annabel Karmel's Family Meal Planner, but I wouldn't class them as quick. They do get quicker as you cook them regularly though (doesn't every recipe? I can cook some stuff in my sleep now!)

My best fast meals though aren't really recipes as such, more stuff heated and thrown on a plate quickly

Sausages, mash and steamed veg... or anything on a theme with some sort of potato & veg, is quick and filling without too much effort. Salads. Stir Fries (although I find I do use some pre-cut stuff otherwise it takes just as long chopping the bloody stuff!) Reheating batch cooked food.

TigerFeet do you want my fish pie recipe? it is very very popular and even kids who don't like fish pie eat it (sectret ingredient)

I don't know about TigerFeet, but I want that recipe OMDB - am on the point of giving up with fish as no-one in the family actually likes it!

My dd will happily sit down to cold ham with bread and salad - easy peasy and can be fancied up for non picky eaters

Will your dd eat potato salad?

Tigerfeet - that sounds fab. I know dd would want to 'pick out' the veg though. But maybe the sauce over pasta would provide enough yummy taste and nourishment.

OMDB yes please - although it was DH who wrinkled his nose [sigh]

We have the same problem Ducky re fish. THing is I didn't eat it myself until pg with dd (I heard you shouldn't eat a lot of tuna whilst pg, and even though I never ate tuna anyway, I suddenly developed a neeeeed for lots of it, possibly a reaction to being told what to do, who knows??). You know what, when it stops raining, you should come over here in your camper thingy and we can eat fish pie together and the rest of them can starve

DD only ate the prawns. But I am buggered if I am making prawn pie for her. PFB she may be but there are limits.

ok, the trick to a good child-friendly fish pie is to keep it simple, so no smoked fish, nistead use a mix of salmon and white fish (Coley good). The white sauce needs to be rich, make it with whole milk. Add a grating of nutmeg to the white sauce.

The topping (and this is what I think has made it so popular) is an equal mix of potato and sweet potato and lots of grated nutmeg.

That's the basic rcipe, you can also add sliced hard boiled egg and prawns to the sauce.

No cheese. No salt.

lol at prawn pie!

Just add extra prawns to the bit you will serve her before you put the mash on top

TF: heh, well we're camping over in Great Yarmouth the week after next, which is still miles away from you but close as we've got for a while, I think

OMDB: that sounds good. I lurve boiled egg in fish pie. For some reason that's the best part.

me too RD, the combination of egg and white sauce, mmmmm.

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oooh nutmeg, and sweet potato

I like that idea

Thanks OMDB

Ducky will try and MSN you over the weekend

No probs

www.samstern.co.uk/books.html

We have this real food real fast one which has a few good ideas in it

Nigel Slater's Real Fast Food is really very good.