PLEASE inspire me.. what should I do for ds's supper tonight? so so so so bored of pasta & sauce...

[Spink]

he is 2.3 yrs and I always seem to be giving him some kind of pasta sauce variation. Time for something new!
It has to be quick to make (I've got a 5 month old too so can't be too long in the kitchen) and eggs are a big NO.
Any ideas yummily received

cauliflower cheese? broccoli cheese? can throw in a bit of ham as well.....

Also, I make a lamb stew in the slow cooker, then freeze it in smallish portions to defrost for dc meals.... serve w couscous or ride or mash.

roast a chicken

give chicken with some veg night one ( i try and have little portions of gravy in freezer to take out)

chicken with roasted peppers and any other veg in fajita wraps night two

night three - put chicken in a pie dish, add gravy or chicken stock, add chopped cooked carrots or any other veg, top with mashed potato and bake.

jacket potato with a medley of tuna, cheese, grated carrot etc..

make a bolognaise sauce and freeze in portions. spag bol one night, lasagne (using little dish cheese sauce) another night etc.

waitrose organic frozen chicken fillets and veg

poach a salmon in some milk, flake, put in ceramic dish, add any veg, some cheese sauce (little dish again) top with mash potato and bake

waitrose organic margarita pizza (frozen) top with tuna, sweetcorn, some grated cheese and bake.

errr think that's about my lot.

(rice, not ride)

plus the usual pasta with sweetcorn and tuna

pasta with broccoli and cheese sauce (baked) and fish fingers

salmon fish cakes - mix mash potato, salmon and peas into little patties and bake. breadcrumbs if i have them but fine without.

I make a delicious chicken pie that's very quick to make:

cut up chicken breast into small cubes, sautee until cooked in a little butter.

Make a white sauce flavoured with a grating of nutmeg and mix this into the chicken peices.

Meanwhile cook some potatoes and swede (equal amounts) and mash together.

Put chicken and sauce into pie dish, top with the mash and bake in the oven until the top is golden.

I serve it with steamed broccoli or peas, but they could be added to the white sauce instead.

Also make a fish pie like this but with mashed sweet potato on top instead of the mashed swede.

yummm overmydeadbody

Can you do it the other way round, and make a proper meal for him with enough leftovers for you too?

Curry and rice
Risotto
Pizza
Stir fry with rice/noodles
Soup & bread/baked spuds
sausages and mash

thanks so much everyone, I'll put a big list together from all your suggestions and start meal planning - think that'll make it a bit easier than hoping for inspiration 1/2 an hour before dinnertime every day!
Looks like batch cooking might be worth going back to - but I wanted to ask - can anyone else's dc's recognise a reheated frozen meal? I stopped batch cooking a while ago cos ds would always reject the reheated stuff, even if he had happily eaten it when it was fresh.. any ideas why?? was SO frustrating when I discovered something he loved, only to have it pushed away unless it was freshly made I'll try again, might've just been a phase

Omelettes can be quite substantial, try putting in previously boiled or mashed potatoes, bits of sausage, etc, to make it more interesting/filling.

I only ever freeze stuff like spag bol/stews/chicken supreme, saucy kind of things, they look just the same when reheated so not really sure what you mean there, are you freezing and reheating meat + 2 veg kind of meals?

Also, things on toast - I like sardines Add extra ingredients to make things more substantial - I put tinned tomatoes on the side if having scrambled egg, maybe add a rasher of bacon/some mushrooms to fried egg, sausages with baked beans, sliced apple under the cheese on cheese on toast (or tomato, or onion)

Mini pizzas, you can freeze the dough.

Mini meatballs in tomato sauce with rice

'Red rice' which is bits n pieces n leftovers all cooked together with rice and tomato sauce. Cheese on top and grilled.

tuna and borlotti beans served with chunky bread.

Risottos are always popular in our house almost as much as soup

Meal planning is the key.

Cherrychoc it is so odd - it was the saucy things like spag bol, or meals like fish or cottage pie which ds turned his nose up at if reheated when they'd been frozen. Maybe it is his special talent to identify pre-cooked meals..
Sadly eggs have never been a hit, though I might try Maveta's recipe and see if I can get him interested that way - gloopy yolk HAS to be a winner doesn't it??

Gossip - I have brilliant risotto book somewhere, time to dig it out I think! Do they freeze ok??