Inspiration needed please! Dinners for 2yr and 4 yr old boys

[Holymoly321]

I think I am going crazy! My mind has gone blank as to what to cook for my two DS's. They are 2 and 4 and the 4yr old is very very fussy. We seem to be doing a round robin every week of the following:

• homemade spag bol
• homemade shep pie
• homemade lasagne
• fishfingers and chips
• pesto pasta with ham and peas
• sausages and mash
• mince tacos
• roast on sundays (2yr will basically only eat the roast potatoes when we do this!)
• chicken korma / tikka
• beef casserole (Jamie oliver one)
• Scambled egg on toast
• er, that seems to be about it!

Please please help if you can - simple to cook things or things I can batch cook would be most gratefully received! They also have to be cheap as we are skint at the moment

Could you start off with variations of what you know they like and will eat?

Substitute beef mince for turkey mince in the bolognese or for lentils in the shepherd's pie (sounds vile but is really nice)

Make a veggie lasagne or a different type of pasta bake?

If they like fishfingers, try various types of shop-bought fishcake or make your own? Or try chicken breast strips in breadcrumbs (so easy to make).

Other simple meals I make:

Meatballs and pasta
Tuna pasta
Omelette
Homemade burgers / bean burgers
Veggie hotdogs in a bun (cant bear the thought of whats in the real frankfurters!)
Pizza - buy a plain pizza and let them add their own toppings

thanks for your suggestions MrsM - will give them a go. Apart from the tuna pasta - 4yr would run a mile. Guess I worry that they have so many carbs - their meals all seem very heavy on them. Doesn't help that they wont really eat fruit or veg apart from the odd carrot or what I can hide in the bolognaise!

I have boys aged 3(fussy) and 5(great eater) and their favourites are:

Jacket potatoes with choice of fillings (this is good cos ds1 can have beans and cheese on his and ds2 can have tuna and cheese)

Home made pizza - again can use toppings you know they will like

Tomato soup with pasta in

Macaroni cheese/any kind of pasta bake really

Fish pie

I forgot i sometimes do fish pie - think I need to do another one. Fussy eaters are such hardwork! Re the jacket pots - it's easier just to do mash because then at least 4yr old would eat - he won't eat a jacket . soup is a no go too . I do sometimes make homemade pizza but the 4yr will only have cheese and ham on it (i've tried cutting up other things very very tiny and he just picks them off) and the 2 yr old will only eat the garlic bread!

jamie's fish pie a real winner but not regular as expensive

when provisions low and need something quick its hard to beat quesadillas. non stick pan no oil slap in a tortilla/wrap of choice grate some cheddar on one side and some pesto on the other. flip in half like an omelette then flip over to brown. cut up to serve and eat with veggies of choice.

home made pizza every week again its a really good budget option much cheaper and nicer than ready made.

when i was little my mum worked full time and we had everything on taost. sardines, beans, tinned ravioli, poached eggs etc. all quick budget easy options. do u think my dc will eat any of them? life's not fair

oh one other thing

mine ( ds 6, dd3 ) are developing my dh's penchant for spicy. esp nigel slater's spicy pork meatballs.

that sounds a bit dodgy

Egg fried rice with prawns a big hit there. Otherwise pretty much your menu. It is v boring cooking the same thing all the time, isn't it?

Same as snickersnack plus fish pie and homemade burgers (I just squash mince with a beaten egg, don't bother with breadcrumbs or anything).

And quiche. Both my dcs adore quiche. Which I find quite strange, but go with it as they'll eat brocolli that way and no other.

Yes mine won't eat "omelette" but apparently "pancake" is delicious!

If they like pesto - another favourite of my boys is red pesto chicken (could prob do it with green pesto too).
Just smother chicken breasts with red pesto and put in oven - really tasty. We have with potatoes/potato wedges and veg or rice.

Or sweet and sour chicken?

Meatball 'stew' fry onion & garlic, add tbl spoon tom puree, season, cumim optional, add mince of choice meatballs i use 500g of lamb mince worth gently fry for a min, 1or2 chopped potatoes i add a chopped carrot hav to pick it all out of my ds1's b4 serving... add tin chopped tom, 500mls stock of choice bring to boil then simmer for 40-60min til it thickens a little then add a sml drained tin of chickpeas cook another 5-10min serve wit crusty bread... med olive stew, fry onion &garlic add chicken thighs/drumsticks fry a min add tbl sp tom puree 2-3 chopped carrots,1 chopped potato & a tin pitted green olives (rinse 1st as very salty) & 1lr stock bring to boil then simmer for at least an hr&a half, tis yum... even my fuss monsters like these

Uh another winner layer thinly sliced potatoes then thinly sliced onions then thinly sliced tomatoes into a cassarole dish repeat layers then put chicken joints top cover wit chick stock, cover bake 180c an hr & half to 2hrs check potatoes soft/cooked remove lid pop back brown chick then serve... another one is chicken joints roasted wit a couple splashes soy sauce & a couple spns apple sauce on each, cover wit tin foil, i serve wit roast veg & rice... Hth

Uh another winner layer thinly sliced potatoes then thinly sliced onions then thinly sliced tomatoes into a cassarole dish repeat layers then put chicken joints top cover wit chick stock, cover bake 180c an hr & half to 2hrs check potatoes soft/cooked remove lid pop back brown chick then serve... another one is chicken joints roasted wit a couple splashes soy sauce & a couple spns apple sauce on each, cover wit tin foil, i serve wit roast veg & rice... Hth

apple sauce chicken thingy sounds interesting. how do you make/where do you get the apple sauce?

mine have never had apple sauce but i bet they'd love it.

I jus make stewed apple blitz & add a little sugar but i usually use eating apples so on need for much, its nicer then da one n da jar i think but ya can get a jar n da gravy section n pretty much any supermarket very handy n a hurry. tis really yum i got da recipe off some lovely ladie here hope ye like it uh & buda i did wat u do callin an omlette a pancake &ds1 ate his very 1st 1 today & really loved it! thank u very grateful to get another option am doin prawns & tom veg noodles for their dinner today & torn between baked sweet potato wit some of da tom veg sauce for dinner but theyv never had s.pots b4 so may stick wit some homemade veg soup i made yesterday and a sandwich which i know at least they will eat da sandwich and try a spoon or two of soup...

I have a 1 and 3 (so not quite same combo, but heading in the same direction).

Loads of child friendly, quick seasonal supper recipes on my organic box diary blog

look under toddler and scroll through the pages by clicking at the bottom. You can print them out from there too.