After School Meal Hacks

[Laetitia1]

I confess that when I think of a new year starting (which it has, duh!), I feel a huge sense of dread about another year of the stressful drudgery of the after school-to-bedtime stretch, which I hate. Mainly because I can never for the life of me seem to find a way to cook the evening meal and have the kids not endanger each other's lives while it's happening. So: HELP? It seems so simple, when it's written here in black and white, but I seem to be under a cloud of gloom at the moment and could use some help. Thank you!

How old are dc?
Allergies?

DC are nearly 2 and nearly 6. No allergies.

Do you cook a roast on Sunday? I usually do cold meat leftovers on Monday with a baked potato and beans

Tuesday spaghetti bolognaise, if the 2 years old is jn preschool for a couple of hours in the kornjgn can you chop the onions etc then ?

Wednesday is bird's-eye night so fish fingers and veg

Will they help make pizza toppings ? Grate cheese for cheesy baked potatoes?

Can you cook during the day or are you at work? Put a slow cooker on during the day or overnight the night before so you just have to reheat and make sides/vegetables?

Curry/bolognese/cottage pie/stew all easy in a slow cooker or can be made in advance and frozen and/or reheated
Pasta is quick

Or can they help you cook?

Slow cooker or I cook a few meals on Sunday so they are ready to go during the week. It's incredibly dull but I don't get home until 730 three days a week and the gp's need meals to feed the kids.

Mine are similar ages and I resort to screens. Tv, iPad, DVD. I try to do most prep when older one is at school and younger is having his lunch time catnap.

I always have some things in the freezer - bolognese etc.
We usually have home made soup on a Tuesday night which I actually make on a Monday whilst making dinner then.
Wednesday we have frozen chips and stuff!

It's no good trying to cook every night and the only way to get through is a bit of prep and the freezer I find

5 year old can entertain themselves or watch to for half an hour if they don't want to help out cooking (getting plates out etc)

I have/do use CBeebies/recorded shows to keep them quiet for twenty minutes at times.

Do a few quick meals a week to take the load off.
Birds eye night..
Jacket potatoes..
Scrambled egg and beans on toast...
Cheese and beans on toast...

Same here op. My culinary delights for the witching hour are :

Pasta and jar sauce with added ham/ chicken / Sweetcorn variations

Microwave rice with similar variations and a bit of mayo to jazz it up a bit

Cereal

Bag of chip shop chips (Thursday night treat)

Spaghetti hoops and heated precooked chicken

Soft boiled egg smushed up with cubed, white, buttered bread and presented in a coffee cup (known as 'egg in a cup' and they love it)

Chicago town pizzas (microwaved)

Left overs from large Sunday meals

A picky tea of cold meat, cheese, Crackers, Grapes etc

I add their favourite raw veg to each meal on the side, so one likes tomato, one carrot and the other likes avocado. Always add Sweetcorn just because I'm obsessed with it

Oh, thanks ever so, everyone. Behold! a pinprick of light at the end of yonder tunnel!