Busy, working mums. Need some tea ideas please

[Nazz10]

I work long days 3 days a week and finding something that is healthy, quick and easy to make for my little one's tea is proving difficult.
Any ideas?
We don't have a slow cooker.
I'm sh*t at batch cooking and freezing (tried it and failed multiple times. Plus I don't like the idea.. I don't even have a lot of stuff in my freezer other than fish fingers, chicken nuggets, chips and veggies because of this 🙈)

I need ideas that are fool proof for dad who isn't the best chef

Thanks in advance 😊

Tuna sweetcorn mayo pasta
Crumpets
Pitta pizzas

@20viona thanks! He will eat pretty much anything except tuna and crumpets 😩😂 but I have done pitta pizzas in the past. Completely forgot about them! Thank you!

Filled fresh pasta
Pitta bread pizza
pasta with a stir in sauce or with ham and peas or bacon
noodles with the above
egg fried rice (lots of easy recipes online)
things like chicken goujans only take 10 minutes in the oven

our easy go to meals are

Chicken and veg stirfry
bacon pasta (with a sauce)
salmon, microwaveable baby potatoes and veg.
pizza with salad
slow cooker whole chicken or ham (then all you have to do is cook rice and veg
slow cooker casseroles.

Baked potatoes. We found fresh ones were not keeping for the whole week when the shop came, so now have a stash of the mccains frozen ones in the freezer. Microwaves in 6mins and then can do a variety of different toppings.
Omlettes
Quesadillas

How old is your little one? I use the What Mummy Makes book - great for recipes that work for the whole family.

My mother in law cooks up onions, garlic, ground beef, bit of passata, peas and carrots in a saucepan and serves on rice -- yum! Season with what you like.

Poach salmon and broccoli in a large covered saucepan with a bit of water. Medium heat for 8-10 mins. Add the broccoli halfway if you don't want it too soft. Season the salmon just before cooking with salt & any sauce (mix of honey & mustard or mix of brown sugar and soy sauce are our 2 go-tos).

Stew onion, canned tomato, carrots and celery with a bit of oil and seasoning until well reduced. Serve on couscous.

Soup and bread -- get an immersion blender and make any combination of vegetable soup. Ours all start with sauteed onions and garlic as the base.

Bake storebought meatballs and serve on spaghetti with passata or other tomato sauce.

Penne pasta with pesto, then add halved cherry tomatoes and mini mozzarella balls. So yummy.

Roast in a bag chicken, potatoes how you like them and steamed carrots.

Chicken breasts or boneless thighs wrapped in bacon in oven with wedges and veg.

Family favourite is jacket potatoes with different fillings e.g, cheese and Coronation chicken (poached chicken breasts, chopped up with sultanas with Greek yoghurt and mayo dressing with curry powder).

Big pot of Bolognaise - lasts forever in the fridge. Can be served over course of week with rice, pasta and jackets and varied with salad, veg and cheese and sour crème and guacamole.

Another vote for What Mummy Makes recipes! I find her one pan lemon salmon recipe a God send on a busy day... Chuck in some courgette, homemade wedges, salmon all in the same oven tray. It's super tasty!

The mac and cheese is also great, quick to make and enjoyable for everyone.

Veg stir fry
Baked potatoes with salad and whatever fillings
Fish fillets with frozen peas and potatoes

Simply cook is your friend here.Game changer for us re.boring mid week meals and samey Friday options.Really easy instructions to follow,lots of room for personal tweaks.
www.simplycook.com/invite/N6FYNV?t=cp&pg=ref&via=dt
If anyone wants a free box to try it out x

Quesadillas are my go to. Made with two tortilla, some grated cheese and mushed avocado. Sometimes cold chicken if I have it. Ready in minutes. I also buy little pizzas and do them sometimes too.

Omelettes are super quick and easy and you can put whatever you like in them - we do cheddar/feta/goats cheese with peas/onions/broccoli/spinach/kale/mushrooms. Serve with a nice fresh roll, it's a healthy and satisfying meal. Pasta with pesto and tuna/chicken, sweetcorn, olives and spring onion is a favourite in this house. Baked feta pasta is one of the easiest recipes there is and is so delicious (roast a pile of cherry tons in olive oil for 20 mins, add a whole block of feta and bake for a further 20 mins, stir into cooked pasta). I'm a big fan of traybake recipes too, there are loads - you cook the whole dinner on one roasting tin in the oven.

What do you have? Could you make a modified version for your little one, E.g no salt and mushed up?

Nothing wrong with cold food a couple of times a week. So you do a big plate of veggies, carrot, pepper and cucumber sticks, cherry tomatoes, mangetout etc then their favourite sandwiches, toasties or filled pittas.

Wow thank you so much! Sooo many great ideas 😃 will be definitely giving them a try.
He's 18 months old so can eat pretty much anything we eat which is making life a little easier nowadays 😅

Those that suggested stir fry, what do you use for sauce? I try and keep to low salt diet for my son but all the recipes online for stir fry are wayyyy too much salt so I've never bothered

Mine are much older but still prefer stir fry plain, so I just take theirs out before adding our sauce.

@Nazz10 a dash of low salt soy, a dash of oyster sauce a bit of honey and a splash of tomato ketchup. That’s it! Then just add water if you want it wetter.

@YorkshireTeaCup How are fresh potatoes not keeping for a week? I don't understand this. Are they very old when you get them? How are you storing them?

Beans on toast with grated cheese on top

@RiderOfTheBlue in a dark cupboard by the back door 🤷🏻‍♀️ I dont know how old they are - we get an online tesco delivery and actually loads of the fruit and veg doesn't last a week anymore. I'm told by someone who works in supply chain that its because of the delays in importing food now due to brexit? (Sorry for being off topic!)

@YorkshireTeaCup Yeah sadly it seems a lot of fruit and veg isn't that fresh by the time it's got through the supermarket system. Especially if you get it delivered or via click & collect. I'm sure they pick the oldest stuff for you.

Having said that, I keep potatoes in the fridge. They keep for weeks, way past their best before date.

Chicken, peas and pasta

Really simple. Cheese or no cheese.

I have a delivery pass so have two deliveries per week and aim to eat all the fresh stuff in 4 days.